After we have had Pure Palette, Reflect Moon and Honey Cat episodes, it is only fitting that the forty-ninth episode of Aikatsu Friends! focuses on Love Me Tear. It is their future that is particularly in focus here.

Disguised Mirai
To kick things off, Mirai and Karen are discussing their future endeavours with each other. Mirai wants to produce an idol, and as such she takes a trip to Star Harmony Academy to scout out any potential talent. Nobody there quite strikes her fancy, and a chance meeting with Aine and Mio sees Mirai making a hasty retreat.

Karen is appointed Aikatsu goodwill ambassador
As for Karen, she is appointed Aikatsu goodwill ambassador and intends to travel the world spreading love and Aikatsu to everyone. However, she doesn’t seem to be quite satisfied.

Karen and Mirai talk about their new roles
Karen and Mirai get some time to just sit down and chat. Mirai is able to pick up right away that Karen isn’t satisfied with just being Aikatsu goodwill ambassador. She knows that Karen feels like she isn’t doing enough.
Karen knows that Mirai wants to produce a diamond in the rough idol: someone who hasn’t had any experience of Aikatsu.

Mio is convinced that Love Me Tear are going to split up
After Love Me Tear’s chat, Karen announces that she will be overseeing the construction of Aikatsu academies in foreign countries, whilst Mirai announces that she will be holding auditions for a new idol.
Earlier on, Pure Palette had a meeting for Pure Palette Legends, where Mio happened to catch sight of some paperwork referring to the ‘final chapter’ of Love Me Tear Legends. Coupled with the pair pursuing their own separate dreams for a while, Mio is convinced that Love Me Tear will split up.

Love Me Tear invite Pure Palette to their next concert
Moving on, Pure Palette receive a letter from Karen and Mirai, inviting them to Love Me Tear’s next concert. With the personal invitation, Mio’s worries about Love Me Tear only grow worse.

Karen feeds Mio
On the day of Love Me Tear’s concert, Pure Palette are able to pay them a visit beforehand. They bring them a present, but Mio has a question for them. She wants to know what will happen with Love Me Tear now that Karen and Mirai will be apart from each other a lot more.

Mio has nothing to fear: Love Me Tear are not splitting up
Mirai and Karen may end up apart from each other, but that doesn’t mean that they will be unable to improve each other. Love Me Tear remains as strong as ever, and Mio’s worry just turns into embarrassment.
We end with Love Me Tear’s performance, which includes a fairly neat surprise for the audience.
Huh, so Aikatsu Friends! wasn’t actually going down the same road as Kiratto Pri☆Chan after all…
Well, either way, I really liked this episode. Love Me Tear’s bond is as strong as ever, and we got to see that firsthand here. Mirai and Karen had some really nice moments together, such as them saying that they can shine and soar thanks to each other, and there was plenty of hand holding in this episode, too.
Next episode of Aikatsu Friends! is the final one, and it looks like we’ll be ending not with a bang, but with an argument. OK then…