Tuesday, September 8, 2015

The iDOLM@STER Cinderella Girls Episode #21 Review


Half of your disease is in your head!

What They Say:
The idols from 346 Production's "Cinderella Project" are back, and this time they have more work than ever! Following the success of the summer idol festival, the girls have gained an incredible boost in popularity. Their first group album has even launched. There's just one problem though -- the new executive at 346 Pro, Mishiro. This mysterious new boss is now planning on dismantling all of the company's idol-projects. ALL OF THEM. What could possibly be in store for our beloved Cinderella girls now?!

The Review:
Content: (Please note that the content portion of the review may contain spoilers)

Following the plot-twist that was dropped on us at the end of last week's episode, we have a relatively bumpy road ahead of us this time around. As expected, episode #21 picks up right where episode #20 left off: with Mio announcing her debut as a solo artist. Considering this was completely out of the blue, the rest of the Cinderella girls are just as surprised as we are. This resulted in gasps and jaw-drops aplenty as things started to head down the sad-route again. Is it just me or does Mio actually happen to attract drama wherever she goes? I think this is the third time she's made things worse now if we count the first part of this series. The difference here though, is that she actually has a good reason this time.

Mio, after having Rin break the news of her semi-departure and formation of Triad Primus, decides that she should try something new as well. Not having many other opportunities open at the time, soloism quickly becomes her go-to option. After that, I think some stuff happens that leads Mio into joining an acting troupe (We don't really ever find out how that happened), but this becomes sort of a relatable wake-up call for her, seeing as her script connects to the whole New Generations dilemma. So as Mio continues her rehearsal, Rin starts [expectedly] blaming herself for the falling-out of their trio. As time starts to wind down and the fall concert nears closer, even more drama creeps in when Minami announces that Love Laika is gone and that she, too, is becoming a solo artist.

As always, the drama ultimately finds a way to work itself out. Mio eventually calls upon the girls to help her run lines for her upcoming...acting thing?...and those lines resonate deeply within her and Rin, becoming this huge metaphor for what is happening to them. Queue the sad music because things are about to get DEEP. After shooting lines back and forth at each other, New Generations discovers that there might just be a future for them somewhere down the line. And if things don't work out on their respective paths, they can always meet again in the "Garden", which I'm pretty sure is a metaphor for the practice room. Needless to say, things are now better and Rin bounces back into complacency while Mio continues to be rambunctious. As for Uzuki, it seems she is going to have a project of her own some time soon.

Best/Favorite Part:
I won't lie, I started to get a little teary-eyed during the garden rehearsal scene. I don't really get it, but sometimes shows like this (Especially iM@S) get to me. It was probably just the well-timed fade in of that sad song (That I assume to Mio's) that caused my eyes to get watery, but regardless, it was a powerful few minutes that easily out-shined the rest of the episode. Also, I kind of like Mio now. Kind of.

In Summary:
This episode was a good follow-up to last week's cliffhanger. The plot actually seemed real and not cookie-cutter like a lot of the other issues in Cinderella Girls. Character development is also evident here in that Mio isn't just being a baby this time around and has actually matured to some extent. The end of the episode also plays a big role in announcing what the Fall concert will wind up looking like in terms of line-ups.

Grade: B

Streamed By: Daisuki/Hulu

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