Episode 38 - Strawberry Parfait♪

Strawberry Parfait♪ (ストロベリーパフェ♪) is the 38th episode of Aikatsu! TV anime series and the 38th episode of its "1st Season". The episode aired on July 4, 2013.

Synopsis
''With their official unit, the trio try to determine who would be best suited for the lead of Soleil. Meanwhile, Otome decides to form her own unit with Shion and Sakura, and Mizuki takes an interest in Yurika. ''

Summary
Ichigo, Aoi, and Ran discuss the recent popularity Soleil has gained in such a short amount of time when Ran is reminded of the cards she still had from Tristar. She observes them until Aoi and Ichigo start to laugh, distracting her.

Meanwhile, Mizuki and Orihime are discussing the sudden change in plans and Orihime brings up how unlike Mizuki it is to question her own judgement. But Mizuki simply smiles and claims she will find the one meant to have it soon enough.

That night, the girls hang out in the dorms trying to determine who should be the leader of Soleil. It is necessary to pick one now, and Aoi brings up how they should choose someone passionate. Ran also mentions how important it is to have a supportive leader who can encourage everyone- and in this instance it dons on Ichigo that they were referring to her. She is surprised, but as they explain their reasoning she hesitantly agrees with them- only to go on and act goofy, causing Ran to wonder if they chose properly.

The following day the girls go out for a run until Ichigo calls break. In this time, Ran starts wondering aloud why they always jog so frequently. Aoi explains how it is important to keep up their stamina, when suddenly, Otome, Sakura, and Shion join them, having come by to announce their plans to form their own Idol group. Ichigo is very happy for them, but Ran expresses confusion since she hasn't heard of anything official regarding a third unit. Otome responds by bringing up their plans on managing themselves, before going on to bring up their unit name and how she will be the leader; despite the opinions of Sakura and Shion.

At the dorms, Shion and Sakura chat about the unit again as Otome reveals how she already came up with a brand new song for the. She reads the lyrics, and while they are initially surprised by them, Sakura voices how it is a special piece that couldn't have been written by anyone else. She proceeds to sugar-coat it by adding that it goes beyond human understanding, causing Shion to admit that she doesn't fully understand it herself. Otome becomes frustrated and claims that it isn't finished yet, so she goes on to read more until Shion brings up feeling tired from listening. Sakura points out that even if it is weird, it's still Otome's song, and she is sure they will have a lot of fun anyway; although Shion suggests they tone it down a little.

Outside, the girls hold Ichigo's legs while she trains- unaware that they are being watched by Mizuki, who decides to take off afterwards to observe the students all over campus. She tries to decide who to add to Tristar and happens to hear someone and goes for a closer look, noticing the flustered Yurika. She watches as Yurika complains over the sun exposure, having brought her parasol with her for protection. But because of the three-second rule, she should be fine. With that she continues to run, unaware of the amazed Mizuki, who admired her ability to remain in character.

In the training room, Soleil has just finished practicing. The dance teacher comments that each song should include a segment that fans would be able to do easily, to let them feel more included, and she fears their dance may be a little too difficult. She suggests they try to find a way to tone it down a little before bringing up their coords, causing the trio confusion until she explains that it would be best for them to figure it out themselves. She then scolds Ichigo for not being a proper leader and not thinking over what direction she plans to take the unit towards.

Ichigo thinks over what the dance instructor meant and decides to dress everyone up in giant mascot costumes. She is sure this is what she meant, since she thinks if they can dance in these suits then they can overcome anything thrown at them. While Aoi understands, Ran is annoyed by the fact her costume isn't as cute as theirs. Ichigo tells them to focus and they set out for training.

After a while the girls come to a stop for a snack break. In this time, the girls ask Ichigo what type of unit Soleil should be. Instead of answering, she asks for more clarification on what a leader does, and Aoi explains that some leaders take charge and focus on displaying everyone's abilities as a group, while others back off and let each member express their unique qualities. Some even take position of the manager and handle the scheduling, who makes what appearances, and basically bring out the members strengths.

Ran goes on to claim that none of these seem to fit Ichigo very well and they ask her once again what she wants. But as she is unable to decide, she is suddenly inspired by the parfait she is eating. She describes an Idol unit and compares it to her sweet snack, although Aoi and Ran are confused at first. They soon realize that each of them must bring their own strengths and uniqueness to make themselves a special parfait, instead of a plain one.

In Orihime's office, Johnny expresses doubt over Ichigo being a capable leader, but Orihime compares her to a linchpin. She has the ability to bring others to her and holds everything together, although she cannot do very much on her own and needs others to help her. As he begins to understand, they are caught off guard when Mizuki arrives to announce that she has made her decision regarding her third member for Tristar.

Later as Ran walks through the hallway, she runs into Mizuki. Mizuki comments on how much better she seems now, but as idol units they are still rivals. She also brings up who will take Ran's place and Ran requests that she passing the coord set to the new member. Seeing no harm in this Mizuki agrees.

Around school everyone gossips about the third Idol, and soon a press conference is held, where Mizuki and Kaede reveal it is Yurika. She enters the room and everyone goes wild, with the other three watching the program and expressing surprise by the events- although they feel that they should have expected this. Yurika is then given many questions, mainly involving how she feels, if she's told her family yet, and if she is stressed out or anxious yet, but she claims to never feel pressure. Ran watches with amazement, bringing up how she isn't even bothering to hide her personality. This makes the trio excited, until it's announced that a special live event will be held between the two units, as they weren't told of this yet. But they quickly agree.

That night, Yurika is sitting by herself and Ran locates her. They sit together and chat about her being invited to join Tristar. Ran hands over her cards to her while encouraging Yurika to do her best and to show her a good performance. Yurika accepts the cards and promises that she will.

The following day, Soleil shares a cheer with each other before they begin their performance Diamond Happy.

Afterwards, Tristar then takes their turn and perform Take Me Higher.

Once they finish, everyone is abuzz over how wonderfully Tristar performed. As this is going on, Orihime and Johnny express joy for the units, and Orihime brings up how far they will go during their Idol careers.

Character Appearances

 * Ichigo Hoshimiya
 * Aoi Kiriya
 * Ran Shibuki
 * Mizuki Kanzaki
 * Kaede Ichinose
 * Yurika Tōdō
 * Otome Arisugawa
 * Sakura Kitaōji
 * Shion Kamiya
 * Orihime Mitsuishi
 * Johnny Bepp

Trivia

 * Ichigo has been chosen to be Soleil's leader, while Yurika has been chosen to replace Ran.
 * Powapowa-Puririn, an independent idol group that consists of Otome, Sakura, and Shion is announced in this episode.
 * This episode includes one of the few times the outfit change scene isn't shown before a performance. This is when Soleil performs, but not when Tristar does.