Wow! This one hits right in the feels! I can’t even come up with a funny joke or inspirational quote. I’m at a complete loss. Thank goodness I wasn’t at work when I saw this. I’m floored!
The lack of background music really hammers home the message that the writers were trying to get across. And for that I applaud them. Sometimes the international lack of BGM can do wonders when it comes to symbolism.
This episode was more in line with the rest of Friends’ quality, which to me means mixed-feelings and thinking it unremarkable (especially compared to Aikatsu and Stars), but still very cute and enjoyable.
I felt absolutely nothing when Mio said Pure Palette should go on hold. Saw it coming from a mile away and it didn’t exactly make me sad because it seems to be for the best. I felt the heart thing was super cheesy (almost endearingly so) and I knew they were going to have that conversation from the moment I saw the new OP, right down to foreseeing the line about it making a whole. It’s a cute concept, but the dialogue had no creativity to it whatsoever. I’ve seen this a million times before.
This is the second or third episode in a row where the show’s emotional climaxes just aren’t doing anything for me. I’d never had this issue with the franchise up until some of Friends’ episodes, so I’m still trying to parse it.
What I liked:
• That one makeup boy is back… already forgot his name. It was pretty clear that he’d be a returning character given the complexity of his design and the focus he got in the earlier episode, but it was nice to actually see it happen. They could’ve probably waited for a better opportunity to reintroduce him, though.
• Aine training on her own (despite the training being nothing new) and Mio being alone at home with her mother. I was hoping this would actually be the focus of the episode, with the two being apart from each other and doing things alone to give themselves time to reflect and realise what they’d done wrong, but my hopes were crushed when Aine showed up at Mio’s place.
• Minimum use of background music, as you mentioned. It’s nice to have that silence hammer things home.
• Believe It.
What I disliked:
• Too many unnecessary wide angles, weird layouts—camera was mostly distant from subjects and focusing on the backgrounds, which aside from the waterfront scene were nothing special. There wasn’t much variety in the shots nor were they dynamic at all. It felt more like I was watching a slideshow of the background art that just happened to have the characters on it. Even if the show had gorgeous background art (and it doesn’t), I’d probably still criticise it on this point.
• Love Me Tear’s performance seemed to be an afterthought and only there because the show necessitates it. The transition to it was abrupt and kinda broke the flow of the episode. (“Oh, by the way, here’s some tickets to see Love Me Tear. Just ‘cause someone’s gotta perform, y’know?”) Given the content of the episode, a ‘final’ Pure Palette performance might have been more effective and help lean me towards the emotional climax.
• During the Headmaster’s speech about the confirmed contestants for the Diamond Friends Cup being Love Me Tear and Pure Palette, I paused the episode and mentioned to a friend how the Cups are getting old in the franchise and almost trite, but could put up with it if they’re only every 12-13 episodes. Then I resume the episode and not ten seconds later she says there’ll be another Cup next month. Really? Can the writers not come with any new ways to create conflict and decide on the third winner… which will obviously be Pure Palette?
Oh, and I’m still more than willing to bet that 50 episodes will mark the end, especially with this pacing. If somehow the sales have improved enough to warrant a second season of Friends, it’ll be a refresh like Akari Generation. There’s nowhere for Aine and Mio’s characters to go once they become Diamond Friends.
Ichigo lost to Mizuki in season 1. Luminous lost to Soleil in season 3. Yume lost to Hime in season 1. But Pure Palette beats Love Me Tear in their season 1? There’s not a single shred of evidence for this.
The emotional climax wasn’t all that different from Ichigo leaving for America, or Ran joining Tristar, but it didn’t do much for me. Maybe because I know it won’t last. But I also knew that Ichigo would be coming back, and that Ran would eventually turn around, yet they were still more powerful. Maybe it’s a sign that they haven’t quite managed to sell me the bond between Aine and Mio.
On a side note – if they want to make this move have a lasting impact, they can’t have Mio and Aine reuniting after just 4-5 episodes. Which means they would skip the Cup. But if they don’t, Pure Palette will lose their ticket to the big showdown, and that sounds unlikely too. Other departures have been fairly short too (Ran leaves only for a few episodes, and Ichigo is in the USA for a whopping seven days out-of-universe) so it’s not impossible to think that they’ll make it back in time.
(however, note that when Maika is worried about the BFC right around the corner, Aine doesn’t say “we’ll make it in time”, she just says “we decided this together”, as if to imply they will miss it)
At this point, I’m more willing to think that Aine and Mio will miss the cup, propelling Honey Cat to the final contest – then Pure Palette reunites, they have an amazing performance, and after watching it, LMT decides to bend the rules and ask for PP to be admitted too.
(it also helps from the perspective of Ema and Maika, who would otherwise become the series’ resident Vegeta and Piccolo)
Thanks for the quick turnaround, but…
“Love Me Year”?
(at the waterfront)
Watched the raw twice and now the sub, and the ending still hurts.
The Sound of Silence? I see, this must be the episode where Mio’s mom has a secret relationship with Aine.
>_< o_O
lol, if only that were the case
Thanks!
Wow! This one hits right in the feels! I can’t even come up with a funny joke or inspirational quote. I’m at a complete loss. Thank goodness I wasn’t at work when I saw this. I’m floored!
ouch 🙁
thanks as always!
