User blog:FanaticAnime/AIKATSU⭐STARS! Ranking (UPDATED)

Hey, Everyone!

It’s Fanatic, and I’m back with an updated version of my ranking for the members of AIKATSU⭐STARS! after seeing the 2017 Aikatsu Music Festa in full. Some of the girls might get moved up or down, while others stay in the same spot, so lets get started! Oh… I also thought to do this since Stars will be ending by the end of this month. 😭 At number one, we have…

1)  Kana Hoshizaki - Kana gets the number one spot this time because it’s like I said the last time; SHE ROCKED IT! I love that she can change her vocal range with no problem and can put on an amazing performance! From singing as the sweet and soft Madoka, to currently singing as the mature and elegant Mahiru, Kana’s come a long way since she joined the group.  Now for my opinion on her voices for Madoka, Nina and Mahiru, based on what I’ve heard and seen from the anime and live performances.

Madoka Amahane - Kana’s voice for Madoka is very soft and mature. I know some were surprised that Madoka’s VA chose a high pitched voice, while Kana’s chose a pitch that’s somewhat deep. I mean, Waka and Ruka’s voices for Ichigo and Akari are very pitchy at times, so having another singer like Eri to even things out was a good thing! She sounded great in her solo of, “Hello New World!,” and I love her duet of “Happiness Equation,” with Ruka. That song gets you into the holiday spirit, and I really wish that Akari and Madoka got to perform it before the original series ended. Oh… Let’s not forget her trio with Miho and Nanase! I still can’t wrap my head around their unit name being Vanilla Chili Pepper, but oh well! In my opinion, their unit name in Stars is better. I don’t really listen to the song, but their version of "Chica×Chica" is really good.

Nina Dojima - Kana’s voice for Nina is very soft and mature like Madoka’s which I’ll now say is kind of odd for a Pop type character, but there you still get a sense of Pop in some of the verses from “Miel Miere.” I’ve said it before, but not on here, and it’s that I’m just glad the character’s not like Ajimi Kigi from PriPara.

Mahiru Kasumi - I love Kana’s voice for Mahiru! OMG! The control that she has in her voice while she sings is incredible, and I can’t stop listening to her and Miho’s duet of “Summer Tears Diary.” Her solos of that song, “TSU・BO・MI ~To The Vivid Future~,” and “MAKEOVER♡MAKEUP” in the anime are all so amazing that I can’t stop listening to them in full, as well as watching the performances of the songs in the anime. Her trio of “Dream Stage☆” with Miho and Nanase as SKY GIRL, is amazing! The part where Kana held that high note blew my mind, which makes me want to listen to it over and over again. Oh… Let's not forget her quartet of "Epsiode Solo" with the others from the 26th Gen. of S4! Even though she already sings as Yuzu in the song, hearing her sing it as Mahiru was cool! She sung the same verse as Miho did as Yozora, and I can't really say who did better because I love the voices of both characters.

Yuzu Nikaido - Her voice for Yuzu is very cheerful and energetic, like any Pop type character should be. It’s like I said before; You cant help, but smile when you hear Kana sing as Yuzu. Even though we never got to see her solo of “Heart Ski♡ps,” which isn’t one that I listen to often, I really liked her solo of “Marina of August” in the anime, but it was nice to see it performed as a duet with Miki. Her trio of “One Step,” with Miki and Sena in the anime, is amazing and very uplifting. That was the perfect song for Yuzukosho to perform after Koharu left for Italy and Yume needed cheering up after collapsing at her farewell party. Oh… Let’s not forget others songs, like “Animal Carnival,” and “Never Give Up⭐.” They’re so energetic and cheerful like the others. I also can’t forget her quartet of “Episode Solo” with the others from the 25th Gen. of S4. I feel that her voice suits the song the most out of all of the four. That’s goes for her being a member of the 26th Gen. of S4, too!

