Hi, welcome back! Oh, today is my birthday! Yeah!!!! Actually, I wanted to review another anime but ended up not even able to watch all of the episodes. Weirdly, the ironic thing is...I was able to watch another anime in return. Ironic, right?
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| Nice fan art I found on the internet |
Well, I just finished my exam as I had mentioned and I had just gotten my results. Well, there was a lot of stuff happened,
Brexit,
Euro Cup...blah, blah, blah. Let's start, shall we?
WARNING:-
SPOILER ALERT!!! If you haven't watched it and plan to watch it without anyone being the spoiler, please DON'T CONTINUE READING!!!
P.S. If you want to be spoiled, well, go ahead and read it. You have been warned.
This post is specially dedicated to none other than...
Aikatsu!
This anime has 4 seasons...well, not really. This anime actually stretches to 3 years plus, so it is kind of like Season 1, Season 2, Season 3 and Season 4. It's more like Year 1, Year 2, Year 3 and Year 4. About Aikatsu Star, I'm watching it but I need it to finish somewhere before I start reviewing. OK, let's start, shall we?
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| Cover art for Data Carddass Aikatsu! Official Binder 2016 Series |
Aikatsu is an arcade collectable card game in Bandai's Data Carddass line of machines, which was launched in October 2012. The game uses collectable cards...well, something like Yu-Gi-Oh cards and Pokemon cards, except that it features various clothes to help aspiring idols to pass auditions. This game gets an anime adaptation, which was done by Sunrise, and later by its subsidiary Bandai Namco Pictures. It started airing on TV Tokyo from October 8, 2012, to March 31, 2016. Well, the week after it ended, the alternative counterpart, Aikatsu Stars anime started. We will talk about Aikatsu Star a bit next time, on some other new post.
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| Aikatsu Star! |
Well, the story starts with Hoshimiya Ichigo, who is helping her mother out in a bento shop. She somehow got to know about idol because of her brother, Raichi, collected a HUGE bunch of Kanzaki Mizuki's picture, the top idol. Kiriya Aoi, her childhood friend, pushes her on to become an idol, as she starts to aspire to become an idol after watching Mizuki's performance in the Star Rise Stadium. She, together with Aoi, enrols in Starlight Academy (スターライト学園). Both of them later started to know their classmate, Shibuki Ran. The three of them spend each day training for auditions and aiming to become top idols. This whole story is really long as it is spread over a year's time. This is only the 1st season or as we call it, the first year. During the first year of the anime, our dear trio got to know a few more characters. They are Tōdō Yurika, Arisugawa Otome, Ichinose Kaede, and Kitaōji Sakura. How they knew each other? You asked? OK, well...that's a very LOOOONG story. Go and watch yourself. Each character has some story to be told, which will drag this post a very LOOOOONG one, or I will need multiple posts for the story. BTW, there is A WHOLE BUNCH OF SONG. You love listening to music...well, you can choose one.
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| All of Aikatsu major idols |
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Top(from left): Kiriya Aoi, Hoshimiya Ichigo, Shibuki Ran
Middle(from left): Arisugawa Otome, Just the Aikatsu logo, Toudou Yurika
Bottom(from left): Kitaouji Sakura, Kanzaki Mizuki, Ichinose Kaede |
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| The picture with some other minor characters |
Before we talk about the second year of the anime, I would tell you that Hoshimiya Ichigo left the academy at the last episode of the first year. As to why I'm not gonna tell you. Just watch it yourself. The second season(or the second year) starts with Ichigo returning from America to Starlight Academy, as she now befriends and competes with the students from a new idol school, Dream Academy, which has Seira Otoshiro and her fellow idols, who are Saegusa Kī, Kazesawa Sora, and Himesato Maria. As I had said, talking each character will have some story to be told and will be too LONG to tell it in one post. And again, there is like A WHOLE BUNCH OF SONG. Well, new ones, of course, which is why I don't really like Aikatsu Star...but that is a story for another time. Maybe Aikatsu star will change a bit. Who knows? Oh yeah, there is also another new idol during this season. She is...NATSUKI MIKURU!!!
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| From left: Shibuki Ran, Kiriya Aoi, Hoshimiya Ichigo, Otoshiro Seira, Saegusa Kii, Kazesawa Sora |
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| This is Himesato Maria |
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| From left: Natsuki Mikuru, Kanzaki Mizuki |
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| Just a scene from Aikatsu Year 2. Toudou Yurika and Ichinose Kaede |
Well, the third season focuses on a new generation, featuring Akari Ōzora, a young girl chosen by Ichigo to join Starlight Academy, and her friends during the anime's second year. Go watch it yourself if don't know what I'm talking about. They try their best in both the Partner's Cup, which was held before the announcement of the name list for Aikatsu8, and the Great Starlight School Festival, which was held after the announcement. Well, there is a lot of things to talk about in this season also. One of them is just right below, the picture that makes me to finally really like Akari.
