#all of this is to say that the way the show treats mikuru makes me uncomfortable

[tobiasdrake]

It's nice to get some non-gross Mikuru content. I haven't talked much about Mikuru because she's...

She's hard to talk about.

Mikuru bonding with, uh... with... the sister....

Does she have a name?

Anyways, Mikuru bonding with Kyonsis is cute. I wish I could like the Kyon/Mikuru ship. Which is to say, they get enough cute moments and development together that I would totally support this ship if the show didn't also have Kyon grossly indulging in Mikuru's harassment too.

...in general, a lot of the way the show handles Mikuru is gross. Like. They even brought in Future Mikuru at one point to wax nostalgic about Haruhi's harassment.

That's the kind of move a creator makes when they know they're being gross and want defensibility. "It's okay, she secretly likes it; She'll look back on it fondly some day."

I'm never really sure what to make of Mikuru because this isn't, like, a Male Gazey kind of show. It doesn't have the typical background noise of camera shots lingering on objectified body parts or slow panning over female bodies that typify shows made from the perspective of the Male Gaze.

Even things like the bunny girl outfits or Haruhi aggressively beginning to change while people are still in the room as a power play aren't dwelt on to the extent you'd expect from the Male Gaze.

But Mikuru feels like a character from one of those kinds of shows. The recurring joke is Haruhi physically bullying Mikuru, forcibly stripping her, making guys molest her, making her dress in various fetishized costumes, forcing her to eat expired shit from that guy's fridge they broke into, etc. - often to the point of leaving Mikuru in tears, and... that's it. That's the punchline. LOL Haruhi objectifies her body and treats her like shit.

This is one of three main things Mikuru does. The second is to form a Love Corner of

Haruhi -> Kyon (<-?) -> Mikuru

And honestly? Like 90% of the time, Kyon and Mikuru's interactions are great. But then he does shit like saving those erotic Mikuru photos he made Haruhi delete to a private folder for his personal perusal. Or says shit like this.

Or the show does shit like this.

Future Mikuru literally telling Kyon, "For compensation, feel free to make out with my past self while she's drugged!"

He does not. Thankfully. But it's so fucking weird that she even said that. Why would you write this dialogue?

And then her third thing is time travel. Which isn't given the same level of gravitas as Itsuki and Yuki. She can't fight the battles like they can. She can't exposit information like they can because everything's classified. She isn't even very good at time travel; It's explicitly brought up that Yuki's better at it.

Essentially, she has no powers or abilities beyond being present in the group so Kyon can ogle her and Haruhi can molest her.

If this were a big Male Gaze type of show, I'd be like, "Oh, yeah, she's the Fanservice Girl. Got it." But it's not. So I just. I don't understand why she's handled like this. Why is this here?

Which is what makes it nice when the show isn't doing that, and instead we get nice Mikuru content where she's being happy and everyone's treating her well.

Less of... whatever all of that is and more of this please. She's great with kids! She plays Go Fish!

Which she took second place in, by the way. Mikuru beat God at cards and entertained the small child while doing it. So HA!

[venus-says]

Aikatsu on Parade! Episodes 14-15

Otome says "POP TYPE RIGHTS!"

I don't really remember why I kept avoiding watching these episodes for the past two weeks, but I'm genuinely happy I did because I had the best time ever watching these two episodes together.

There's not much to say about the two since they were more or less filler and they didn't try anything bold, but much like with its predecessor, on Parade thrives on the more slice-of-live/filler episodes and these two are an excellent example of that. I think on Parade does it even better than Friends because they're not limited to a certain amount of characters so when they want they can put together a good number of interesting idols to interact, have the nostalgia factor play in, and still create a very fun story to just sit down and relax.

And if you're a fan of pop type idols, like I am, these two episodes were an absolute delight.

Episode 14 we had the best Stars unit, Yuzutto Lillie, takeover Ako's tv show having Raki, Honey Cat (!!!), Nina (!!!!), Mikuru (!!!!!!!!!), and even Haruka as support! And gosh this episode was a JOY to watch. Just the fact they brought Nina back was a huge deal breaker to me, I really love her and sadly she didn't get that much time to shine during her season so to me that's amazing. The same can be said about Haruka, I'm not one of her biggest fans but I do think this show has treated her very badly so seeing that they didn't forget she exists somehow brings some peace to my heart. XD

I'm not gonna lie and I'll say that I thought it was a bit weird they brought up Ema's issue with small animals again since to me this was something that she had already got over with, but that isn't a huge problem, the scene was cute, I love that shot they had with her and Ferry so it's all good. Speaking of weird things I also think that the transitions between segments during the show felt a bit awkward at times but I understand that with 3 performances per episode it gets hard to make things feel smooth all the time, again it wasn't a big detriment, I had lots of fun with their segment with the owl and that crazy quiz show that had THE MOST ADORABLE CHIBIS EVER so I'm fine.

