The iDOLM@STER Cinderella Girls Episode #20 Review

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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)

This week's episode of Cinderella Girls starts off the same way all of the other episodes this season have -- with Mishiro having some annoying plan to distance the idols from everything they love. This week, her victims happen to be Rin Shibuya and Anastastia, two characters that we've barely seen interact with each other thus far. The two girls have been chosen as potential idols for Mishiro's new "Project Krone" which is said to be the new focus of 346 Productions as a whole. The thing is, the performance of this project will go on to determine whether or not the Cinderella Project will even get to perform at their Winter ball. So this, of course, becomes a huge burden for Rin and Anastasia, who must now figure out how to/whether they even want to become a part of this new idea of Mishiro's. They also need to figure out how this will impact their preexisting groups. Drama incoming.

I understand where Mishiro's selection of is Rin coming from after seeing her perform with Karen and Nao, so we'll cover this part of the episode first. Rin is given the opportunity to take on a role in the new trio "Primus" with the two girls she has been getting chummy with over the past several episodes. Karen and Nao are obviously a bit more excited about this than Rin is, seeing as this is the only project they will be a part of. The problem for Rin is whether or not she will even be able to handle the burden of being in two groups at once (Which is completely understandable because come on). So after a bit of persuasion over a value-meal at a fast food chain, Rin decides that she might as well just go for it. Now the only problem is breaking the news to Uzuki and Mio, which...doesn't go over that well.

Anya's problem is a little bit different from Rin's seeing as she won't be moving into a new trio, but instead working as a solo artist alongside a group of girls she hasn't even heard of until recently. This is just as hard though, considering until this point she hasn't even been faced with a decision she had to make on her own. Minami has always been there to help her. So now Anastasia has this huge inner struggle in determining where she belongs. But this isn't anything that our trusty Producer won't be able to help with. He and Anya then have a nice long talk about whether or not she can take on this new path with a smile. And of course she can because she's Anya. So eventually she winds up talking to a surprised, but accepting, Minami Nitta about it. Problem is solved -- episode over.

Oh yeah, then Mio declares that she is a solo artist now. Plot twist.

Best/Favorite Part:

(Please insert last sentence about plot-twist here). In all seriousness though, who saw this coming? Nobody. It doesn't even make sense. I can see where next week's episode is going.

In Summary:

Though the plot was a little heavier in this episode than the others so far, something about it still fell short for me. I wouldn't say it had anything to do with the characters, considering Rin and Anya are two of my favorites. The thing is, I just felt like a decision of this level should have taken more than have an episode to resolve. Mishiro is essentially telling these teenage girls that they need to work sixty hours a week and barely have any time left to spend with their friend(s) and it only takes them approximately fifteen minutes to decide on their answer. I don't know guys, I feel like this one wasn't executed the way it should have been. That turn of events at the end though was a well-needed recovery from mostly everything that happened before it though.

Grade: C-

Streamed By: Daisuki/Hulu

The iDOLM@STER Cinderella Girls Episode #19 Review

If you think it's rock, then it is.

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)

Oh heck yeah, an Asterisk episode. This is just another moment I've been waiting for since the first half of Cinderella Girls ended several months ago. The only problem is, I am now running out of things to look forward to. Regardless, we've got another solid addition to the episode list with this week's airing of "If You're Lost, Let's Sing Aloud!"

This week's episode starts off with Mishiro once again approaching one of the older idols and attempting to get them to change their style. This time around, that idol happens to be Natsuki Kimura, bodacious rock-babe and Riina's main role-model. Mishiro's plan is to form a band centered around Natsuki -- which in itself isn't a bad idea -- but then the second part of that plan happens to be not letting Natsuki or the other band members have any creative input at all. Like, literally none. They can't even choose their outfits...The plan is no longer good. But what else is there to expect from someone like Mishiro?

When the episode shies away from Natsuki's subplot, we get to spend some time with Asterisk (Also known as "The best Cinderella Girls unit"), but mainly the adorable Riina Tada. Following another run-in with Natsuki, Riina starts questioning her future as a rock-idol. One of the main inner-struggles she has to face is figuring out whether or not Asterisk is the right way to accomplish that dream of hers. Of course, this leads to Riina spacing out and daydreaming, causing her unit (As well as her partner) to slope downward in a sense. Miku, being the sensitive cat-girl she is, starts to get worried and has some problems getting Riina to talk to her about her frequent spacing-out. However, this winds up working itself out when Riina decides that she can't leave behind her best-friend. Instead of pairing up with Natsuki, she keeps Asterisk alive with a short motivational speech aimed at cheering up Miku, who has started to think she is holding Riina back.