2) Ruka Endō - Ruka gets number two this time, even though I consider her the “Patron of Aikatsu”, like Yozora did for Hime in the anime. She’s come a long way since she joined STAR⭐ANIS, then transitioned into AIKATSU⭐STARS. Her vocals are amazing, even they can be a bit too high and pitchy. Ruka definitely shows her passion for performing whenever she’s on stage, and the emotion she expresses is overwhelming. You don’t know whether to smile or cry. It’s very inspiring! Her dancing’s also very graceful. A little awkward, but graceful. Lol! Moving onto my opinion on her voices for Akari, Hime and Aria.

Akari Ozora - Ruka’s voice for Akari wasn’t favored by many when she debuted in the original series, but she made progress as time went on, then people began to like it. I think that it became tolerable around the second half of season three when Nanase and Kana joined the group because Akari had to show signs of growth and become a role model to others. Her solos of “Idol Activity!” and “Blooming♡Blooming” aren’t the best, but I won’t complain about it because everyone starts off rocky. Her voice started to improve with songs like “Let’s Aikatsu!” and “Du-Du-Wa DO IT!” Her duet of “Hello New World!” with Kana, is the cutest I’ve ever heard. Her voice sounded great along with Kana’s. Then, there’s her trios with Mona (formerly) and Miki as Luminas. She sounded great in “Little beat, Little wing♪,” that it got to the point where I couldn’t stop watching the episode of Luminas’ debut performance. Oh… We can’t forget the song that helped Akari win the Starlight Queen Cup! “START DASH SENSATION” was and still is her best song thus far. All of Akari’s hard work throughout the second half of the series led her to put on such an amazing performance, and reach a goal that’d show she could one reach the same level as Ichigo.

Hime Shiratori - When I discovered that Ruka was singing as Hime in Stars, I was relieved because I was bummed about the original series ending like that after Akari won the Starlight Queen Cup. Her solo of “Start Line!” sounds amazing, and I couldn’t stop watching it in Stars’ series premiere, even though it was cut short. Then, when we got a full performance of the song in the anime, I was mind blown! Her solo of “Episode Solo” was great, even though I do prefer the version by her and others from the 25 Gen. of S4. "So Beautiful Story" is also great, even with some thinking it wasn’t her best. Her duets with Sena of “Start Line!” and “So Beautiful Story” in the anime were very heartwarming and sweet. A senpai guiding her kouhai as they put on a performance together. What more could you ask for?

Aria Futaba - Hearing Ruka’s voice for Aria was surprising. She’s just as skilled as some of the others in the group when they change the pitch/tone of their voices for other characters. Kana and Miho, for example. Her solo of “Pirouette of the Forest Light” is amazing! I may be wrong, but I think there’s a little Jazz if you listen closely. In all, I just love how calming it is. I also love it as a duet with Yume. They sound great together! Then, there’s her being in a quartet, with Risa, Rie and Miho. Their version of “Bon Bon Voyage” sounds really good, but I have to say that I like Risa and Miho’s duet of the song even more. I like how Miho sounds as Kirara in that one. I mean, "Bon Bon Voyage" is a Pop type song, and Kirara is that type of idol, so…. Yeah. Lol!

3) Nanase Matsuoka  - Nanase rocked it also, considering most of the characters she sings as are Cool types, and one of them had a Rock theme going on as the former muse for a certain brand. I like that she has a certain energy and stage presence that draws the audience in, as well as getting them hyped up. Oh… Let’s not forget that she also has a “Sexy” side to her. It was definitely shown in her performances, whether it was just singing in the anime or on a live stage. Moving onto my opinion on her voices for Rin, Lisa, Tsubasa, Lilie and Koharu.

