Aikatsu! Episodes 1-50 Review
This is a review of the first 50 episodes of Aikatsu!. The original series had sections of about 50 episodes airing back to back, often making big changes between these “seasons” even if they did not take a break in between. This review will focus on the first “season”, as is noted on its Anilist page.
For those unfamiliar, Aikatsu! (at least this first season) is an idol show centered around Ichigo Hoshimiya and her friends as they attend Starlight Academy and participate in various idol activities (“idol katsu”, which is where the show gets its name). This manifests early on in mostly episodic narratives as we meet the cast and get a feel for the world and scenario, but as the series progresses it introduces longer lasting storylines in order to really delve into its characters and their journey as idols.
Generally speaking, this is not the kind of show I usually seek out. I’ve been on a bit of an idol show kick recently though, checking out a wide variety of idol shows, from the most recent season of the Love Live! series to entering the endless wormhole that is the Pretty Rhythm/PriPara/Kiratto Prichan combined universe. Each of these series has its strengths and weaknesses, but Aikatsu! ended up as one of the most pleasant surprises I’ve found in a while, and I’m very much looking forward to continuing with the franchise thanks to the excellent framework built here.
The TL;DR (for those who just want a brief introduction before deciding to jump in)
Aikatsu! sees great strength in its cast of characters, prioritizing creating fun and light moments with them as they progress their idol activities. There is great variety in characters who bounce off of each other well. Their characterization has some surprising depth to it, making them very likeable, and so they are easy to root for, which makes the investment in their competitions all the more exciting. The series also has a strong supporting cast, charming on their and helping the main cast reach their goals while also not taking up too much screen time for themselves.
Admittedly the first half is the weaker half, mostly consisting of episodic stories which feature either one-off characters or the introduction to a core cast member. Still, there are strong episodes in this half which focus on the goals of the main characters, and once these characters have been established, it gets the ball rolling with more episodes focused on developing them and putting them in inventive situations. The show has a lot of fun with the self-contained stories around the mid-point of the series, and gives the characters more space to grow from episode to episode.
As we get into the second half of the show, an arc structure develops, with storylines spanning multiple episodes being more common, and this is where the series really takes off. There’s more competition and higher stakes, all while maintaining the fun comedic atmosphere. The performances, which had been pretty lackluster so far, see improvement in many areas throughout the show, and they play with the costume design to give the groups of characters a cohesive feel.
50 episodes might seem a bit daunting when compared to your usual 12-24 episode seasonal series, but Aikatsu! absolutely is worth the time. It’s the perfect way to end the day on a fun note.
The Cast
The aspect that impressed me the most while watching Aikatsu! was its loveable cast of characters, and how well paced the show develops them. This is a largely character driven show, focusing on comedic slice of life moments, so creating a loveable cast is paramount in making this show work.
We get a nice introduction to most of our core cast early on, Ichigo being our primary focus, with Aoi, Ran, Mizuki, and Otome making appearances at the beginning, but we also meet a lot of characters who we rarely if ever see. During these first stages though, we mostly get introductions, an episode dedicated to the character being introduced and then maybe they’ll be important later, maybe we see them show up once or twice more but never really do anything, and maybe we never see them again.
The episodic format is not something I have any problem with, but it comes with its strengths and weaknesses, and usually one of the biggest weaknesses is being able to provide interesting and convincing characterization for its cast. The introductory episodes of Aikatsu! achieve somewhat mixed results on this. Some introductions work quite well, like Ran’s, which establishes her main idol activity and her interests while giving a view into her more tsundere personality. Some others leave much to be desired, especially stories centered around characters who won’t have much significance. Luckily, the show picks up quite a lot as Mizuki gets more involved and then with the late introduction of Yurika. There are still episodic stories, but in general the quality of these individual episodes and the stories they tell are more interesting and enjoyable. One key factor in this is the focus on the central cast. Yurika isn’t the last of the ensemble to show up, but there’s a break between her introduction in episode 19 and Sakura’s in episode 26, and then another break before we meet Kaede in episode 33. Focusing on the antics of the existing cast in more depth rather than getting everyone in immediately was a great move for the series, as it gives the characters much needed room for the audience to get to know them and form an attachment to them, something the early episodes struggle sometimes in achieving.
