IDOLiSH7: Third BEAT! Episode 24

Say whatever you want, Re:Vale are true Kings of the series. They know exactly how to leverage their influence and are fearless when it comes to pulling wild stunts like this. The freaking battle-cry was epic, and I could not stop grinning. I can’t tell you how many times I rewatched that scene, it was just… [chef’s kiss], so satisfying to watch. Immediately, at 16:18 when Tenn popped up in the background as the the back-up dancer, this was my exact reaction: OH MY GOD!!! I SEE THEM! RE:VALE YOU BLOODY GENIUSES, TRIGGER IN THE BACK! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

And I can’t tell you how many times I’ve rewatched this scene while writing this hahahahahahaha. Oh man, I just… so happy. Brilliant, absolutely, brilliant way to break Trigger through the media blackout! I knew they were up to something crazy, but this was such a genius stunt, and they made sure they had support ready to make sure it couldn’t be pulled off the air when they revealed the surprise. Re:Vale have been patiently waiting to make their moves for a while now, and it absolutely gives me life to see how excited these two were to fire back.

Ahem, but yes, this week was a real treat to watch. I was really happy that they gave us two performances and the animation the the CG was noticeably much better this time especially for Re:Vale’s Taiyou no Esperanza. Much more fluid movements, as I recall in season 2, I felt some of their performances CG animation came off as a bit stiff/rigid.

ANYWAYS LET’S TALK ABOUT TRIGGER BECAUSE BOY. IT WAS A GOOD TIME.

It felt so good to see them launch the concert with ‘In the Mean time’, the lyrics applies to their circumstances so well right now, my emotions. And I am really glad we were treated to the full performance of it because man it made me so happy to watch. It’s just really great to see them performing on beautiful stage as they rightfully deserve. The dazzling stage arranged by yours truly, Haw9-san (Kujo), who volunteered to help them for this. Brilliant recruitment by Anesagi! (And I must say, it was really funny to see Gaku and Ryu look at Tenn like “Who are you?” when he complied to Kujo’s request to set the AC to “strong”.) And that moment when a fan cried out they wanted to see Tenn cry and his smirk when he said, “I don’t think so.” AAKSJDASKDASHD, SIR. THAT’S NOT FAIR, MY HEART CAN’T TAKE IT. But yes, let him smile tonight, because he and Gaku and Ryu all freaking deserves it. It was very wholesome to see the three of them hanging out together afterwards, looking and feeling probably more free than they ever have been. And it was utterly precious how Ryu finally caught up to Gaku and Tenn with sharing the same dreams of wanting to become the best group in Japan. But it’s worth noting that this version of Trigger, is also Ryu’s most ideal, and I understand that in a lot of ways since while it has been hard, it has also been an incredibly humbling experience to connect with their fans in a ways they haven’t been able to before.

We also need to acknowledge that while their tickets sold out in the blink of an eye, much of their concert’s success was thanks to Sogo’s help of being able to safely secure the FSC Hall in Kyoto. The sheer power of FSC Group’s influence successfully thwarted Ryo’s initial response to shut down the concert, making it their first major win against him. It was Torao who had to explain this to him– to which Ryo ironically bitches about how it’s “all about the money, what a rotten world we live in”, which was really rich to hear coming from him. And as Toma said, is he really one to talk? Haha!

But Ryo of course, was not happy about this development, and looks to go for a double-kill against Re:Vale and Idolish7 during Friends Day. Gosh dang it, it’s always seems it’s during Friends Day when there’s a bomb ticking in the background, but Ryo promises to have it detonate during the live program to make it far less wholesome than it was the last time we watched it, and it’s a legitimate concern. As you can recall, most if not all of Re:Vale’s trusted staff in the program have been flushed out, so as Ryo says, it’s filled with his people. Though it’s a different question altogether whether Re:Vale has already made preparations in advance for Ryo’s retaliation against them after they launched their counter-attack. Have any of the people been persuaded to cross the lines again and rebel against Ryo? And if not, is there even one person who is willing to risk Ryo’s wrack of leaking the said ‘surprises’ he has planned for them? Either way, there are many things Ryo can throw at them as he is exceptionally good at uncovering one’s weakness. From setting up a trauma stage (ie: surrounding yuki with sharp things), pulling everyone’s deepest secrets out of a hat, and whatever other messed up shit he got in mind– he could do any, if not all of those things but… would they really give them the results he desires?

