Whew, I have to say I am so relieved we had gotten the much needed light-hearted episode from start to finish. As much as I love this series, I have to admit the emotional roller-coaster has been wearing me out to the point I feel like I have to mentally prepare myself for whatever anguish might be thrown at us each week. It would be nice to know they are done with the emotional bombs this season, but I just know there ought to be least one or two more, and the a cliffhanger teaser leading into the next one. (Which I suspect we will probably get, so as long as the franchise and its adaption continues to be successful.)
This week we got to see who were in what units for the big concert, and here are the line-ups!
- R&B Group: Ryu, Sogo and Tamaki
- Pop Group: Tenn, Riku and Iori
- Rock Group: Gaku, Yamato, Mitsuki and Nagi
It was also a huge relief to see that Tenn and Riku were able to act maturely and professionally around each other during their joint practice for their special collaboration. After that messy fight, I honestly wasn’t sure how the two were going to be around each other, much less with Iori of all people in the mix, but it ended up even better than I expected. In fact I am really happy with this unit, and it has been a big wish of mine that has only been partially fulfilled with the Summer Encore Performance in Vibrato to have the two brothers perform a song together. And this is pretty much everything I needed and more. (SOBS, WHEN TENN CORRECTED RIKU, “We are in the same group” I ALMOST CRIED!) THANK YOU RE:VALE FOR CREATING THIS OPPORTUNITY. (Honestly TRIGGER x Idolish7 Collab is THE BEST collab, and nobody can tell me otherwise. I LOVE THESE TWO GROUPS TOGETHER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BEST RIVALS!)
And it was great to see the interactions between the three of them. Tenn, Riku and Iori are the Pop Unit (hurray! I wouldn’t have had it any other way!), and it was so refreshing to see Tenn behaving as a reliable senior without being a little bitch to Riku. Yes he was stern to both of them, but I think it criticism was fair because yes, they are friends but Iori and Riku shouldn’t have greeted him in such a gloomy manner. It was great to see him be the mediator of helping sort out the awkwardness that has formed between Riku and Iori. They have been making slow progress, but this week showed they weren’t completely over it just yet. He had them talk things out, and it was so funny and adorable because I absolutely love how Iori is Riku’s number one fan, and he truly believes in his heart that he has a better voice than Tenn’s. But it’s also because of that Iori felt so much weight in his duty to serve as Riku’s replacement as center, and it really hurt him that he thought Iori could replace him.
It was also great to see how Tenn opened up about his own experience of insecurities about how the learned he shouldn’t compare themselves to others. The only thing he compares is his past and present selves, by continuously striving to improve.
And that was something Gaku and Ryu shared with their respective groups as well.
Ryu explained how his agency fabricated his profile to be this high profile son of a hotel industry, and makes him go along with the “sexy dragon” theme, when in reality, he is just a cute puppy who comes from a fisherman household and came all the way to the city so he could make some money to buy a new boat for his family, and help get his three younger brothers through college. (RYU IS BEST BOI!!!!) Also thank god he helped blow over the lie that had surfaced. Man that could’ve been a mess. Better for it to be perceived as jealousy (as Ryu had put it), but while they dodged the bullet today, it still might come around to bite them again, (and it probably will).
As for Gaku, I would say he was probably the most helpful one of the three, and a big part of that is how straight-forward he is and his determination to just cut through all the bullshit and focus on the issue at hand. He was irked when Mitsuki told him he was envious of his abilities, because for Gaku just wants others to think they are amazing too. And he quite honestly, gave the piece of advice Mitsuki so desperately needed to hear: Block out all the noise, listen to your own voice and be the version of yourself that YOU love.
THANK YOU GAKU!!!! It was also so funny how he expressed his poor luck when it comes to romance. Everyone expects him to have it easy with the ladies, but he has the worst luck. All he just wants to have a cute girlfriend, but unfortunately the one he likes rejected him not just because she doesn’t have a shred of romantic interested in him, but he wouldn’t stand a chance so as long as he is an idol. That’s rough buddy.
