IDOLiSH7 Episode 16

After two months, Idolish7 get their shit together and are finally thankful and excited to have been nominated for JIMA’s New Artist Award. (See what I did there?)

*SOBBING* I AM SO HAPPY

The first half of the finale (episode 16) was primarily devoted to clearing up the air. Everyone from Idolish7 and even Trigger all went to the Zero Arena to take time to reflect on either why they weren’t happy with themselves and what they have achieved, or how to proceed from here on out. It was kind of funny to see both members of the groups interacting with each other, the most surprising duo being Ryuunosuke and Tamaki, an unexpected pair that I would certainly like to see interact some more. But the highlight of the episode was seeing Riku and Tenn forged a new bond. Riku explained to Tenn his dream was to be able to make him smile the same way he for him did for when they were little. Being unable to run around outside, Tenn used to perform for him, and that brought him joy to his life. Now Riku is ready to move on. While he lost his star, he gained something even more incredible, a rival to brag about to the world. Gone are the days as siblings… now they have officially acknowledged each other as rivals. It is a bit sad how they both agreed to cast aside their blood-relations, but their rivalry is merely a new chapter to their newfound relationship. It is a friendship I look forward to seeing blossom further.

Seeing Idolish7 and Trigger officially recognizing each other as rivals was the moment we were all waiting for. Gaku always believed the group had potential, and is happy to see that they are the real deal. Tenn being on good terms with Riku, and better yet being proud of him warmed my heart.

However despite the good things that happened in this episode, the critic in me couldn’t help but perceive Episode 16 as one of the weakest episodes to date. There were a couple of things that irked me. For starters, the way they opened up the episode was incredibly overwhelming. I found it to be incredibly difficult to process each of the characters moments of self-reflection. It wasn’t just Idolish7 members, but Trigger as well, bring a total of ten characters, all within the first 6 – 7 minutes of the episode.

Then there was the matter of how they dealt with Sousuke. I thought we were in store to see one last attempt to squash Idolish7 and even Tsumugi was said to be a target, but before he even had the chance to make his final attempt, Gaku, Tenn and Ryuuonosuke collectively agreed they have had it with the way he does things, and set things straight and have a confrontation with him.

Now this particular event was a mixed bag for me. On one hand, as a fan and viewer, I was ecstatic and thoroughly entertained with the way Trigger handled it. They were prepared to go into a fist-fight with him, taking measures of barricading his office, cutting his phone lines and sending the employees out on a dinner so they can’t be interfered with. But the one that really hammered the message home was Ryuunosuke, who brought out his thug side, scaring the ever little crap out of Sousuke in glorious fashion, thus settling the matter for once and for all. It was also the first time we see the group work together in such a way. However the flip side, I felt like it was executed out of connivence, so they could make it a drama free finale. While TRIGGER had every reason to react the time they did, the timing of their confrontation made it feel terribly anti-climatic.

And as much as I hate to say it, this was also a problem when Nagi confessed he was the one who has been secretly delivering their songs. I don’t know what it was, either the timing missed the mark or it it just felt rushed, but I certainly wasn’t expecting him to open up the way he did. He is not the one who made them, but rather they were composed by his friend Sakura Haruki, who was responsible for composing Zero’s songs. The two of them were friends, and when Haruki got sick, Nagi went out to Japan to fulfill his promise of bringing the songs to Takanashi Productions, but before he could, he was scouted, and since the opportunity was presented to him, he decided to roll with it.

But either way, this scene still made me love Nagi even more. He is a dark-horse type of character, who of all the members of the group has the most genuine heart. And it’s funny how he is the one who ended up providing them the songs, making him contribute to the group in a very unique and meaningful way. Without those songs, there is no telling whether or not Idolish7 would be where they are today, overcoming the challenges they had to face, and and win the JIMA New Artist Award.

The group was also gifted a pot of expensive flowers from an anonymous sender, so the group decides they to leave it up to their imaginations of who they would like it to be from. I am going to guess Nagi and Mitsuki are properly the closet to the truth, either being from Haruki or Zero himself, otherwise if not them, I wonder who did send it (unless it was Sousuke as a form of apology…Kekeke). But there was nothing sweeter than seeing all of our boys being happy again. Another one of my favourite scenes was the Iori-Group-Hug, where everyone throws themselves onto Iori to cheer him up, as he is still feeling guilty for his blunder on stage. Tamaki wasn’t entirely wrong when he said, Iori wouldn’t last if he worried about every one of his mistakes. Hahaha!


