Aikatsu Friends! – 056

The sepia of clouded memories

Unassuming at first, this episode brings some of the best psychological digging thus far. The emotional conflict arising from the main plotline is driving Aikatsu to new heights, and along with it comes the outdoing of expectations. I had a lot to say in my thoughts this week (link still on the Guide page), but as usual, I want everyone to watch for themselves and form their own opinions. I’ll read what you all think as well.

Episode 056: Torrent | Magnet

13 thoughts on “Aikatsu Friends! – 056

  1. Alicia’s kingdom should be called Sorbetto, not Solvette. It means sherbet in Italian and she said sherbet is her favorite dessert in a previous episode, so the connection is clear. It’s also shaved ice and her kingdom is always snowy.

    • We understand that. But it was a deliberate choice to not have it be exactly on the nose. As a viewer, anyone can understand the connection of it being pronounced the same without her literally being from the Principality of Sorbet.

  2. Excellent episode, as usual. At this point, I wonder what is going on in Alicia’s mind and heart. The whole situation is clearly more than simply “oh, I just wanted to test you, Hibiki”, that’s for sure. Regardless, I am really looking forward to their meeting. Thank you for doing this.

  3. I feel like Alicia is the one who’s afraid here. She eventually understood that Hibiki was treating her like a possessive girlfriend: not even knowing what Alicia liked, all Hibiki wanted was that nobody else form Friends with her – presumably that’s the reason why she wanted to team up in the first place. Or at least, that’s what Alicia now believes.

    Perhaps she is simply afraid that, if she were to see Hibiki now, together with PP’s encouragement, she’d accept to be Friends with her again. And then, she might eventually have to deal with that side of her again. So by barring them access to her country, she won’t have to face the possibility that she was wrong. She’s acting a bit like a trauma victim.

    On a lighter note: green screens and CGIs are apparently unneeded in the Aikatsu world. When you want to film a space movie, just hop onto a shuttle or something. There’s nothing quite like the real thing.

  4. So… Love Me Tear / Pure Palletto act out some bootleg Star Wars and inspire Hibiki to take Alicia by force… or at the very least be super-assertive about it? What was even this episode?!? The flashback, Karen meeting Alicia… they hardly told us anything! Not even a hint of what possibly made Alicia ghost her friend for all these years (or months, idk) other than “her eyes told me something different!” I swear if Alicia is possessed by some fairy…

    Also, Karen’s “tail between your legs” comment rubbed me the wrong way. Like, what was Hibiki SUPPOSED to do?!?! Crash her spaceship into Alicia’s Castle?!? Grab an axe and cut down some trees, then use said axe to threaten Alicia to form friends again? What is UP with Karen and her stupid garlic-bulb hair I swear?!?! (which, I’d be inclined to sniff, mind you)

    Also(2), Karen coming back was weird as hell! “Oh hay u goiz actually I’m done doing charity it’s no fun! And I’m not gonna file my taxes anyway so–” (#WOMP)

    idk man there was potential to make this whole movie thing really stand out. But at minimum it was “Okay let’s wear some referential costumes and state some lame ass lines” Like, it wasn’t even funny… none of it was remotely (or locally!) funny! The least they could do is make it exceedingly stupid. Like a rock being possessed by a fairy…

    This episode… was BAD!!! And so were most of the drawings! I give it 3.7 Aikatsus out of 10!

    • I guess there was one thing I liked (other than the fact that they’re literally shooting a movie in space…) A particular set of numbers appeared… in this screenshot. If I could read Nihongo… I would call it fate~

  5. Something was quite off with this episode. Maybe it was the animation and character designs. Maybe the whole conflict between Alicia and Hibiki seems a bit hollow. Maybe the Star Romance Wars scenes were simply not as explosive as the ones from other movies and shows filmed throughout the Aikatsu series. But yeah, like @J159 I really wasn’t feeling the vibe with all this.

    Still, I’m looking forward to Alicia and her cool elegance once she reenters the Friends mix once more!

    • I like Alicia’s design, but I’m not really feeling any chemistry between her and Hibiki yet, so I’m not convinced on why the show would want us to root for them.

      Hibiki started out strong, but lately she’s coming off as a less charismatic version of Elza, without any of the sharp edges that made Elza interesting.

      But things might change in a few weeks. It’s early days still.

      • Yup. I feel similarly as well. Just going to have to be patient and see how the whole Hibiki and Alicia dynamic turns out. I guess the bar was set too high with Hibiki’s bombastic debut into this Friends fray. But yes, her charisma took a bit of a hit once she became more of a student in learning about Friends and from getting rejected on numerous occasions by Alicia.

        Thankfully the next episode put my concerns to rest.

  6. I love this episode! I feel so much joy went Pure Palette revealed their biggest fear because that kind of thing is, to me, what makes me love Aikatsu for so long. The quality isnt the best but this episode has many good shots and good character acting.

    • Well said! I guess I got a bit caught up in the lackluster animation aspects and comparing the acting scenes to those featured in previous installments and Friends episodes. The rest of the episode was actually pretty decent outside of the animation quality.

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