Episode 149 - Our Different Colors

Our Different Colors (ふぞろいのカラーたち) is the 149th episode of Aikatsu! TV anime series and the 48th episode of its "3rd Season". The episode aired on September 3, 2015.

Story
''Madoka and Rin want to participate in the festival, and resolved to form a three-person unit. Many declined or wasn't able to and after that only person was left: the hot idol. With the three together can they make this unit work?''

Summary
Rin and Madoka are chatting about the recent performances they saw earlier on during the start of the Festival. Rin is inspired by the fact that PowaPowa Puririn doesn't use their cuteness over their actual talents, and Madoka voices how cute the Dream Academy Girls look. The two of them agree that they both wish to partake in the Festival as well and Madoka asks Rin to join her on stage - causing Rin to admit that she wants to perform with Madoka too. However, they need a third person, and to their surprise, said girl bursts through the room at that very moment to invite them to join her.

Juri voices surprise when the girls reveal they planned to ask her about joining them. They are so excited around her that they feel she is just what they need to. She is glad to know the trio is on the same page as Madoka recalls their fun during the Summer Festival. Juri claims it was also special to her as well and decides to enter them into the idol unit Festival; only for them to realize they don't have a unit name yet.

During lunch the trio go over the few ideas they came up with, but they haven't made up their mind yet. Madoka asks how Juri was able to come up with Passionate Jalapeno, but as she answers, Juri notices that Madoka only got ice cream for lunch. Madoka claims she ate too much during breakfast, so she decided to have something small. Juri reminds her of the importance of eating a full meal and they look at Juri's own food to see that she got something spicy. She comments that since she and Hinaki aided the Mexican Food Stall earlier on that year, she has been craving it for a good while. Madoka observes what Rin got and this makes her realize that their preferences are very different.

Later, the girls go on to train and realize just how different they are from each other. Madoka also points out the vast differences in colors between the unis; like PowaPuri's fluffy color, Soleil's glamorous color, and they are sure that Luminas will have a cheerful color to it. Their colors all clash, but Juri decides that first they need to find a way to unite themselves, which they unanimously decide that getting a unit dress with the same design would probably help, and give them a few hints regarding a unit name. Madoka offers to call her grandmother, but Asuka reveals that she is too busy with a recent collection. Rin also fails, as Sonny is somewhere in New York. Juri decides to contact the top designer of her favored brand, Sangria Rosa - but he reveals that he has an urgent dress order to cover first. So he is leaving and can't accept the request; however he does have someone in mind and reveals a young man that he knows, who is currently trying to start his own brand. He has been getting inspiration from his own work and trusts the boy, so Juri asks for him to introduce them. He agrees and hangs up to let the boy know.

Outside at the Gazebo, the trio meet up with Akari, Sumire, and Hinaki to discuss the news. The girls are delighted to hear this and they exchange a few more words before the trio leave.

On the train, Juri reveals to Madoka and Rin that Encierro left his atelier open to help them get their unit dresses made. The girls are excited to meet his disciple but they stop to observe the city for a moment before someone approaches them. The boy greets them before introducing himself as the designer of their coords. Juri is quickly impressed and takes the rose he offers her before promising to make them them great coords. Oddly, Juri notices how different his hand feels from the Andalusian winds she is used to feeling there. Muleta is excited to be given such a huge responsibility from his role model, and he promises to deliver great coords before asking the girls what they had in mind.

Juri explains that first they need to determine a color for their unit - something that will unite them. He observes the three girls and they decide to perform their song for him first, so that he can get an idea of what to expect. After they finish, he is disappointed and explains that he can see why they struggle so much. The girls are disappointed, then Madoka and Rin claim that Juri is the center of the unit and ask if it will help. Muleta seems to get the idea, and he asks for some more practice and training from them in order to get some ideas and determine just what their color is. He works over some drafts, but feels that something is missing, though he claims it not to be their faults - instead he believes it is his own for not being good enough.