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| That scene...so cute. Oh, BTW, it's in episode 25 in season 3 |
During that season, we also got introduced to other characters that Akari met. The character are Hikami Sumire, Shinjou Hinaki, Kurebayashi Juri, Hattori Yu(a minor character, whom we had seen in season 2 briefly after Akari's entrance into the Academy), Kurosawa Rin, Amahane Madoka and TWO more character who are from another academy, Fujiwara Miyabi from Himezakura Private Girls' Academy and Kurisu Kokone from Étoile Academy. In this season, the main character is shifted from Hoshimiya Ichigo to Oozora Akari, which I didn't really like until THAT ONE SCENE happened. You should know what is it for now. I just mentioned it not long ago.
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From left: Sumire Hikami, Oozora Akari, Shinjou Hinaki
Top: Hoshimiya Ichigo |
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| Kurebayashi Juri |
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| Hattori Yu |
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| Left: Kurosawa Rin, Right: Amahane Madoka |
Finally, last but not the least, the fourth season centres around Akari's newly formed unit with Sumire Hikami and Hinaki Shinjo, which is named Luminas, are going on a nationwide tour and meeting with idols from all over Japan. BTW, that unit formed during the Great Starlight School Festival. By having a nationwide tour, they are to meet different characters like Lisa Shirakaba and Daichi Nono. There are others but I mention it here but with the pictures shown below. By having these meetings, it prepares them for A SERIOUSLY BIIIIG event - The Starlight Queen Cup. Well, NOT EVEN Hoshimiya Ichigo win it! Their aim is to win it! Oh great, it's going to be amazing. You wanna know? If you watched it, you should know who; If you didn't, then go watch it yourself, otherwise, this will be a BIIIG spoiler. Want hints? OK then, if you want hints, here is it: SHE is a MAJOR character, and she will form a duo unit with a prominent figure in Aikatsu anime. That's it. Oh, BTW, there are two more new main characters, Daichi Nono and Shirabaka Lisa. They are the ones in right front from Akari, Hinaki and Sumire.
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| Aikatsu Season 4 |
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| All of the main characters in Season 4 |
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| Saionji Tsubaki, who appears in season 4 episode 8 |
Oh yeah! I have forgotten about ONE thing! There are TWO movies for Aikatsu and one more movie upcoming for Aikatsu Star. We'll have to talk about them on another post. BTW, I didn't tell A WHOLE LOAD of information about this anime as this anime is SUPER LONG!!! It is 178 episodes long!!!!!!! This is my first time reviewing an anime that has more than 100 episodes. Special for you who read this blog post to the end. SCREENSHOTS FOR ALL!!! Well, I had also some special picture for you below. Just a posture of my thanks to all who read my post.
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| Otome's first appearance |
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| Yurika's first appearance. |
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| Sakura's 1st appearance. |
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| Kaede's first appearance. She's JUMPING OFF THE PLANE?! |
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| Mizuki fainted!!! |
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| Enjoying Masquerade's surprise performance |
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| Masquerade! The members...go and watch yourself. |
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| Tristar! Stared by Kaede, Mizuki and Yurika-sama! |
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| Soleil: Aoi, Ichigo & Ran (previously in Tristar) |
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| The starting scene season 2 episode 1 |
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| Otoshira Seira's first live |
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| Ichigo is BACK!!! |
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| So cute!!! |
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| Ichigo with cat ears...SO CUTE!!! |
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| Kanzaki Mizuki is back to become an idol again! |
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| WM (pronounced as Double M)!!! They are Mizuki and Mikuru. |
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| WM first live! |
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| Kaede and Yurika...Partner's Cup discussion |
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| WM's performance in the Twinkle Star Cup |
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| 2WingS!!! Star by Ichigo & Seira |
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| 2WingS' performance in the Twinkle Star Cup. |
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| The winner is 2WINGS!!!!!! |
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| Have to change rooms... |
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| Akari's first meeting with Sumire Hikami |
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| Akari's first meeting Shinjo Hinaki and there she goes...falling... |
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| ...and falls anyway...into Hinaki's embrace |
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| So cute!!! Loli Sumire! |
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| So cute!!!! |
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| Luminas!!! From left: Sumire, Akari, Hinaki |
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| Nono and Risa's first performance |
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| Akari's Starlight Queen Cup Coords |
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| Well, Akari's got THAT tiara...that one that Ichigo wishes she has... |
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| Ichigo and Akari! |
Well, that is a lot of work. There is just simply too much screenshot that I want to feature here but unfortunately, it is impossible. Well, I could say that this is the longest anime I had EVER, EVER, reviewed. Overall it was a great experience watching this anime, watching Akari, Ichigo and many other characters change and improve themselves over the course of the series. Better than Love Live in terms of the storyline (That's just my opinion). BTW, thank you for reading this post. God bless you and have a nice day. Bye!
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