Episode 11
Sorry about not being able to get this out last week, I just didn’t have the time do to do it, so I actually didn’t get the chance to watch this until today!
This episode put the spotlight back on Idolish7 as they geared up to release their second album and debuted RESTART POiNTER. (Out of all their songs, I would say this one is among of my favourites). As soon as the subject came up, Riku immediately asked if he could be center again, and luckily everyone agreed now was the time to do so.
And I am happy for Riku to being able to return to center, and I am glad that he and Iori were able to speak to their fans about it as opposed how they did it last time. They were able to respectfully explain while remaining ambiguous about the circumstances that incited the abrupt switch in the first place, and now Riku will be going back to his original position. Honestly this was long overdue, but it was also something that couldn’t be done until Riku and Iori had sorted out the awkward feelings between them. Make no mistake, there is still some awkwardness there, but they are slowly but surely making recovery.
Tsumugi had suggested to them to speak to their fans about the circumstances leading up to the change before they break the news. And she was absolutely right about trusting their feelings from their heart would reach their fans, because once you hear Iori talk about his love for Riku’s voice and how he is his biggest fan, it is hard to dispute. Of course there will still be those who disagree, but at least Iori had the chance to rest his case. The same goes for Riku, who allowed himself to be vulnerable to their fans after feeling like he had to be absolutely perfect like his brother. (Frankly that’s something Riku needs to get over, because Tenn is by no means perfect.)
But just as things were starting to look a little bit brighter, a new problem arises when IDOLISH7 becomes the latest target to the graffiti vandalism. This time, with the scornful words of: Haruki the Betrayer.
I suppose I should have saw it coming, but somehow I didn’t. I suppose with all the focus on RE:VALE I didn’t really think Idolish7 would be dragged into this mess, and yet here they are. Now we are seeing them getting shit for using Haruki’s compositions (which is really stupid in my opinion, but that’s probably because we already it was given to them personally through Nagi).
In turn, this episode did actually address the mystery behind Zero’s sudden disappearance a bit more, delving into the popular rumors, and then being politely told to keep their nose out of it by the manager of Zero Arena when they asked him about it. He did mention on the same night of Zero’s final concert, someone had been transferred to the hospital, alluding to the possibility he may have attempted to commit suicide due to people asking too much of him, and so the pressure got to him. But even so, it is best not to speculate such a thing when we don’t know anything.
However the fact he was described as someone kind, which lives up to Mitsuki’s memories of him dancing in front of their family shop makes it difficult to imagine he would be the one behind the vandalism. That’s why Mitsuki refuses to believe is the culprit behind the mess, and I have to say I feel the same. We also already have some suspects on the list (namely Kujo) to might have a hand in this, because whoever is behind this mess is obviously powerful and has a lot of connections to make this whole thing blow up so quickly. It is clearly a calculated move to go after Idolish7 after they have released a song by a composer who had previously made the songs for Zero.
And boy, Nagi isn’t about to let this slide. In the post-credits (after the preview, god knows why they did it this way again), just when Tsumugi is trying to persuade her father to hold a proper press conference to address the matters of holding Sakura Haruki’s pieces, Nagi comes in dressed in a fine suit and sheet announcing he will serve as the publicity manager! (I have to say, I wasn’t really expecting them to tease us even more Nagi’s mysterious background, or even give us more details about it anytime soon!)
Damn it Nagi, you are a freaking enigma. You are so suspicious when it comes down to talks or anything related to royalty. I have toyed with the idea that Nagi is either a Prince, or possibly a royal retainer/bodyguard. After this episode, I am kind of leading more towards the latter. We already know he is capable of fighting, disarming people, and now he just revealed he has expirence doing press events with the citizens in his home country once a month. That feels more like something a retainer would be doing. In turn, this does make me wonder whether there is any truth in the rumors of Zero actually being a Prince. Nagi did flinch and make an expression when Yamato and Mitsuki touched on that subject, so that’s something I’m keeping in the back of my mind.
