User blog:Staraptor Kwan/Aikatsu Stars! Episode 18 Review: Identity Crisis? What Identity Crisis?



Some time ago, I happened to have a debate with a certain acquaintance of mine.

This particular acquaintance had described how the Aikatsu fanbase was split into two sides when Aikatsu Stars! was first announced. On one side, there were many who had wanted changes so the anime adaptation could be portrayed as more realistic and entertaining. And they got what they wanted when the producers added more drama and plot into the mix. On the other hand, the other side remained staunch defenders of the original series, simply because they believed that such elements had no place within Aikatsu. They insisted that Aikatsu had always been about girls doing idol activities together, and always had been a upbeat and jovial, sometimes even playful anime series for people to enjoy, for which foreign elements such as realism and drama had no place in.

For those of you who were curious, I'm on the side that supports change, and for good reason. That said, Episode 18 is a very good example of how the Aikatsu franchise has benefited from said changes since Aikatsu Stars! was released; coming off two highly divisive episodes (16 and 17) that added fuel to the flames of conservatism, as well having to set up the events for the upcoming movie, Episode 18 had plenty of hurdles to clear in order to get the fanbase united again.

It passed the test with flying colours.



As a pre-story for the movie, it's of no surprise that the episode begins with an announcement by the S4, in which our heroines are notified of an upcoming event aka "Aikatsu Island." Basically, what they are saying is that Yotsuboshi Gakuen transformed a quiet and peaceful island into a giant amusement park for entertainment purposes and in the process ruined its entire ecosystem as well forcing the natives to relocate elsewhere. Oh, and they spent nearly half of the academy's budget in the process. Gee, I do wonder what they will spend on next? Bazookas?(Heavy Foreshadowing)

Ethics and unreasonable financial decisions aside, further exposition reveals that through a fan-determined election, four idols will be picked for said event. Naturally, everyone gets hyped and ready to garner herself as many votes as possible, but...yeah, let's face it, everyone probably knows who the lucky four are by now, right?

The main focus of today's episode however (or part of it) is on Ashida Yuri aka everyone's favourite chibi admin. Essentially, the entire episode is split into two parts, with the first one giving us a broad insight into the dirty work that the admins do and the second one focusing on Yume gaining inspiration from the admins and using it to elevate her rank up into the top 4.



That same announcement was picked up by our main trio, and after some discussion they split up to concentrate on their efforts; however, Yume is a loss at what to do until Yuri shows up clutching a box of Aikatsu Island posters and drops them which prompts the former to help her out, thus jumpstarting this episode's chain of events.

It turns out to be quite the enlightening if mundane experience, as Yume finds out when she gets enlisted as Yuri's right-hand girl to reshelve some books at the library. There, she meets Anna, who basically embodies one of the key themes of this episode when she tells Yume that she could learn a lot just from observing the work done by Yuri and her fellow admins. Which turns out to be quite true afterwards, especially for the viewers who now finally get a chance to see how Yuri does things her own way through Yume's POV. The former is shown working hard in order to promote the Aikatsu Island event, which impresses Yume as she notes how Yuri and her fellow admins dedicate themselves to their school responsibilities while balancing them with their own idol work.

It would be something of an understatement to say that I loved that scene; in fact it's what I've been waiting for since Yuri made her debut appearance. The fact is, while it might seem nothing out of the ordinary, Yuri actually gained a lot of proper characterization from that scene alone; not only is she a idol who has earned the right to become a class admin through hard work and perseverance, she also represents the notion that anyone, regardless of status or class can rise through the ranks and earn the credentials to be rightfully labelled as a true senpai (another notable example is Tsubasa-san).



Some time later, Yume meets up with Koharu and Ako, the latter whom lambasts Yume over her decision to help out the admins instead of attempting to find opportunities to bolster her own ranking. To Yume's dismay, she finds out that Ako might have a point after she checks the election update and discovers her current rank: No.30, and given the fact that other idols such as Laura and Mahiru are way ahead of her, there's a chance that she might not make it into the top 4. Guess it's time to call in the customary MC plot armor, then.

Said MC plot armor/saviour comes in the predictable form of Yuri once again; after her radio show ends, Yuri notices her kouhai's tell-tale signs of doubt, and so she takes Yume to a nearby park for advice-giving time. After apologising to Yume for having taken up her time, she then reminds Yume that the work of a admin is also part of Aikatsu. We then finally get to see a flashback involving a younger Yuri working under pre-S4 Tsubasa. Back then, Yuri was also involved in a similar situation much like Yume's, forsaking individual glory for the sake of gaining experience but thanks to her perseverance, her efforts were enough for her to clinch 3rd place. She also tells Yume that instead of copying the others, it's far more important to self-produce and find something unique to herself, of which the latter takes note of.

I can't help but salivate over Yuri at this point since she is basically what I would call the perfect senpai (Tsubasa also qualifies); not only is Yuri a capable idol in her own right and a hard working admin, she also dishes out reasonable advice to people who require it at the best times, having gone through plenty of ups and downs to know exactly how to handle all sorts of situations. That experience is also what makes her character far more remarkable; Yuri might not be a main protaganist like Yume nor a perfect "idol-like" idol like Hime, but she makes up for her side character status with her wise altitude and quirky personality, which are traits that made Yuri so lovable in the first place.



