This is it; we have reached the culmination of everything that each Friends units has struggled for. Only one Friends unit can gain the prestigious title of Diamond Friends, and the bar has been set very high.
Both Mio and Aine are very nervous after witnessing Love Me Tear’s performance
After witnessing Love Me Tear’s history-making performance, both Aine and Mio are understandably nervous about what Pure Palette has to do next. They confide in each other about just how nervous they are, and decide that they want to share how they are feeling at that moment with their fans as well.
Pure Palette put out a video on Friendsta
Aine and Mio share with their fans just how nervous they are. Tamaki stops by to offer them some encouragement, and the pair decide to go and get some fresh air. On their way out, they bump into Love Me Tear.
Outside, Aine scares Mio by saying that she understands how the Friends who retired after losing to Love Me Tear felt. However, Aine has no intention of giving up, and the two talk about the lyrics of their song.
Just look at the way that Aine and Mio are looking at each other…
Ema and Maika show up, and they’ve got something that they want to show to Aine and Mio. After Pure Palette’s video went online, their fans went wild giving them messages of support – even Honey Cat fans joined in, as well as Honey Cat themselves.
Everyone offered Pure Palette their frienergy
All the support from their fans helps to ease the nerves. Just before they have to go on stage, even Mio offers her frienergy to Aine. It’s pretty much a Spirit Bomb moment. Finally, the time for Pure Palette to take the stage arrives.
Pure Palette create a Miracle Aura
Much like Love Me Tear, Pure Palette are able to create a Miracle Aura when they perform. They debut a new song, “Soko ni Shika Nai Mono”, which is the current opening theme of this show.
Pure Palette’s performance is a huge success, quickly putting to rest any doubts about them not being able to match Love Me Tear.
With both Love Me Tear and Pure Palette having now performed, the time to find out who the next Diamond Friends are arrives. The results are tallied up.
The winners of the Diamond Friends Cup, and the next Diamond Friends are…
Pure Palette!
Pure Palette managed to just beat Love Me Tear, and become the next Diamond Friends in the process. All that Aine and Mio can recall is just seeing each other, and then it was over. They have no idea what their performance was like, and they can’t believe what they have achieved.
But, they have done it, and Love Me Tear present them with the Diamond Dresses.
Two plus two equals infinity
As the evening settles in, Love Me Tear meet with Pure Palette, and both sides extend their gratitude towards each other. Pure Palette may have won, but Love Me Tear intend to soar to even greater heights – something that they wouldn’t be able to do without rivals like Pure Palette.
A lot of good things come Pure Palette’s way now that they are Diamond Friends – Aine hits a million friends, and Mio is in talks to publish ‘Pure Palette Legends’. Aine and Mio continue to push each other ever forward, too.
That wraps up this episode, and I think it was perhaps one of the best Aikatsu Friends! has to offer. Not just because of Pure Palette’s feat of becoming Diamond Friends, but seeing all that support from Pure Palette fans was heartwarming.
More importantly, though, was the interactions between Aine and Mio. My reason for watching Aikatsu Friends! is similar to one of my reasons for watching PreCure – to see what potential we get.
For me, this episode certainly delivered. Particularly with Mio calling Aine her ‘one and only’, but we also had moments like Mio putting her arm around Aine’s shoulder, or Pure Palette’s song pretty much being about how grateful the pair are to have met each other.
Pure Palette definitely earned that Diamond Friends title, too. They’ve come through a lot to get to this point, including a break-up. It has been very satisfying to see them come this far.
It is not over, though. We still have a few episodes left, oh, and an entire second season. I eagerly anticipate what comes next for the newest Diamond Friends.
Rory Muses 