User blog:Staraptor Kwan/Aikatsu Stars! Episode 2 Review:A New Rivalry Is Born

Hello there, everyone, Staraptor Kwan here with your weekly episodic review of the Aikatsu Stars! anime adaptation! After an strong start last week, I wrote my review for the first episode. Although I admit it was kind of long and filled with some unnecessary dialog, since it was the first episode so I kind of went all out. However, starting from now I will try not to focus on every single little detail but make an proper review. Don't worry, it still will be informative and fun!

The new opening theme of Aikatsu Stars!, Start Line is without any doubt an incredible song in its own right. It's smooth, excellent, filled with nice and catchy lyrics as well as possessing some excellent animation.

At the beginning, we see the S4 hosting their own talk show, discussing about the new idols, especially Yume herself. Overnight, she's become an instant prodigy, with the entire school fangirling over her. Unfortunately for our heroine, she's pretty much flustered over the unwanted attention.

However, during an routine work-out exercise, Yume fails to replicate her previous skills, prompting everyone else to wonder if her stage debut was all an fluke. This situation also quickly catches the eye of Laura, who then proceeds to be extremely skeptical about Yume's abilities.

While the main theme of this episode is to shed more light on Laura herself, the first half mostly serves as an set-up to the four major classes in Four Star Academy. Each class is led by an member of the S4. All four classes have their own distinct atmosphere, and the three teachers first shown in the first episode each are in charge. All of them have eccentric personalities, so expect more to come from them in the future. After visiting the Beauty Class, Koharu is smitten by Yozora(no prices for guessing why) and decides to join up, leaving Yume to explore on her own. So after



checking out the other classes, Yume meets up with Laura. Guess what the girl does. She proceeds to chew out Yume, saying that she will be the one to join S4, not Yume. Dang, Laura's smug as hell. However, Laura actually does have an point despite her smugness. After all, Yume can't make it into the S4 based on just luck alone, she needs to have what it takes, which she doesn't have at the moment.

Later on, two students come by in Yume's class to draw lots for the new students. It's an yearly tradition, and Yume draws the number 4. Oh, so she's going to be paired with Koharu or Ako, right?

Nope. Laura it is. And so those two proceed to practice together for their upcoming  perfomance. Unfortunately, Yume's poor singing acts up again, and Laura's displeased. Once again, she tells Yume off, accusing her off holding back her full potential even if she's really trying to. And yet once again Laura does have an point with her lecture,as we soon find out.

Yume confides with Koharu about her frustrations when Laura walks by and hands her a envelope. Inside the envelope, Yume finds an musical score with plenty of handy notes stuck on it. Koharu leaves Yume to attend class, so she wonders why Laura went through an effort to piece up such an complicated score. It's then that she sees Laura leafing through some thick books about singing and projecting. Now Yume at last understands that Laura isn't just all talk, she might be smug but makes up for it by working hard and having an more realistic view of their current situation.

So Yume trains hard along with Laura for the big day, while managing to get along with each other along the way. On the day of their duo perfomance(which is preceded by an magician's show with Koharu getting involved), both Yume and Koharu decide to put their differences aside and go out on stage, thus setting the stage for an close and ever-lasting friendship between those two to begin, although this may come at a cost;the already established friendship between Yume and Koharu. Whether this factor will come into the plotline remains to be seen.



Once again, it's Aikatsu Step that's being sung, but this time it's an duo performing, so it's an different experience. Laura goes to show us just how cool she is by shattering diamonds as part of her special appeal. Her voice is provided by Rie Fujishiro, who's an new member of Aikatsu Stars! Thank god that Yume didn't forget her performance or collapse again today. Overall, it was an good performance, and I can expect plenty of great things to come from both of them, especially Laura. That said, I'm waiting for her solo song to come out. Laura's coolness, skill and rate of work are qualities that I love.

After their performance, both of them overhear some girls talking trash about Yume, saying that she's an fluke. Laura then takes action; she tells them to keep their presumptions to themselves, while saying that Yume did her best and that if they continued their criticisms, Yume would surpass them. I'm really starting to like Laura even more now, thanks to her selflessness and devotion to Yume. Even though she's still kind of smug while repeating her " I will join the S4 not you" alttiude. But I guess that's what makes Laura special.

Unfortunately, things take an turn for the worse. In Hikaru's office, we see that he's talking with Hime about the gap between Yume's stage debut and today's performance. Noticeably, he's not happy about it, and nethier is Hime. Then comes the shocker: if Hikaru doesn't judge Yume as fit or suitable enough to join the S4, he will expel her. Wow. That's not only harsh, that's dark as well. This also proves that Aikatsu Stars! is way darker and more realistic than the previous series, and the fact that Hime doesn't disapprove of Hikaru's train of thought proves there's an grey moralistic side hidden under her kind and smiling demeanour. This is all very interesting, so let's hope BNP doesn't mess this up.

Verdict: 

The Good: ​The Bad: ​Conclusion:
 * The episode's slower pacing gives viewers an deeper insight into the characters and environment of Aikatsu Stars!.
 * Laura's positive attributes make her an very popular character in her own right.
 * The concept of four main classes is an excellent and fresh idea.
 * The new teachers make up for their weird looks by showing their profressional skills and teaching abilities.
 * New opening theme song has not only wonderful lyrics, but also possesses amazing art style and graphics.
 * Any doubt that Hikaru was not only creepy but had his own sinister agenda is vanquished. The fact that he might expel Yume doesn't give him any popularity points either.
 * Hime shows an "darker" side of herself. Or should I say greyer?
 * Yume's collapse and short term amnesia from last episode is still left unexplained.
 * Laura's smugness might be her only negative attribute.

'''Episode 2: "We are Rivals" slows down the pace a little bit while building up the momentum from the previous episode. By expanding Laura's character development and giving viewers an much deeper understanding of Four Star Academy, Episode 2 rides high on the waves with its achievements. The confirmation of an much darker plot hiding underneath the surface also promises an rocky ride to come.'''

Score: 7.9/10

Afterword:

I really did my best to cut some corners around here so I could present an more realistic review this time around. I really like everything about Laura, even her smugness. And the fact that both Hikaru and Hime are in cahoots was an very interesting if shocking revelation as well. So, how do you guys think of the more mature and dramatic path that Aikatsu Stars! is taking with this episode? Let me know in the comments below and adieu for now!