The iDOLM@STER Ep15

This episode seems to make it seem like the three main girls of this anime are Haruka, Miki and Chihaya. That's a little annoying; I don't particularly like any of them that much. Where is Takane?!

This episode was an all-idol one again (although, undoubtedly, the trio I just mentioned got most of the screen time), featuring a TV show that apparently the girls do every week. This may have been their first one (which would explain why Producer was so frowny-face and stressed out the entire time). I really like the concept; it's a pretty good way to get publicity and the viewers do seem like they liked it.

I wonder why the children liked pulling Iori's hair so much.

The show, It's Live! Sunday (what kind of name is that?), was pretty much a variety show, where the girls got to be a part of different segments. I was pretty pleased to see that Ryuuguu Komachi was neither in the spotlight nor placed together; Iori, Azusa and Yayoi were at a nursery to predict the weather. It was cute to see how the three of them got along with children in very different ways. The scenes shifted quickly, making me feel that their entire trip out to the nursery was a little hollow, but variety shows are usually like that.

Sadly, it looks like a boy cross-dressing.

Yukiho and Makoto were at a clothing store, with Yukiho's stated intention being that she wanted to make Makoto cooler. After giving Makoto free reign, however, the result was quite disastrous - sadly. I thought Makoto was really into girly things; I assumed she had learned a lot from magazines and whatnot, even if she couldn't put it into practice. Anyway, Yukiho turned out to be a girly-girl (although I knew that already) and dressed up Makoto properly...as a man. The girls in the audience went crazy over the transformation, further destroying Makoto's dreams of one day being a girl.

Wow, ordering from a vending machine.

From Takane's scene, it's further solidified that she's a rich kid. (I know a little about her through my research into the games, but not so much.) Her segment was exploring ramen, for which Ami and Mami tagged along. (Their twin comedy routine wasn't particularly that funny; I'm typically not into that type of humour.) Takane continues to further pique my curiosity, and I do wish they would focus on her already. I wonder what kind of idol she's most suited as, since I've yet to see her sing or dance or act. I can't believe I'm so interested when I know so little.

I would watch the movie just for this.

The extended promo clip for a movie confused me a little; I had no idea if it was a joke or if the idols actually had gotten a movie. If it's the latter, then wow, they've really moved up. The mecha theme reminded me of the other anime, Idolmast Xenoglassia, which used most of the same characters and was set in some kind of Gundam world (I didn't watch it and have no plans to). Haruka as the evil villain and Takane as a scantily-clad boss made me want to know more; I would really like clarification if this is for real or not.

It's just funnier that Miki doesn't even care.

If there was any kind of story or growth going on, it happened with the three anchors. Miki seemed to be quite natural and in her element, while Chihaya was at the other end of the spectrum. When Producer told her she needed to relax more, she worried about it. However, she didn't particularly show changes, other than bursting into fits of laughter at various points after Haruka bashed her nose in accidentally while trying to open a box. I wonder if there will be another Chihaya-focused episode; the one that she had earlier didn't really "finish" her story. However, if she's a main character (more so than the other girls, I mean), then her story can just be recurring, no?

I wonder if Producer is dealing with this seriously or setting it aside again.

This episode also added to my dislike of Miki. Her come-ons to Producer were stronger than ever, with the rest of the girls (or, at least, Haruka) noticing that she was being quite outgoing. I don't know what to make of this; I can pretend that it's a joke, but it's hard to tell. Either way, Miki tried to tone it down while she was on-camera, but slipped up once and called Producer (who was off-camera, of course) "Honey". However, no one seemed to mind, so it's okay - for now. I mean, if she becomes more popular, this could undoubtedly become a scandal. I just don't see her allure, as it stands.

I wonder where she was and if it was a realistic challenge.

The next episode seems like it might involve this aspect, so I'm dedicating an entire paragraph to it. Hibiki's challenge for the week was to get to the studio by the time the episode was over, from an unknown location (most likely unknown to her as well). They checked in with her from time-to-time, and the last time they looked at her, she had no voice feed from the studio and was running through the rain. The show ended with the anchors promising to keep Hibiki's progress updated on the website, and the ED showed her smiling as the rain stopping and the sun came out. It might be too much to ask that the next episode has to do with her (I'm basing this off of the shot of Producer looking around in the wilderness for someone), but I'm hoping. I find her character still interesting right now.