Juri suddenly tells him that just giving the other two her own color isn't the right answer. She is glad the girls offered such an idea though, but replicating her doesn't solve anything. Madoka then goes on to ask Juri they each try each others behaviors - such as acting cutesy like Madoka, then being cool like Rin, but this doesn't seem to help much. Muleta is still uninspired and decides to take some time to himself to try to think things over. The girls decide to keep practicing, since she is sure an idea will come to them sooner or later.

Muleta observes the various outfits but still has no answer. No matter how much he tries, nothing comes to him until he stops to open his window and relax. He suddenly gets an idea as to why he is failing and decides that he lacks the passion of the Andalusian wind. The way to improve is to get hotter and hotter and storms out of his room, just to spot the girls napping together. Juri awakens to see Muleta, which wakes up the other two and they decide to keep training. Juri mentions they didn't eat lunch yet, causing Madoka to recall what Juri told her the day before.

Muleta continues to draw until Juri interrupts. She has him sit down while she picks up and he claims the girls aren't at fault, as he lacks the passion needed to make a good unit coord. Juri claims he has a lot though and to get his mind off of it she invites him to join them for lunch. She decides they will use the kitchen and curiously looks through his book, surprised by the amazing art in it. She asks to keep it and he agrees, then they head to the kitchen to find that the girls prepared a meal composed of all the things they like, with Madoka handling Dessert, Rin made steak, and Juri made something spicy. As he compliments the meal, Muleta suddenly gets an idea and the girls realize that by bringing a little bit of themselves together, they create something wonderful.

However, Muleta is still down on himself over trying to create a color for the girls in a way that allows their unique personalities to blend. Juri claims to understand, by saying one represents hot, one spicy, and one sweet. Diluting their personalities won't allow them to shine, and she claims that Muleta plays his own part too, because he is the one making their unit dresses. He is someone who may not be as hot as Juri or his mentor, but his cool and calm heart is just what they need. She takes out the book from earlier and reveals the picture of the three of them sleeping that he drew earlier on, surprising Madoka and Rin. Juri asks him to create a dress for them and shows him the warm and gentle picture he drew to encourage him.

Back in his room, Muleta resumes designing as the girls train.

Eventually he has created three wonderful coords and has the girls return to see them. Rin compliments the spice with the mint green and deep blue, while Juri sees the passionate red blending with a sexy deep purple, and Madoka compliments how blue and pink manage to appear sexy and cute. Muleta is proud of his work and he turns the dresses into a set of unit coord cards and hands them to Juri. They are joined by Encierro, who applauds the wonderful coords. He compliments his disciple for a job well done as well, for creating a wonderful dress that he would be unable to replicate. Muleta is being delighted over this and his words, and the girls decide to go.

Outside, Rin suddenly thinks of some key components of each girl and comes up with three words: Vanilla, Chili, and Pepper. She explains the inspiration behind it and the girls all agree on it, enjoying the unique name. The girls quickly run for home in order to get themselves entered into the Great Starlight School Festival.

The announcer reveals that Vanilla Chili Pepper will be going out to perform for the very first time. Backstage the girls share a cheer before they change into their unit coord. When they appear on stage, they perform to "Chica Chica".

Afterwards, the girls sit on the stage in the empty concert hall while observing the sun set. They discuss how much fun they had and how they may actually manage to come in first place. They rise together to share a cheer.

Characters
Cameo
 * Juri Kurebayashi
 * Madoka Amahane
 * Rin Kurosawa
 * Encierro Atsuji
 * Muleta Atsurō
 * Akari Ōzora
 * Sumire Hikami
 * Hinaki Shinjō
 * Otome Arisugawa
 * Sakura Kitaōji
 * Shion Kamiya
 * Ichigo Hoshimiya
 * Aoi Kiriya
 * Ran Shibuki

Trivia

 * Vanilla Chili Pepper debuts in this episode.
 * The Starlight School students swap back to their winter uniforms (for the remainder of Season 3) starting this episode.

Animation Trivia

 * When Madoka, Rin, and Juri discuss trio units in the beginning of the episode, Luminas is shown in their Parade coords rather than their actual unit coords.
 * In that same scene the rainbow-colored bracelets in Hinaki's school dress were on both wrists instead of just her left wrist.