IDOLiSH7 Episode 17

Having won JIMA’s New Artist Award, Idolish7 have been given the opportunity to perform at Black & White, Music Fantasia, where there they will finally be able to compete against Trigger. It is the matchup everyone has been waiting for, and what better time to do it than when the two groups have established friendly rivalry interaction between them. Both groups performed a new song, Trigger’s Leopard Eyes’ lyrics killed me, and then Idolish7 comes out with their pure and heartfelt song that told the stories of their journey. To be honest, I wasn’t into the song, mainly because I found the second half much better than the first. But Trigger is the ultimate bias wrecker, so naturally my vote goes with them. In fact, for the duration of the two months I have been waiting for the show to return, I found myself listening to more of Trigger’s songs than Idolish7’s. (Yes I know, I need to get around to Idolish7 Vibrato, but when is Episode 2 going to air anyways? Maybe I will just do a double-post on it since it is only 14 minutes long…)

Better yet, since Idolish7 was able to win JIMA New Arist Award, and beat them in the Black & White national broadcast, Tenn will be upholding his promise to tell Riku why he left the family in the first place. Unfortunately for us (who aren’t able to, or aren’t able to play the game), until we look up spoilers, we will never know for ourselves.

But if there is one thing I would like to acknowledge, that would be the growth of Riku’s character. In these two episodes, seeing the boy overflowing with confidence, and boldly setting the challenge line, I felt like he acted the the group’s leader more than Yamato had in the entire series. It is a side of Riku that made him climb up my bias ranking, and one I would be delighted to see more of in the future.

This episode was simply pure bliss, simultaneously making laugh and cry from start to finish. I was dying with how Iori and Tamaki couldn’t recognize or didn’t ever let Douglas Rootbank, (some american rock-pop music who wanted them to perform an opener to his concert)introduce himself, and mistaken him as the screen installer. It was even better when Mitsuki, Riku and Sogo lost themselves because they were huge fans. I litterally could not contain myself, the whole scene was freaking hilarious. Heck even Trigger was envious of them (especially Ryuunosuke being a fan of the guy himself).

When we talk about growth, we focus a lot on Idolish7’s, but we can’t forget how far each member of trigger has grown themselves. Tenn who has always had the mindset of working as “business partners” than being open and close as he would be with friends softened up, and became more friendly with his team-mates. It was so cute when he suggested them to high-five before they performed, Gaku was all for it, but didn’t want to admit it right away. It just makes all warm and fuzzy inside seeing the three be able to be open and more feel more free around each other, than strictly behaving as professional business partners. And since Idolish7 is now on equal footing with Trigger, while they enjoy good competition, Tenn in particular doesn’t care about the results, it is more important to him to make an unforgettable performance.

In the end, Idolish7 emerged as the new champions of Black & White Music Fantasia. It was a bittersweet moment for Trigger, Tenn was proud of Idolish7’s (and Riku) success, Gaku was shocked they had lost, he lost his face momentarily, but was able to smile again for their fans who continued to offer their support. Ryuunosuke is happy that they had lost to them, because he respects them as his opponents.

Black & White Music Fantasia has proven to be a major breakthrough for Idolish7, accomplishing many goals in one night. One of the most important ones being Tamaki’s sister, catching sight of her brother performing. It helps that she knows where he is now, and nothing would make me happier than to see the two reunite.

Final Thoughts

The crying fangirl is my actual face right now

It wouldn’t be Idolish7 if they didn’t have me crying during the last ten minutes of the episode. It has been one heck of an emotional roller-coaster, and undoubtedly the best idol show I have ever watched. It was everything I ever wanted from shows like Utapri, Idolm@ster Side:M, and we finally got it in the best form possible. The forces that drove the series were the plot, the characters and their journey of becoming the stars, and of course, the music! It has been a tough road, but together they were able to overcome it together. All of this was able to blossom into a beautiful flower thanks to incredible writing. It is a show I will always come back to watch again, as I am wholly invested in the characters and their stories.

Although there are many loose ends (as there are some stories that are still in-progress in the game) and there was no announcements of a second season, I am hopeful we will see the show return to wrap up the remaining loose ends, and deliver the stories that have yet to be told!

It is a shame that we had to wait two months for the finale. I believe that really interfered with the momentum the series had, but at least those of you who have yet to watch this will be in for a treat! Although the finale wasn’t squeaky clean, it was still a pleasure to watch. I sincerely hope Idolish7 will return for a second season. The story and characters and music still have so much to offer, it would be a waste not to see more. I certainly want to know more about this man named Kujo, who we must remember, Tenn has picked up the name of. It seems he has been out of the country for a while now… I wonder if he’s Zero or something. Either way, PLEASE GIVE US A SECOND SEASON SO WE CAN SEE HIS FACE AND LEARN MORE ABOUT HIM?! I NEED A SECOND SEASON!

Overall Score: 9/10
N’uff said, you should be watching this!