This came straight out of millions of shoujo manga.

While it's not like the show is getting worse, I don't feel like it's getting better either. I just can't find something here that's gripping me. Perhaps I would if I actually liked more of these girls.

~Aaro

The iDOLM@STER Ep14

Let me tell you a funny story. Due to congestion issues with the other "good" cable provider, I'm currently with the major "terrible" provider, which imposes a 60GB/month bandwidth limit. I was on campus for 3 hours a few days ago and my wireless meter monitored 24GB downloaded (one of those being The IDOLM@STER ep14); I'm sure it's clear just how painful my home Internet life is. One more month and I'll have the "good" provider.

This episode marked the beginning of the second half, complete with a new OP. (It stuck out to me just as much as the old one, which isn't really a lot.) The tone of the episode was very different from the ones preceding it; the girls were a lot more successful in their careers and the genuine happiness was back. Despite their lively personalities, I always felt a sense of gloom in the air (for the idols other than Ryuuguu Komachi, of course). The episode picked up as the seasons changed from summer to fall (that was a nice touch) and Haruka was back at the helm for the first few minutes.

Yayoi has a TV show? That's big.

Haruka talked about how the biggest change was that the girls had a lot more jobs, and it was pretty evident with the extremely filled-up board. The episode featured a photo shoot that involved all of the girls, which they were very happy about. While it's nice to see the girls at work, it's interesting how all it took was a successful concert. Seeing as how they didn't do anything special before beginning the training for the concert, I stand to believe that this concert could've been held much earlier. Producer didn't seem to have much of a hand in their newfound success, being as useless of a secondary player as before, but I guess hindsight is 20/20. Concerts do take a lot of money, given the advertising, and this one did showcase Ryuuguu Komachi, which is why so many people attended, so perhaps it was held as soon as possible.

It's so awkward that she calls Producer "honey"...

This episode also had very clear hints of the roots of this anime, since Miki had begun calling Producer "honey". The age difference makes me shudder, but I need to keep reminding myself that this is pretty legal in Japan. (Miki's at least 13, isn't she?) No one seems to have a problem with it, other than feeling jealousy - such as Iori getting annoyed when Miki interrupted her time with Producer. I really don't see the allure and it was this scene that made me feel like I was watching some kind of harem anime. It couldn't be over fast enough.

Oh, Takane; when will we see more of you?

The shift away from Haruka happened pretty quickly, as this episode wasn't about her, and the other girls were given lots of airtime. Makoto was apparently getting recognized by fans (as were the other girls, of course) and dabbling in disguises. Takane talked to Yukiho, who seemed to have found her passion in acting (she was part of a musical). Chihaya also seemed pretty happy, being able to sing and record. It's really nice to see that the girls all have various talents, because for a long time it seemed as though they were run-of-the-mill girls that would attempt to conform to whatever the public wanted, especially being brainless and cutesy. By showing some honest desires and talents, I'm a lot more interested. Real-life idols are usually very different, after all; that's how you survive in a supersaturated market.

The bigger you are, the harder you fall...

After the insert song, Haruka and Yayoi ran into Project Jupiter yet again. It wasn't surprising that it would be these two that ran into them; without any real spoilers, let's just say that the brown- and green-haired ones are the same age as Haruka and Yayoi, respectively. Anyway, the boys of Project Jupiter were incredibly cocky and condescending, the reason becaming clear after a little while - the 765 Pro photoshoot (shown earlier in the episode) for a magazine cover was replaced by Project Jupiter without notice. Once again, I find it very stereotypical that Project Jupiter would be so condescending, but I don't have a good retort. I mean, I don't know any people in the entertainment industry, much less successful ones, so perhaps they're all like that. What a bleak possibility.

That actually does look awful compared to the girls' themed costumes.

