The one where Ai and Junko's bond is put to the ultimate test. And with Franchouchou securing a place as the prelude performance to Iron Frill 2.0's latest concert, things are definitely heating up for the girls...
The first part of a two-parter arc, which is a follow-up to the first two-part arc from Season One ("Because It's Sentimental SAGA"/"But It's Zombiemental SAGA").
Full Recap
To be added
Tropes:
- An Offer You Can't Refuse: Ai is at the receiving end of this when Iron Frill's leader Shiori tells her she should leave Franchouchou and (re)join their group, which shocks both an eavesdropping Sakura and Junko.
- Ascended Extra: Shiori and the members of Iron Frill return as important players in the overarching plot. Shiori in particular is made out to be The Rival.
- Benched Hero: An Invoked Trope. Kotaro elects to have Ai distance herself from the others temporarily so that they can learn to be more self-reliant and not depend on her status as The Ace.
- Call-Back:
- Ai performs a solo version of Mezame Returner. Also a bit of Foreshadowing for the next episode.
- The Cameo: The MC from the Gatalympics hosts an event with Ai.
- Character Development: Ai and Junko have come a long way since their struggles to work together in Season 1, now being able to sing and dance in almost-perfect unison.
- Chekhov's Gunman: Iron Frill make their first plot-important appearance ever since their cameo at Saga Rock. Their leader Shiori kicks off a two-episode long conflict involving Ai and Junko.
- Cliffhanger: Ai is offered a spot on Iron Frill by Shiori. Sakura and Junko are in earshot, and the latter is absolutely devastated.
- Closet Geek: Downplayed, but Episodes 3 and 4 of Revenge show that she is a big fan of Junko and watches videos of her singing on Mytube frequently. When Sakura walks in on her watching them once, Ai reacts as if she had just been caught watching porn.
- Deconstructed Character Archetype: As Franchouchou's most experienced performer, Ai becomes heavily relied on by the others to the point of over-dependence. Kotaro sees this group flaw and decides to act on it.
- Drama Bomb: It looks like Ai might seriously consider leaving Franchouchou, and Junko immediately experiences a massive dramatic Freak Out.
- Hidden Depths:
- Tae turns out to be a skilled drummer.
- Junko is an incredible guitarist, and its revealed that she made her idol debut as a guitarist.
- Hopeless with Tech: Junko, which is justified given she's from a time before things like desktop computers and social media were part of everyday life. She struggles to type words into the search engine of a computer, and trying to translate the English letters of it into Japanese doesn't help one bit.
- Montage: To show how much Franchouchou relies on Ai's input, a montage plays of all its members asking her for favors and advice, culminating in closeups of each member saying her name for attention.
- The Rival: Shiori is slowly being built up as Franchouchou's main rival, antagonizing them in the Cliffhanger and having goals that conflict with Franchouchou's rise back to the top.
- Ship Tease: Ai decides to watch some of Junko’s old performances online and is absolutely captivated by her, as if she were listening to a serenade. When Junko walks into the room she closes the browser in embarrassment.
- Songs of Solace: Junko sings a song on a guitar atop the mansion. When Sakura hears it, Junko reveals she sings it to ease herself. The song itself was one of her hit singles when she was alive. Whenever she feels down, she will take a guitar and sing to herself.
- Sudden Video-Game Moment: Kotaro debriefs Franchouchou about Iron Frill's arrival while carrying a a water-gun rifle and acting like a soldier. Then it cuts to a P.O.V. Cam where he starts shooting at the girls in a manner reminiscent of a First-Person Shooter, complete with cross-hair on the screen and right-handed weapon view.
- We Can Rule Together: Non-Villanous example. Shiori's offer of Ai getting a spot on Iron Frill.
