Impression:
It looks like I hit the bullseye about showcasing the uglier side of the industry, covering the dodgy areas where thug Producers like Sudo, take advantage of girls who dream to become idols. Everything about their performance at the sauna was incredibly revolting to watch. Seeing the girls uncomfortable made me uncomfortable. They were forced to perform in highly exposing swimsuits, do a “photo-shoot” while wearing the said skimpy bikini, waiting-on the customers, “play games” with the said (drunk) customers and so on. It was upsetting to see that none of them stood up for themselves because they have to follow the order of “it’s part of the job”. I find that truly devastating that people have to put up with this kind of shit because of that bloody excuse. I only grew more frustrated for them as Kouhei the naive idiotic manager he is (who appears to have NO COMMON SENSE) didn’t even read Sudo’s contract. He only did after both Kaya and Yoshino pointed out there’s something fishy about the pig and Mayu asked him if there was a contract. Luckily for them though, President Tange was just down the hall and caught Sudo, and beat him to pulp! Thank god someone did that because I was internally screaming at the screen for someone to punch the guy and kick him out!
It wasn’t until Miyu was pushed into a corner and ran off stage during the Kings Game that woke up the girls a bit. Miyu rightfully so even made the decision that she would stop what she was doing and quit. This wasn’t what she signed up for, and so she returns to her happy place at the maid cafe she works out.
And boy, it that her stage. Miyu has experience in something that most of the other girls don’t, and that’s the love and support from her fans. Her fans at the Maid Cafe served as a important contrast to the audience at the sauna. They loved her for being her, they gave her support, they rooted for her debut at the Wake Up Girls, they encouraged her not to give up when things get tough, and most importantly: they cared. The men at the sauna were just as much of a drunk pig as Sudo was. They didn’t give two shits about who the girls were or about making them uncomfortable. They were taking advantage of “it’s part of the job” criteria, telling the girls to do things they didn’t want to do, spoke dirty to them, sexually harassed them, the list goes on. In short, they didn’t respect the girls, period.
While we’re on the subject, there are a variety types of “fans”. You have the casual fans, the passionate fans, the hardcore fans and then you have, the anti-fans. I felt that when Mayu who was awed by the fan’s love for Miyu and the warmth she felt from it, couldn’t help but feel at loss. Without a doubt she misses that feeling because her fans turned their backs on her. Instead of supporting her, most (though it’s a bit far fetched to say) of them became her worse enemy. While I am sure there is a a handful of fans that do still support Mayu, I am certain they are afraid to come out in the idol boards because they will be ripped apart by the Anti-Fans. No surprise there because as we all know, some Anti-Fans will go as far as acting like malicious monsters who have no qualms of telling anyone to slit their wrists, kill themselves, etc… They also have the tendency to have the loudest voice of the entire fandom, and 95% of the time, they are anonymous. That is the ugly side of fandom, the fans who are a part of that said fandom (usually) try to steer clear from them. After being kicked out of I-1 Club, Mayu was harassed by the Antis so much, that whatever fans that do support her were either overshadowed, terrorized by the antis or kept quiet. That said, I am especially wary of how Mayu’s situation will be as Wake Up Girls slowly but surely grows in popularity, and draws the Anti-Fans attention.
In the mean time, I-1 Club seems to have their own nasty drama going on. Actually frankly speaking, it looks like I-1 Club isn’t a great environment to be in. They are a huge group and there are only going to be a handful of selected members who are to perform at the Sendai Theatre. Anyhow, whoever goes- surely they will clash with Wake Up Girls and Mayu at some point or another.
Last but not least, while I am so grateful to see that President Tange is back, I am still mad at her. The stupid woman gambled all the money she took from them and lost it all! I swear to god, she better make it up to them, big time! At least she managed to get them a regular small segment slot on 4-O’Clock television program. I certainly hope this will be a more positive and brighter experience for the girls than this horrible mishap they had to deal with today.