Around the halfway point we see another significant change in the series, as it begins pushing the characters along to further their own personal goals in storylines which often provide some sort of competition. Mizuki gets a greater spotlight alongside the rest of the cast, giving her more humanization as opposed to her original status as a distant, seemingly untouchable idol. Once again, the show has greater focus, and since we’ve gotten to know the characters so well at this point, it is both safe to introduce characters like Sakura and Kaede and give them room to grow on the viewer, as well as play with the dynamics of these characters and explore where these characters want to go.
This setup and pacing generally keeps the show fun and light, achieving excellent chemistry between its members and allowing them to grow on the audience. This works quite well for the show, although there are a few issues I had. Sakura and Kaede being introduced so late, they somewhat pale in comparison at times to the other characters, and their frequent appearance and significance in the events of the show can be a hard sell at times, even if they are plenty likeable. This especially applies Kaede, who is introduced and immediately gets in the way and throws off the mix. I also feel like a few key character moments and motivations fail to compel me as much as they should have. In the end, Ichigo sees many of the characters chasing goals and seeks a goal for herself, but when we are presented these goals, they become somewhat difficult to buy into as large ambitions, they’re just what each of the other girls is doing after the Starlight Queen Cup, and so they serve as something for them to work towards. Ran is established early on as focused on modeling as her primary idol activity, but the show doesn’t do much to develop her alongside this goal outside of just having her do modeling. It’s still believable that she’s aiming for a higher profile modeling gig though since this is an established part of her character, so it works. The surprising goal to me is Aoi’s focus on acting. She had been established as interested in acting around the halfway point, but it never quite feels like a major part of her character, and instead like just another idol activity she’s involved herself in, especially when compared with some of her other passions and interests. So when the show presents this as the major goal she is reaching for, it doesn’t feel very convincing given her character so far. Yurika is getting ready for a rock concert, something believable for her character but it doesn’t seem like something new. Otome is on a game show, something not really an established interest of hers but she’s kind of random so ok. Kaede has a magazine shoot, which seems fairly normal as a part of her idol activities and nothing lofty. Sakura is preparing for a talk so, which again, isn’t something I feel was an established part of her character and doesn’t seem particularly ambitious. Nothing here seems like something which would inspire passion in Ichigo to search for something amazing to do after the Starlight Queen Cup. This makes Ichigo’s desire for aspirations during this crucial moment in the finale feel less understandable, making the culmination of things feel a bit disappointing, even if everything leading up to it was pleasant, and especially since many of the other arcs concluded in such satisfying ways. Still, this finale serves as a fantastic way to end the season, with a tense competitive arc, emotional highs, and all around fun.
The most problematic character for me from the main group is Otome. She shows up near the beginning, and is present in a lot of episodes, but she was one of the less consistently entertaining members. The show is quite comedic, but Otome and Sakura’s characters have a greater focus on their comedic gimmicks compared to most of the cast. In the case of Sakura, her gimmick is tied to her family history with the Kitaoji theater. She often goes into theatrics as she presents something, the backgrounds disappearing and certain audio cues reminiscent of traditional Japanese theater indicating her passion for the thing she is speaking about, and she speaks in a way that calls back to traditional Japanese theater as well. This gimmick can be somewhat hit or miss, and gets a bit tired from time to time, but overall is fairly unique and entertaining, and more importantly characterizes her well to make her stand out. Otome similarly has a comedic gimmick which characterizes her and helps her stand out from the rest of the cast, but hers is less unique when considering the broader anime sphere, and is both repetitive and less entertaining, getting old quickly. There is little variety with Otome. She’s relentlessly positive, loves sweet things, and constantly yells “Love you!” whenever she sees something she likes, and that’s about as far as she gets. She eventually becomes the leader of one of the idol units of the show, but her position in this group is played for laughs more than as a way to inform on her character like with the other leaders of the units. Even Shion from within her own unit (who has been pretty insignificant outside of her single episode up to this point and is pretty quickly sidelined once again) gets more characterization through her involvement in this unit than Otome. Static characters can be good, so Otome’s lack of development is not inherently an issue, but when all of her scenes and interactions revolve around this once gimmick and that gimmick falls so flat, there is very little to connect with or appreciate.
