Episode 02 - An Idol After All☆

An Idol After All☆ (なんてったってアイドル☆) is the second episode of the Aikatsu Planet! TV series. It aired on January 17th, 2021.

Summary
Mao, who is to continue to act as Hana in secret to everyone, has gotten her first job at a photoshoot for a fashion magazine! Struggling with posing, Mao gets advice from her classmate Ruli Tamaki, a model who is also active as the Aikatsu Planet! idol Ruli. However, the fact that she is Hana is a secret to Ruli as well...

Plot
Mao and Shiori secretly observe as their classmates watch Mao's performance as Hana with Q-pit. Mao takes out her Swing containing Aurora Pegasus, intending to return it after school. Shiori says that she'll come with her, but Mao receives a message from Izumi about her next job, shocking the both of them.

At the agency, Izumi reveals that Meisa has quit being an idol. Not wanting Hana to retire, Izumi wishes for Mao to continue acting as Hana, sensing her great potential and ability to grow. Izumi encourages Mao to become the new Hana with the promise of more great experiences - she'll be able to see a world regular people can't. Having admitted to enjoying performing as Hana, Mao agrees to give it a try.

Izumi says that while they will eventually have a formal announcement about Mao taking Meisa's place, they will have to keep it secret for now. Izumi then tells Mao that her next job is a photoshoot for a fashion magazine, giving her a collection of binders and videos documenting Hana's entire history to look at.

That night, Mao is studying up on Hana when she is caught by her older brother. He mistakes Mao as finally getting into Hana, being a huge fan himself. Kanade informs Mao that Hana is the host of her own talk show, and Mao audibly worries if she'll be able to do well on variety. Kanade questions her, but Mao hurriedly asks him to teach her more about Hana.

The next day, Shiori quizzes Mao on her knowledge about Hana, with Mao managing to get every answer correct. Shiori playfully asks if Mao will be able to pull off the photoshoot and tells her to smile, pretending to take her picture. When Mao reacts awkwardly, Shiori says they'll have to train after school.

Mao struggles with posing when Shiori has her practice with an actual camera. The pair are interrupted by Ruli, whom Mao recognizes as being from the class next to theirs. Ruli introduces herself and tells them that she's an Aikatsu Planet idol. Mao almost exposes herself as another idol, but Shiori covers for her, redirecting the conversation to Ruli's modeling experience.

Mao and Shiori are impressed by Ruli's posing, and Mao asks how she can do the same. Ruli says that it all comes down to experience, but if she has one piece of advice, it's to relax and forget the camera is even there. Ruli then asks if Mao has anything she likes, to which Mao answers ballet. Ruli then instructs Mao to imagine herself doing ballet and posing with that in mind. Doing so, Mao manages to pull off more natural poses. As the girls look over the photographs Shiori took, Mao thanks Ruli for her help, and in turn, Ruli tells them to address her informally.

The day of the photoshoot, Mao and Shiori enter Aikatsu Planet, with Mao changing into Hana. They meet up with Izumi, who teaches them that the proper way to greet during work is "good morning" rather than "hello". Ruli is present as well, and calls out to Hana. Hana is surprised to learn from Izumi that Ruli is under their agency, and moreover, the same girl from school.

Hana asks if Ruli will be part of the photoshoot, but Izumi says that she's simply overseeing as the producer of the brand that Hana will be wearing, MELTYHOUSE. However, Ruli excitedly comes over to tell Hana that she will be joining after all. Izumi apologizes to Hana, saying that she has yet to tell Ruli about the situation.

The photoshoot goes underway, with Hana managing to pose well after her training. Despite this, she runs into trouble when Ruli keeps asking her to redo poses from previous shoots, prompting Shiori to do the poses from behind the scenes so Hana can mimic them. When the photographer directs them to pose as they like for individual shots, Hana does various ballet poses. Ruli says the poses feel familiar, but Hana chalks it up to her imagination.

As the photoshoot wraps up, Izumi receives a call informing her that Ruli's battle stage has been cancelled, as her opponent is in poor physical condition. Not wanting to cancel, Ruli begs Hana to participate instead, to which she agrees. The battle begins, with Hana bringing out Aurora Pegasus while Ruli summons Bright Sapphire and Glossy Ruby. The pair enter the stage and perform a duet of "HAPPY∞Aikatsu!", with the results declaring Ruli the victor.

Hana contemplates on the fact that Ruli's dress changed mid-performance, until she receives a notification about updates to the Aikatsu Ranking. Ruli has moved up from 10th to 9th, while Hana has been bumped down to 2nd with Q-pit taking 1st. Izumi explains that Q-pit must have won another battle stage elsewhere, allowing her to exceed Hana's points. Izumi consoles Hana, saying that it can't be helped as she's just begun her Aikatsu, and that she should continue working hard to improve.

Ruli meets up with the group, wanting to return to the agency together, causing Hana to worry about her identity being revealed. Izumi tells her they need to talk, but Ruli says she'll listen when they get back. After leaving Aikatsu Planet and entering the real world, Ruli is confused at the lack of Meisa. Izumi says that Mao will be taking over as Hana from now on, and Ruli demands a proper explanation.

Characters

 * Mao Otoha/Hana
 * Ruli Tamaki/Ruli
 * Shiori Motoya
 * Izumi Watanuki
 * Keito Kirihata
 * Shō Kurosaki
 * Ryōka Dōba
 * Kanade Otoha
 * Aurora Pegasus
 * Bright Sapphire
 * Glossy Ruby

Trivia

 * Episode Title Reference: "An Idol After All" (なんてったってアイドル) by Kyōko Koizumi
 * The ending theme song "Glittering☆Party♪ Time" is first used in this episode.
 * This marks the debut of main character Ruli and secondary character Kanade Otoha.
 * Bright Sapphire and Glossy Ruby make their debut in this episode.
 * The brand MELTYHOUSE makes its debut in this episode.
 * This marks the first occurrence of an idol using more than one Dressia during a battle stage.
 * This subsequently also marks the first appearance of an idol performing a Dress Change.
 * The ending sequence mistakenly credits Shiori despite not appearing.