Emotions are high in this episode, but that just means we’re getting closer to the club performance! It’s natural to have nerves before you go on stage, especially when you have something you want to prove. What exactly are they all trying to prove? Well… it’s a little bit different for everyone and not everyone is super clear, but they certainly are going for it!
Given that this is episode 8, I’m wondering if they are going to do anything with any of the significant characters that could be rivals. There was one kid who was introduced last week who gave his comments from the audience today… but I feel bad that I hardly remember him. And by the time MaiMai and her friends performed… Ushio, who performed early on in the episode, really faded out to the background. At this point, I’m not expecting them to do much with these characters seeing as there are still plenty of loose ends to tie up, but I’m kind of left wondering: what’s the point in introducing all of them? Perhaps it leads to the anticipation of a second season, but even then, I’m not too sure where to go after the Matsugorou cup… Ah well. I shouldn’t speculate too much about what we’ll get next, instead I should focus on what development Setsu and his team get in this episode.
I’m glad that we got to see a little bit of Yui’s vulnerabilities! They did a pretty could job of showing that she’s always the one to stick it to the man and not one to be vulnerable. So, it was nice to see her be able to express her anxieties and frustrations with the rest of the group. It was also a great chance to allow Shuri to express her gratitude for her. It brought their relationship to the next level beyond just being childhood friends. It shows how Yui really took to heart that she needed to protect Shuri, which in turn puts her own feelings to the side. Personally, I would have loved if this were explored over the course of two episodes. There’s just a lot of little things that can come into play, but I feel like they get glossed over by so many other things. We have to move from one stressor to another because we’re on a time crunch. So much of a time crunch that Setsu didn’t really get much focus this week. Though, it does make me more excited for their performance coming up.
But what makes me more exciting is what Rai and Setsu were plotting before they go on stage. I wonder what drastic thing will come out of it and at the same time I hope that they take some time to develop Rai as well. When he was introduced, he seemed like he would be an interesting character, but ever since he joined the team… he’s definitely taken a back seat. So hopefully he will get his chance in the spotlight soon! I’m also surprised that we got very little input from Setsu from all the performances we saw today. He was adamant about not watching certain performances because it could impact his emotions, but today he seemed perfectly fine doing so and was pretty unphased. Really, the disjointedness and chaos occurring in his team is probably more on his mind than how everyone else is performing.
I’m really hoping for a stellar performance next week. I haven’t been all that impressed with the tournament plot, but at the same time they’ve built up the suspense for the group. If it doesn’t pay off… I think that’s going to be a huge hit to the series. But I going to believe in Rai and Setsu. They’re going to bring it to the next level and the whole club is just going to sing!! So good luck everyone!
