I was worried how they were going to handle this episode but I’m pretty satisfied with how they handled it. Plus, we got a gorgeous new song and I actually teared up a bit at the end. Arisa best Popipa girl. <3
The thing with Popipa is that they’re all nice girls, with Arisa being the more assertive one but even then she conceded in meeting with Chu2 to discuss wanting Tae. I wish Popipa were more assertive and gave Chu2 a blunt NO, and Tae was about to do it until the girls gave her doubt. People were thinking Tae was actually going to leave and it would have been a good plot twist but man I would have hated if that happened. It’s kind of annoying that Tae had to reaffirm her love for Popipa after all they’ve been through since I feel like she basically showed them her love when she sobbed after screwing up their anniversary performance and after quitting RAS for good. I feel like there shouldn’t have been hesitation on her part, though I do understand it a bit when her friends suddenly start telling her to consider it. That, and Chu2 is pretty forceful and these girls are easily swayed.
While it was a little frustrating, I’m glad Tae didn’t leave and they all finally shared their feelings with each other though it was a little late. Though while I complain that Tae can be a little soft, she wa the one that really stepped up and showed Popipa her true feelings with a song she wrote, called “Returns”. Unfortunately the official subs didn’t have the lyrics but someone translated the song already, and the lyrics are really sweet. Without having the lyrics on screen and no knowledge of Japanese really made you wonder whether it was a farewell song or a song about Popipa. And it was the latter. Tae’s not that great in expressing herself but music is a great outlet for her and she was able to spill her heart out, and reading the lyrics made it all more emotional. But what really made me smile was Arisa getting up and being the first to respond. Arisa has really come a long way, starting off as this super angry tsundere that would keep most things to herself and lashing out, to being a less angry tsundere that’s learned to control her emotions more like when saying she wanted to slap Chu2’s face but thought about things more. She’s now being a lot more honest and seeing her get emotional made me emotional. Arisa’s really gone up my rankings quite a bit since I’ve gotten into Bandori and the end of the episode just made me confirm…yeah, Arisa is awesome.
And in the end, they all were able to be real with each other and be honest. I’m glad they were finally able to do that before any decision was made. Saya finally got to say what was in her heart, though I do have to admit that it wasn’t very satisfactory. For the past few episodes she’s made a bunch of worried looks, and while her telling Tae not to leave was really touching, it was kind of like “…really?” That’s all they did with her?
And I can kind of say this about Popipa in general? This whole experience was a good lesson for all of them to learn from, but I’m not sure if they all did. Maybe for Saya…she finally got to say what was on her mind, though it took forever to say that but maybe this was a good stepping stone for her. I’m not sure if Kasumi learned anything. I would have thought they would have touched on her crappy mistake from the cultural festival, and I was hoping it would be Yukina to bring it up but that never happened. Kasumi made mistakes but they were never addressed, so that’s a little disappointing. And Rimi…to be honest, and I’m sorry if I hurt the feelings of Rimi fans, but sometimes I even forget that Rimi exists. She’s just there most of the time, not really bringing anything to the table. She’s the nice girl that sometimes talks and offers support (like with Saya) but she didn’t get any development, and I’ve always felt this way about Rimi. Whenever Rimi is brought up, it’s always with her sister or with chocolate cornets and it’s boring. I feel bad I forget about her sometimes….but I do. Sorry. 🙁
I’ve been complaining a lot in this review, but I did like the episode and I loved Tae taking the initiative this time. While this arc had some faults, it did really well in giving lots of development to Tae, which I did think she really needed as well. This was also a good chance to give us a proper introduction to RAISE A SUILEN and to Layer as well. The other RAS girls need more spotlight but some have made an impression on me, good and bad. Pareo is an interesting one with what she told Popipa at their meeting. I’m not a fan of her being at Chu2’s beck and call but there seems to be a darker side of Pareo that we don’t know about that I’m really curious about. I wonder if they’ll give RAS the spotlight in the game or in the third season of the anime?
With this arc coming to a close, it looks like we’ll finally get to Poppin’Party’s self-sponsored show next time, which will probably take up the whole episode. Hmm, I wonder what the final episode will be if that’s the case?
The song that shakes my heart Returns (never again)
We won’t part again, I won’t let you go again
Even if we’re lost, no matter how many times (this dream)
This song, this place, I want to return to it
Thank you…
The song that shakes my heart Returns
