Recap / Skip Beat Volume 20

There's nothing quite so sweet as friendship.

Lory gets himself involved and suddenly the party's bigger and crazier than either girl imagined. But they've got things under control - at least until Lory's flair for the dramatic strikes again. When someone close to Maria makes an appearance at the Happy Grateful Party, will she be able to repair the cracks in her heart?

This volume contains the chapters:

• Act 115. "Lucky Number '24', Part 1" ^note Kyoko comes across Lory's granddaughter Maria, who is complaining about the Christmas season. Kyoko is distressed, because she knows that December 24th is Maria's birthday — but she's reminded that it's also the anniversary of the death of Maria's mother. In order to cheer up Maria, Kyoko decides they should host an end-of-the-year party that has nothing to do with Christmas or birthdays. Perhaps a "Happy Grateful Party?"
• Act 116. "Lucky Number '24', Part 2" ^note Lory finds out about the party and manages to get himself involved. Ren tries to get Kyoko to admit she enjoys his company, but it sails right over her head. Moko reluctantly finds herself shopping for a Christmas present to buy Kyoko. Maria is much happier than she usually is at this time of the year.
• Act 117. "Lucky Number '24', Part 3" ^note As the sun sets on Christmas eve, Kyoko and Maria throw a huge "Happy Grateful Party" for everyone they're grateful to. Maria's "Uncle Tiger" makes an appearance. Moko thinks back on how much she's been through with Kyoko as a member of the Love-Me Section. Kyoko spends most of the chapter finishing up food prep with the chefs in the kitchen.
• Act 118. "Lucky Number '24', Part 4" ^note Maria & Kyoko's 'Happy Grateful Party' is coming to an end but Lory has one last trick up his sleeve. A magic trick. With Uncle Tiger's help, he'll make Maria's father appear out of thin air!
• Act 119. "Lucky Number '24', Part 5" ^note Maria and her father have a heart to heart, and they manage to repair the father-daughter relationship that's been strained since the death of Maria's mother. Ren has a surprise waiting for Kyoko when it chimes midnight.
• Act 120. "Lucky Number '25'" ^note Midnight strikes, and December 24th is over. But, it's not just Christmas: it's Kyoko's birthday! Ren gives Kyoko large rose. Kyoko, who loves fairy tales, is completely enamored of his gift. Moko (who was in the dark about Kyoko's birthday until Ren mentioned it) is relieved that she at least has a Christmas present to give to Kyoko. Lory surprises Kyoko by turning the celebration into a birthday party, and everyone celebrates Kyoko's birthday with a massive cake shaped like a castle.

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Chapters in this volume provide examples of:

• Character Name Alias: Maria has specifically forbidden Lory from hosting her party or getting too involved, so he shows disguised as elderly gentleman called Uncle Long-Legs and bankrolls their party anyways.
• Christmas Episode: Chapters 115 through 120 really. Though Kyoko and Maria aren't calling their party a Christmas party (or a birthday party, for that matter).
• Embarrassing Animal Suit: Kyoko invites the boys from Bridge Rock because they gave her her first job in show business on Yappa Kimagure Rock. She also invites Bo the Chicken, though for once it isn't Kyoko in the costume: some unnamed extra from the show is filling in as Bo the Chicken.
• Flower Motifs: It's a shoujo managa after all:
  • Lory bankrolls Kyoko and Maria's "Happy Grateful Party," so of course the venue (his massive guest house) is filled with thousands upon thousands of dollars worth of flowers.
  • Maria's party dress is decorated with floral embellishments. Moko's party dress has a single rose-shaped decoration on the strap.
  • Lory's "magic trick" creates a tsunami of flowers that cascade out over the ballroom floor.
  • The title page for chapter 119 shows Maria in her floral party dress holding a bouquet and surrounded by flowers.
  • Ren gives Kyoko a huge red rose for her birthday.
  • The cast of Dark Moon who are invited to Kyoko's birthday give her a large bouquet of lilies and roses for her birthday.
  • Most chapters have a few instances of panel backgrounds filling with unexplained flowers.
• Jerkass Gods: Maria admits that after the death of her mother, she's afraid to even hope for things like a visit from her father because she believes that God is cruel, and that he'll take away anything she asks for even if it's only in her heart. She got scared the moment she realized she wanted her father to attend her Happy Grateful Party because he would have to get on a plane to come and see her, and Maria's mother died in a plane crash on her way to visit Maria for her birthday.
• Large Ham: Lory Takarada again. Even though Maria has forbidden him from hosting her party or getting too involved, he steals the spotlight with his "end of the party" act. It involves causing a blackout in the ballroom, costumes, spotlights, pyrotechnics, a shower of origami butterflies, magic tricks, a tsunami of flowers on the dance floor, and finally making Maria's father appear on stage as if by magic. Even this is rather tame by Lory's standards, as he's been known to introduce himself to strangers with backup dancers and travel about on a parade float shaped like a pirate ship.
• Oblivious to Love: Kyoko is oblivious to Ren's attempts to flirt with her, and to any possible romantic implications that might come with him giving her a red rose for her birthday/ Christmas.
• Playboy Bunny: The title page for act 115 shows Kyoko in a dangerously short strapless dress and a pair of bunny ears. Overlaps with both Fanservice Cover and Covers Always Lie.
• Show Within a Show: Dark Moon and Yappa Kimagure Rock are type 1 examples, where "characters are involved in the production of the show."
• Significant Birth Date: Maria's birthday is December 24th, while Kyoko's is December 25th. They decide to hold a joint "Happy Grateful Party" instead of a Christmas party or a birthday party because the 24th (and by extension the whole Christmas season) has a negative connotation for Maria — it's the day her mother died in a plane crash.

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