We are STARISH

Key Events

Camus tells everyone that Cecil has gone back to Agnapolis to succeed the throne. He told Camus to tell everyone that he will return, but Camus doesn’t relay the message.

Everyone thinks back to how much fun it was with Cecil around and how sad it is now that he’s gone. But Haruka keeps composing believing that he’ll return.

Shining appears in as dramatic fashion as ever and tells them that the six of them have been nominated for the Uta Pri award. So even if Cecil was here he doesn’t want him to join them in case he ruins the perfect balance that the six of them have. But everyone in STARISH have decided to wait for Cecil.

Shining withdraws their nomination for Uta Pri but Cecil enters the scene in style to sing Haruka’s new song with everyone and convince Shining that they’re better as seven.

Uta Pri award people show up and announce the nominations for the award. They are STARISH and HEAVENS.

Thoughts:

Well, that problem was sorted out pretty quickly. I was expecting more of a ‘struggle’, or at least for it to last more than one episode. I wonder why Cecil told only Camus that he’d return and not STARISH or Haruka. I guess he was so confident that he’d be back within an episode it’d only waste time to tell more people. Leave early to return early with an extravagant entrance scene that I’d say is on par with Shining, and that’s saying something. He then went onto perform one of the most brightly lit songs I’ve seen in a while, way too many sparkles.

Looks like Quartet Night have well and truly taken a backseat to everything as the anime introduces some more rivals in Heavens. Can’t say much about them for obvious reasons, but being a shoujo at least they look nice, that’s a good start. Liking any of their songs more than Maji Love 2000% is going to be a tough ask though seeing as I always listen to the ED of this and already have Maji Love 2000% stuck in my head since the start of the series. But nonetheless still very much interested in what they can offer.

This episode turned into a Cecil reminisce episode, as though the anime’s trying to remind us who this series was about, not that we needed it. I found it unrealistic that Cecil was able to convince the king so fast and get permission to stay. Though by how fast it was sorted out I don’t think the series wanted us to concern ourselves with whether Cecil would stay or not. I think this episode they only wanted to show how important Cecil was to the group and how he already had naturally integrated into the group and it wasn’t a matter of him joining STARISH or not as he was already a part of them. At least that’s the message I got. I didn’t think they’d show the competition for the Uta Pri award, I thought they’d end the series after sorting out the Cecil ‘problem’ by spending a good 2 or 3 episodes on it. But I guess this is more interesting as things are going to happen rather than emotional episodes of trying to keep Cecil here. I guess if that was the choice I’d have chosen the Uta Pri award rivalry. Now let’s move on and see if the new STARISH can win it all.