Rating: B+
Big shout-out goes to music director Takuro Iga this episode, because his expert choice of ominous electronic sounds in the scene where Aqua passes Ruby in the hallway contributes mightily to the impact of the supremely dirty look Aqua gives Ruby. (The fact that the hallway was dimly-lit at the time and happens as Aqua steps out of a well-lit room heightens the effect of the scene, too.) I’d be hard-pressed to think of a better non-comical expression of pure loathing in any recent anime title.
That’s hardly the only interesting and/or impactful scene this episode, too. Crows have been seen in previous episodes this season, and even last season they were observed at Ai’s grave site, so the mysterious girl/god(?) from last season’s last arc making an appearance at Ai’s grave isn’t a big surprise, but this time she appears to Aqua instead. Cannily, the series doesn’t let us see that interaction yet, but it likely will flash back to it at some point, and I’m intrigued to see what she said to Aqua.
Kana, meanwhile, gets a couple of lighter-hearted scenes which bookend Aqua’s darker one, scenes which just further emphasize why she’s long been my favorite character in the series. The way her reaction to learning of Aqua and Akane breaking up interrupted the musical and visual flow was both perfect and perfectly her, as was the sassy way she took to calling Aqua “Ah-kun” – and no, I don’t buy for a minute that Aqua is tolerating it only because being friendly with Kana is more convenient for his plans (though this probably is true). On the back end, Ruby’s flippantly cruel statement about Kana’s highest level of education just reinforces that the interesting translation choice of “crazy cat lady” last episode was exactly in line with Ruby’s normal behavior.
But Ruby also has one other particularly pointed scene: the one where she tells Gotunda that Aqua revealing their secret has made her realize that she can’t trust anyone. That Gotunda saw in her shades of dark-starred Ai raises further speculation about what, exactly, the “real Ai” was that she showed him. That’s also an important scene because only after that vision does Gotunda start pushing for Ruby to play the idol role in “The 15 Year Lie,” so the casting choice makes too much storytelling and emotional sense even if it’s not as practical.
And as the main “behind the scenes” storyline of the episode shows, even artistic efforts in show biz still have to be practical money-makers. A risky subject matter makes the proposal a hard sell to investors, which makes it even more important that the movie’s star has her own star power to help attract attention. And with first choice Yura Katayose being unavailable due to a sudden case of death (thus confirming that her conversation with “Miki” last episode was actually about this project) – though she’s only known to be MIA at this point! – the focus for the role now shifts to Frill, at least from Kaburagi’s viewpoint. That she’s a movie/TV acting star was brought up in her season 2 appearances, so the choice makes business sense, but like Yura, Frill also isn’t content to get a lead role just because of star power even though that’s apparently the way it’s normally done in Japan. But rather than spout off to the wrong guy and get herself killed, Frill instead draws in her two main potential competitors for the role and arranges an impromptu audition among only the three of them to satisfy whether she really deserves the role on merit or not.
Frankly, this seems so self-centered that Akane is fully justified in complaining about it, but I suspect that Frill isn’t being totally honest about her motivations here. After all, she’s seen the script and knows what the role in question is and may have her own particular feelings about it which go beyond just acting. And she did see Akane play the Ai-like personality in Love Now and does know by now who Ruby’s mother was. Whether or not her choosing “liar” as the theme for the audition feeds into that is debatable, as the whole theme of the movie is about lying. But at least her “audition” does establish why she’s an in-demand actor. So what will Ruby come up with to display that theme?
I also like the nice touch about how tired and dejected Akane looks here. We’ve seen her anxious and depressed before, but not like this.
While the industry insider parts early on were a bit on the slow side, the episode still delivered plenty enough fun and punch by the end to be quite satisfying.
SIDE NOTE: While preparing this review, I went back and rewatched much of s1 episode 1. It’s really pretty remarkable how many future characters make cameos in the crowd shots following Ai’s death or in the final shots where Ruby and Ai are teenagers. Worth checking out if you haven’t rewatched it in a long time.
USA Anime 