When the girls saw what had happened, the president revealed to them the reason why the president of 961 Pro was targeting them. They were old friends/rivals, with their relationship ending one day due to a particularly hearted argument. President Kuroi (which can actually be the way "961" is pronounced; the ingenuity is just astounding) was simply taking care of the "nail that was sticking out" by hammering it down; the girls of 765 Pro had grown too much too fast, and he was combating that with his own dirty tricks. This obviously sent the girls into a frenzy.

I wish you would do something as their producer too.

Once again, Producer was just useless. He told the girls that they would keep doing what they were doing without resorting to dirty tricks, and even stopped Iori from calling her brother to use the power of the Minase Corporation. However, he was unable to soothe the girls' angry hearts, and it seemed as though everything was spiralling out of control when Miki suddenly said that she didn't believe they had lost just yet. She said that their photos had been cute and great while Project Jupiter didn't look so good. Just that much was enough to regain some of the girls' confidence, with the rest being replenished when Haruka began helping Kotori with the masses of fan mail and the other girls joined in. Producer has yet to become useful, even with the changing of seasons...

New plot point for later? She obviously misses her sibling.

With the preview for the next episode showing some sort of Ami-Mami adventure, amongst other things, I'm suddenly aware that a lot of the idols have had to be covered. I just want to see Takane's episode already!

~Aaro

The iDOLM@STER Ep13

It's not like I didn't watch to watch this week's episode after disliking the last few so much; Doki was actually late with this release. Given that I'm a little bit curious about next week, I hope it's not delayed any further.

This episode was finally the day of the concert, but it was anything but smooth sailing (as, otherwise, there really wouldn't be an episode). Due to unforeseen weather conditions, the focus was on the remaining idols instead of Ryuuguu Komachi. This also served as a method of redemption for Miki, as it was clear that she was trying her best to keep everything going.

Typhoon warnings - a thing of the future.

First of all, I used to herald Ritsuko as a person who knew what she was doing. As far as I know, typhoons are not sudden weather patterns that show up with only minutes of notice. Judging by the fact that she and the Ryuuguu Komachi idols were stuck waiting for the Shinkansen, I assume they were pretty far away. Why did they leave sunny and bright Tokyo on the day of a typhoon? The bad luck just continued, keeping the girls away from the concert until the very end of the episode. While I can't really blame things like a flat tire and a traffic jam on Ritsuko, I definitely want to know why she didn't have the foresight to at least check weather conditions on such an important day.

I need a twin.

The girls were very worried about what would happen since Ryuuguu Komachi was so late. As they went through their rehearsal with excitement, there was definitely still a looming sense of worry. Producer made it clear that the concert wasn't getting cancelled, and that Ryuuguu Komachi would definitely show up. The girls decided that, until that time, they would do their best to hold on. This is where Producer showed some signs of usefulness, working extremely hard with all of the crew in order to change the ordering of the songs so that the absence of Ryuuguu Komachi wasn't crippling. I don't understand where this strength and insight came from - most importantly, why has he been unable to channel it into something before this point?

Doesn't Ryuuguu Komachi have female fans?

The concert began late, when it became clear that no further delay was acceptable. It's interesting how the majority of the audience were boys. I genuinely wonder if they go for the bodies or if they actually enjoy the songs too. At any rate, the audience wasn't all that thrilled to not see Ryuuguu Komachi for a long period of time. I questioned Producer's competence once again when it became apparent that the girls had been left in the dressing room without any supervision, leading to a lot of hectic running back and forth as they attempted to band together and keep everything going well. This is what happens when there's no leader.

That makes me feel a little sad for all the other girls.

Eventually, the emotions ran too high and the girls butted heads. Mami accidentally ripped Yukiho's skirt while struggling to get it zipped up, while Makoto's uncapped drink spilled all over Hibiki's costume. This would have been a good time for Producer to shine but, as usual, he came in as the girls were finishing up their pep talks to each other. I swear, I just want to see him do something worthy of his position one of these days. He seems to be good at the organizer stuff - talking to all the crew in order to make sure that everything was going on-track - but fails in actually promoting the idols. Why is he the producer?

I guess smaller costumes make sense, considering the hot lights.