To address the supporting cast, there is a varying degree in quality, but many of the recurring supporting characters are endearing and serve their role excellently. Raichi is probably the one I find most often annoying or pointless, his obsession with idols being less endearing than Aoi’s, and his obsession with Aoi being kind of off-putting, although I could see it being seen as cute when viewed as naïve first love for a kid. Ichigo’s mom is nice and a good parent character, having enough presence to be likeable but still giving Ichigo room to grow on her own and supporting her and her goals quite well. She also has some decent intrigue about her which is predictable but still leads to some nice moments. Johnny is a fun teacher, even if his broken English is nonsensical and weird. He invests himself in the success of his students, giving the audience even more reason to root for them as they see others get so emotional over their lives. Hime is similarly well utilized, going above and beyond to ensure the success of her students. Not everything she does makes sense as a means to the end she wishes to have her students achieve or the lessons she wants them to learn, but she still seems sincere and generally well equipped to advance the narrative and the development of the characters. Naoto, the groundskeeper, has some interesting stories and plays the role of the person who will listen to characters’ problems and advise them well. He has his own things going on and is generally quite aloof, not getting overly involved in the events of the school at large unless someone else directly involves him, and so he provides an outside perspective and is fairly reliable. With this, Aikatsu! builds quite the strong supporting cast, and they are able to be likeable and distinct while also not taking much time away from the main cast, instead spending their time enhancing the stories of the show.
The Story
As mentioned before, there are some larger narrative points which carry over across the series, but it starts off with episodic narratives, and even later on has some self contained single episode stories, these stories varying widely in quality. The general trend has many of the better episodic stories later on, which makes some sense, as they are less involved in introducing characters and more involved with helping develop the characters, as well as benefitting from the development already done in episodes prior which have already invested us in these characters. Most episodic stories outside of introductions have to do with either obtaining a certain outfit or some audition the characters want to win, usually tied to some uncertainty or desire that the character has. They never dive too deep into the emotional angle, preferring to keep things light and fun, and this is quite fitting for these shorter narratives. Keeping the comedic tone requires less investment from the audience in order to achieve the desired effect instead of aiming for something more dramatic. The show can do dramatic, even in this format, and it has some good dramatic episodes, but it’s much rarer, and with the number of episodes which stand alone, the comedic focus seems much safer.
In the later segment, the show enters more of an arc structure, with multiple episodes dedicated to certain competitions or events which the girls must prepare for and/or participate in. This is where things get really interesting, as there’s stakes and things to get invested in. At its core, it’s not particularly complicated or thought provoking, but it remains exciting when seeing the girls advance their skills and succeed in their pursuits. Mizuki in particular shines during these arcs, as she has probably the most interesting character in the cast and these arcs explore that. Most characters have great roles in these broader arcs though, and the chemistry shines as they work together, even as they compete against each other.
Performances and Costume Design
If you’ve noticed a trend, things generally take off and improve as the show goes along, and this also goes for the performances and costume design, which improve drastically between the beginning and the end. Every episode has at least one performance somewhere in the episode, and there are a variety of outfits which are put on display throughout thanks to the heavy focus on clothes.
One common thing for idol anime to do is to transition from 2D animation for the non-performance scenes and then use 3D animation for performance scenes, and Aikatsu! is no exception. This affords them an easier way to get more motion in the scene generally, since animating huge amounts of motion in a short time in 2D is painstakingly difficult, and pretty much impossible to do for a weekly airing show. 3D in anime is pretty infamous, and this transition from 2D to 3D makes it more noticeable since you’re not accustomed to the designs and style of the 3D from prolonged exposure to it. Aikatsu! in particular suffered heavily from some atrocious 3D design early on, and this kills some pretty much all of the performances in the first cour of the show. Luckily, this improves pretty quickly and steadily, by the end actually becoming quite good. It’s a gradual improvement, and you can still feel the difference between the regular show and the performance scenes, but the models are more appealing.
