Recap / Skip Beat Volume 25

Ren sees right through Sho's move and does his best to take Kyoko's mind off of what Sho's done to her. But will his "cure" end up being what ails her? And has Sho undone Kyoko's year of healing in one fell swoop?

Meanwhile, on the set of the Minamori Miyako series, Kanae's still dealing with an obnoxious coworker who's convinced that he and Moko are meant to be. Hio's already offered to help keep this annoyance out of her hair, but can she shake this terrible tail for good before Valentine's day is over?

This volume contains the chapters:

• Act 145. "Valentine's Bug" ^note Kyoko yells at Sho for turning up at the set but has to admit the sparkly bouquet he brought is perfect. It's a "congratulations" for dating Reino. She demonstrates for Sho what the completed hatred chocolates looked like, disproving him of the notion that she and Reino are dating. But Kyoko's horrified to realize Ren watched their whole exchange. Sho accuses Kyoko of getting Ren chocolates, when it comes out she gave him something else, he kisses Kyoko.
• Act 146. "Valentine Match" ^note Sho successfully manipulates Kyoko through words and deeds designed to get her to fixate on him again, even if it's with hatred in her heart. Ren is not happy and tries his own tactic to get Kyoko's mind off what what Sho did to her.
• Act 147. "Valentine's Weapon" ^note In an effort to distract Kyoko, Ren shares that his "first kiss" was even worse than hers, and that he uses it as an experience to draw on as an actor. But because Kyoko's "kiss" with Sho wasn't romantic or consensual, it doesn't count. Ren tells her that she gets to decide what counts as her first kiss - so long as she never kisses Sho again, because "there are no second chances." Kyoko promises nothing like this will ever happen again.
• Act 148. "Valentine's Day-XXXX" ^note During the lunch break on set, Kyoko continually loses focus on her surroundings as little things remind her of what Sho did and fuel her anger toward him. The best thing to snap her out of it is presenting her Valentine's gift to Ren. When even in the privacy of his dressing room Ren sees Kyoko mentally slipping back into her flashback about Sho, he decides to take action.
• Act 149. "The Poison Flower" ^note Ren thanks Kyoko for the Valentine's gift in a way that thoroughly disturbs her peace of mind, succeeding in removing all thoughts of Sho. Kanae gives her idiotic costar exactly what he deserves.
• Act 150. "The Faint Scar" ^note Kanae's co-star is creeped out by Kanae giving chocolates to Hio, but at least he'll leave her alone now. In a conversation about their work, Kanae tells Hio how much he inspires her as an actor and they both vow to improve their craft. Yashiro accuses Ren of messing with Kyoko. Ren wanted to help her forget Sho, but he took it too far. He goes to help her stop thinking about him. Ren tells her it's no big deal, purposefully prompting her into a lighthearted verbal sparing match. Feeling better after their talk, Kyoko is ready to get back to work.
• Extra "Valentine's Mystery: vs. Reino Edition" ^note What happened when Reino gave back Kyoko's grudge demon?

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Chapters in this volume provide examples of:

