Episode 11!
Basically, the aftermath of what happened last episode, leading to Karen going after Hikari, who's disappeared from the face of the planet after winning. The episode is filled with really good character moments and wonderful writing and directing, so even though it's a lot slower and a bit predictable, things still manage to be emotional enough that the big dramatic moment feels earned. The big montage with the girls cheering Karen as she heads after Hikari is a bit cheesy, as is the idea that Karen decided to translate Hikari's copy of Starlight instead of just asking someone else at the school, but as before, those are played off really well, and manage to get you invested in what's going to happen next.
The entire thing was lead-up, though, for the next episode, which will presumably be the ending, unless we have a thirteenth episode I'm not aware of.
Should be good.
Teh Utena comparisions get stronger with each episode.
My only major complaint with this ending is that Hikari and Karen never kiss
So, show is my personal favourite for the season. Enjoyably weird, good animation, excellent direction, likable characters. Themes are a bit odd and it suffers from having more characters than it has a use for, though
Hm... I'll be honest, I find the ending a bit underwhelming and cheesy. The presentation is great as usual, but it lacks the narrative punch it could have carried. Still, it's alright.
As for the show... I actually quite like it. Most of the first half was really slow, but the second half really picked things up, especially from Nana's episode onwards. I'm not sure if the show would have benefitted from being a bit longer so it could do more with the characters it has, but it definitely could have ceveloped everyone that little bit further. Not that the characters are bad, they're all very distinctive and fun.
So yeah, all around, great show. It's not my favorite of the season, and I don't think I'll be returning to it anytime soon, but it's definitely got enough of interest to merit a more in-depth analysis in the future.
It was better than the real Ikuhara's last directorial attempt with Yuri Bear Storm and almost touches near Penguindrum and Utena. That is a pretty impressive high bar to clear.
...Yuri Bear Storm...?
See here: Yuri Kuma Arashi
Edited by Xeino on Sep 29th 2018 at 6:31:17 AM
Oh, *that's* where that meme comes from!
I'll be honest, though, from just the plot outline, this doesn't look half bad. Trippy, yes, but not bad.
A show that loved its crazy visuals and heavy-handed metaphors all the way to the end. As it should, giving it a unique identity. Sometimes I'm not sure if going the super friendly route was the best road taken, and I kind of lost track of what was happening near the end, but overall I enjoyed this quite thoroughly.
Uhm, in case anybody is interested, there are three little special episodes that came out with the blu-ray of the show. They're three parts of what is essentially one single episode. It's nothing special or all that interesting, just a 21-minute episode that is more about the girls as actresses (and that Karen/Hikari shipping) than anything weird like the show. But I thought it merited a mention either way.
Edited by TheLovecraftian on Mar 6th 2019 at 3:37:10 PM
Episode 10! With lots of spoilers this time around!
Clever to have the last revue be a duet. It weakens Maya's threat and gravitas a bit, but gives some variety and helps close her arc with Claudine as well as forward the plot faster. All good here. I do think I detect some vibes after the revue, though... Well, really, in their overall interactions, but the revue kinda makes it obvious. The fight does suffer a bit, I feel, because as entertaining as it is to watch, there's no doubt at any point that Karen and Hikari are going to win, and I feel they didn't go far enough in making the fight seem amazing this time. Presumably they're saving it for the finale.
What follows is then the most obvious thing: Hikari and Karen have to fight each other for the place of Top Star. Of course. There could never be two of them. Hikari jumping the gun and basically sucker punching Karen to win was a bit of a surprise, although I'll be damned if she doesn't have some kind of plan and/or good intention with that. Either way, the giraffe has yet to call the end of the final revue and Karen has still to finish falling, so I'm not placing any bets at the moment. Not to mention, we still have two episodes to go. This isn't anywhere near over yet.
The beginning of the episode, unarguably the least interesting part, only gives us a few looks at the girls and sets up the final revue, and aside from showing that Banana has returned to her rightful place as Team Mom, nothing really interesting happens there.
So yeah, onwards to the last two episodes. Presumably they'll be about reversing the effects of winning the auditions, or something along those lines, and we'll have a proper showdown between Karen and Hikari. I just hope it's not too predictable.
Edited by TheLovecraftian on Sep 16th 2018 at 7:41:18 AM