The Idol M@ster Cinderella Girls

Episode 9

This week, Anzu does something besides complain and sleep! Yes, it is time for the diminutive slacker to prove her mettle, and she not only turns out to be a very competent performer, but also quite smart as well. The episode features the next trio from the Cinderella Project to make their debut – Candy Island, which is comprised of Anzu, Chieri, and Kanako. The inclusion of Anzu in this group at first surprised me, as I had assumed she would show up with Kirari, with whom we normally see her interacting. However as you watch the three of them together, it becomes apparent that this is a very well-matched set of girls. Chieri's extreme timidity is nicely balanced by Anzu's ability to turn on the charm, and Kanako's easygoing sweetness pulls the group together well. Unfortunately we don't get to see them perform their single, but we do hear it play in lieu of the regular closing theme, and it has a sweetly perky sound.

The actual plot of the episode revolves around another facet of idolhood – self-promotion. Candy Island is going on a variety show in order to win a few moments of precious promotion time. They face off against another girl group, KBYB, who apparently are old hat at this sort of game. However, there's a slight change in the program: instead of the show being a quiz show as they had been told, it turns out to be a “muscle” show, where the girls must compete physically. Of course, this is still about sparkly cute idols, so by “physically” I mean marshmallow catching contests and balloon filling competitions. It's cute but not particularly thrilling until we hit the final game, which is the actual quiz portion of the show.

As I said before, Anzu really shines this episode, making lightening-quick changes from her normal persona to that of a perky idol in the making. It's really fun to watch – one second she's loafing around grumbling and the next rainbows are practically floating out of her mouth. Kanako is actually the most bland of the three, volunteering to be the marshmallow catcher so she can eat them and maintaining a sweet but understated character throughout that doesn't do much to add to the dynamic of the episode. Chieri, on the other hand, looks like she's on the verge of a nervous breakdown every second she's on stage. The Producer shows that he's making strides when he allows Mio to convince him to put on a frog costume in an attempt to calm her down as well as when he shows compassion backstage after she collapses from nerves. As fun as Anzu is, it is Chieri whose success you get invested in as she overcomes her fears of being on live television, and we get the sense that the enemy she has to defeat in order to find success as a performer is herself. When she triumphs at the end of the episode, it feels like a real victory.

Sadly there aren't many opportunities for interesting animation this week, a shame given the events at the very end of the episode, although the small details of the girls' appearances are as good as ever. Anzu's hair grows slowly messier as the episode goes on, and a real effort has been made to distinguish each member of Candy Island's physique from the others. It is a little odd how everyone immediately starts huffing and puffing the second they begin using bike pumps to inflate balloons, but presumably it is intended to be cute and show the amount of effort they're exerting.

As much fun as I'm having with the other girls' stories, I do hope The IDOLM@STER Cinderella Girls returns to the three we started the story with. While it is nice that everyone gets a day in the sun, Rin, Mio,and Uzuki are our point of view characters, and also the best developed ones. Regardless, this is a fun episode and may have one of the best final lines from Anzu, continuing Cinderella Girls' streak of being enjoyable and better than you might have expected.

Rating: A-

The IDOLM@STER Cinderella Girls is currently streaming on Daisuki.

Rebecca Silverman is ANN's senior manga critic.