Eventually, it came to that the new changes had placed two of Miki's song back-to-back, which would cause a huge stress on her. I dislike it when such contrived things happen, but I can see how it must have occurred; Producer is pretty incompetent as a whole. At any rate, Miki wanted to try to do it, even though it would mean that she would be extremely tired afterwards, and Producer allowed her, sending Hibiki and Makoto to back her up (and to mask her errors, I suppose). She began her segment by telling the crowd honestly that Ryuuguu Komachi was delayed due to the typhoon, but they would definitely be there. (You'd think someone would have told them before that point, unless it's protocol, for some reason, to not do that.) And, then, of course, her performance went quite well and the crowd loved her.

I have never seen something like this before.

Ryuuguu Komachi ran in just as the girls were performing an all-cast song to a rather vibrant and excited audience. While Miki had collapsed (into Producer's arms, of course) earlier after her double performance, she had regained her strength and the concert had gone spectacularly. It was pretty obvious that this episode tried its best to stay away from Ryuuguu Komachi, since the camera panned to the sky and shifted scenes just as they began performing Smoky Thrill. Afterwards, the girls dashed to the dressing room only to find that all the other idols had fallen asleep, due to extreme tiredness.

They look pretty good together.

One thing of note that I found quite interesting was that Takane, Miki and Hibiki had fallen asleep while supporting each other. As I began to dislike this anime so much, I looked into its origins further. The story is so amazingly different that I felt kind of sad that the anime destroyed so much of it.
Spoilers begin here.
There's a very good chance that these stories weren't interesting in the games, as there's a chance it wasn't fleshed out properly and rather just used as various plot devices, but just the quality of the concepts themselves makes me curious. Takane, Miki and Hibiki were originally part of Studio 961, as a unit known as Project Fairy. (This is, by the way, the same production that handles Project Jupiter; apparently, they like themed names.) They eventually left to become a part of 765 Productions; I don't know if their grouping was retained or not. I don't know where the anime picks up, since they've never referenced any of this; it would be either after this change happened or it's set in a completely different universe. As well, Mami and Ami were once marketed as one person, under Ami's name, and then they were introduced as two different idols and Mami decided to grow her hair out. These kinds of back stories might have made me like the entire situation a lot more. As it is now, everything just feels really hollow sometimes.
Spoilers end here.

I must say, Ryuuguu Komachi's costumes look a little ridiculous.

The next episode looks interesting, if simply because Takane is wearing an apple costume. (I'm such a sucker for these things.) For now, she's my favourite character - however, keeping in mind what Miki turned out to be like, I'm a little wary.

~Aaro

The iDOLM@STER Ep12

I wasn't looking forward to watching this episode, because I knew that it would be about Miki and how they managed to "get her back", and I'm pretty sad to report that that's exactly what it was about. Sigh.

This episode picked off right at the end of ep11, where Ritsuko told Miki, in no uncertain terms, that Ryuuguu Komachi was a 3-idol group and those idols were already set, with no changes planned. After the OP, there was a tiny skip where at least another day had passed, as the girls spoke about how Miki hadn't shown up again for practice. In all of this, it was revealed that she wasn't picking up any phones calls or answering texts - basically, cutting all lines of communication. That's professional.

It's interesting how he didn't think to ask Ritsuko before she approached him.

Producer finally figured out what the problem was when Ritsuko talked to him, explaining what Miki's last words to her had been. Producer managed to put things together and remember his half-hearted "promise" to Miki, acting surprised and weary that it had grown into something so problematic. After he finally managed to get through to Miki (I thought phones in Japan had the interesting "block" feature; I assume she wanted to feel like they cared about her), she stated that she had lost all enthusiasm for work and had no plans to come back if she couldn't be a part of Ryuuguu Komachi. So, essentially, she was being a spoiled brat.

Are they insinuating that older girls are any different?

I'm so conflicted on so much of this episode. Kotori explained to Producer that he was being too harsh with her and that, in the end, she was still a young girl that would sometimes act irrationally based on her emotions. While that may or may not be true (everyone is capable of acting irrationally sometimes, regardless of age), I don't understand why that felt so much like a cop-out. Kotori managed to get Producer to calm down and attempt different tactics to get through to Miki, which was a good thing. However, it just felt as though her behaviour was being condoned, which I really can't understand. Doesn't this girl have a contract? Aren't there legal ramifications to her behaviour? Or is 765 Productions a completely different type of business?