• Call-Back: Kyoko having to remind Ren that Japanese people don't usually practice such casual physical affection is a subtle reminder that he's not fully Japanese, as he claims to be.
• Child Hater: Kanae's coworker on the set of the Minamori Miyako series. When Hio puts him for being a creep towards Kanae and a talentless hack, he retorts by shouting how much he hates working with children and accusing Hio of getting all his jobs through his parents.
• Chocolate of Romance: It is Valentine's day after all:
  • Sho was convinced that the hatred chocolates that Kyoko made for Reino were full of genuine affection. She quickly sets the record straight.
  • To go along with the very expensive bouquet her bought for Kyoko, Sho buys some very expensive chocolate... and then proceeds to use the chocolate to distract Kyoko long enough to plant a Forceful Kiss on her.
  • Ren was hoping that Kyoko would make him chocolate for Valentines day. (He ends up with a different confectionery treat, but would have been just as happy with chocolate.)
  • Kanae made chocolates for Hio, the first time she's ever done something like that for a boy. Hio is concerned that she gave him the chocolates because she only saw him as a cute kid, but she explains that it's because she truly respects him as a professional.
  • The cafeteria at Fuji TV studios has special chocolate themed desserts for Valentine's day.
• Covers Always Lie: Kyoko never wears the outfit seen on the cover, or anything even remotely similar to it.
• Everything's Sparkly with Jewelry: Of all things to get spruced up with jewelry, it's a bouquet that takes the cake. The amount of flowers that Sho brought for Kyoko was huge, but the bouquet is also stuffed with swarovski crystals, freshwater pearls, and sprays of sparkling beads. One of Kyoko's coworkers notes that it looks like the decorations cost more than the flowers.
• First Kiss: Kyoko loses hers to Sho, who did it for no other reason than to twist her mind and make her only think about him. Ren comes to the rescue by telling Kyoko that it didn't count.
• Flashback: Kyoko keeps getting flashbacks to when she was young and selflessly devoted to Sho. Despite Ren's post-kiss intervention, it seems like every little thing reminds her of the "silly, lovestruck girl" that she used to be - at least until Ren kisses her himself. Then she's getting flashbacks starring Ren.
• Flower Motifs: It's a shoujo managa after all:
  • The cover has Kyoko wearing a bright pink wig with a flower crown made of what looks like yellow and white daisies with pink astilbe. Daisies connote innocence, purity, loyalty, or a willingness to keep a secret. Astilbe represent patience and a willingness to wait for someone.
  • The title page for chapter 147 depicts Kyoko's grudge spirits as fairies relaxing atop a bunch of daisies.
  • The title page for chapter 148 depicts a frustrated Sho accompanied by lilies with dark streaks on the petals.
  • The title page for chapter 149 depicts in a bed of roses - though the thorns appear to have scratched her.
  • The title page for chapter 150 depicts Ren against a background of white roses. Like Kyoko, he appears to have been injured by the flowers.
  • Sho brings Kyoko a truly massive bouquet of flowers stuffed with orchids, ferns, and what looks like delphinium blooms.
  • The fancy champagne glass Kyoko serves Ren's present in has twining, crystalline roses running up the bowl of it. Kyoko got it specifically because it reminded her of the rose Ren gave her for her birthday.
  • Most chapters have a few instances of panel backgrounds filling with unexplained flowers.
• Forceful Kiss: At the tail end of chapter 145, Sho grabs Kyoko by the shirt and hauls her in for a kiss. Her First Kiss. It puts him firmly back in Jerkass territory.
• Good Hurts Evil: All of Reino's affection towards Kyoko's grudge demon has rendered it on the verge of death. Not that Reino is "good," but Kyoko's grudge demons are the manifestation of her hatred and anger, so they're weakened by displays of love and affection.
• It Doesn't Mean Anything: Appears to be Ren's go-to method for helping Kyoko deal with possible emotional trauma:
  • This is how Ren handwaves away Kyoko's kiss with Sho. He's trying to get her mind off the subject and keep her from falling apart at the idea of losing her First Kiss.
  • ...and how he dismisses her displeasure with the kiss-on-the-cheek he gave her as a thank you for his Valentine's gift. According to Ren, casual contact like hugs and kisses on the cheek are normal for him because he spends so much time working with foreign models and actors.
• Japanese Politeness: When Ren goes to "make things right" with Kyoko after kissing her in his dressing room, he tries to brush off the action by claiming It Doesn't Mean Anything because such casual gestures of affection are common when one works so closely with international models and actors the way Ren does. Kyoko reminds him that Japanese people don't take too easily to casual physical affection.
• Jerkass: Sho falls right back into the Jerkass territory he was starting to evolve out of. First he showed up to passive aggressively congratulate her on getting a boyfriend. Then when she explained that she wasn't dating Reino he decided he would steal her First Kiss because he knew how much it meant to her.
• Love Bubbles: Present when Reino tries to compliment Kyoko... but because it's Reino he tells her "If I didn't have spiritual abilities, I wouldn't have even noticed you," and ends up getting slapped.
• Not What It Looks Like: Kyoko grabs Sho's face and tries to push him away as he kisses her — but from where Ogata, Itsumi, Oohara, Yashiro, and Ren are standing it looks like she's in the throes of a passionate makeout.
• Psychic Powers: Reino's are of the I See Dead People flavor, which apparently allows him to hold hostage the manifested grudge demons of a living person because they're technically "spirits." In the extra story he returns the grudge demon of Kyoko's that he had been keeping as a cell phone charm.
• Sacred First Kiss: Kyoko loses hers to Sho, and the combination of despair and rage she feels nearly undoes the year of progress she's made (both in terms of her mental health and her skill as an actress) since he dumped her.
• Show Within a Show: Dark Moon and the Minamori Miyako series are type 1 examples, with "characters involved in the production of the show."
• Smoking Is Glamorous: Shoko, who is a beautiful woman, is shown smoking as she waits for Sho to deliver the bouquet to Kyoko.
• Sugary Malice: Sho brings Kyoko a truly perfect bouquet, filled with the sorts of sparkling ornaments he knows she loves, but he does it because he's livid at the thought of her dating Reino (she isn't) and wants to "congratulate" her on her relationship (which doesn't exist).
• Through His Stomach: It probably wasn't Kyoko's intention to capture Ren's affection when she made him gelée au vin, but he falls a little bit more in love with her anyways. He's secretly thrilled to be the only person to get a special, non-chocolate dessert from Kyoko.
• Valentine's Day Episodes: The volume takes place on Valentine's day after all. Kanae give Hio some chocolate. Sho gives Kyoko flowers and a kiss, Kyoko gives Ren a fancy dessert, and Ren gives Kyoko a kiss that he says doesn't mean anything (it does). And the cafeteria has chocolates for everyone!

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