Now that TINGS has secured a manager, they are now ready to start filling out venues. And even though they’ve been on the idol scene for a little under a year, their following is a little less than desirable. They haven’t broken 40 audience members yet, but the ones who do watch them seem to enjoy them quite a bit. But that’s just not enough to reach their goal and if they can’t get some more loyal fans they are going to have to disband.
So what do we do? We do some good old fashion street recruiting. It’s practically a staple in any idol series where characters are just getting their start. They gotta get their name out there somehow. Rather than doing so at a very popular crossing, the Manager has an interesting idea to have the girls advertise themselves outside of other venues where idols are performing. It feels a little funky for them to do so, but if you are looking to find idol enthusiasts, idol venues are places where you are sure to find them. I think the funniest part of this episode is that the girls thought that their new manager would have a cool trick up his sleeve for them to sell out his their tickets only for him to come back with “Try your best!”. And while that does work out in the end, it’s just incredibly funny to see their reactions.
At first it’s a real struggle. They are doing their best, but their best is not producing results… until some of their more loyal fans come around. It was a really sweet way to show how they all interact with their fans, and they all seem genuinely kind to everyone who grabbed a ticket. But even though they have a small following… It’s clear that some girls are more popular than the others. Rio’s line seems to disappear before everyone else, and she becomes incredibly disheartened about it. She ends up storming off leaving both Haru and Kyouka to hand out the remainder of the tickets. At first I really thought this was our “Get to know Rio on a deeper level” episode, but the manager decided to hang back and let everything play out as is (and I’m still holding out for this episode!!). Then she eventually returns with an empty bag showing that even though she’s feeling bummed out, she is still giving her all for the group. And that’s really exciting to me! I feel that we often get series where we have to go through hiccups of characters getting used to each other or other characters coming around to provide willingness to join a group, but in the current iteration of TINGS, they are all well acquainted and seem to like each other quite a bit.
So after the girls spend the better part of the day outside of one venue, the manager decides to phone in a friend which lands them outside of a baseball stadium that is being used for the Yura Yura Sisters concert. And I’m glad they mentioned getting permission! Because I agree that it seems a little sneaky to advertise yourself at someone else’s show. But the YuraSis manager is all for them handing out the tickets because 1) she owes the manager a favor and 2) well, she just loves idols! Idols are exciting to her! And because of this, the audience at the YuraSis concert is perfect for these newbies. While they may be fans of the group, they are also individuals who are excited to see what others have to offer. Like food, these individuals will try anything once. If it’s something they can see being successful, then heck yeah! They’re going to join the hype train!
But on that note… TINGS… doesn’t quite build the best hype train for everyone. In short, they are cute and they have the energy, but they are still very rough around the edges. All of them have different skills and weaknesses and it’s noted that Haru in particular is constantly leveraging between Rio and Kyouka. But on their final performance of the episode, she goes all out and truly starts to shine. The individuals who were starting to doubt the group are suddenly amazed by her, likely bringing on more fans to the group.
Honestly, at the end of this episode, I don’t have too much to say besides: I’m so proud of you!! I’ve only known you for two episodes, but you are doing great!! I hope you reach your goals and shine in the idol industry!!
Ah, but something (namely the promotional art) that TINGS is not going to be a trio group. I’m thinking that we will probably gain Momiji and Yukine soon. I’m excited to see how the dynamics change! Guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