All the costumes are so different. It's actually interesting.

The other idols, taking a backseat in this episode, attempted to keep going without Miki - not in the malicious way, but rather in the "show must go on" way. Several times, Chihaya kept the group going, especially when they became very downtrodden about Miki's disappearance. I really like that facet of her personality; however "impure" her reasons (wanting the concert to be a success so she could be a singer), she took all the right steps in keeping everyone together. By the end of the episode, when all was well, Haruka asked if Chihaya had been angry with Miki's antics, to which the singer responded that she had felt it a little bit, but it paled in comparison to the bigger picture. What professionalism!

Her friends also look pretty advanced. Are they all the same age?

Miki spent her day (and insert song) wandering around, meeting up with friends, declining invitations from lecherous boys, singing for a TV crew - and that last thing allowed Producer to find her. She ran away from him and he chased her down, both of them yelling things at each other while moving through crowds. Producer eventually managed to get her to stop, wherein she reiterated that she was quitting. He bowed and apologized, which caught Miki by surprise. I really didn't like that part; it felt as though she was getting a get-out-of-jail-free card. It's one thing for Producer to apologize - he was in the wrong and it would be better to be friendlier with the idols instead of masquerading as the cold-hearted management - but it's very disturbing to see that Miki faced no consequences for her absence at such a critical time. Seriously, does she not have a contract?

Her costume is easily the sluttiest of them all.

The episode devolved into a "date", wherein Producer walked around with Miki as she toured the streets. (This anime's roots are showing...) Miki found herself slipping up many times throughout the outing, which Producer caught, and he eventually managed to convince her to come back. She continued acting like a spoiled brat throughout, only accepting that she wouldn't be performing with Ryuuguu Komachi because she was "promised" the chance to shine brighter at the concert. Her return to the other idols was met with acceptance, with Chihaya announcing that they all needed to make up for lost time (and not holding grudges, thereby taking the high road).

Where would these stickers go?

I disliked many portions of this episode, but the part that bothered me the most was essentially how Miki walked away without any problems. She had no punishment, no probation, nothing to denote that something wrong was done. Really, what's keeping another idol from doing something similar? I get that she's still young, compared to the other idols and especially given her profession, but that doesn't mean anything. She chose to be an idol, and there's a certain amount of professionalism that needs to be instilled into her. I get that she's probably a money-maker - at least, a future one, with better marketing - but they're not even keeping her reined in to capitalize on that aspect. This episode seemed like it tried to present a realistic concept except make it have a feel-good ending; those two things don't always go together.

She's still pretty cutesy, even beyond the bratty nature.

This was a ridiculous episode, one that felt the most like a dating sim out of all the episodes so far. I'm beginning to really dislike the fact that this is a 2-season anime. Yes, it has a lot of episodes to redeem itself - but it's just digging itself a bigger hole every week to crawl out from. Possible?

~Aaro

The iDOLM@STER Ep11

With this episode, I'm all caught up on this anime. With the way this one ended, I'm looking forward to the next episode - just a little bit, though. This anime is still only so-so for me.

This episode was focused on Haruka, evident from the first moment when she walked in through the doors of the office in her school uniform. The story was that the president had decided to hold a concert consisting of the 765 idols, with the main attraction being Ryuuguu Komachi. As Producer broke this news to the girls, it came with new songs and new dance routines, leading to an episode full of Haruka trying hard.

I can only focus on the giant heart.

The girls began practising, though it was very difficult from the very beginning. Yukiho and Yayoi both had serious problems learning the dance routine, with Haruka having minor timing problems (that could turn into bigger problems, I guess). During a conversation between the dance instructor and Producer, Miki was against making the routine easier, since then the girls wouldn't be performing at their best. Slowly but surely, the other girls agreed and split up into three teams to help the three "problem idols".

Is that guy looking at her book?!

