Recap / Skip Beat Volume 7

The hated devil that has caused all of Kyoko's suffering is finally within reach!

This volume contains the chapters:

• Act 36. "The Road of Glamorous Success" ^note Ren and Kyoko clear some of the negative air between them, including the misunderstanding of what really motivates Kyoko to act now.
• Act 37. "The Grating Wheel" ^note Kyoko successfully enters high school and she loves it, even if some of her actor and idol classmates are full of themselves. But another encounter with Ren leads to a misunderstanding that hurts their new friendship. Meanwhile, Kyoko's popularity takes off thanks to the soda commercial she just completed, and it results in a new job offer for her... one that'll force her to work with Sho Fuwa.
• Act 38. "The Date of Destiny" ^note After initially rejecting the offer to work on Sho Fuwa's newest promotional video, Kyoko accepts the job offer with the intention of using Sho as a stepping stone in her career. But will Sho recognize the girl he threw aside?
• Act 39. "A Ghost of Herself" ^note Kyoko affects a ditsy personality in order to throw Sho off her trail, but it's going to be tougher to disguise herself than she thought when it turns out one of her co-actors is Mimori Nanokura, a spoiled idol who knows Kyoko from high school!
• Act 40. "Armageddon" ^note Sho is already suspicious of Kyoko, and tricks her into revealing her identity. Kyoko worries she'll be dropped from the shoot, but Sho lets her stay on in order to assess whether she poses a threat to him. Everyone gets into costume, and Kyoko dazzles everyone with her angelic transformation.
• Act 41. "Killing the Devil" ^note Filming for the promotional video has begun, and Kyoko surprises everyone again with her acting skills when she enchants Mimori, who had earlier emphasized her intense dislike of Kyoko. Director Asami warns Sho to be careful when doing his scene with Kyoko, as she may very well upstage him.

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Chapters in this volume provide examples of:

• Buxom Beauty Standard: Kyoko knows Sho's tastes lean towards women with more grown up figures - she suspects it might have something to do with why her classmate Mimori Nanokura was cast as one of the angels in Sho's promo video (an author's note states that she has E-cup breasts), and Kyoko flat out tells Mimori that Sho prefers "girls like you." Kyoko also watches Sho flirting with the general producer Haruki Asami (a woman whom Kyoko describes as "oozing pheromones") while cheating on his manager Shoko (who has what Kyoko calls a "sexy dynamite" figure).
• Clingy Jealous Girl: Mimori attaches herself to Sho like a leach. She gets upset and throws a tantrum when he so much as talks to Kyoko.
• Fanservice Model: Although she's in the same high school class as Kyoko (and presumably 16 or 17 years old), Mimori Nanokura is a gravure idol as well as an actress.
• Flower Motifs: It's a shoujo managa after all:
  • When Kyoko "introduces" herself to Sho, her fake smile is so convincing the background fills with a pleasant floral pattern.
  • The title page for chapter 40 is the first glimpse of Sho in his devil costume, surrounded by exotic, spiny-looking flowers.
  • While dressed as angels, Kyoko and Mimori even exchange garlands of flowers.
  • Most chapters have a few instances of panel backgrounds filling with unexplained flowers.
• Gyaru Girl: Kyoko fakes an airheaded persona and uses the distinctive slang of a kogal so that Sho won't figure out her identity while they're filming the promotional video for his new song. It doesn't last long, as she finds it increasingly difficult to play nice and Sho was already suspicious of her identity after seeing her work in the soft drink commercial.
• Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: The costumers were probably going for this effect when they put Kyoko and Mimori in blonde wigs for their angel costumes.
• Hero Stole My Bike: Kyoko uses her revenge demons to scare an innocent bystander into giving up his bike when she's acting as Ren's temporary manager and needs to get him to his next gig on time.
• Little Girls Kick Shins: Kyouko may not be a little girl, but she still pulls this on Sho when he first sees her in her angel costume. She then reminds him that the pain he feels is nothing compared to the feeling of her heart breaking when he threw her away.
• Long-Haired Pretty Boy: Sho's devil costume includes a very long, swishy ponytail.
• Pimped-Out Dress: Kyoko and Mimori both get to wear these as part of their angel costumes:
  • Mimori's is a more fluffy dress with lace detailing and a mock-corset front over an asymmetrical tiered skirt, befitting her role as the more playful angel who falls in love.
  • Kyoko's dress is a flowing, Grecian styled gown with trailing sleeves and a sleeker silhouette, lending her role an aura of serenity.
• The Power of Acting: Overlaps with Method Acting, when Kyoko draws on her love for Moko to guide her scenes with Mimori. Kyoko's performance is so overwhelming that even Mimori (who had previously stated it would be impossible for her to pretend she liked Kyoko's character) gets caught up in it as well.
• Red Eyes, Take Warning: The devil costume Sho wears includes red contact lenses. Just to drive home the point that his character is evil.
• Something Only They Would Say: Sho tricks Kyoko into revealing herself by showing her a bottle of perfume she had taken a liking to when they lived together (not that she could afford to buy it after paying for all his expenses). The bottle is shaped like a swan, and though the brand name is "Royal Snow" she nicknamed it "Odette" after the tragic heroine of Swan Lake. He knows he's dealing with the same Kyoko Mogami he dumped when she blurts out "Odette."
• White Hair, Black Heart: Sho's devil costume includes a white wig with a ponytail.

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