With yet another problem on the burner, we still have the other one between Sogo and Tamaki, gradually approaching the boiling point. But first I really have to give a lot of credit to Tamaki right now. Like damn, this boy grew up and is appealing to me more and more as each week goes by. I am actually super glad that he was able to piece together Yamato’s comment about Sogo praising him was in fact a lie, but the amazing part is that he isn’t holding it against Yamato, nor against Sogo for not trusting him because he acknowledged how bratty he has been and how much trouble he caused for him. I love that Yamato was able to reassure Tamaki that he is a good guy and that his kindness is what they all love about him. It does help that he told him to just be patient, but man it made me sad when Tamaki wondered if it was okay for him to trust him and wait. That really hit hard when you think about how many times Tamaki had been let down and told the same in the past.
That’s why this whole situation absolutely breaks my heart. We know Sogo wants to do the right thing, but now he is being plagued by the uncertainties and potential consequences of Tamaki suddenly deciding to leave Idolish7 behind since the whole purpose for it all was to find his sister. And the worst part about it? Sogo is only digging himself into a deeper hole. This is a time bomb just waiting to go off, and one way or another, Tamaki is going to be incredibly hurt that it was kept from him. It’s one thing for Sogo to keep to himself about his problems, be it with himself or related to his family, but to keep something as big as a lost family member a secret. It’s something that is hard to swallow. Needless to say, Sogo really does need to make up his mind on what he wants to do, because it’s clearly taking a toll on his mental health.
(Also poor guy, tried to get advice from Riku, but he made it even harder for him, oh dear!)
Speaking of which, I thought it was kind of ironic to hear Riku wonder about what’s going to happen to them in one of five years down the line, and then Mitsuki commenting how it would be nice if they could stay the same. Because you know, they are already changing to an extent. Change in this field doesn’t always have to be associated with a negative association, albeit is it the first thing that comes to mind when it comes to circumstances of groups like this. The fears of breaking up or falling short of their careers, someone getting hurt or dying, such things are the most common things that come to mind, but there also can be good things such as individual growth and developing a deeper trust in each other, something we are currently seeing them struggle with right now.
Episode 12
Wait what, holy shit— was anyone else completely caught off guard when the episode ended? It felt like ended out of nowhere, no ED just straight into the preview where we’re seeing Tamaki screaming at Sogo (well, we all know what that’s gonna be about. Looks like the bomb gonna blow next week). The episode flew by so freaking fast, but boy! It was super satisfying to watch. I would even argue it was probably the most satisfying we have seen in weeks because there is nothing more uplifting and encouraging to see than Nagi and TRIGGER absolutely killing the reporters, effectively shutting up their slander.
Let’s start off with Nagi because honestly I was a bit disappointed that they actually didn’t bother letting us hear him address the reporters until question period. But I suppose it was because we already heard the explanation last season when Nagi had revealed he was the one who had been entrusted the care of Haruki’s songs. I just would have liked to see more of that serious, professional PR Management side of him that was just revealed to us. That being said, it was very fun to see the reporters all shook by Nagi serving as the group’s PR Manager. It made it even more amusing to watch because his eyes looked ready to kill, and he sure just with his charming smile and witty remarks. He also sent a word of warning to the one who is orchestrating this whole scandal, reaffirming that he does not believe Zero himself is responsible for these incidents because that’s not who he is.
But that didn’t stop the perpetrator from making a move at their press event. He even threw a canister at Tsumugi, which Nagi shielded her from like a badass! (Also Nagi, your background is showing). Since the boys were present, they also set out after him (out of all people, Riku being the first to move and I’m like, “DON’T RUN RIKU!) and then we had Mitsuki talking about how he wanted to freaking beat him to pulp and Yamato is like, “MITSUKI NO!” Thank god nothing happened apart from the publicity stunt that was pulled, but I mean I get it, he’s furious at how this dude is messing with Zero’s image. Also, god people are gullible. Like really? They claim it has to be Zero because he’s dressed up in the suit? The guy didn’t even sing or dance when he could have. Instead he just blared music on the stereos. I rolled my eyes so hard when they started cheering for him.
