Yay, Ayumi-san and Naho-san!
How do you eat fortune cookies (which originated in Japan)? Do you break it first, or take a bite first? I do the opposite of what Yume does, and I think she’s crazy the method she uses. Also, I hate to say it, but this was probably my personal weakest episode of Stars in the series. Hopefully you’ll enjoy it more.
Thanks! I break it. I would rather not take a bite of the paper, lool.
You’re right when you say this is the weakest episode thus far. This one is basically a repeat of that Choco-Detective episode from SEIRA DESTINY (Aika2), and I kept clenching my fists throughout this episode.
Seriously, somebody (preferably the Dreamroller) gotta do the impossible and put a wound on Elza’s insane perfection, just like what Brox did to Sargeras.
Oh boy another recycled performance but it’s Bon Bon Voyage so it’s okay!
At least the next episode looks nice
Thanks.
Thanks!
Weaker than episode 24???
I don’t think ep 24 was so bad, just another example of how Yume likes to help others out. It’s not all singing and dancing after all. ^_^
You mean the absolutely wonderful off time at Yume’s house episode? Much more so. But I think I owe an explanation, I just didn’t want to influence anyone before they could see for themselves.
Many parts of this episode were poorly done in isolation as well as in comparison to the first Koukadou one. The audition itself was more boring. Last season there were idols diving through walls into either mats or mud pits, which was dynamic and fast-paced. Here there was a single question you pushed a button for. The second stage was a huge obstacle course with balls being shot, walls to climb, and suspension bridges to cross. It was the epitome of Aikatsu. This time you just carried a tray of glasses. Last time was pure luck, which was perfect for what Koukadou stands for. This time was baking a cake.
But just saying that doesn’t mean much. The real issue was in what it meant. The race developed both Yume and Laura excellently. We saw Laura’s weakness and fear of heights, and how Yume stopped to help not only her, but also Ayumi and Naho. And by helping those two, they turned around to lend a hand back to Yume and Laura. It was full of development, even showcasing Yume’s volleyball skill along the way. The glass race did nothing.
The cake baking was probably the worst part. Yume and Lily came up with an original recipe embodying what Koumoto wanted for the Ko-cafe. They used Yume’s ability from growing up in a confectionery shop, which was a huge advantage. But what did Elza do? Just copied a cake from a book. She literally pandered to the judge, and that’s why she won. She didn’t even make a “new” cake, which is what the trial was about, so she actually cheated too. It’s not about research and knowledge, it’s about playing by the rules and showing your own skills. Yume and Lily’s reaction displeased me, but that’s for another time.
Another absolutely useless and wasted part was Nozomu and Asahi. Now, I like M4. But they had no place being there. Did you realize that not a single person acknowledged their presence? Not even Mahiru said a word about her brother being there. The guys talked about making the ladies shine, which is fine in itself, but Nozomu couldn’t even follow through to the end. He lost fairly, Asahi scolded him, and they completely disappeared. They might as well have not been there at all.
The biggest crime was not giving Elza and Kirara a silly outfit. Both Yuzu and Laura wore their goofy costumes, and Rei even made a point of calling it stupid at the beginning of the episode. So not only do Elza and Kirara win unfairly, we don’t even get to laugh at them. What, is Elza too perfect for that? Maid outfits are nice, but not when you’re expecting something silly. Laura used her taiyaki costume throughout the entire first season to great effect, and it added to her character, showing she can take even traditionally non-serious things and give her all for them. She even used it in the infamous Halloween episode to spin around and defeat the admins. That’s how it should’ve been.
There are some other things, like the eyecatch giving away the ending, reusing Bon Bon Voyage without any changes, and the truth of the episode being Yuzu and Laura watching their loved ones get absolutely trounced, Ako and Mahiru having no purpose being there other than commentating, and a missed opportunity of developing Mahiru and Rei’s rivalry since they were both in the audience, but I think you get my point.
Very much so.
A highly detailed explanation you got there, and I totally can’t disagree with it.
Seriously, by the time I saw Elza showed her cake to the judge, I skipped over the remaining parts of the episodes because I knew what’s going to happen. When someone who panders to the judge by re-using old recipes wins over a confectionery expert who makes their own original recipe, something must have gone wrong. That’s why I consider this episode to be a repeat of SEIRA DESTINY eps59.
Thanks for the episode.
Thanks!!!