Episode 2
Hiyori has officially started her job as manager-in-training for LIPxLIP and boy is it turning out to be a handful. Aside from being unfamiliar with the idol industry she also has to deal with two inconsiderate and tactless guys. Also, I really love the fact that she started out the episode by essentially saying “Even if the whole world is on your side, I will still be a hater.” Honestly, good for her.
I know this is only episode two, and it takes time for the characters to develop, but they are doing a really good job of making Yujiro and Aizo unlikeable. We are definitely seeing their bad sides on purpose because we get to see Hiyori’s aspect, but they aren’t even trying to be nice to her at all. I mean… if she wants to keep her job, she can’t bad mouth them… but it would be nice if they could at least be a little bit nicer to her. But on the flipside, even though I find the two of them frustrating, I am enjoying this perspective. In the anime that I’ve watched where there is a manager character, the groups have been pretty pleasant to them and tended to fight among themselves. LIPxLIP is a double whammy. They act like they can’t stand each other AND they are rude to the manger(in training). I really can’t wait for the series to start diving into each of the characters and their motivations… and I really hope they start that soon.
On that note, I am genuinely curious how these two decided to become idols. We hear from their manager that Aizo joined because he wanted to sing and Yujiro joined because he wanted to be on stage. Arguably, you can do both of those things without being an idol, but passion manifests differently for different people. I love being on stage and things, but I’m not talented in anything that involves a stage! I bet there are people who look at me and think…. “Hmm… why are they there??” So, I’m sure they have their reasons, whether it’s familial, contractual, or just for genuine fun. I still don’t think that gives them any right to be mean to Hiyori though… They are going to have to work on that part for sure.
Honestly… I don’t know if anyone else feels this way, but I get Yuki and Kyo (Furuba) vibes from these two and their interactions (arguably, a little more Yuki). They can be very pleasant one moment and then the next they are just downright rude. Plus, the two of them are constantly going at it. I would love to know what was going through the minds of the agency when they paired these two up together. But from an idol dynamic perspective… it’s kind of fun. Which of course brings me back to begging for their development. I’m sorry I’m impatient, I just want to dig deeper into what motivates these two and to understand why they’ve ended up here.
As for Hiyori, I’m starting a Hiyori defense squad. She is just doing her best and definitely deserves to go and eat crepes with her friends and not have deal with ungrateful assignments. If she wants to keep paying for her school, she really can’t afford to leave this job… I don’t think anywhere else will pay her as much. Plus, she’s able to work during the school day! Efficient! And honestly, it is really nice to see the dynamics come into play in the school setting. It’s pretty much the same, but LIPxLIP tends to get into more fights. It does seem to be the place where we get the most exposition though. I mean, the boys are truly going for each other’s throats. Aizo is uncomfortable around girls, Yujiro has a surly personality and they are both there as part of their deal in becoming idols.
And all of that is super interesting. It really plays well with how Hiyori treats the school. LIPxLIP are essentially forced to go to a normal school despite neither of them really wanting to be there, whereas Hiyori only sees excitement. She enjoys the little things from eating lunch with her friends, spending time with her teammates, and hanging out after school. I hope she’s able to teach the two of them about enjoying their school life a little bit more. And I also hope that they two of them can help show her what it means to be an idol.
Oh! I completely forgot to mention, but we were introduced to another idol group, FT4, and I feel pretty bad that I don’t have too much to say about them. Perhaps they are the rival group? LIPxLIP seem to want to take them down, and one of the FT4 members can see through their facade. Aside from that, I don’t have too much to comment on! I hope we see a collab in the future? Maybe a dueling Live?
Overall, I’m looking to see what the next episode has in store! Hopefully, Yujiro and Aizo straighten up a little bit and we learn more about them. Or at the very least Hiyori is able to do something to gain their respect. You can do it Hiyori! I believe in you!!
Episode 3
Ahhhh!! This episode was really cute! Definitely one of those episodes where I came out and I just felt happier after watching it. I’m also pretty happy that we were able to get a break from the two idols just berating Hiyori non-stop. Sure, we don’t really learn anything about the two of them, but hey! Everyone is growing on each other and that’s a win in my book.
I genuinely thought that Hiyori was the type of character who would excel at everything so long as she had the motivation and support… turns out there are some things that she struggles with. As much as she loves running, she won’t be able to compete if she doesn’t pass her finals or midterms. And that is understandable from a school perspective, but it’s definitely not a good feeling moment for her since she came all the way out here so she could run with a track team. With everything that she’s been doing for the idols she deserves to compete! She has been doing so much! I hope we get to see her run in a competition in the future. I feel like with what transpired this episode everyone going to support her would be cute.
So, while she is facing that dilemma, LIPxLIP also has an opportunity for learning. But not in school. Yujiro was in the top three and Aizo is in the top 10. But they lack a little intelligence elsewhere… namely in understanding why fans are writing to idols. We saw in episode 2 that Hiyori enjoyed seeing the love and support that they received, whereas the boys are just fighting over who got more stuff. They never really thought of the reason for the letter, just the fact that they got them. So, they have been tasked with figuring out some merch to give to their fans that would have a meaningful impact for them. So, taking the guy with the bad attitude and the guy who doesn’t like women… you’ve got a challenge on their hands.
Still, we get the classic moment of the main character breaking through to them by talking about her passions. Eventually they all meetup at the roof and Aizo finally asks why Hiyori decided to move to Tokyo just for running. And I honestly love how simple her answer is – she just loves to run and she enjoys the support of those cheering her on. It’s simple, but at the same time it helps her seem more relatable to the idols. (I mean, we still don’t really know their reasoning to becoming idols, but we are moving in the right direction!) And thankfully from all this, she’s able to get their help with studying. You got this Hiyori!!
The second half of the episode focused on the shooting of a music video where we get to see some jealousy arise. I’m not the biggest fan of jealousy scenarios, but this wasn’t too bad. Essentially, the “princess” hired to be in the music video is a huge LIPxLIP fan and is automatically jealous of Hiyori for talking with them. So, she trips Hiyori and causes her to spill coffee on her dress which causes Hiyori to spiral. How dare she! Hiyori defense squad we have a target now!!
But thankfully after Yujiro and Aizo found her in the chapel moping, they had a chance to stand up to the girl and shut her down. They were downright vicious too!! Good for them! Good for them!! Standing up for Hiyori and not taking the nonsense!!
Overall, I definitely enjoyed this episode much more than the previous! I’m excited to see where the series is planning to go! I hope it doesn’t fall into full blown romance yet. I’m really looking forward to Hiyori and LIPxLIP seeing eye to eye soon!! I hope they can learn to get along and have fun in high school together!
