User blog:Staraptor Kwan/Aikatsu Stars! Episode 1 Review: Off to an brand new if familar start!

The time has come. After all the hype, hope, dreams, denial and speculation, at long last an brand new beginning is truly and finally within sight, within reach. What, you might ask, is within reach? Well, folks, it is none other than the series premiere of AIKATSU STARS!, the official sequel to the popular Aikatsu anime series that began on October 2012 and ended in March 2016. That's right, with the broadcast of Episode 1: Start of a Dream, an all new adventure begins now for all of us Aikatsu fans, and without any doubt it's going to be an awesome journey. Speaking of which, this is the review for the first episode, so sit tight and read carefully! Enjoy!



The episode begins with our cute protagonist, aka Yume Nijino approaching from an underground subway station and emerging up onto the surface to meet her childhood friend, Koharu Nanakura. Koharu appears to be the Aoi of this series, given that she also has an similar role like her predecessor. Also, anyone who's eagle-eyed like me might notice that she bears an uncanny resemblance to an certain character in Pripara aka Aijimi Kiki. Anyway,the duo meet up, and Yume assures Koharu that she's alright since she managed to make it in time. Wait, in time for what?

Oh. In time for this. The S4 Twinkle Live!, that's what. A quick reminder: The S4 are what Mizuki was to the idol industry, only that this time they are a quartet. To be more exact, the S4 are an elite, top of the range and defintely way better than your average idol in this universe. Come to think of it, this is the beginning of one of the many throwbacks to the previous Aikatsu series. After all, Ichigo and Aoi went to see Mizuki perform live way back in the first episode just like how Yume and Koharu are now seeing S4, remember?

And straight away, we are heading into very familar territory, and nothing serves as an throwback more than this first performance. We have here the leader of the S4, aka Hime Shiratori, who then proceeds to sing Start Line!, aka the first OP theme song of the new series. Deja vu? Anyone? Anyway, I noticed that a few wiki members were complaining about her singing voice, and yeah, it does seem strange to have Ruka's voice come out from her.

The CG that is used in this performance and without any doubt other performances of this season is...alright. Knowing that the CG would alter slightly from the previous series was an given, but the textures and colours leave much to be desired. I know this is just the first episode, but it seems to me that the contrast levels are lighter than usual. Still, it's pretty decent for an opening perfomance ( unlike THAT HORRIBLE CG used way back in 2012). The new special appeal as well as Hime's aura was pretty decent, and they serve as an precursor for more awesome stage effects to be reveal in upcoming episodes.

Moving on, it's still pretty much familar territory at this moment, seeing as Yume is awestruck by Hime's persona (like Ichigo was by Mizuki's) and declaring her intention to get into the S4 one day along with Koharu. After all, one can't become an idol without an dream, as Yume's own name states. So after the concert ends, it doesn't very long for either both of them to sign up to become students at the idol academy where S4 reside. So, what kind of idol academy are we talking about?

Four Star Academy, that's what we are talking about. At long last, we finally get to see the very campus that will replace our beloved Starlight Academy as the main setting. And to be frank, it does not disppoint at all. We will discuss about it more in the future, so let's move on to the next topic of discussion, the staff of the academy itself.

First off, we have this blue haired, megane wearing bloke named Hikaru Moroboshi, who takes on Orihime's role as the head of the new idol academy. Here's the moment when things start to get interesting. Let's just say that the blue rose and glasses remind me of one of the most horrible villains in the history of anime while his mannerisms...let's just say that they kind of resemble the crazy you know-who from Utapri. I don't mean to say he introduces himself in the same crazy way as that guy did in Utapri, but his behaviour is quite mysterious, and he appears to have an hidden agenda of his own. Anyway, he is without any doubt an interesting character in his own right.

And in the left corner over here we have Yume's homeroom teacher aka Anna Hibiki. So to whoever ever shipped Johnny and Tiara back in the good old days, this spunky lady is without any doubt an dream come true. And Anna sure knows how to make us forget about Johnny instantly with her own style and wit. I'm already starting to get used to the word "babies" instead of "honeys". "Chuckles". Honestly though, she does make an first good impression, unlike an certain homeroom teacher from UtaPri, who for god's sake makes Leona West from Pripara look like an decent person. God, that moment when that teacher's true "identity" was revealed, god...the horrible nightmares, anyway let's carry on.

We have two fresh faces over here. On the right we have Ako Saotome, however the name of the girl in the left has not been revealed yet'''. I like how that this time they just straight away introduced new characters off the bat in the series premiere instead of waiting for more than 10+or 20+ episodes to do so, '''even if they are just there as cameos. I think Ako is going to turn out to be an mischievous little fox (get it?) and play some tricks on poor little Yume sometime in the future. On the other hand, kudos to Solelilislove for pointing out that the blonde girl has some sort of vendetta against Yozora. The picture shown is proof of that. It goes without saying that I am curious and excited to see how this turns out. Will the relationship between Yozora and this mysterious girl start off as an fierce, one-sided rivalry before gradually evolving into an respectable senpai-kouhai relationship? Maybe so.

Before we continue, there are two important plot points that I would like to point out to you guys.

Firstly, up until this point, the first episode of Aikatsu Stars! has been an deja vu experience for many fans, especially for those who have watched the previous Aikatsu anime series. Viewers like you and me will notice that many plot points that are used in the first episode are actually derived from the very first episode of Aikatsu itself. In short, the majority of the first episode is an large throwback towards the first few episodes of Aikatsu. It's just that the settings and characters are different this time around. This is without any doubt an attempt by the producers to appease viewers who have watched the previous series, so that they can immediately become familar with the premise without getting offended by other changes'''. After all, Aikatsu Stars! isn't an complete spin-off, but rather an extension of the Aikatsu franchise itself.'''