Rin Kurosawa - I hardly ever listen to the songs that Nanase as a solo or duet, but I had to make time in order to talk about how I felt about them in this vlog. Nanase’s voce for Rin obviously sounds cool, and mature, but a little unpolished during some of her verses. Although, she manages to pull it off with her character’s dancing. Her solo of  “MY SHOW TIME!” has a futuristic feel to it and I love the choreography that goes a long with it. I’m actually listening to it as I’m typing this paragraph. Lol! Her duets with Mona (formerly) are amazing! They’d make a great duo in real life if Mona had stayed with the group, and talked to each other about their futures. "Tutu•Ballerina" is an amazing song, and I’m sure that a lot of DanDiva’s fans have it on repeat on their cell phones, iPods, iPads, etc. Lol! She sounded great and her moves were on point! "LOVE GAME!" is a good song, but not something I’d consider myself jamming to. It has a Rock feel that I can’t vibe to, so I think that’s why. Her duets with Kana were nice. Especially since it was around the times of them being introduced in the anime and group. She was okay in their version of “Let’s Aikatsu!” and I say that because her character’s suppose to be more skilled at dancing than she is at singing. Then, she very good in their version of “Friend.” Although, there was a error in their anime performance. Madoka’s verse were sung by Rin, and Rin’s were sung by Madoka. The animators really messed up! It’s obvious that Madoka was supposed to mouth Ichigo’s verses, and the same goes for Rin with Seira’s. Moving on… She also sounds good in her trio with Miho and Kana, which I’ll have to listen to more often.

Lisa Shirabaka - The voice she has for Lisa is a little deeper and very mature, which is expected of a Sexy type. I’m obviously going to like that! Her duet of “Lucky Train!” with Miho sounds really good! I like the music and choreography that’s used for it. I always listened to Ruka, Mona and Miki’s version, but I’ going to start listening to theirs’ more often. Their duet of “Promise Carat" also sounds really good! Their voices, the music…. Everything about it I like! Man, I really need to go back and watch the original! The maturity of her voice in those songs are so good! Then, there’s her solo of “Move On Now.” It sounds good, but not my favorite to listen to, including Risuko’s version as Mizuki.

Tsubasa Kisaragi - Nanase’s voice for Tsubasa has a hint of Rin in it, but you could tell the pitch is higher. You still get a sense of Cool from it, though. Her solo of “Miracle Force Magic” is amazing and so upbeat, I could listen to it over and over until I got tired of it. Some say that they prefer Laura’s version, which is also amazing, but the original’s always the best. I just hate that Tsubasa didn’t get to perform it in the anime and was stuck with one song, while the others from the 25th Gen. of S4 got two or three. Her solo of “Dancing Days” was also amazing! Cool, upbeat and very energetic, which suits the character. I could listen to it on my phone, mouth the lyrics and tap my feet all day long if I could. Her trio of “Dream Stage⭐” with Miho and Kana is amazing, as I said before! The character could definitely pass a Sexy type. I mean, she was once the top idol of Four Star’s Theatre Class. Oh… Let’s not forget her quartet of “Episode Solo” with the others from the 25th Gen. of S4! She knocked it out of the park. Especially since it is a Cool type song.

Lilie Shirogane - The voice she has for Lilie is amazing! When the character debuted in the anime and performed for the first time, I was like, “Whoa!” I could understand why some were upset about her not making it S4 in the final episodes of season one. After listening to “Dreaming bird” and hearing how fast she went through some of the verses, I could only imagine how out of breath she could be after performing it. Then, we have her duet of “Animal Carnival” with Kana in the anime. It was good to finally see her perform a different song as this character because seeing her perform the same one over and over again was getting old. Nanase sounds a little more energetic than she’s supposed to for the character, but I liked it. I can also say the same for those who noticed hints of Tsubasa in her voice. Myself included. Her solo of :The Wasteland’s Miracle” also had me like, “Whoa!” Nanase as Lilie is full of surprises! Especially since this is the song her character performed while getting the Pluto Star Wings. Then, there’s her duet of “Barefoot Renaissance,” with Rie. It was good to see in the anime, but I didn’t expect it to be an actual duet for the full version. She sounded great in the song, and of course, some said that there were hints of Tsubasa in the song, but I could hardly tell.