I don’t even know what to make of this episode. Silence is a good way to put it.
Just to make it clear, during all of the most important scenes this episode, there was no background music. Only the ambient sounds and their voices.
The lack of background music really hammers home the message that the writers were trying to get across. And for that I applaud them. Sometimes the international lack of BGM can do wonders when it comes to symbolism.
Thank you very much, nice episode.
Now this is something i don’t expected…well very nice episode.
thanks as always.
This episode was more in line with the rest of Friends’ quality, which to me means mixed-feelings and thinking it unremarkable (especially compared to Aikatsu and Stars), but still very cute and enjoyable.
I felt absolutely nothing when Mio said Pure Palette should go on hold. Saw it coming from a mile away and it didn’t exactly make me sad because it seems to be for the best. I felt the heart thing was super cheesy (almost endearingly so) and I knew they were going to have that conversation from the moment I saw the new OP, right down to foreseeing the line about it making a whole. It’s a cute concept, but the dialogue had no creativity to it whatsoever. I’ve seen this a million times before.
This is the second or third episode in a row where the show’s emotional climaxes just aren’t doing anything for me. I’d never had this issue with the franchise up until some of Friends’ episodes, so I’m still trying to parse it.
What I liked:
• That one makeup boy is back… already forgot his name. It was pretty clear that he’d be a returning character given the complexity of his design and the focus he got in the earlier episode, but it was nice to actually see it happen. They could’ve probably waited for a better opportunity to reintroduce him, though.
• Aine training on her own (despite the training being nothing new) and Mio being alone at home with her mother. I was hoping this would actually be the focus of the episode, with the two being apart from each other and doing things alone to give themselves time to reflect and realise what they’d done wrong, but my hopes were crushed when Aine showed up at Mio’s place.
• Minimum use of background music, as you mentioned. It’s nice to have that silence hammer things home.
• Believe It.
What I disliked:
• Too many unnecessary wide angles, weird layouts—camera was mostly distant from subjects and focusing on the backgrounds, which aside from the waterfront scene were nothing special. There wasn’t much variety in the shots nor were they dynamic at all. It felt more like I was watching a slideshow of the background art that just happened to have the characters on it. Even if the show had gorgeous background art (and it doesn’t), I’d probably still criticise it on this point.
• Love Me Tear’s performance seemed to be an afterthought and only there because the show necessitates it. The transition to it was abrupt and kinda broke the flow of the episode. (“Oh, by the way, here’s some tickets to see Love Me Tear. Just ‘cause someone’s gotta perform, y’know?”) Given the content of the episode, a ‘final’ Pure Palette performance might have been more effective and help lean me towards the emotional climax.
• During the Headmaster’s speech about the confirmed contestants for the Diamond Friends Cup being Love Me Tear and Pure Palette, I paused the episode and mentioned to a friend how the Cups are getting old in the franchise and almost trite, but could put up with it if they’re only every 12-13 episodes. Then I resume the episode and not ten seconds later she says there’ll be another Cup next month. Really? Can the writers not come with any new ways to create conflict and decide on the third winner… which will obviously be Pure Palette?
Oh, and I’m still more than willing to bet that 50 episodes will mark the end, especially with this pacing. If somehow the sales have improved enough to warrant a second season of Friends, it’ll be a refresh like Akari Generation. There’s nowhere for Aine and Mio’s characters to go once they become Diamond Friends.
Ichigo lost to Mizuki in season 1. Luminous lost to Soleil in season 3. Yume lost to Hime in season 1. But Pure Palette beats Love Me Tear in their season 1? There’s not a single shred of evidence for this.
The emotional climax wasn’t all that different from Ichigo leaving for America, or Ran joining Tristar, but it didn’t do much for me. Maybe because I know it won’t last. But I also knew that Ichigo would be coming back, and that Ran would eventually turn around, yet they were still more powerful. Maybe it’s a sign that they haven’t quite managed to sell me the bond between Aine and Mio.
On a side note – if they want to make this move have a lasting impact, they can’t have Mio and Aine reuniting after just 4-5 episodes. Which means they would skip the Cup. But if they don’t, Pure Palette will lose their ticket to the big showdown, and that sounds unlikely too. Other departures have been fairly short too (Ran leaves only for a few episodes, and Ichigo is in the USA for a whopping seven days out-of-universe) so it’s not impossible to think that they’ll make it back in time.
(however, note that when Maika is worried about the BFC right around the corner, Aine doesn’t say “we’ll make it in time”, she just says “we decided this together”, as if to imply they will miss it)
At this point, I’m more willing to think that Aine and Mio will miss the cup, propelling Honey Cat to the final contest – then Pure Palette reunites, they have an amazing performance, and after watching it, LMT decides to bend the rules and ask for PP to be admitted too.
(it also helps from the perspective of Ema and Maika, who would otherwise become the series’ resident Vegeta and Piccolo)
I’m curious I watch Aikatsu Friends on Monday’s. Not to be rude but where is episode 29? I am really hyped about her battle against Mirai
They’ve never missed a deadline yet.
I say that, but I keep checking my phone every time the temple bell chimes. 🙂
(The temple bell is my email alert.)