Speaking of the performances, I think this is one of the few times where I was okay with the 3 lives format (this applies to episode 15 as well). We got to see You x I again which was something I needed SO BAD after the Let's Find It spam we had in Friends S2, we got to see Nina perform again which is absolutely great seeing she performed only two times in OGkatsu, and I'm always excited to see the best rendition of Animal Carnival being performed (tho I'm not gonna lie I was a bit disappointed they didn't perform in those unit coords they received in the arcade game).

While 14 gave me the most fun, actually 15 was my favorite out of these two.

This was kinda a drama episode with some extra flair to it, it was incredible. I wish we had seen PowaFuwa Dreamin's creation so that this conjunct event didn't feel so detached from everything, but once I got over this it was just a bomb of joy. To begin, they did nostalgia here in a very subtle way, the event happened at the same park where Honey Cat decided to form their unit and Pop'n Popcorn was there to remind us that's a product Otome endorsed before, which I liked a lot I think whatever comes next for Aikatsu they should go by this route whenever they wanna reference past seasons.

We had some top-notch interactions here between each unit that gave another special charm to the episode. Like, Shion went to live like an ear of corn for a day in order to make the popcorn better, it's so absurd it's impossible to not love it! Shion is truly a gem, she deserved so much better. Another very nice thing was seeing the kids inquiring Ako and Kirara on why are they a unit when they seem to hate each other so much, I appreciate a show that has some level of self-consciousness to it and its problems.

also, THEY DIDN'T FORGET BABY PIRATES EXISTS AND THEY PUT THEM HERE EVEN THOUGH THEY DIDN'T NEED TO. T-T (honestly, the life of a Baby Pirates fans is so sad, look at me being so happy with only scraps that they gave us)

But the best thing about this episode was without a doubt the play they came up with, it was so fun and they also showcased the talents of all members of both main units in the production so it was amazing. And of course, the Three Goddesses was amazing. As y'all know I'm not the biggest Pure Palette and Yume fan, but they here acting as superheroes together was perfect. And the performance??? Gosh, that was wonderful, I loved all the effects, the song is pretty good as well, everything there was perfect and I wish we could get more.

As empty as these episodes seemed, they still had good lessons for Raki here which acted as the cherries on top to crown these awesome episodes. In the first we had Raki learning the importance of smiling and wanting to make your audience smile, and in the second we finally saw Raki seeing the value fans have for an idol and this is the thing that made me like episode 15 more than 14. I've mentioned on twitter that Raki had no interactions with fans, all she had was contact so far was with other idols and all she was doing was absorbing experience whenever she went, and I like that the show noticed and mentioned that, of course, this can be just lampshade hanging and the show will move on without touching on this again but these were great episodes and I'm on a very good mood so I wanna be hopeful about it.

And I think that's it for today, as I'm writing this episode 16 has already come out with subs but I haven't watched it yet and since I'm trying to get my schedule back on track I'll release this post as it is and do a separate post for 16. Anyway, what are your thoughts on these episodes? Let me know in the comments. See ya~

[lyralumina]

~ 🌺 I am sorry Aikatsu! Friends Fandom but I have something to say that a majority of people just have said before or do not want to say it because the new fans who started off the bat with Friends solely are going to get upset and while I know this is going to be a party pooper I am just going to say it;  I have been with Aikatsu since day one. I watched it starting from episode one of the Original Series, then all of Stars and now Friends and I have to be honest with you guys, Friends is not good. In fact it is as boring as watching paint dry.  I understand that this is a youth anime that is intended to solely persuade children to get their hands on the toys and merchandise but this is just not fun.  Aikatsu as a whole started to dip down as soon as Aikatsu Stars season two took a couple of jabs at trying to be fresh and hip but doing it the wrong way. For example,  -Lack of character developments with characters intended to have it. Ako, Koharu, Tsubasa, etc.  -Dropping character development plots for the sake of hashing out an episode that really added nothing to the plot, essentially a filler as useless as pickles on a chicken sandwich.  And here is the main issue that Stars did and has unfortunately carried over to Friends,  -Showing unhealthy relationships and friendships with casts of characters that are supposed to have strong bonds between one another which makes the older audience question if they should continue to watch it and or worry that the younger audience, the children, will get the wrong message when seeing it and thinking that it is okay to have relationships like that and pretend as if nothing has happened. 

