Carole & Tuesday Episode 9 Review: Dancing Queen

The second half of the Mars’ Brightest competition is underway in Episode 9, ‘Dancing Queen’. Last week we said goodbye to the Fire Brothers and OG Bulldog, but the rest of the contestants are more than ready to prove they have what it takes to win! The girls have some stiff competition ahead of them…

Plot

Carole and Tuesday managed to make it into the semifinals, while the third and fourth rounds of Mars’ Brightest take place without a hitch. Cybelle is still waiting her turn and takes the opportunity to bombard Tuesday with questions about her hairstyle and even suggests that they team up. Carole has reached her limit with Cybelle and is irritated that Tuesday doesn’t just tell her to buzz off. Meanwhile, it’s announced that Cybelle’s opponent in the fourth round is none other than Angela.

Episode Highlights

Tuesday’s Mom: With all the musical hijinks, it’s easy to forget that Tuesday’s mom is running for president. This week we see her giving a speech to the citizens of Alba City, announcing her candidacy for president.

Cybelle the third wheel: Cybelle is back at it again, this time she is actively trying to break the girls up. She showers Tuesday with praise and false flattery in an effort to separate her from Carole, much to her frustration.

Dahlia v. Gus: The two managers serve as a bit of comic relief, butting heads on the sidelines much to poor Roddy’s chagrin. It’s nice to see these two characters interacting with each other despite both characters operating in more of a supportive role.

The Mermaid Sisters: Of all the performances in this week’s episode, none was more entertaining that the Mermaid Sisters’ ‘Galactic Mermaid’. That song is truly a work of art, the ultimate troll song! Had me in stitches the entire time… sheer perfection!!

Themes and Trivia

Dancing Queen: Episode 9 borrows its title from a Europop song by the Swedish group ABBA. ‘Dancing Queen’ was released as a single in 1976, topping charts across the globe, and to this day is one of ABBA’s most recognizable songs. It is a Europop tribute to American disco music and has been covered several times over the years.

On Air Discography

Carole & Tuesday is a music anime, so it makes sense that they’d have a number of great tracks featured in each episode. So, rather than bogging down the other sections with all the new songs, here’s a section dedicated to just the tunes of Carole & Tuesday!

Move Mountains: Performed by Angela (Alisa) in this week’s episode. We’ve heard a partial version of this song before, but this time around we hear the whole thing and it is a really good pop/R&B tune.

La Ballade: Performed by Cybelle (Maika Loubté) in this week’s episode, and is one of the few non-English tracks in the soundtrack. Sung entirely in French.

Galactic Mermaid: Performed by Mermaid Sisters (Yuuri Kuriyama), this is the ultimate troll song, a wonderful bop song full of swears and love. Oddly enough, really, REALLY catchy.

Milky Way: Performed by GGK (Madison McFerrin), this is a really nice dance, electronic funk song that honestly one of my favorites to listen to…

Comments

Carole & Tuesday just keeps rolling out these hits each week and I am here for it! More songs and performances and they just keep getting better! They are really outdoing themselves, even the troll song from the Mermaid Sisters had a nice composition (even if the lyrics were… ummm interesting?). This is how a music anime should be handled; each new composer and musician is a pro at what they do and they bring their own unique sound to the series. Some of these folks I’d never heard of, but you can bet I now own at least a few of their songs!

GGK was my favorite of the bunch. Her vocalist Madison McFerrin is absolutely amazing and the visuals that go along with her performance are just mesmerizing!! I’m not gonna lie, all the flashy performances are starting to make Carole & Tuesday’s performances look a little plain in comparison. You can really see just how big the gap is between them and everyone else, sure they have the musical chops, but even that needs a little pizzazz…

Cybelle is on my shit list… trying to come between my girls like that, and it doesn’t help that I’m getting some serious stalker vibes from her… you never touch someone’s hair like that and then homegirl BIT Tuesday… ummm no… just no!

That unpleasantness aside, Angela is actually surprising me. Not only can she sing, but she has this stage presence that comes from years of being in the spotlight! The girls are going to have to work really hard if they’re going to have any chance of beating Angela…

The Competition is Heating Up!!

Episode 9, ‘Dancing Queen’, is bringing things to the next level, with even more great performances and characters. Cybelle is causing a rift in the girls’ relationship which could spell disaster for their position in the competition. With things heating up, Mars’ Brightest could either make or break it for Carole and Tuesday!

I’ll be back next week with another Carole & Tuesday review, but in the meantime, be sure to check out MANGA.TOKYO’s other amazing Spring 2019 reviews!!

NEXT TIME: River Deep, Mountain High