The thing that made this episode great was the overall chemistry of all three characters it focused on. Riina and Natsuki even gave each other nicknames. How cute is that? We already know that the Riina x Miku pairing may be the best in the show, but now there is this whole Riina x Natsuki situation which is just as good. Natsuki serves as a role-model and a clear-cut version of what Riina wants to be. Riina, on the other hand, is like a nostalgic glimpse into Natsuki's own past. This quickly becomes apparent during that motivational speech I mentioned earlier. It actually becomes so apparent that Natsuki marches right on down to Mishiro's office afterward and quits the band she was essentially forced into.

Best/Favorite Part:

Even though the episode was consistently solid throughout its duration, the best part came at the end when Natsuki called Riina onto the stage to play a song with her. Their performance became even better when Miku came on stage as well, turning the duet into a an adorable, sentimental trio as all of the other Cinderella Girls cheered them on in excitement. Seeing Riina's eyes light up as she sang alongside someone who was such an inspiration to her wound up being the best part of the episode by a landslide.

In Summary:

As of right now, this would probably be my second favorite episode of season two. And this isn't just me being biased because it was an Asterisk episode. The chemistry between all the characters was too good to ignore. The themes, though similar to many other episodes in the series, were portrayed better and conveyed in a way that gave the episode a hard-hitting sentiment. Don't skip this one.

Grade: A

Streamed By: Daisuki/Hulu

The iDOLM@STER Cinderella Girls Episode #18 Review

Idols should always be looking forward

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)

Now that we've gotten the most important character out of the way in last week's episode, it's time to move back on to the main idols in Cinderella Girls. This time around, we're going to get to focus on Candy Island, with some added love for the happy-happy Kirari Moroboshi. Our episode starts this week with Candy Island making an appearance on Totokira Academy, disguised as kindergartners (Though Anzu seems like she's in the right place). The on-screen chemistry between Anzu and Kirari then goes on to spark an idea among the show's producers. Those two girls will now have their own segment on the show, while Chieri and Kanako will have to find a way to overcome to shyness and host a segment of their own.

So now, we have two separate plots we get to focus on. First off, Anzu and Kirari have their own...I don't know if I should call them problems...but issues. It seems that Anzu is a little concerned about the two of them being constantly put together considering their differences in size. Because of this, she seems a little skeptical about their future and has a hard time bringing it up to her much taller TV counterpart. But after a few shootings of their new segment, they are finally able to talk it out and ultimately become happy-happy. I swear, there can never be an actual problem as long as Kirari is involved.

On to plot number two (AKA: The better plot). We all know by now that Chieri is the shyest of all the Cinderella Girls. Kanako, on the other hand, isn't necessarily AS shy, but I'd say that she comes in at second place. So obviously, the most suitable thing to do with that in mind is put them in the middle of a village and make them interview people at random. Needless to say, this become a huge burden for them and they need to face their fears and learn how to be more...sociable. This culminates in half of the episode being a super-cute struggle between one of the best pairings on the show. In the end, the two are able to support each other with some added help from Producer and Sachiko Koshimizu. But that isn't before a whole bunch of Kairu-san chants and four-leaf clover hunting with Chieri. She is too cute.

Best/Favorite Part:

Initially, my favorite part of this episode was when Chieri and Kanako went into the glass maker's shop and weren't able to answer his question about what they liked most about his art. That brief awkwardness and depressed look on that old man's face was absolutely heartbreaking when he thought they didn't care and were just there for work. BUT THEN, that all changes when they go back, more determined than ever, and rant about how much they love the glass and how pretty it is. It was a super heartwarming moment. I'd also like to give an honorable mention to the scene where Chieri's clover rips. That was comedic gold.

In Summary: 

As someone who isn't much of a fan of Candy Island, I have to admit that this episode was pretty good. The show dropped the whole "Focusing on side characters" act and got right back to where we all wanted it to. As much as I love a lot of the side-characters, Cinderella Girls started to feel like it was slipping away from what it was supposed to be. This episode puts it back on track and shines a light on several girls who haven't had much screen time so far. I like all of them a lot more now.

Grade: A-

Streamed By: Daisuki/Hulu