Recap / Skip Beat Volume 13

Wait a second - this cover has nothing to do with the story!

This volume contains the chapters:

• Act 73. "DARK MOON" ^note Ren's acting test starts just after he's declared before all that he'll make his costar, Itsumi, improvise the way he wants. Itsumi's already pissed off that Ren's trouble with Katsuki has delayed production and forced her to re-shoot scenes, and this sudden declaration tips her over the edge. Can Ren possibly succeed now that he's offended his leading lady?
• Act 74. "The Drama Trick" ^note Ren continues improvising during his acting test, but he's turning up the charm on his costar. Despite her vow not to be manipulated by his acting, Itsumi struggles to stay strong in the presence of his acting.
• Act 75. "Climax Concerto" ^note Ren's onstage smile is a hint of his true heart that Kyoko picks up on, but what conclusion will she come to? Now that Itsumi's been flustered by Ren, where does he plan to take the improvisation next? To the piano, it seems.
• Act 76. "Love Phantom" ^note Ren more than passes the test: he blows everyone away and wins a few more female hearts in the process.
• Act 77. "Access to the Blue" ^note Kyoko tries to figure out her feelings for Ren. Lory reveals hints of Ren's past and then discovers just who it is Ren has fallen in love with. An unexpected, precious moment occurs between Ren and Kyoko.
• Act 78. "The Fairy's Magic" ^note More of Kyoko and Ren's childhood encounter is revealed in a single, unbearably cute conversation that has Ren repeatedly unable to hold back his laughter. They each end up unwittingly weaving a little bit more of their own magic around the other.

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Chapters in this volume provide examples of:

• Duet Bonding: Ren deliberately invokes this while playing the role of Katsuki during his acting test. As Katsuki, he asks Mizuki to play something for him on the piano. He knows full well that Itsumi, the actress who plays Mizuki, can only play a single, childish song, and that it isn't something appropriate for Mizuki to play for Katsuki. He approaches the piano and begins to play the song himself, inviting her to join in and creating an opportunity for their characters to display their relationship.
• Extremely Short Timespan: All five chapters in the volume take place in the space of a day. Really, in a span of a morning, lunch break, and the early afternoon if you want to get technical about it.
• Fanservice Cover: Overlaps with Covers Always Lie - at no point in the volume does Kyoko appear in a bathing suit or wield a Parasol of Prettiness.
• Flower Motifs: It's a shoujo managa after all - the cover shows Kyoko wearing flower bracelets (and not much else), and most chapters have a few instances of panel backgrounds filling with unexplained flowers.
• Kissed Keepsake: Ren kisses the "Corn" stone when Kyoko lets him borrow it. Kyoko believes that his kiss imbues it with an extra-special power (and she later attempts to use it to drive away someone she considers a "demon").
• The Power of Acting: Ren uses his out-of-this-world acting skills to get Itsumi to react the way he wants when he goes off-script during the scene between Katsuki and Mizuki. Compounding the difficulty of this feat was the fact that Itsumi was tired of having to re-do the scene and furious at Ren for assuming she'd go along with his improvisation so easily. She gets over herself once she has time to cool down and reflect on her attitude, but by then Ren's already played her like a piano.
• Show Within a Show: Dark Moon is a type 1 example, with "characters involved in the production of the show."

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