Koharu Nanakura - I was surprised when I found out Nanase would be singing as Koharu, as well as wondered how she’d sound. Hearing her duet of “So Beautiful Story,” with Sena for the first time was mind blowing, I didn’t think she could go that high. It suits the character, too! Then, there’s her duet of “Message of a Rainbow,” with Sena. I was so happy, as I’m sure everyone else was, when she made her performance debut in the anime! She sounded great! Although, she was kind of off in some parts, but it’s okay because I still love the song. I can’t stop listening to the full version either.

4) Miho Amane - Miho gets number four this time because I felt that she’s better than what I gave her credit for. I mean, she has an amazing voice, no matter which character she sings as. Although, my favorites at the moment are those she uses for Yozora and Kirara. Again, I an say that she definitely captured the essence of Yozora with her appearance (Hair, Costume, Voice, Etc.). Now for my opinion on her voices for Juri, Nono, Yozora and Kirara.

Juri Kurebayashi - Miho’s voice for Juri is amazing! Although, I hate to say that I really don’t care for “Passion Flower” being her solo song. Haven’t paid attention to the character’s background, but is she part Latin, considering the fact that she’s always saying, “Gracias,” and flamenco dancing? Although, there was hope for me to liking songs that her character was feaured in when I saw/heard her duet of “Poppin’ Bubbles!” with Miki as Passionate Jalapeno. I like that song a lot, including the music and choreography! She also sounds good while singing "Chica×Chica ' as a solo, a duet with  Miki, and trio with Nanase and Kana. Then, there’s her duet of “Summer Magic,” with Miki. I hardly listen to it, but I think I’m going to start, along with the others that I don’t listen to, because it is a good song.

Nono Daichi - Her voice for Nono is kind of different for a Sexy type, but I guess it works for the character. If you ask me; it’s a cross between the voices she has for Yozora and Kirara. I assumed the character would be a Pop type because of her personality, but her style of dress said otherwise. She sounds good in her duets for “Lucky Train!″ and “Promise Carat,” with Nanase. I wish we got an actual performance of “Promise Carat” because seeing them perform the same song over and over was getting old. Even though they shown wearing three different cords for that one song. Oh…. I almost forgot that she had a solo for the Starlight Queen Cup! She sung “Lucky Train!” and it was good, but she sounds better in the duet.

Yozora Kasumi - The voice that Miho has for Yozora is amazing! I remember someone saying that her voice for this character is close to her actual singing, but I never knew because I’ve never heard anything that’s she sung outside of the Aikatsu! franchise. Moving on… Her first time singing as the character in the anime was a duet of “Episode Solo” with Ruka, and I must say that I enjoyed it. I never guess when each member of the 25th Gen. would perform, but to see two of the four perform together in one episode was cool! Her solo of “Future Transit” was amazing! I’ll admit that I don’t listen to it very often, but I’m going to start because it sounds so good! The stage, music and choreography were all so amazing! Her solo of “TSU・BO・MI ~To The Vivid Future~"  was amazing in the anime, and even more amazing in the a duet with Kana. Speaking of duets. There’s the one of “Summer Tears Diary” that she has with Kana. As I expressed in my paragraph about Kana’s voice for Mahiru; I LOVED IT! I mean, who wouldn’t? Their voices sound great together, and the music and choreography’s on point. It’s my #1 favorite song! Oh… Let’s not forget her quartet of “Episode Solo" with the others from the 25th Gen. of S4! She sounds really good in it and I’ve been trying to compare her verse with Mahiru’s as the Beauty Class Rep for the 26th Gen. Either way, they both sound really good!

Kirara Hanazono - Miho’s voice for Kirara really surprised me. I mean, I knew she could go that in pitch. Especially as Nono, but when I heard her verses in her duet of "Bon Bon Voyage” with Risa, I couldn’t stop listening to it. The quartet version, with her, Risa, Ruka and Rie sounds good, but I like said before, I prefer the duet because of how she sounds in the song. Her solo of “Please Mary!” is really good. Although, given the name/theme of her brand and stage design, it could pass for lullaby and put you to sleep. I’ve never had that happen because I don’t listen to it as I’m laying in bed, but who knows. Her duet of this song with Miki sounds good, too! Knowing that they were formerly Passionate Jalapeno makes me look at Ako and Kirara as the revamped and renamed version of them. Lol!

