Episode 88 - Where Legends Are Made

Where Legends Are Made (伝説をつむぐ場所) is the 88th episode of Aikatsu! TV anime series and the 38th episode of its "2nd Season". The episode aired on June 26, 2014.

Story
''Soleil has just put on their greatest performance ever, and Mizuki couldn't be more proud or fired up. Mikuru on the other hand is starting to feel inadequately  discouraged after seeing their show. Will the two be able to overcome the shining sun and become one step closer to becoming legends?''

Summary
With Soleil having just performed earlier, it will be WM's turn next in the afternoon. At Dream Academy, Seira and Kii discuss it while watching a program talking about it. The duo believe both units stand a chance. Meanwhile, Sora and Maria discuss this after finishing their work for the day and think about how beneficial this will be for both sides.

At the Hoshimiya house, Ringo and Raichi discuss Soleil's performance earlier. Raichi is unsure of who will win and is a little concerned for Soleil, since WM is so good and well liked, but Ringo is sure that because Ichigo and her friends did their best, all they can do is wait.

In the waiting room, the trio arrive to find a bunch of fancy foods have been set up for them. Ichigo is surprised when she finds a small card, revealing Mizuki sent it. They also find some flowers from Mikuru while expressing how anxious they are about WM, then they decide to sit down and enjoy the food with some tea.

In WM's waiting room, Mikuru discusses with Mizuki how Soleil did on stage. She's concerned that she can't keep up with them and feels as though she isn't as good as them and may be holding Mizuki back now, however, Mizuki convinces her not to worry since all they can do is their best as well. She chose Soleil specifically because they are so memorable, win or lose.

Soleil is joined by their friends, who want to discuss how much they enjoyed the concert. The trio thank them for their kindness and they take off afterwards. It's then Ichigo gets called by Raichi, who expresses his excitement in watching them perform too. He really likes WM but he wants Soleil to win more than anything. He moves his phone to show Ringo, who also expresses her opinions of the performance as well, then gives the girls some advice before ending the call.

Elsewhere, Orihime calls Ringo to speak to her about something. Ringo is surprised and mentions that she had just been speaking to Ichigo. Both of them had the same intention of calling each other after watching the performance, then they begin to speak about Mizuki and her idea.

At the time, Mikuru observes the magazine Mizuki had been reading lately and she notices she is holding it at the time. Mizuki mentions that she's read it so much that she can remember the entire thing, but she still reads it anyway. Mikuru doesn't understand though, and brings up not really knowing what Masquerade is all about and the type of Idols they were. Mizuki explains to her that even though Masquerade was so mysterious, the intrigue and impression they left on everyone was what made them so memorable. It also pushes her to keep training to reach the eternal fame that comes with being a legendary idol someday. This makes Mikuru realize that this is why Mizuki made her goal earlier.

At the performance area, Tiara and Johnny discuss the event. Tiara herself really doesn't care who wins, because she already found one performance to be so great, and knows the other will be great too. They agree on the aspects of Aikatsu then and mention how Idols are able to connect with their fans.

As Mizuki and Mikuru discuss their coord set for their performance, they are interrupted by Honoka who reminds them that it's almost time to go on. They start to head to the room and are interrupted by the press to ask some questions. However, because they don't have the time, they ask them to watch the concert and they can answer their questions later. Mikuru compliments Mizuki on how she always keeps her composure, then she leaves after Mizuki asks her to go ahead.

Mizuki stops by to visit Orihime and thanks her for allowing the girls to accept her request. Orihime is happy to see Mizuki and comments on how ready she is to watch her perform when Mizuki claims to finally understand what Orihime told her in the past.

Back when Mizuki would spend her breaks at the Academy staring at the Masquerade statues, she was approached by Orihime one day. Mizuki expressed her interest in becoming an idol equal to that of Masquerade and Orihime told her that while she may not have known at the time, no great Idol can stand alone. Back then she never understood the advice, but now she can. This was another reason why she came up with this challenge. She is thankful to both Orihime and Masquerade.

As Mikuru walks through the hallway she suddenly recalls something. She asks Honoka to go on ahead and runs to the room where Ichigo, Aoi, and Ran are, surprising them when she suddenly brings up her anxiety. She isn't sure she can keep up with them and has lost her confidence. But now she feels better, because she just wants to focus on putting on the best show for them and their audience. She takes off, leaving the curious Aoi and Ran to question the sudden outburst as Ichigo easily translates her feelings to them.

Orihime joins Johnny and Tiara shortly afterwards and they resume their discussion.

Backstage, Mikuru joins Mizuki and tells her that she is no longer nervous or worried about her performance. Mizuki is glad to hear that and she mentions that she believes she has everything now to become a legendary idol with Mikuru. After they share a quick cheer, they change into their coords and appear on stage to perform Smiling Suncatcher.

After their performance, the announcer reveals the winner of the battle to be WM. They won by a small margin but their flawless performance stole the event.

While Soleil is disappointed to have lost, they don't really mind- but at the same time, they were sure they had a chance at winning. As they decide to put together an even greater performance the next time, Ran teasingly brings up Ichigo's mistake. It's then Mizuki shows up to thank the girls for giving her the rivalry she desired to push herself, and she and Mikuru join the trio and they begin to talk together as Orihime observes them from afar.

Characters

 * Mizuki Kanzaki
 * Mikuru Natsuki
 * Ichigo Hoshimiya


 * Aoi Kiriya
 * Ran Shibuki
 * Honoka Tsukikage
 * Seira Otoshiro
 * Ringo Hoshimiya
 * Tiara Yumesaki
 * Johnny Bepp
 * Orihime Mitsuishi
 * Raichi Hoshimiya
 * Sora Kazesawa
 * Maria Himesato

Trivia

 * WM win the duel against Soleil

Animation Trivia

 * The Dream Academy Summer Uniform debuts in this episode.
 * The Aquarium Coord and the Yacht Casual Coord make their anime debut in this episode.