Another aspect of the performances which saw improvement from start to finish was the cinematography, although not to the same extent. It starts with some pretty flat camera movements, mostly panning shots of the character on stage. There is still a lot of reliance on these kinds of shots throughout, but there is more dynamic camera movement in later performances which better immerse the audience.
Choreography of the performances is something I very rarely felt looked particularly good. It’s always in time with the music, but feels very samey even with different songs. It seldom seems interesting, and I think part of this has to do with the rather flat choreography. It has little energy in many of the energetic songs, but in many of the slower songs, has some very awkward large movements which, while slow, feel grander than the song warrants.
Stage design is interesting. The venues don’t feel like a part of the world, and even in places like stadiums where there are stands and walls and whatnot already established, the whole world disappears and people just float on nothing as the backgrounds become a weird ethereal globe. The world they inhabit is definitely not the world of today in which we inhabit, with differences in culture and technology, so it’s not too hard to suspend your disbelief over the lack of realism with regard to the staging, but it definitely is weird.
The music for the performances also doesn’t have any sort of trend in quality and ends up just varying by performance. It’s mostly standard idol pop, with characters like Ichigo or Otome having very poppy, energetic songs for their solo performances, while characters like Ran or Aoi have more sultry pop songs, and characters like Yurika having more pop rock songs. There were also some slow songs which just felt out of place, and I was disappointed that the final few performances featured a song which I just did not like. Songs which are used for Opening or Ending themes which appear as performances are some of the best songs in the show, but have the drawback that the show would play the song both during the performance and during the Opening or Ending sequence rather than just having the performance serve as the opening or ending, so it would pretty much guarantee you’d be hearing the song twice, sometimes almost back to back when it was an ending song.
Costume design is one of the most important aspects of this show, and it is definitely important that they nail this aspect. They take a couple of approaches to this, and with each approach the costumes play a different role, and also have different advantages and disadvantages.
For most of the show, each of the main cast generally sticks to a specific brand, and this brand defines their aesthetic. Ichigo wears Angely Sugar, Aoi wears Futuring Girl, Ran wears Spicy Ageha, etc. This can go a long way in helping with characterization as well as helping individualize the characters. Some styles work better than others, although I think the color design on all the outfits was pretty phenomenal. Ichigo, Aoi, Ran, Mizuki, and Yurika all wear outfits which work quite well for them when with their brands. The costumes for Otome are fitting for her character, but they’re so nonsensical, being weirdly sweets or fruit focused, often incorporating food into the design. Sakura’s look good, but I do feel like there is some dissonance between the Western fantasy fairy-like outfits she wears and her character’s traditional Japanese theater gimmick. Kaede’s outfits are supposed to fit her American circus aesthetic, and they do, but it’s admittedly an odd look for an idol.
The biggest drawback with these individual styles is when the girls go on stage together. A dreamy angel girl, a futuristic girl, a Spanish styled girl, a candy and fruit salad, a gothic lolita, a Western fairy, and a clown in any combination performing together just looks weird, and there’s really no way to reconcile the dissonance that this creates while still letting everyone have their own style. There’s an episode where the girls compete to see which of the brands they’ll use on stage, and this is a pretty good way to compromise while still getting a cohesive outfit scheme, but we never see them do this again. Rather than having this be a regular thing though, they opt instead to have a brand for units, ditching individuality entirely for outfits designed for their unit. One of the big arcs is centered around the girls forming units, and their outfits reflect this, and I think this was a really smart move. There were much fewer individual performances, and the girls were almost always on stage together, so having a more unified look went a long way in making the performances look cohesive.
Final Thoughts
Aikatsu! might take a little while to really get going, but across its 50 episodes it’s able to deliver tons of joy and excitement with wonderful character moments and fun arcs. This was a treat to watch daily with my friends, something to always look forward to at the end of the day as things wound down. Ichigo always made sure everything ended on a positive note, and the show prioritizes fun above all else, and for the most part it succeeds. Of all the various long running idol shows out there, I definitely feel like this one stands on top, at least of the ones I have seen, and I’m looking forward to watching even more as I jump into the other seasons.