Secondly, and this is an important topic that I will discuss about more in the future, is that the pacing of the first episode can be actually quite fast. In just an few minutes starting at the beginning of the episode, Yume goes from stepping out of a train to enrolling at Four Star Academy. The story jumps quickly from one setting to another, lingering just long enough to introduce a character here and there while setting up new locations and just stops from time to time in order to cast enough screentime for our heroine. Most of the characters that are introduced in this episode get only a few minutes and lines each to establish themselves while other new characters left out by the episode limit of 24 minutes at the very least get to make an cameo appearance. The fast and quick approach to storytelling in the first episode is in very stark contrast to the slow-paced storyline in the first season of Aikatsu. In the previous series, the first few episodes took a few weeks to slowly introduce Ichigo, her motivations for becoming an idol while explaining the Aikatsu universe, its characters and how the Aikatsu system worked bit by bit. In contrast, Aikatsu Stars! doesn't bother with any further and deeper explanation before it sets up the entire premise; instead prefering to jump the gun and go on a roller coaster ride.

The reason why the fast pacing of the first episode is simple: Because we already know what to expect. And by "we" I mean people like you and me. People who have watched all four seasons of Aikatsu and know everything inside out. And due to the fact that '''Aikatsu Stars! more or less retains most of the elements of the previous series, the fast paced storyline is acceptable because we already understand most of it. ''' So while an veteran Aikatsu fan can keep up with the pace due to his or her knowledge of the previous series, a newcomer on the other had would struggle to keep up due to the lack of explanation for most plot elements used in the first episode of Aikatsu Stars!.

Moving on, at long last we discover the identity our dashing Sena-lookalike as first shown in the PV. His name is Subaru Yuki, and his presence confirms three important points, which are:

1.There are real male idols in Aikatsu Stars!.

2. Four Stars Academy is an co-ed institution.

3. And last but not least, these two factors more or less tease the possibilty of canon romance as well as producing     plenty of shipping tropes.

BTW, Yume's tomato face was pretty funny through XD.

So, reaching the end of this episode, we finally get an glimpse at the new Aikatsu system used in the new series. The exterior is mostly the same, however its the changing process that catches my attention. Instead of one long straight line where a idol had to run through cards in order to change into a suitable coord, this time there are several plaforms where one must jump upwards in order to change. It's an refreshing aspect, and the BGM used during the changing sequence is nice as well.

Yume's stage debut is actually quite good, and her rendition of Aikatsu Step! aka the main theme song of Aikatsu Stars! is quite pleasant to the ears. In contrast to Hime's earlier performance, Yume does quite an good job of singing while entrancing us all. The speciall appeal was nice as well. Major throwback to Ichigo's Idol Activity, anyone?

However, if one were expecting this episode to have an normal and cheerful ending like the previous series episodes, nope, that's the total opposite. In what proves to be an surprising twist, Yume collapses and faints under the glare of the spotlight, ending up in the infirmary. And here comes the shocking twist; when Koharu shows Yume a video of her stage debut, she doesn't remember anything about it! WHAT????And then the episode ends.

The new ending theme song aka Episode Solo is literally amazing. Not only does it contain an funky, electro beat that's reminiscent of KiraPower from the previous series, it ditches the chibi-like artwork of previous Aikatsu endings, instead opting for realistic, hand-drawn figures that give it the look of an traditional anime ending. Awesome!

Verdict

The Good:  The Bad:  Score: 8.5/10
 * An all-new premise that promises greater things in store to come for both hardcore Aikatsu fans and newcomers.
 * The fast pace of the episode manages to introduce new characters and settings properly without wasting too much time.
 * The confirmation of male idols is an absolute dream come true for romance inclined fans.
 * Yume combines both traits of both Ichigo and Akari's personalities to form her own unique persona.
 * Anna Hibki. One word: Babies!
 * Awesome ending song.
 * New changing phase is an refreshing aspect.
 * The series premiere does a good job of replicating the sucess of the first episode of the previous Aikatsu series without antagonizing Aikatsu fans who have watched the previous anime series.
 * The CG used in the perfomances is an huge downgrade compared to the excellent CG used in the previous series.
 * Creepy headmaster.
 * Fast paced storyline can be disorienting for newcomers.
 * Some of the story elements might just be too familar.
 * Ugly and weird teachers.

Conclusion:

'''The first episode of Aikatsu Stars! proves to be an exciting experience for those interested in the idol anime genre. Despite some low quality if decent CG, the stage performances still prove to be amazing. With an fast paced storyline, new and interesting characters, and an all brand new premise, as well as providing us with an shocking twist ending that sets up an potential plotline,things can only get better in the near future.'''

Afterword:

Hey, guys I just wanted to say thanks for all the support and love that you guys have been giving toward Aikatsu Stars! itself. I hope that with this blog Aikatsu fans can understand each episode more thoroughly than just by normally watching them. The thing is, I know that this review might seemed bloated and inconsistent, but given the fact that this is my first full review and it is just the beginning, I hope you guys can give some pointers in the comments box down below about how I can improve my writing skills and also do my best to write medium-sized reviews that are packed with information and yet still manage to be funny and entertaining. Thank you once again, and please tell me what do you think about this review soon ! Cheerios!