Oh! This was a pretty cute episode! I’m usually not the biggest fan of transformation from nerdy to super pretty moments in movies, but I think they handled this episode pretty well. Plus!, she got to keep her eyebrows! I don’t think I would have forgiven them if they took them away from her.
This episode was handled really well. I feel that your typical “glam up” episode / movie segment always hinges on the “you’re not good enough for this thing if you’re not pretty” trope, but I appreciate that this episode had a slow change with Hiyori’s attitude. Sure, Aizo and Yujiro were a little mean in the beginning of the episode, but can they really blame Hiyori for not knowing?? I’ve officially been to one concert in my life and that was at a State Fair when I was 8. I don’t think that counts, but who knew people dressed to impress for their idols? I probably would have strolled in with my hoodie and jeans just like Hiyori.
While LIPxLIP may have kickstarted Hiyori’s internal struggle, I really appreciate that she’s able to work through it without them pushing too hard. I mean, half the episode was just Hiyori thinking about how cute all her friends are – and she’s right!! All of them are cute!! It does end up going down the path where she thinks that she can’t reach that level, but thankfully she ends up making an unexpected friend along the way. After seeing someone get grabbed by a man who doesn’t listen to the word ‘no’, Hiyori swoops in to save the day. The two of them sprint through town until they lose the guy. Easily they could have just had the two leave each other once the girl was safe, but the two decide to get crepes together (Hiyori’s finally living the High School Dream!!).
All around the crepe scene was incredibly cute and heartwarming because even though the two of them had just met, they became quick friends and really dove right into their insecurities. I like that Hiyori conveyed her worry about being an extra and that she’s not fit to be the heroine, and the girl, Mona, is able to share in those stressors. Despite Hiyori seeing her as really cute, Mona hadn’t really visualized herself that way because of her experiences and comparisons to those around her. So, it was ultimately really refreshing when the two declared that they were going become Heroine’s anyways! I was a nice way to have Hiyori’s shift to get into fashion be a choice that she wanted rather than it having to come in order to impress someone.
She was fully willing to do the work on her own too!! If only Aizo and Yujiro didn’t swoop in and catch her looking at all the fashion magazines. But to be completely honest, being able to do this transformation with friends really made the whole event seem a lot less scary. I don’t know about you, but making choices stresses me out especially when I don’t know anything about the topic. So, them helping her pick out a hairstyle and clothes, was really nice!! Plus, they even helped her do her makeup. It was just a cute bonding moment across the board. (Of course, Aizo and Yujiro were doing it a little bit to spite Nagisa from that comment in childhood.)
But jokes on them! At the very end of the episode, they get the reveal that Nagisa is actually a guy, and a tall and handsome one at that. I’m really curious to know how that revelation will play out next week and how he responds to Hiyori’s little makeover. I’m not super thrilled about the stern, concerned look he gave at the end of the episode though… I really hope this isn’t going to spark jealousy drama….
Still, we will have to wait and see how this all plays out. I hope everything ends up okay, but at the very least I wanna see FT4 perform. Shout out to Shadow for sharing their music with me, and I would like to meet the boys™. I hope they all have a fun time at the concert and that Hiyori feels comfortable in this new outfit !!
