REVIEW: ‘Idoly Pride,’ Episode 10 – “A Place That Cannot Be Reached Alone”

Last time on Idoly Pride, we spent the episode largely focused on Nagase Mana, the idol who all the girls of Hoshimi Production have been chasing. We also spent some time with Sakura, the leader of Hoshimi Production’s Sunny Peace. As a leader, Sakura has struggled under Mana’s almost oppressive legacy as a top-tier idol. Coupled with the fact that she has her voice, Sakura has often doubted her own abilities. Things only get worse when she learns that she received Mana’s heart during her transplant. Yet woes aside, the girls of Hoshimi Production are starting to become genuine idols in their own right. It looks like they’ll continue to come into their own in Idoly Pride Episode 10.

However, in Idoly Pride Episode 10, “A Place That Cannot Be Reached Alone”, we get a perspective shift. So far, most episodes have focused on Hoshimi Productions as a whole. This time, viewers get to look at the silver-haired Tendo Rui, one of the members of TRINITYAiLE. It’s a nice perspective shift, even this late in the cour. Plus, it’s a good bit of insight into the competition.

That being said, a lot of Idoly Pride Episode 10 is still centered around the girls of Hoshimi Production, though there’s a lot more emphasis on Sunny Peace during these sequences. I found this refreshing, especially since Sakura, the leader of Sunny Peace, has been in the spotlight for a lot of the series. Seeing her fellow members step up and show their dedication feels really, really good. It continues to add to the realism of the show, ghost idols aside.

As I said, a perk of Idoly Pride Episode 10 is the focus on TRINITYAiLE, and it’s really well done. Finally, we get to see members Rui, Suzumura Yu, and Okuyama Sumire working together. It’s actually quite sweet since thus far, we’ve only seen snippets of them. A part of me would love a spin-off following them, or at least one more episode featuring the girls. Still, I’m pretty satisfied to get a taste of a different idol group.

TRINITYAiLe stands above the rest as an incredibly polished trio of young women who are angling to surpass Mana’s legacy. Just like the girls of Sunny Peace, they want to surpass Mana’s legacy and reach the top. Out of all the idols on the show, TRINITYAiLE instantly made me think, “If anyone can do it, it’s these girls.” 

Part of this is because of their entire on-stage persona. TRINITYAiLe instantly struck me as a group determined not to lose. In fact, I wonder if they even know what loss feels like. Certainly they do, but that has to be in the distant past. Success is at their fingertips: they’re just that good. And the girls of TRINITYAiLE are determined to grab that success as tightly as they can.

Yet Sakura and her fellow Sunny Peace members are determined to beat Nagase Mana’s legacy and TRINITYAiLE with a song all their own. The girls of Sunny Peace won’t be relying on Mana’s song anymore. They also won’t be relying on Mana’s legacy to reach great idol heights. I found that particularly moving, especially since Sakura has struggled with sharing Mana’s voice, as well as the revelation that she has Mana’s heart. I think that makes Idoly Pride Episode 10’s ending, and the music performances this episode, all the more interesting.

In the end, Idoly Pride Episode 10 was a true delight. Really, Idoly Pride in general has been one of the surprise stars of this cour. If you’re not already watching Idoly Pride, I highly suggest jumping on board and giving it a try. While it’s true that idol shows aren’t for everyone, I feel like Idoly Pride is an excellent entry point, offering up a lot of good characterization, solid plot, and a distinct lack of sexualization that makes this series feel more authentic than others.

There are just two more episodes before the end of Idoly Pride, and honestly, I don’t know who will win. Idoly Pride Episode 10 gave us a lot of good energy going into the final two episodes, which I suspect will be a two-parter. Ideally, all of these good idol girls would win the Next Venus Grand Prix. However, in the end…there can only be one idol group at the top.  Who it’ll be is a mystery, though I know who I’m secretly rooting for. Time will tell if my dreams come true. Wanna know who I’m rooting for? Well… guess you’ll have to come back for next week’s episode!

Idoly Pride is now streaming on Funimation.

Cy Catwell

Mercedez Clewis is a Queer Blerd who wears many hats. In addition to being a writer, she’s also a freelance transcriptionis and a localization editor and QA. She’s also really into visual novels, iyashikei/healing anime, and anything with magical girls in it.

You can follow her work as a professional Blerd at Backlit Pixels or keep up with her day to day life on Twitter.