5) Rie Fujishiro - I gave Rie number five this time only because I thought it’d be more fair. Although, it doesn’t take away how great she did during the Music Festa. She may be a newbie, but she stepped up to the plate when taking Mona’s as Sumire. From what I’ve read on the internet, Sumire was Rie’s favorite character from the original, which you could tell from her hairstyle. I mean, if she was to dye it lilac/lavender, she could definitely be Sumire in real life and while she performs as her on stage. Although, I could see that causing a little confusion for fans when she performs as Laura and Rei.

Laura Sakuraba - Her voice for Laura, to me, is at mid tempo (?), if that makes any sense. It also sounds very mature and I like that a lot about her voice. It baffles me whenever a character’s VA has a high pitched voice, then it’s revealed that the SV for that character’s somewhat deep. Her duet of “Start Line!” with Sena for the first OP in season one was very good! Although, it would’ve been nice if Miki and Kana were included. I know we had to wait until their characters were introduced, but still. Her other duets with Sena are good, too! They sound good together in “Aikatsu⭐Step,” but I’m crossed between liking Yume’s solo or their quartet of it with MIki and Kana more. "Honeybee’s Kiss" is nice. Although, I don’t really listen to it. “1, 2, Sing for You!” sounded good as a duet in the anime, but I’m sure people couldn’t get over Yume’s old Progression Aura whipping out Laura’s regular one during their competition. I will say that I do like her solo of the song better than the duet, It’s her best performance, leading up to her character’s solo of “Miracle Force Magic” when she got the Mars Star Wings. The duet of “STARDOM!” with Sena is amazing, but I do prefer their quartet, with Miki and Kana. I mean, who wouldn’t when it’s with all four of the main characters?

Rei Kizaki - The voice she has for Rei (Still crazy how she sings as character with the same name, but a different spelling.) is different from that of Laura’s character, but some say that they could hear hints of her in Rei’s voice, which can be hard to tell at times. I was amazed after hearing/seeing her solo of “Barefoot Renaissance,” but her “flying” up to Elza and sort of begging for approval (?)  took away all the excitement I had for her character. Again, I say that the duet of the song with Nanase, is amazing! You can’t go wrong when two Cool types get together on stage. Lol! I’m sure some wondered if she’d do a duet with Kana in the anime, but I wasn’t sure about it. I mean, their SPRs don’t go well with each others’ stage, They’d both feel out of place. Then, we have the quartet of “Bon Bon Voyage” with her, Risa, Ruka and Miho. I liked it ever since it came out, but you already know how I feel about it. Although, it was great to finally hear her character’s voice in this song. Especially with it being highly anticipated.

6) Miki Mirai - I gave Miki number six this time because I wanted to be fair after knocking down to number seven in the previous ranking. I want to make it clear that I was not making her out to be the worst in the group. I just felt that certain parts that Miki would sing didn’t match how she’d sound in the anime, as well as full versions of the songs that she’s featured in. Regardless of how I feel about that, I do think she did a great job during the Music Festa. Moving onto my opinion of her voices for Hinaki and Ako.

Hinaki Shinjo - Miki’s voice for Hinaki is close to her actual voice, but higher from what I remembered. Her duet of “Let’s Aikatsu!” from one of the few episodes of the original’s third season are what drew me to the Aikatsu! franchise, and I’ve been watching ever since. I’m just mad that I waited until the third season because the original ended after the fourth season’s twenty sixth episode. Miki’s solo of “Good morning my dream” in the anime was really good. Then, when you hear her duets with Miho as Passionate Jalapeno, you can’t get over how great they sound together. I really like how she sounds in “Poppin’ Bubbles!” The music and choreography for it’s really good. The same goes for “Chica×Chica” and “Summer Magic,” but I lean towards “Poppin’ Bubbles” the most. I also like how she sounds in some of her trios with Ruka and Mona as Luminas. This is a song the performed together before forming a unit, but “'''Hello! Winter Love🎵'''” is a favorite of mine to listen to, whether it’s the month of Christmas or not. I really like how she does the opening verse, too! I enjoyed her voice in their trios of “Little beat, Little wing♪” and “Lovely Party Collection.” Man, it’s hard to choose which one you like the most when they’re all so good! Oh… Let’s not forget her solo of “Hello Hello,” which got her second place in the Starlight Queen Cup. I love this song, and must say it’s best that Miki has done as Hinaki thus far.