The 2nd part begins with Yume pulling an all-nighter before deciding on the best course of action: grassroots Aikatsu in the form of fan letters, all handwritten by Yume herself in hopes of her earnest feelings being able to reach her fans. Seems like Yume somehow got a degree in public relations before joining Yotsuboshi Gakuen, which should come in handy just in case Hikaru aka Jin Norizuki 2.0 really does expel her. Anyway, Yuri spares a bit of her time to play the role of the caring senpai again, this time accompanying Yume to post said fan letters, even giving a helping hand in her attempts to hold a handshake event and a solo live.

Said helping hand arrives in the form of Yuri's fellow admins, Miki (Dance) and Arisa (Theater). Having heard about Yume's contributions, the duo gladly return the favour by loaning her some documents relating to her concerns and advise her to inform the academy's managers for assistance. It's really nice to see that even though Yuri gets the lions share of the spotlight in this episode, her fellow admins also get to contribute to the main storyline as well.

Later on, in a reminiscent recall of Soleil's own attempts to self-promote themselves, Yume actually manages to outperform them as she diligently hands out flyers and even cycles around a local park to attract interest to her solo live. The result is that on the day of her live, there are twice as many people as there was in her first one back in Episode 10. As far as I am concerned, this shows how much progress that Yume has made ever since that time. Back then, she had virtually no idea on how to advertise, much less understand the concept of self-production; the fact that her first solo live was only made possible after Hime's was cancelled didn't help that much either, since it was actually by Hibiki's doing rather than the result of her own efforts. However, this time around and thanks to the efforts of Yuri and co, it's evident that she's gained a lot of crucial know-how and experience to actually handle things on her own, which is not only impressive; it also shows how much Yume has, through sheer grit and hard work, grown as a idol since then.



The following solo live predictably has Yume sing and perform Aikatsu Step again while decked out in the Melty Flower Fairy Coord, which is very reminiscent of Ichigo's rendition of Let's Aikatsu in Episode 112 from the original series, the only significant difference being that Yume's Rainbow aura activates just in time to awe her audience (including Laura, Koharu, Mahiru and even Subaru). Yup, looks like she's getting into the top 4 for sure.

Anyway, after her solo live ends Yume gets into a coughy situation, which catches Subaru's attention. After another round of lovey-dovey teasing, Yume comments that her sore throat and lack of energy might be related to her feeling different on stage today. This somehow triggers something within Subaru, almost as if he's witnessed the same phenomenon before. Before he can inquire any further, Laura and Koharu arrive, which prompts him to leave but not before telling her to eat a cough drop. Later on, Subaru does some sleuthing and finally sees a video that confirms his suspicions; a video that shows Hime collapsing into the arms of a shadowy person right after a performance.

I'm really quite pleased with the way how this little scene turned out, mainly because of two reasons: (i) Subaru now gets to play a bigger role in the main storyline rather than just being there for shipping purposes, which ought to keep the anti-heteroshippers at bay for now and (ii) this confirms my suspicions that Hime is afflicted with the same condition as Yume.

And with that, the episode ends with the results being announced: Yume, Ako, Laura and Mahiru are all in. Which means that Koharu failed to make it into the chosen few. Oh well, but she's still gonna appear in the movie, so all's well that ends well! Now, let's head down to the cinema right now and-wait, did someone just say that the movie will only be released in Japanese theaters? And that the subbed version will only come out after at least six months have passed? "Sighs'. Well, never mind, let the waiting games begin, then!

Conclusion

Episode 18: Together with Yuri-chan may seem ordinary compared to the shock and awe present in previous episodes, but it manages to set things up nicely for the upcoming movie as well having a surprisingly engaging and satisfying two-parter story that ties into the events of the movie, one that also provides a breath of fresh air in the form of Ashida Yuri and ends in another cliffhanger that hints torwards Subaru's involvement in the mystery that continues to surround Yume's mysterious aura.

Afterword

Alright, back to where I began: my debate with my acquaintance about whether the Aikatsu franchise was currently suffering from an identity crisis due to having implemented many changes that went against its core principles or had benefited from said changes, thus improving upon the bland plot ( I mean no offense) of the original series. While I respect my acquaintance for having her own opinions, I tend to think differently because I firmly believe in the new path that Aikatsu Stars! is currently forging; all I needed was proof that the entire franchise had benefited from the changes made when Aikatsu Stars! first aired to prove my point, and Episode 18 is that very proof.

The thing is, Episode 18 was more than just the upcoming movie's pre-story; it also showed how far the series had progressed since the good old days of Ichigo, Akari and co. By successfully managing to stay true to its original theme while integrating new story elements with it, the producers were thus able to present Episode 18 as the ideal episode that would represent the new identity of the anime adaptation. In short, rather than currently being in a identity crisis, on the contary Aikatsu Stars! has, after having gone through a long transitional phrase finally managed to forge its own distinctive identity, one that that carries on the legacy of the original series while providing a new perspective into the world of Aikatsu itself.

For the most part though, the star of today's episode was Yuri-chan by a long shot. She also happens to be my favourite admin thus far, given the postive nature of my review regarding her character. And really, how could anyone not love Yuri-chan? I really hope that she continues to maintain a constant presence within the series itself, because 'blush" I'm really infatuated with her, much like I am with two other certain cool-type idols as well. Anyway, I'm looking torward to the movie as well, hope everyone gets to see it soon. Until the next episode, then!

Rating: 7/10