I would also like to add another point that seems to be pointing things adding up more reasons why Kujo remains the prime suspect in all of this. This whole scandal about Zero was getting so out of hand, that the hype was being built around the idea that Zero himself was going to appear at Zero Arena. As result his image is overshadowing Re:Vale’s anniversary. It also raise concern that the ones buying the tickets are the gullible people who think Zero will be making a reappearance rather than Re:Vale’s, TRIGGER’s or Idolish7’s fans. It would be pretty nasty if it turns out the majority of the audience ended up coming out for an uninvited guest. (However I am still trying to figure out how Kujo plans to use this event to catapult Tenn (alone) to legendary status…)
Also I would like to kindly say, “F@#! you” to the dude because JUST LET IDOLISH7 DEBUT THEIR NEW SONGS WITHOUT ANY BLOODY SCANDALS. FIRST Let’s☆SUMMER! WAS STOLEN FROM THEM, NOW THEY HAVE TO GO THROUGH THIS SHIT? GET OUTTA HERE.
Looking at the dude in the outfit, am I the only one who thinks it might actually be Kujo? His cheekbones seems to line up, so that’s my guess. Color me surprise if it’s someone else we have yet to meet. At least it’s not Aya, so that’s reassuring. But we still don’t know if she has a hand in potentially drugging Momo though. So I hope I am wrong about that theory. Nevertheless, somebody’s been able to sneak around to delivery these threats, such as the one that appeared in their basket in the dressing room.
Sheesh, thank god Okarin acted fast enough to read it first before Momo did, (better for him to check the contents regardless, because the poor guy has yet to recover)! However he was unable to hide it from either one of them due to the shock of having received such a brazen threat of a tragedy will befall them at the concert if they insist singing Zero’s song. AND THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I WAS WORRIED ABOUT HAPPENING! Ugh, unless someone is able to intervene to prevent this shit from happening, something is bound to happen and we can only hope that nobody gets hurt in the process. (SOBS)
Although Nagi had a strong press conference, that alone wasn’t enough to quiet down the scandal. The ones who did manage to shut it down was TRIGGER. While Ryu did a good job for damage control to give reason to their frustration, it was Gaku and Tenn who really had the guts to bite back at the reporters for their outrageous claims. And man, the reporters sure picked the wrong group to poke at, because Tenn just freaking DRAGS THEM with, “…But when three modern idol group get together, it’s hard to believe we can’t surpass him.” I’M LIKE YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! And it doesn’t stop there, because Gaku jumps in, firing back about the outrageously stupid claim of Re:Vale and Idolish7 “harming” Zero’s image with, “Did you talk to Zero?” and “Aren’t you embarassed, trying to lecture them when they’re doing their best?” GET THEM GAKU. And then they have the perfect mic drop to shift the topic away from the Zero Scandel when they decide they’ll do a capella version of their new song they are about to release: Last Dimension.
Absolute Kings.
Gosh I love them so much. The entire time, I was clapping and shouting, “THIS IS WHY I STAN TRIGGER!” What a fantastic way to shut them all up. Also the MV teaser was absolutely gorgeousss~ (I also absolutely adore this song, so this version was such a treat!).
Seriously, bless both Tenn and Gaku for having the guts to bite back at the reporters. And thanks to the way they handled things that forced President Yaotome to act. It goes go without saying, they are extremely lucky to have a competent and influential President who is able to find a way to clean up to ensure that their snappy response wouldn’t backfire on them. He wasn’t happy to see them willingly dive into Zero’s Scandal. However in turn of this event, Iori saw this coming so he had Tsumugi quickly capitalized on the opportunity to work together with TRIGGER’s Manager. He wasn’t the only one thinking that because Re:Vale’s manager also showed up to do the same. It was very fun to see the three managers come together to fight against the common enemy!
While this week’s episode was certainly a treat to watch, brace yourselves for the next one because we know at least one bomb is going off. With only two episodes left, there’s more drama to be had now that Yamato is accepted the movie offer, so hang on tight guys! We’re in for a ride!
