User blog:Staraptor Kwan/Aikatsu Stars! Episode 19 Review: Float like a butterfly, sting like a...ostrich?



Ah, summer. How truly wonderful and glorious it can be...until you realise that your air conditioner isn't functioning properly.

Remember back when I mentioned how Yotsuboshi Gakuen spent a ludicrous amount of money on acquiring a island? Well, that decision backfired spectecularly, as Hikaru found out when he attempted to pay for some repairs to the AC systems, only to find out that the academy's budget was in the red. In the height of summer. Gee, talk about bad business deals and horrible timing. And so it happens that until Yotsuboshi Gakuen can refill its coffers sufficiently, everyone's gonna have to go without some ventilation for quite some time.

The same also applies to Koharu and co; when the former collapses due to heat exhaustion, her friends take her to the cafeteria to cool down, and that's where they meet up with Yuzu, who for some reason is still dressed heavily despite it being summertime and also turns out to be quite the glutton (like Yume). Having seen their glum faces due to the prospect of being stuck in a stifling academy without any ventilation, Yuzu decides to give the trio a lifeline by inviting them to the Burning Summer Dance Battle competition to experience some world-class dance skills and get a breath of fresh air- as well kickstarting the events of this episode.



This scenario is music to the trio's ears, and to mine as well because after so long the spotlight has been finally shifted on the Wind Dance Class themselves. Anyway, while en route to their destination the trio get to witness mother nature at its finest, as their transport goes past flower-ladened fields and breezy farms filled with plenty of livestock including cows, horses, sheep and for some reason, ostriches. It's a nice change of pace for the series, which had heavily focused on urban environments and landscapes for most of the time, and it provides the first instance of the graphical improvements made in this episode.

Anyway, after witnessing a rather impressive array of dancers, the trio meet up with Yuzu, who takes them to a nearby market brimming with all sorts of tasty delicacies for some cooling downtime. When Yume asks her about her schedule, the latter reassures her that she's free for now, having passed the prelims. Cue the appearance of Yuzu's two faithful admins, who admonish her to return and wait until the finals begin. After a brief introductory sequence in which the admins reveal their names as Miki Katsura and Saya Akashi, the duo drag Yuzu back to Wind Dance's base of operations, but not before she invites the trio to tag along with them.



Speaking of Wind Dance, the following scene reintroduces a few (not so) familar faces into the mix, the most prominent of them being Dave Satou, whose eccentric behaviour trumps even that of Johnny-sensei's and Haruka Ruka, ever so cheerful yet potentially doomed to receive the Kaede treatment. Watching all of the Wind Dance entourage interact with each other is a pretty enjoyable experience, especially when you take into account that their character development has been long neglected in favour of the other classes. That said, after some exposition concerning the rules of the competition by Miki and Saya, it is revealed that among all of Yotsuboshi Gakuen's participants, only Yuzu made it to the finals. A naturally impressed Yume turns to congralulate Yuzu...only to that she's no longer there.

It turns out that Yuzu had taken advantage of everyone being distracted to sneak out and visit a mysterious young lady (who's not that mysterious if you've been paying close attention to the latest Aikatsu news) currently residing in a luxurious chateau. To be honest, not much is known about her at the moment other than she's Yuzu's childhood friend and a 2nd year Song Class admin like Yuri, as well the fact that she's not attending school because of a weak constitution. Which is a very intriguing coincidence when one takes into account that a certain character happens to almost have the same condition as her...

Switching back to Yume's perspective, it's surprising to see that instead of there being chaos and pandemonium, everyone is calm and collected, with Miki and Saya taking the reins by rounding up all the Dance Class students and creating a task force from their ranks to hunt down and recover Yuzu by any means necessary (literally). After their first attempt to recover Yuzu fails, both admins spot her pursuing a butterfly with lightning quick reflexes resembling those of the late Muhammad Ali (hence the title of this review) and decide to use their last resort, which is...



Unfortunately, at that very moment Yuzu gets distracted by a ladybug and chases after it, which causes the net projectile to miss its target. Needless to say, that was probably the most bombastic and ludicrous that the series has produced so far; this writer couldn't stop laughing after Saya of all people pulled that bazooka out of nowhere (her flower, maybe?).

Which brings me to my next point: since when did idols learn how to use bazookas? Are all of them required to have weapons training? And where did Yotsuboshi Gakuen manage to procure such high-quality equipment from? The military? Gee, I have absolutely no idea how Hikaru thought it was a good idea to prioritise the purchase of military hardware over fixing the AC systems to keep his students and staff happy, but when you take into account his spending habits in the last episode as well the fact that he's a few idols short of a unit, it's to be expected.



