Episode 09 - My Revolution

My Revolution (マイレボリューション) is the ninth episode of the Aikatsu Planet! TV series. It aired on March 7th, 2021.

Summary
While watching Mao and the others do Aikatsu, Shiori has come to want to be an idol. Aiming to be an idol that can give someone strength like the fairytale heroes she's admired since she was little, she decides to challenge a new talent discovery audition. But it's a harsh race along the road of Aikatsu!... saying that, is this really Aikatsu―!?

Plot
At the agency, Shiori tells Izumi about her desire to be an idol. Izumi warns her that being an idol isn't easy, and that one needs to have certain qualities in addition to singing and dancing. To this end, Izumi informs her of an upcoming audition looking to debut a new idol. Ruli and Kyōko note that this particular audition is very difficult, but Shiori is determined to take on the challenge.

Mao takes it upon herself to oversee Shiori's training. As the pair practice dancing on the school rooftop, Ruli and Kyōko arrive with refreshments. They inquire Shiori on when she started wanting to be an idol. Shiori replies that she only decided recently, but supposes it was something that had been building up in her since elementary school.

Shiori explains that she's always loved reading, and admired fairy tale heroes and novel protagonists so much that she aspired to be like them. When Ruli questions how that relates to idols, Shiori elaborates that entering Aikatsu Planet was just like being immersed in a book. In that sense, idols on stage are the main characters that deliver important messages to the audience.

Despite all of this, Shiori is still unsure about whether she's suited to being an idol. Kyōko says that it's better if there are different kinds of idols, like how she, Ruli and Mao all have distinctive styles. Mao believes that Shiori will make a great idol, as she's dependable and hardworking. Encouraged by the others, Shiori renews her resolve to pass the audition.

Kyōko offers to give Shiori advice, revealing that Beat actually debuted from the same audition in a past year. She prepares a special training regimen, with Mao running Shiori through the various exercises. The regimen culminates with rock climbing, leading Shiori to wonder when they'll practice her singing and dancing. They find nothing about it on the regimen, while Kyōko has left a note not to skip any part of the training.

The day of the audition, Hana is surprised to see Ann hosting the event. Beat explains that Ann passed the audition the previous year, and it is tradition for the winners to host the audition the following year. Ann exposits that as part of the audition, the participants will have to get a Swing and infuse it with the power of a Dressia before coming back to the stage.

As the audition goes underway, Shiori and the rest of the participants find themselves blocked by a large rock face with a microphone stand in front of it. Nearby is a table with a variety of props and objects. Shiori finds a microphone in the pile and sets it on the stand, opening up the secret entrance to a cave system.

Shiori navigates her way through the caves, and eventually finds a treasure chest full of Swings along with two other participants. Shiori initially has her eyes on a dress resembling those worn by princesses in fairy tales. However, she reminds herself that she needs to wear something easy to move in if she'll be performing on stage and ends up choosing another design.

The others girls continue observing the event, with Ruli and Beat stating that convincing a Dressia to borrow their power is the hardest part. Shiori finds herself in the forest of Story types and encounters Wonderland Tale after opening an Alice in Wonderland book. The Dressia hops off, claiming to be late for a tea party. Shiori tails behind, and is led to a large cliff.

While the other participants are having trouble getting a Dressia, Shiori uses her training to scale the cliff. Beat admits to Hana that she didn't expect rock climbing to actually be part of the audition, but included it in the regimen so Shiori could metaphorically overcome the walls in her way. Hana notes that through all of this, Shiori still looks like she's having fun.

Shiori successfully makes it to the top of the cliff and discovers the various Dressia having a tea party, with Wonderland Tale shocked that she actually followed. Shiori opens up about how Alice gave her courage when she was younger, and thus wants to become a person that can do the same by wearing Wonderland Tale. The Dressia is intrigued by this, and agrees to lend its power to Shiori.

Shiori returns to the stage as the only participant with a Dressia, and is named the winner of the audition by Ann. As a result, Izumi accepts Shiori into the agency and prepares her for debut. Now that she is officially an idol, Shiori changes her avatar's appearance in the wake of her first performance against Ruli.

Izumi gives Shiori a new dress, Ivy Sleeping, as a present for her hard work at the audition. Ruli teases Izumi for being harsh with Shiori even though she believed Shiori would pass, with the sheepish manager ushering the girls on stage. The pair perform a duet of "Magical Door", with Shiori pulling off a victory for her first battle stage.

The following day, Mao asks if Shiori is going to go public with her identity at school. Shiori decides not to as she's not used to standing out. However, as they enter their classroom, the other students form a crowd around Shiori and probe her about becoming an idol. Shiori asks how everyone found out, only to see that Ruli has written a congratulatory message on the chalkboard. With the cat already out of the bag, Shiori agrees to tell the whole story.

Characters

 * Mao Otoha/Hana
 * Ruli Tamaki/Ruli
 * Kyōko Umekōji/Beat
 * Shiori Motoya/Shiori
 * Ann
 * Izumi Watanuki
 * Keito Kirihata
 * Shō Kurosaki
 * Ryōka Dōba
 * Wonderland Tale
 * Ivy Sleeping

Trivia

 * Episode Title Reference: "My Revolution" by Misato Watanabe
 * This episode marks the debut of main character Shiori.
 * Ivy Sleeping and Wonderland Tale make their debut in this episode.
 * Desert Arabian Night makes a cameo appearance in this episode.
 * "Magical Door" makes its debut as an insert song in this episode.
 * This episode marks the first instance of an idol creating their avatar.
 * This episode reveals that Ann has been active as an idol for about a year, with Beat having been active for at least two years, as they both debuted from the same annual audition as Shiori.