The singing also did not seem to go in Haruka's favour (though Mami seemed to have problems too). I wonder what her actual affinity is, with being an idol. As the girls spoke after practice, Haruka asked everyone else how they were studying for their exams, leading to the understanding that she was trying to do well in school alongside with being an idol. A montage of her trying hard ensued, along with her insert song. Once again, they showed an anime character studying anywhere and everywhere. Does that really work? I mean, the Japanese curriculum is very memorization-based, so I can't see how studying in bits and pieces like that can always work.

What a terrible rip-off of Sony.

The montage of a hard-working Haruka ended with her being so sleep-deprived that she fell during dance practice and hurt her ankle. Staying away from the usual shtick, it wasn't any kind of serious damage. However, Yayoi also messed up in her dancing (while Makoto treated Haruka's ankle), leading to the dance instructor conversing with Producer once again to make the routine easier. Yukiho talking about not being in the concert, so that she wouldn't drag everyone down, led to Takane speaking up and chastising her (and the girls as a whole) for not having the resolution to break through their personal barriers. Her straightforward words and unconventional way of speaking injected the girls with some more confidence.

They don't get a dance instructor?

The girls dropped by the nearby rehearsal studio where Ryuuguu Komachi and Ritsuko were, astounded at what they saw. I have to admit, the three girls of Ryuuguu Komachi seem quite adept at what they do. I'm sure it's because of the extensive practise they've undergone in the last few episodes (spanning a long time, I assume). Takane called it "awareness of the responsibility of being an idol" and just as the girls seemed down again, Haruka gave them confidence by honestly saying that she wanted to hurry up and get to their level already. I guess it's really easy to lose confidence, considering how many times it happened in pretty much the same scene.

That actually is kind of a scary thought.

Haruka kicked it into overdrive, staying behind after the other girls in order to practice her singing some more. Chihaya showed up to help her out, considering her own singing is more than acceptable for the level desired. I feel anxious every time this girl is on screen; I worry about her internal sadness. When she was shown earlier in the episode, I thought there would be a level of angst. However, finding out that she was helping Haruka out made me pretty happy. The session ended when Producer dropped by, letting them know of the time, and Haruka realized that she had missed her train for the night. (A good tie-in with the very first scene of the first episode, since Haruka travels quite a lot to get to work everyday.)

Boy? Girl?

Since Chihaya was also there and probably more so because she lives alone, she offered to let Haruka stay for the night. They ended up cooking the dish they had cooked a few episode back, during the TV competition, after Chihaya commented that she usually ate from the convenience store and took supplements to make up for lacking nutrients. This scene revealed a lot more about Chihaya than Haruka, I think, since we found out that Chihaya's parents recently divorced and she wanted some distance from them. The picture shown revealed more still - not only does Chihaya have a younger sibling, but she obviously is very close with him/her. (I think it's a boy, but can't be too sure...) It may not be the only photo she has, but it's the only one she's unpacked; everything else is "essential", like her CD player.

I wonder if Burger Queen is married to Burger King.

Another montage (though this time without a song) followed, of all the girls that night and the various things that they did. Chihaya and Haruka talked about why the latter was an idol (although this question was kind of already answered back in ep01) as the two of them studied for exams. The next day at practice saw a marked improvement in all of the girls, considering they had actually been able to get through the entire dance routine without any major mistakes. Haruka also ended up doing well in her exams, so it all ended well.

Those are some smart animals.

Well, actually, there was one more matter. It had been shown earlier in the episode, when Producer was first announcing the concert, but I hadn't really thought it was a big deal. Miki has been commenting for a few episodes that she wants to be a part of Ryuuguu Komachi, and she mentioned that her good performance in the concert would help. At the end of the episode, seeing that Ritsuko was present to see the properly-executed dance routine, she ran out to ask if she could be a part of Ryuuguu Komachi. Obviously, Ritsuko had no idea what she was talking about, mostly because Producer had half-heartedly spoken to her about it back then.

Begin the emo!

I don't know how I feel about Miki at this point. I have little sympathy because, as the viewer, I knew that Producer was only talking half-heartedly. I feel like she should have also asked Ritsuko for confirmation instead of going on one man's words. However, on the other hand, Producer is supposed to be in charge of her career, and so she obviously took it very seriously. Moreover, seeing the subject of her text, it seems as though Producer had more communication with her about this matter rather than just what was seen on screen. Judging from what the other idols were saying, she was working harder in the last little while, with a goal in mind. I don't think that's reason enough to stop coming to work without a word, though.