Oh speaking of which, not that I am jumping ships (if anything I am a multi-shipper in this series hahahahaha), I am loving the chemistry between Yamato and Tsumugi too. Albeit he is suffering from the exact same problem. The struggle is real.
Meanwhile Nagi and Mitsuki had a lovely moment together! Just as Iori feels about Riku, Nagi is Mitsuki’s biggest and number one fan. Gosh I am so glad Mitsuki finally got the hugs he deserves! Though I don’t ship them romantically, they are my ultimate BROTP of this series. It was great that Nagi reached out to Shimooka, a senior MC in the industry and asked if he could share some wisdom with Mitsuki. And just like Gaku words, he said the exact things Mitsuki needed to hear. It was also absolutely hysterical how Mitsuki landed a voice acting role in Nagi’s all time favourite Magical Girl Magical Cocona series. Nagi is understandably super envious about it, but hey, at least Mitsuki can secure him an autograph!
We were also given some context of how Aya ended up in Kujo’s household, which also gave me a strong impression that it seems I am on the right train of thoughts when it comes to the circumstances which Tenn accepted to be taken under Kujo’s wing.
Kujo doesn’t really strike me as a “charitable” dude who goes around adopting children in exchange of covering their families’ debt on the whim. (And potentially medical fees if it guaranteeing Riku could receiving treatment, something I forgot to mention among potential reasons for why Tenn left). Actually if anything, that is what creeps me out. I called it a trade last week, but if that’s what he is really doing, in a way one could say he is basically purchasing them (ick, that is a real crude way to put it). While Aya was probably taken out of what may have been an unfavorable situation (considering she was already with an adoptive family who was also in debt prior to being taken in by Kujo), if Tenn indicated anything, there has to be a trade off for it. For Tenn’s case, it has already been made clear: Kujo sees him as the star with the talent to overcome Zero’s legendary status. As for Aya, we don’t know what it is yet, but I have mentioned in a wild theory of mine (which may not be so much of a stretch anymore) that she may be next to enter the entertainment field. In fact when Tamaki and Sogo got the job offer to co-start in the drama, the first thing that popped in my mind is that Aya may end up in the acting field, and that could be a way for the two of them to cross paths. Of course alternatively, the other way for them to meet again is through returning the key-chain she had dropped.
Needless to say, this weird whole adoptive family situation really is just a bomb waiting to go off. It also doesn’t help that TRIGGER as a whole will be put in a real pickle if Ryu and Gaku were to actually meet Tenn’s adoptive family. Today Ryu promised Tamaki he would do whatever he can to help him find his sister, and it is going to eat him alive if he is forced to keep quiet about it. It would be nice if the two siblings could properly reunite and sort things out (similarly to how Riku and Tenn needs to respectively get their shit in order too), but I don’t know how long it’s going to be until then. We still don’t know why Aya doesn’t want to meet with Tamaki (unless plot-twist: Kujo intends to use her in attempt to bring Tamaki to his side, well wouldn’t that be something?).
As for Momo’s situation of losing his voice, it’s not the stress of the performance that’s getting to him. Momo is upset because he doesn’t consider himself to be a real member of RE:VALE. He thinks of himself to be replacement filling in for the original singer (hence the expiry date), and after overhearing Yuki desperately looking for his lost partner, he fears his time is running out. So it really hurt to see him try to act like everything is fine, but it was so obvious how hard he was trying to smile. I am glad that Riku took the risk of being nosy by imploring him to open up and talk about his worries with them. These past few episodes have been highlighting the toll it takes on one’s mental health when they don’t share their problems and insecurities with others, or seek support to get them through this. Both Nagi and Riku reminded all of us that it’s okay to ask for help, it’s okay to talk about it. Fortunately Momo agreed, and showed us just how vulnerable he is at the moment, with the fear that he if were to stop smiling, his anxiety will get the better of him and crush him.
It looks like we will finally be getting the full backstory about how that came to be. I am not sure if they would reveal that member’s idenity by the end of the episode, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they do. I think it’s around the right time to do it. Also it’s really hard for me to keep quiet about it, so I hope they spill it sooner than later hahahahahahaha!
Until then, see you next week!