You may be wondering which character(s) from Stars had a relationship like that and surprise it is Elza with Kirara and most notably Rei. Especially Rei.  Friends whole motif this season is dealing with the strong bonds of friendship and using that to forge even stronger bonds. Its cute but Friends took several missteps with this and forgot one crucial thing,  Where is it? Where is the general friendship at all?  Much like with Elza and the way she treated her friends at first, Mio despite having her ‘Break-up mini arc’ with Aine still seems to be holding on to the unhealthy habit of friends are tools and that tool will get you on where you need to be and to where you want to be so by all means lets keep at it.  The twins? It seems like they do not have much chemistry at all as well and I still cannot wrap my head around the fact that they had a unit cup so ‘early’ when none of the units had any sort of true friendship to hold themselves together.  Not even Love Me Tear has nothing to compare either.  The Friends writing team is forgetting that their motif needs to actually show that their is something within their friendship instead of what they are doing now which is a battle royale of lives to see who can make it to be the Diamond Friends.  As much as everyone knows, Pure Palette is going to win and honestly, they dont deserve it. Not even Love Me Tear deserves it. None of these units deserve it.  How are you going to convey anything when these characters have nothing to convey when it comes down to your motif of friendship?  This is why so many have dropped the series. The friendship is forced down our throats that it’s bitter and just plain childish since the writing this time around is not making the cuts it needs to hit.  As far as I am concerned characters from the past might as well just make a crossover and win Diamond Friends in place of the entire Friends cast since they actually had well written friendships and or chemistry.  -Ichigo with Aoi or Sierra or Mizuki -Mizuki with Mikuru or Ichigo  -Akari with Sumire or Madoka  -Nono with Risa  -Yume with Koharu or Hime  The list can go on. 

I am discouraged that I just am not into this series of Aikatsu when I have been with it for so long, since the very beginning. I am sure the younger audience can disagree with this but in my honest opinion, Aikatsu! Friends is not worth the watch even with the few catchy songs or lives. The story is just god awful. 🎀 ~

[medea10]

Medea’s Top 10 Characters I Hate

[tobiasdrake]

Episode 26 - Live Alive

Looking forward to all of the exciting ways Haruhi's masterpiece is sure to challenge the soul and change the very way we think about life and junk.

YUKI NO THAT IS NOT HOW YOU DO FORTUNE TELLING

I love that she managed to rope Yuki in but neither Itsuki nor Mikuru were willing to leave their posts for whatever this is now.

And by "whatever this is", I apparently mean Haruhi blowing the fucking roof off.

Sure, this can fucking rule out of nowhere, that's fine.

"You were there. I was there. And everyone else had vanished."

Yo, is this song about the world-cramping!?

I mean. Not specifically. This song is about Kyon.

Like. It's literally "God Bless the Two of Us". Couldn't be more on-the-nose if it tried.

Haruhi explains what this actually is and that makes sense.

She agreed to pitch in with Yuki because the band needed two temporary members. But God Bless still fills me with... feelings.

Kyon said something earlier in this episode.

Kyon doesn't like Haruhi. It's been made pretty clear throughout this show that this attraction is one-sided. Kyon is in a predicament, and it's that he's the object of desire from someone he cannot simply shut down and walk away from because they have power over him.

This isn't a scenario we get to see male characters cast in very often.

And it's affecting his life. He can't even try to have an actual love life because his abuser might find out. This is a valid concern; She tried to delete the universe last time he got too friendly with another woman.

And now... she's up there pouring her heart and soul into music for a man who doesn't love her. Who can't love her under these conditions. It is not actually possible for Haruhi and Kyon to have a respectful, mutually consensual romance.

Because even if Kyon agrees to be with her, it's impossible to distinguish if he means it or if he's just saying it so she won't erase the universe.

And even if Kyon means it, there's no way to know if he actually feels that way or if Haruhi made him feel that way.

This relationship that Haruhi wants so badly is doomed. It was dead-on-arrival from the moment she grabbed his tie and forced him to come with her. But she's young. And stupid. And she can't see past herself.

