Frogs are the new fried chicken.
Impression
SACHIKO-SAMA I’VE WAITED SO LONG TO SEE YOU
WHY ARE YOU SO PERFECT
AND SAE-CHAN
WHY ARE THEY NOT MAIN CHARACTERS AHHHHHHHHH
Acting like an excited schoolgirl has become something of a tradition it seems. But now for some meaningful discussion. I heard beforehand that this would an Anzu episode, and honestly my initial reaction to that wasn’t too great. I mean, she’s spent the entire series on her ass, and claims that she hates working but is still looking to debut as an idol despite that for some reason. I cared about her about as much as she seemed to care about her job, and thought that it’d take quite a lot to change my first impression of her. But hey, that’s what character development is for, right? And my criticism of Anzu was at its strongest during the whole Mio thing, when I wasn’t too happy with everyone except Uzuki. So, did my impression of Anzu change after this episode?
Partially. It’s more like it reset my impression closer to neutrality than anything else, and I think the episode itself is partly to blame for that. Not that the episode was bad, that is. Even putting aside my devotion to Sachiko-sama it was quite entertaining, and a variety show was a good idea to showcase a different set of idols. The fact my position on Anzu has even improved at all is a positive sign. But it seemed like… we jumped a little too far forward, both in terms of time-scale and therefore character development. I get that this happened because it’d eventually get repetitive if we had a standard CD debut episode for each and every idol or unit, and that makes sense – it’d be too slow if we did it this way. But the Candy Island we’ve only heard about this episode seems like they’re already really popular. They have crowds coming for handshake events with them – and these crowds are bigger than the one New Generations had at their first mini-live. And at these events, Anzu is happily doing her job with a smile – it’s cute, but how on earth did it happen to begin with? How did she go from sleeping all day and running away from any sign of work to promoting her single?
It just seems a bit too abrupt a change to me, and I would have liked to see the transition, because one definitely happened at some point. I think I’m actually okay with the current Anzu, and while it’s possible I might have just had a bad day the last time I saw her in an episode, I don’t think it’s that. This looks like a post-development Anzu to me, and there’s a gap where we should have seen the development happening. As for the other girls in Candy Island, Kanako and Chieri, they’re not too bad either but slightly more forgettable. I think Kanako is the one who likes eating, and Chieri is like another Yukiho (from 765 Pro). They’re cute enough but kind of bland at the same time, and that’s why I’d have loved it if characters like Sachiko-sama or glorious schoolgirl Sae were instead main characters – they’re such bright personalities, and they’re so much fun to watch. That being said, it’s true that Candy Island are not exactly veteran idols yet, and part of the whole point behind the Cinderella Project is to take normal girls and have them blossom into proper idols. A work in progress, much like the direction of the series itself.
Like Eva, I’m glad they’re finally cracking onwards with giving different girls a bit of much-needed depth, with New Generations taking a back-seat role. And I must say, I’m also quite thankful I didn’t end up with the Ranko episode, because I spent a lot of that cringing. I feel like she’s a more forced Rikka, and she doesn’t show her normal side as much as she really should. I’m also going to hope that I don’t get the Kirari episode, because I can’t stand her. Did I just jinx it?
PS. Jupiter are on a world tour?!