Ako Saotome  - The voice Miki has for Ako is a little deeper than the one used for Hinaki, but I do like it. Her solo of “Marina of August” in the anime sounds really good. Her duet with Kana, too! Her duet of “Exciting Glitter☆,” with Sena is amazing, and I wish there was an actual performance of it in the anime’s first season! “Halloween Night Magic” is another that I like as a duet by her and Nanase. Although, there was some confusion concerning  Nanase’s character voices. Some thought she was singing as Tsubasa, while thought it was Lilie. Either way, the song’s still great. Miki’s trio of “One Step,” with Kana and Sena is amazing, and I like how she sounded in her parts of the song. Yuzukosho’s the best! Lol! Her solo of “Animal Carnival” is really good. Especially since it’s the song that got her second place in the S4 Selection, which automatically made her a member of the 26th Gen. Although, I somewhat prefer her duet of the song with Kana. I like how their voices sound together when they use a higher pitch. Her duet of “Happy☆Punch,” with Sena in the anime, is really good! They’re voices sound great together. I just hate that they weren’t paired up for it in the full version. Then, there’s her duet of “Please Mary!” with Miho in the anime. I really liked it! Definitely brings back memories of when they sang as Passionate Jalapeno in the original.

7) Sena Horigoshi - I gave Sena number seven this time because I wanted to be fair, and will say that I feel she should be given credit for having a decent singing voice, despite the one that’s used in the anime not being everyone’s favorite for certain songs.

Yume Nijino - Sena’s voice for Yume isn’t as bad as some may think. Yes, it doesn’t sound good for certain songs, but others do. She definitely made “Aikatsu☆Step” her own, and people loved it! “Exciting Glitter☆” turned out to be one that I really like, and again I say that I wish it was made into a performance for the anime. Her and Miki’s voices sounded great together, and I could say the same for “Happy☆Punch” ,” which should’ve been a duet between the two for the full version, instead of just the anime. I mean, the one with Risa is good, but I like it when Miki and Sena are together. Her duets of “Start Line!” and “So Beautiful Story” are like I said before. Heartwarming and sweet! Oh man! If only we could see Yume take on a role of leadership in a third season! 😭  Her trio of “One Step” with Kana and Miki is amazing, like I said before. You’re spirits are lifted once you hear it. I also liked how they all sound together. Especially now that they’re all members of the current S4. Her solo of “STAR JET!” sounds really good! I was happy that was the song she chose for the her S4, and actually made it. I like that song as a quartet with her, Miki, Kana and Rie, too! The same goes for “STARDOM!” Although, I do prefer it being sung by them as a quartet. Her solo of it isn’t terrible, but I don’t think it’s that good. Then, there’s her solo of “Message of a Rainbow.” I love how she sounds in that song Especially since it’s what her character chose for the debut of her new brand, and getting the Earth Star Wings. I also love her duet of the song with Nanase, who I was surprised would be singing as Koharu. I can’t stop listening to the full version! “Music of DREAM!!!” is another one. Especially since that’s the song she performed when getting the Sun Dress and winning against Elza in the Final Tournament. Oh…. Then, there’s her quartet of “Episode Solo" with the others from the current S4 in the anime. Some feel that her voice doesn’t suit that song either, but it makes their version unique, and I like it!

Well, that’s it for today’s blog! I know some of you have already expressed your opinions in the last one, but feel free to tell me what you think. Especially if you’ve changed your opinion on how well they’ve done. I hope you all have a good day, evening and night!