I am fucking crying. God, Haruhi, why does everything you do connect so hard?

It's anime so I'm sure he's going to fall in love and live happily ever after or whatever but that's not how this goes. We already had a startling, unexpected, but much deserved confrontation over the way she treats Mikuru. But the hardest lesson? The one she is not prepared for, and the other one she most desperately needs?

Is that she needs to let him go.

Someone who's locked in a (metaphorical) cage will never love you.

[venus-says]

Aikatsu! Episodes 79-86

More than friends, partners.

The Aikatsu madness continues with another 8 episodes today! That's a lot of ground to cover so let's get right into it.

Episodes 79, 81 and 82 cover the Partners Cup. And this caught me off guard because I could swear this cup would be the end of the season competition. But this isn't a problem per se. In fact, all of these three episodes are pretty good.

Because I already had some sense of how the cup would go, I don't have a lot to say about it. Getting to know more about Mikuru was good, the story of how she and Mizuki met was very cute. All the other units looked very interesting in their performances and I really wish we could've seen each one of them in more detail because they all seem to be very cool. Sweet Sp!ce is a bang and the performance was amazing, I don't have much to say about it, though if I could make a change I would give Ichigo and Seira matching coords instead of their PRs.

What I really like in this mini-arc is episode 79. Seeing the girls interacting with each other trying to find their partners was pretty fun but, Yurika and Kaede really made this episode so amazing to me.

At first, I didn't understand why Yurika was so against being partnered with Kaede and thought she was being very overdramatic and childish. But once you get to see where she's coming from you really start to feel all of that uneasiness. And Kaede is just wonderful. Like, she never got mad or sad at Yurika for all the things she was saying, she knew exactly what was going on and she did her part and rather than saying she showed her feelings to Yurika. It was really beautiful, this episode was perfect. Yes, I would've liked to see them perform together, but a live wasn't necessary here, so this episode was very well rounded.

And this lefts Episode 80 as the odd one out. Which I feel is what we can say about all Akari episodes this season. And again, it's a shame this is happening because all of her episodes have been good so far, but it's like they exist in a limbo of themselves and when you're watching the episodes in sequence it feels VERY odd and it takes off a little of the enjoyment of watching it.

Episodes 83 and 84 bring us back to the regular schedule of idols getting their constellation PRs. And these are great episodes., but I wish they were a bit spaced out one from the other just to give us a time to breathe. Regardless, they still remain great.

83 is probably my favorite out of the two. In normal circumstances I would hate to see the backstory of a character who's a bit airheaded, but I loved Otome's story and the fact that this wasn't something that changed her personality to what she is today but instead was only used to reinforce the things that were already there makes for an even better episode and shows that Otome is a real nice character when you look more deeply into her. Like they say in the episode, Otome may look silly but she's complex.

In 84 we follow Mikuru, and this episode is a treat. Mikuru has an amazing personality and being able to see and explore it is truly beautiful. I personally think that this Miracle Flower thing is a lame excuse to give Mikuru a daily appointment, but the overall effect works. We can't really see that she's in the hustle and she's not willing to give up on neither of her passions and she'll overcome any obstacle that may break this balance in her life. Plus is great to see she developing as an idol on her own, she's isn't just a shadow to Mizuki and she slowly came out the light in this episode.

And of course, we have Otona Mode being performed for the first time ever which raises this episode to heavenly status since this is probably the best song out of season 2.

Episode 85 is another drama episode and, just like always with drama episodes, it's amazing. To begin with, we have a very fun first half with Ran's training for her role, the way the girls walked around trying to sneak and attack her was priceless, god, even watching the more technical training was entertaining. And the second half with this very empowering drama was very fun as well, again I would definitely watch this drama/movie. If there's something that could've been better this thing is Sora, because we don't follow her through the episode her struggle with making the coord don't translate as well as it was intended. But this isn't a detriment for this episode, this is still pretty solid.

Last of the batch, Episode 86 is probably my least favorite. I don't really care for Raichi that much so an episode focused on showing his growth doesn't appeal to me. When you put this together with the Aikatsu Ranking and the elections for Aikatsu8, which are concepts I'm not a fan of didn't make a pleasant experience to me. But this episode had a fashion check live with the upgraded CG and it looked very pretty so, this episode wasn't a complete failure to me.

This was Aikatsu of the day, I still can't believe I watched all of this today, but now we're only 15 episodes away from the end of this season and I'm excited. Anyway guys, see you all tomorrow.