Episode 17 - The Dress is the Question

The Dress is the Question (ドレスはくえすちょん) is the seventeenth episode of the Aikatsu Planet! TV series. It aired on May 2nd, 2021.

Summary
What is an idol to a dress? The designer Sala comes to a standstill and holes herself up in her atelier. In order to find the answer, Sala's solution is to stand on stage?! She was once active as the mysterious idol Sala. What is the purpose of dresses that she discovers on her revival battle stage―

Plot
Sala is wrapped up in a sleeping bag, staring blankly at the ceiling while her atelier is in complete disarray. Mao, Ruli, Izumi and Segawa are behind the door, worried as Sala has locked herself in. Ruli explains to Mao that Sala often does this when she suffers from some kind of mental block. This time, Sala is concerned about what dresses think about idols.

As Sala grows increasingly erratic from contemplating the topic, the others make several attempts to lure her out of her room but are unsuccessful. They then decide to refocus their efforts into solving Sala's question so that she'll come out, but are also unable to come up with an answer themselves.

Meanwhile, Ayumi and Ann are hosting a show about finding individuals who were once famous but have since disappeared from the public eye. Their current target is a mysterious idol who vanished from the Aikatsu Planet scene, with their investigation leading them to Starlet Promotion. Ruli identifies the idol as Sala, much to the shock of everyone but Izumi.

Izumi reveals that Sala started out as an idol, but became a designer for the agency after her interests shifted to making dresses. Ayumi and Ann are then informed of Sala's situation when she refuses to open up for an interview. Ann, recalling how Sala helped her with Sweet Whole Cake, suggests that Sala may be able to learn something if she returns to the stage.

Although everyone from Starlet dismisses the thought, Sala surprisingly emerges from her room and eagerly accepts Ann's offer to have a battle stage as part of the show. Afterwards, Izumi teasingly questions Sala's decision, bringing up how Sala declared how she couldn't be an idol anymore after devoting herself to designing.

Mao asks what inspired Sala to be a designer, to which she replies that she became infatuated with dresses as an idol and eventually tried making her own. Despite how hard it was coming up with a design she was satisfied with, the happiness that came from finalizing one outweighed all the negatives. Since then, she decided to give all her time to dresses.

Sala then heads to Aikatsu Planet for a reunion with her Dressia, hoping she may also receive insight on her dilemma. She is immediately greeted by Rose, who expresses curiosity at Sala's question. Rose remarks that it would be fine if Sala wondered about the answer forever, as she's at her best when she's absorbed in thought about dresses.

They separate as Sala makes her way into the forest of Cosme types, where she greets Haute Couture Mirror and Modern Eau de Parfum for the first time in a long while. She reveals that she's going to perform once more and requests their help. When inquired on her motivation, Sala explains that she wants to find out what dresses think about idols.

Sala asks them for their perspective, but Haute Couture Mirror says that there are as many answers to that question as there are idols and Dressia. While they may be able to share their opinion, their thoughts don't belong to Sala. Instead, the Dressia encourage Sala to give her best on stage with them and in doing so discover her own answer.

Q-pit acts as the host for the battle stage while Hana and Ruli are joined by Rose in the audience, with this being the first time all of them are seeing Sala perform. Ann summons Sweet Whole Cake and Pop Melon Crepe to go against Sala and her Dressia. The pair perform a duet of "Petit Price Everyday", with Sala as the victor.

Backstage, everyone praises Sala for her performance. She reveals that she has finally discovered the answer to her question - dresses think of idols as irreplaceable partners that bring them to life. She explains that dresses only truly start to live when idols wear them on stage as opposed to staying in the closet. As a result of her breakthrough, Sala decides to continue being an idol.

Characters

 * Mao Otoha/Hana
 * Ruli Tamaki/Ruli
 * Kyōko Umekōji
 * Shiori Motoya
 * Ayumi Tsukishiro/Q-pit
 * Ann Kurimu/Ann
 * Rose
 * Sala Itoi/Sala
 * Izumi Watanuki
 * Itsuki Segawa
 * Sweet Whole Cake
 * Pop Melon Crepe
 * Haute Couture Mirror
 * Modern Eau de Parfum

Trivia

 * Episode Title Reference: "Love is the Question" (恋はくえすちょん) by Onyanko Club
 * This episode marks the debut of main character Sala.
 * Haute Couture Mirror and Modern Eau de Parfum make their debut in this episode.
 * "Petit Price Everyday" makes its debut as an insert song in this episode.
 * The dress Sala was sketching in Izumi's flashback is the Diamond Dream Coord.
 * Modern Eau de Toilette and Bright Amethyst make cameo appearances in this episode.
 * According to Rurika Uno, the scene with Sala in a sleeping bag was made to represent a caterpillar as Haute Couture Mirror's appearance is that of a butterfly.