Happiness is fleeting.

It was a quick episode with less happening than in the last (or maybe I just felt that way, because I don't like Haruka and most likely zoned out). The next episode obviously needs to deal with the issue of Miki, especially given that the all-important concert is coming up, so it's something I'm looking forward to because of the reality involved.

~Aaro

The iDOLM@STER Ep10

Watching this last night when I was tired didn't go too far, so I watched it this morning when I was super-awake. I kind of wish I'd watched it while I was tired so I didn't soak so much of it in. I'm really not liking this anime at this point.

This episode was another all-focus one, as it was the annual sports festival. It's interesting to see that a lot of agencies compete together; I know that Johnny's Jimusho of Japan is large enough to hold their own. Anyway, 765 Productions was invited for the first time due to Ryuuguu Komachi's activities - once again, it's been shown that Ritsuko's in charge of something quite lucrative. I expected a happy-go-lucky episode, but this one chose to be filled with random new characters and angst, topped off with a happy ending. I probably despised it.

Takane is so uncouth sometimes.

The episode began as the sports festival was already underway. Iori and Makoto had been paired together in the 3-legged race, and had apparently fallen down. They were either fighting from the very beginning or had begun fighting after their unfortunate tumbling - either way, it was a theme that came back into play later on. Hibiki and Takane returned from their match, having won first place. I know that Hibiki had to run into some kind of "sandbox" for the flag, but what was Takane's role? What was she eating?

She looks like she might die.

The first match shown in the episode was actually Azusa in the bread-eating contest. She was dead last, apparently due to being a poor runner and because her giant chest hadn't been bound. I wonder if they even took the competition seriously to begin with... She got a lot of attention, mostly due to her chest size, but also because of her cute and loveable ways. She took the match at her own pace, taking a bite of the bread and cooing that it was sweet, which caused the audience to go wild and the TVs to interview her after the race. More publicity for Ryuuguu Komachi, I see.

...fun.

After Ritsuko took the three girls of Ryuuguu Komachi away to rehearse (since they would be singing sometime later in the day), the other girls became very fired up when they realized that this was their chance to be on TV and shine. A montage of some very strange games began - sitting on balloons to break them while wearing bloomers? really? - and the disgruntled girls were once again shown (the previous one being the girl that had won the bread-eating contest but got no screen-time due to Azusa's charms).

I wonder if they're villains. It's just not clear enough.

The introduction of the girl group Shinkan Shoujo is pretty much what led to me hating this episode so much. It was a typical story of people latching onto a well-known group, and thus their own personal value sky-rocketed. I understand that it's a different type of society in Japan, one where the group matters more than the individual, but I dislike the negativity that's shown in a lot of depictions. This 3-girl group embodied the typical "shoujo girl scorned" archetype, commenting that the idols of 765 Productions were getting too full of themselves and that they should do something about it.

How could she even lose balance and slam into Yayoi?

The girls of Shinkan Shoujo went to work, with the black-haired one (looking kind of like Chihaya) up against Yayoi in some kind of wig-wearing sack race. I have to comment that this girl's wig seemed quite unfair; it looked like it held onto her head really well. On top of that, it had absolutely nothing sticking out that could get caught in the various obstacles. Regardless of those facts, she ended up losing, taking second place because she veered off-course and slammed into Yayoi (working super hard in a ridiculous pink wig). Putting her plan (of sorts) into motion, she commented to Yayoi after the race that 765 Pro had no chance with a burden like her on the team. ...sigh.

Haruka defines "cute" as "clumsy".

With their efforts not particularly succeeding, especially when Haruka and Hibiki got a lot of attention in the cheerleading competition (due to Haruka falling and taking Hibiki with her), the girls turned to their producer, who revealed that it had been decided that they would win. Thus, he would have a talk with Producer so that the 765 idols could stop standing out so much (though it wasn't said in so many words). Before I move on, I have to comment that I still don't see Haruka's charm. Nothing.

Apparently, one of these is very close to a central character.