For how long can he fool the public to the point that it’s not obvious that the power house of the industry Tsukumo is blatantly attacking them? And at what point does the public stop turning a blind eye to the fact that ZOOL is affiliated to such a negative and toxic influence? Varying on whatever occurs, the public reception of anyone affiliated with Tsukumo could be flipped on the dime, and the methods Ryo is resorting to may just very well come back to bite him.

A hint that this might be in the works is with the way Shimooka played as the “Bad Guy” to help Trigger gain public sympathy. So this could very well apply to Re:Vale and Idolish7, who both hold a very strong favorable reputation at the moment, though of course it really depends on how they handle whatever is thrown at them. How they choose or are able to respond is the most powerful tool they can use against Ryo. And it’s really more of a matter of being prepared to adapt on the fly, compared to mentally bracing for the hit, or just not seeing it coming.

There is also a (for once, justified) rumor circulating how the scandal that swamped Trigger was all made up and there’s a mastermind behind it to factor in as well. The seed of doubts has been planted and is starting to spread, and it’s just a matter of time before the vast majority of the public starts to connect the dots and starts to see the bigger picture.

Though I will say, it would be sort of poetically comical if Riku, who Ryo has become so obsessed with to the point of treating him ‘comfort food’ of a sorts, ends up blowing up his plans in his face with his power of influence.

Actually speaking of Riku– well first, was it just me or did the scene kind of feel… abrupt? Something felt off about the timing of it, but anyways— the decision to not go to Trigger’s concert in Kyoto was probably the most mature response we have seen him to date– which I will say, was incredibly refreshing to see. Riku himself admitted that he wouldn’t be able to hide how he feels and didn’t want to trouble his brother, but at the same time, has found a form a peace within himself now that he feels as though he is seeing things from Tenn’s pespective, making it so he can understand the things he hadn’t been able to fully grasp before. It’s like, Riku has been enlightened, and… how do I put it, he felt “lighter” during this scene? Like a piece of the weight that has been burdening him for so long been lifted off his shoulders. And it really felt like he made peace with himself in that regard. Of course there are still many things left unresolved that needs to be addressed that he didn’t bring up, but to some respect, it felt like progress.

As for ZOOL. We definitely saw Toma trying to convince himself that Trigger has fallen/become an embarrassment of resorting to becoming Re:Vale’s back-up dancers, but he eventually begrudgingly admitted to himself that, Trigger is coming off as so much cooler than ZOOL. And really it’s simple: They are earnest in everything they do. They will accept every opportunity to reach their fans, and most importantly, they have no intentions of giving up. The are resolute for their goals, and no matter what is thrown in their way, or how many times they are knocked down, the three of them are united in their goals of climbing to the top, surpassing Re:Vale by becoming the best group in Japan. Also Toma, don’t kid yourself. If Re:Vale asked him to cameo in their freaking launch of their new song, I have no doubt in my mind that he could accept, no questions asked. We saw how he absolutely melted just by believing Yuki remembered him.

In the mean time, Haruka, as expected he ran out patience with Ryo’s fixation on Riku instead of him. I was seriously worried for when he started lashing out, only he was kind of lucky in a way that right now, all of Ryo’s anger is being primarily directly at Re:Vale and Idolish7 at the moment. Had it not been, I’m not so sure if Ryo would have let him off as lightly.

It’s worth noting though, it is somewhat interesting that a lot of the focus this season seems to be primarily on Toma, Haruka and some dabbles of Torao here and there. Minami for most part has surprisingly been quiet, apart from that one minor “outburst”. So I am currently under the impression we’re probably not going to see him throw the gauntlet in Nagi’s face this season.

Though actually… now that I think about it: you know what’s mildly terrifying right? Friends Days is supposed to be Ryo’s D-Day, and… unless I’m wrong, I think there’s only two episodes left. Uh… Does that mean we need to brace ourselves for a crazy cliffhanger this season, or is this cour actually going to be longer than expected?!?! (Both Season 1 (17 episodes) and Season 2 (15 episodes) had an odd-count. So it wouldn’t be unusual to see if they so happen to do that.)

And last but not least, because I had no clue where to plug this in, while Black and White is usually the top story for the competition, the main focus this time is MOP. Ever since Trigger’s concert in Kyoto, here are the current standings, worth to keep an eye on how this rolls.

1. Re:Vale
2. ZOOL
7. Idolish7
14. Trigger