Eva

Blogging Anime since Summer 2009, & Founder of AngryAnimeBitches Anime Blog ...I may or may not be addicted to writing

This Post Has 10 Comments

  1. zztop

    Idolish7 Vibrato has covered about half of the source manga spinoff, Beyond the Radiant Glory, which was authored by Tanemura Arina herself. It’s been fully scanlated, so you may want to check it out.
    https://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=129263
    Considering how more niche titles like Kakegurui and Made in Abyss have had 2nd seasons confirmed (despite the lack of updated source material), I think Idolish’s large popularity with Japan’s female fanbase should guarantee it a potential 2nd season – it’s just a case of when.

    1. Eva

      = v = Thank you~ I recently learned about the manga series after shuffling through LALA’s website for the first time in in probably 4-5 years. I will be reading it, thanks!

  2. Makino

    So who is the best boy, now that the anime have ended? I’m curious to know 😀
    Also, i7 will be having their first IRL concert in Japan in July. I’m confident that they’re saving S2 announcement for that. Let’s just cross our fingers until then.

    1. Eva

      GAKU IS MY BEST BOY! 😀 He is my #1!
      But if I had to choose from Idolish7, oof, it would say it’s a three-way tie between Nagi, Sogo and Iori. It is really too hard to pick one! 😂 Ryuu/Tenn and Riku are also in a deadlock as the runner ups. The finale really gave them a boost in my rankings, leaving Yamato, Mitsuki, Tamaki at the bottom, but I still love them in their own right, but I am just not as invested in them as much as my top 6.
      I am sure the concert will do AMAZING~! Until then, hopefully Idolish7 Vibrato will be able to keep us occupied, should it start getting some more consistent releases. I am a bit surprised the second episode has yet to come out.

  3. What’s sad that they didn’t include was that Riku and Mitsuki weren’t originally Douglas Rootbank fans. Sogo was a huge fan but then converted them to being fans haha but I understand they had to cut that out since they were trying to put about 3 whole chapters in two episodes.
    Considering how drama filled i7 is from part 2 and on I am kinda glad they nipped Sousuke’s plans in the bud. I think they did it less for drama free and more to set the stage for the next “antagonist” of the story. But that’s my impression and you’re free to have your own.
    I’m glad you enjoyed this series, I’ve seen far too many disregard it because they think it will be overly cheesy with no plot and/or a reverse-harem. I really cherish this series, thank you for reviewing it! I hope other’s will find this and give the series a shot!
    (Also hello fellow Gaku fan!)

    1. zztop

      Who will be the next antagonist, btw? Is it that 2-man idol group from Re Vale?

  4. Miriki Takato

    I feel like crying after the finals, HELP
    In all seriousness, I agree that the 2-month wait makes the beginning of ep 16 a bit of emotionless. I watched ep 16 and 17 yesterday, and then rewatched 14-15-16-17 today and it feels a lot, a lot better. It feels like the staff did not expect the episodes to be delayed. The events play out exactly in the game. Although it feels like Nagi’s confession needs more impact, but it was intended to show that Nagi didn’t need to hide it or particularly tried to hide it. No one asked so he just never had a chance to say. It’s the same with Nagi’s past, he never tried to hide it, but no one ever listened or asked him lmao.
    The american rock star part iz freaking hilarious, I missed a lot of these side stories in game so seeing it on screen for the first time makes it even better! Idolish7’s humour never disappoint me. Seeing Iori and Tamaki being truely 17 years old kids are just great, lol. Riku’s development is just amazing, he becomes a true leader while Yamato is a supportive oni-san. I love that Riku says “Kujou” as if he finally accepts that Tenn belongs to another family.
    I love all the songs, although I only repeatedly listen to Mezzo’s, lol. Looking at the ending and also the teasing credit, I’m sure 90% we gonna get season 2 and I hope the wait would be only 1 year…The game is also on break now to prepare for a new story arc.
    I watch utaprinces, b-project and some other idol animes, but idolish7 takes the first seat.

    1. Eva

      ITS OKAY TO CRY, I CRIED TOO!!!
      Yes that’s exactly what I have been telling my friends to do. Don’t watch Episode 16-17 on its own, watch the whole series again or a few episodes before it.
      If they do make a second season, hopefully they won’t have to break up the series the way they did for this one, it really does mess with its momentum.
      Mezzo songs are definitely my second favourite to Trigger’s. Unfortunately i7 songs never quite did it for me;;;;; 😅
      Idolish7 really set the bar for future idol/music shows, in fact I am a bit worried nothing will be able to come up to par with it!

  5. Miriki Takato

    Also a little teaser for season 2 for you, it’s the trailer for part 2 in the game so you can have a vague idea of what is going to come in ss 2…(and get more hyped for it). I always love these intense trailers
    https://youtu.be/dsFZ-VJD1yA There is no spoiler in it, so no worry

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