Yujiro: "Both of us decided to participate in the relays."
Aizo: "I'm pumped up for it."
The boys lied as naturally as they breathed.

Gotta stay positive for the fans lol

Nice that we finally got to see Juri's boyfriend, I like how they look like a couple that wouldn't normally get together. Lots of couple moments this episode but I guess only those that know the original source would be able to appreciate these interactions, they were sweet to watch even though they're brief.

Lol those upperclassman who were getting jealous over Aizou and Yuujirou, do they not have anything better to do?

I don't know the original source material, but I am a hopeless romantic, so I appreciated them plenty. :P

I'm curious is there a manga or do we need to scour all their music videos for the lore?

The main source of all these characters, interactions, etc. are from the music videos. The novels which are inspired by the music videos and expand upon them (and you'll know which one is which by the titles they follow). Those novels are sometimes mixed with two or more music videos too. There are some that actually are lucky enough to have mangas or even vomics (manga shots that are voiced). It's quite a hefty bunch so if you want to delve into it, good luck :) or you can just be super picky on which couple/character you want to follow.
Example: Hiyori: small cameo and introduction in Koi-Iro ni Sake-> makes an appearance at Nonfantasy and teases her relation to LipxLip -> makes an official introduction in Heroine Development Plan (Heroine Ikussei Keikaku) -> has one more focus in Heroine Tarumono!
Whatever character/couple you're interested in, I suggest you look at the wiki to see their song order so you can go through their development with them :)

Boy the lore is deep and what you’re seeing is but the tip of an gigantic iceberg.
Well if you’re curious you could search [HoneyWorks] in YouTube

I'm already subbed to their channel. Unfortunately there's a lot of music videos to get through and my understanding of Japanese isn't that great so I don't always get everything.

well if you want I can explain some things to you (or the entire history if I judged that I am bored enough)

To add on, there are also three other animated works of the Honeyworks universe: Zutto Mae Kara Suki Deshita and Suki ni Naru Sono Shunkan o, which are both movies, and Itsu Datte Bokura no Koi wa 10 Senchi Datta, which is a mini series. They're mostly focused on the previous generation, but set the stage for Hina and Kotarou's relationship. Kodai, Shibaken and Arisa are introduced as characters, but their relationship timelines are only seen through MVs (and this episode) so far.

They look down on these 2 forgetting that the 2 are more physically fit and active due to their dance trainings.

Hiyori must participate all of the event.
I lost my memories haha

Hiyori must participate all of the event.

"Eh, amateur!"
- Komichi Akebi

Akebi will definitely praise Hiyori though.

Kotaro x Hina and Ken x Arisa are soo cute together xD

OML THIS EPISODE IS SO FUN TO WATCH!! The Aizo and Ken race made me scream a lot lol HAHAHA but glad that LIP×LIP had fun at the sports festival! Hanae Natsuki (Kotaro) and Eguchi Takuya (Ken) singing Romeo is a blessing to hear >< Plus Kodai and Juri <33 Curious about the next episode since the title sounds serious! maybe it's on the news just like in mona's Fansa MV?

I just loved this episode! It was probably one of the most enjoyable sports festival episodes I saw (well it's true that I have an 8-bit memory). I was so glad to see the boys find some reason to take the relay seriously (well it was to be expected). Aizo's brother is such a good character - I would like some more screen time with him, he was fun to watch.
I didn't expect the Newspaper club guy to be Juri's boyfriend.
And once again - Hiyori is such a precious cinnamon roll. She is the bestest.

I didn't expect the Newspaper club guy to be Juri's boyfriend.

Guess you haven't been paying attention then.

It’s not really that much obvious and I also only knew about it after listening to the newest song that was released

Next week the best arc will start!!! Time to prepare for the betrayal by someone you might not expect (doubt they'll cover the whole thing in one episode tho)

Figured it cause if there's no drama on a Idol Anime then it's not a Idol Anime lol

I figured drama was gonna happen

if we already watch hiyori's character song then it's obvious-

could it be..? 👀

someone you might not expect

My bet is on Hirano then.

Hiyori once again having a ton of extra work, but then she had to go and have so much fun. It's nice to see Yujiro and Aizo go from not being interested in the relay race to getting fired up about it. They're really starting to enjoy their school life outside their idol activities.
The new ED was super sweet.

FYI. Honeyworks has released KoutaKoudai's (the camera guy) character song today. And of course it focuses on him and Juri.

I came here expected that there would be a scene where he snaps Juri's picture and I am not dissappointed.

Kota is Kotarou the soccer player and Hina's childhood friend, the brunette
Newspaper and Camera guy's name is Koudai :)

Thanks. I mixed up thier name.

Arisa is so cute

Newspaper club guy hit the jackpot! ♥

I always assumed juri's boyfriend to be an ugly bastard

Haha, she does give off that vibe, yeah. XD

That cover of Romeo for the ED song this week caught me off guard 🔥
Honeyworks always releasing fire songs 👏

Why I'm not surprised, RUN!

Sensei giving the female relay classmate the lollipop was everything 😂

Imagine being so active... TT____TT that's why I'm fffääättt

We got a lot of couples now

Each one had a different reason to get pumped up. Won by a very small margin

Glad to see the 2nd years doing well (Wished we had more screen time with them in another series since the movie they were in only did so much)

What movie is it? I forgot it

Suki ni Naru Sono Shunkan wo.: Kokuhaku Jikkou Iinkai

Thanks for this info. I had no idea there were already some animated shows related to this franchise.

Rip hiyori imagination being targeted by the boys fan her life is doomed!

She’s not really popular

i love how sweet and innocent suzumi is, and the ed perfect o(*////▽////*)q

waittttt i like their cover of romeo. it fits them

Time for a Thursday night dosage of idols and heroines!

She loves the sports festival so damn much!

Aside from impressive art, the show is truly unique.
The art of phenomenology is the science of nature.