Going back to Yuzu's perspective, she loses track of the ladybug and is about to leave when she notices a young ostrich all by itself, presumably separated from its mother. In a scene that's quite reminiscent of Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (it's a Hayao Miyazaki film released in 1984, I recommend that you guys watch it), the youngster bites Yuzu's outstretched hand. She endures the pain and reassures it that she does not mean any harm, which is enough for it to trust Yuzu and release her hand.

I think that this scene is probably much a very defining moment for Yuzu's character itself. Yuzu may represent the playful and fun side of the S4, but under that brash demeanour there lies a kind and compassionate heart with a deep connection to nature as emphasized by the scene above. Any other person would have been frightened off, but Yuzu remained calm throughout her ordeal, proof that the writers did spent a lot of effort to ensure that she doesn't turn out to be a one-dimensional character like Sumire (see Episode 144).

With all efforts to locate Yuzu's whereabouts exhausted, Yume and co decide to volunteer to search for her. They find Yuzu down at the ostrich pen, where mother and child are reunited thanks to her efforts. She explains everything to the trio, then rushes back to the venue. That said, nothing could be crazier in this episode than that bazooka scene, no? Wrong. Thanks to Yuzu saving her child, the mother ostrich decides to repay her gratitude by letting Yuzu hitch a ride on her back. And that's how she arrives back at the competition, which surprises everyone. And so after explaining everything and receiving her cards for today's performance (after confessing to Miki and Saya that she loves them!), Yuzu finally makes her CG debut with style and panache.



Honestly, it's a huge relief to see that after 18 episodes, BNP really did make an extra effort to polish the CG graphics of their models used during on-stage performances; Yuzu's CG debut couldn't have been better timed, as the bright colours and tropical landscape blend in perfectly with her fluid movements. It's also reassuring to see that the facial expressions of models are far more smoother in contrast to the previous ones; I have high hopes that this improvement will continue on for the rest of this season and beyond. That said, I very much prefer Yuzu's rendition of August Marina; she's a more perfect fit for the theme of the song in my opinion, and admittedly Kana does a far more better job than Miki in singing August Marina.

Yuzu's outstanding performance is enough for her to win first place in the competition and a trip to Los Angeles; however she turns it down and passes it to...

No...no way...please don't...

Ruka.

NOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh god dang it BNP. You guys just had to go and ruin this great episode by giving the Kaede treatment to Ruka, a character with plenty of potential. 'Well done', you bureaucratic pricks. "Sighs". Well, I guess that Ruka's probably has to brush up her English then. Anyway, in a typical Yuzu-style move, Yuzu encourages everyone to dance together, which leads to everyone involved in this episode swaying to the rhythm as the curtain comes down. After all, apparently you can't end a Dance Class-centered episode without a dance sequence, eh?

Conclusion

It's been a long time coming, but at long last Episode 19: The Midsummer Top Dancer finally gives Yuzu and the Dance Class the recognition and character-building that they both deserve. The CG animation also finally receives a major upgrade, with the brief introduction of Lily also serving as a major source of excitment for those who have yearned for a Gothic-based character, with the only blemish being Ruka's banishment from the main cast. Overall, Episode 19 is an incredibly fun episode that takes a back seat from all the drama related to Yume's aura and gives viewers a far more entertaining insight into Yuzu's antics and the Dance Class itself.

Afterword

Well, that went well, I suppose. Out of all the Aikatsu Stars! episodes that have been aired so far, I can firmly attest that Episode 19, in terms of pure fun and enjoyment, was the best so far. My point being is that Episode 19, as a whole was really a relaxing and pleasant viewing experience. Every single character in this episode was really enjoying themselves, which comes off as refreshing after having to slog through several drama-heavy episodes. Hey, not to say that's bad, but every once in a while, you gotta shake off the heat and have some fun to cool down, right? And Episode 19 best reflects that sentiment perfectly.

Speaking of Yuzu and the Dance Class, the writers did make most of their time in the limelight to pull off some incredible character development, so to speak. Not only did Yuzu's persona get fleshed out, the writers also gave the Dance Class entourage some much needed character-building. I say this because out of all the four classes, the Dance Class might actually possess the strongest camaraderie. Not only is their head teacher a total wacko (even more so than Anna!), the other main Dance Class characters are no less eccentric as well, and I mean that in a good way: the general atmosphere surrounding the class is one of team spirit and harmony.

That said, judging by the preview for Episode 20 it seems that once again Yume and co will be reuniting with my favourite S4 member aka Tsubasa-san for a movie shoot! Oh, yes, any movie involving Tsubasa-sama's badass acting skills is going to be awesome for sure. See ya all at the filming location then!

Rating: 9.5/10