Another reason for my discourse with this anime is simply because it feels as though I picked it up in the middle of a story. Who are these three girls? Why wasn't it explained in the anime? Why do I need to look it up on my own time? It's like the nonsense of Hourou Musuko all over again. As far as I understand it, this anime is adapted from a game, wherein the player plays as Producer (the reason why he's unnamed in the anime, I guess). In that case, it makes sense that the story would pick up in the middle of things. However, I'm sure that, in the games, they explain things because Producer is new to the fray. In the anime, they really fail to explain things sometimes. I'm sure these three girls have some kind of back story to them, one that I just can't know for some reason. (Unless they reveal it in the next episode. Then I'm a little bit appeased.)

To a degree, it really was your own fault.

The plot point of Iori and Makoto's tiffs showed up again as the first match of the afternoon was a three-legged "borrowing" race. I still find it sad that the two can't get along and yet they were put together. For what reason? Why not Ami/Mami, who already act like they're joined together somewhere? Did you guys not want to win? Anyway, their fighting led to Makoto running at full-speed, something Iori couldn't keep up with, and the two of them fell. As Iori began to yell at Makoto, she realized that the tomboy had gotten hurt and immediately felt bad. Why? It wasn't really your fault. I don't understand the moral of the this story; if you're wrong, it's okay if you took some physical punishment for it? You were still wrong. You need to be told so you can change.

Forbidden on multiple levels, too.

A funny moment did occur when the trio from Shinkan Shoujo came to heckle Iori/Makoto again. Names-wise, the one with the two ponytails is Tsubame and the one with the lighter-coloured hair is Hikari. So, the unnamed girl began the jeering by commenting that they had fallen again. As Hikari began her lines, she caught sight of Makoto and instantly fell in love. This obviously knocked her out of the running, as she forgot what she had to say and instead forced her handkerchief onto Makoto, running away shyly after. This continued throughout the remainder of the episode, adding a little bit of joy to the otherwise mundane personalities.

Could he be any sleazier?

As the girls wondered what to do since Makoto was out of the running (literally) for the final race, they finally noticed Yayoi's depression and confronted her about it. I'm glad that this plot point didn't continue into the next episode; I didn't really want to have to watch one of the idols being so emo without a cause, especially when she had been so head-strong and wilful earlier. The girls resolved Yayoi's worries and Makoto decided to run despite her knee, while Shinkan Shoujo's manager met with Producer to give him some "hints" on how to proceed. I'm glad that Producer didn't hesitate at all in calling the president and asking if he had permission to do as he wanted (which was to not throw the game). He's still useless in many other ways, though. The scene was completed with Iori commenting to the manager that the main shareholder of his company was her family, thus taking away the threat of various cheating.

That's how it works.

The stage was set for the final race, which turned out to be an all-idol relay. (Does that mean that Shinkan Shoujo's production house also has other idols? If not, it's pretty unbalanced and to the favour of 765 Productions.) I lost focus as the girls began running, spouting various motivating phrases as the insert song played in the background. Iori was particularly interesting, though, as she and Makoto attempted to take back the lead that Yayoi had lost. Yayoi had become very downtrodden as she was running and Iori (the next runner) cheered her on. She then proceeded to pass one of the runners, commanding Makoto to pass the rest. How does that make sense?! Anyway, Makoto did end up passing all the runners, as expected, and 765 Productions took the win for the sports tournament as a whole.

Green hair? Really?

The only male idols of the anime so far were introduced this episode - Project Jupiter. One of the boys had been seen in an earlier episode, crashing into Haruka and being generally rude. (I hope I'm wrong when I assume that they'll fall in love after this point. I hope he's just rude, nothing more.) I don't see the attraction, but my comment more has to do with the wonder that is their song - Alice or Guilty. What does that even mean? I can't even find a semblance of any underlying symbolism.

I thought Yayoi did lots of grocery shopping...

Overall, it wasn't a bad episode. There just wasn't very many captivating points in it. My interest for this anime has really fallen. I don't feel like they're showing the reality of being an idol enough, though there are hints here and there, and I feel like there's a lot of story going on where I can't look. It's really killing this anime for me.

~Aaro