INS2: 「ALRIGHT*」 by 浅倉杏美 (Asakura Azumi)
Watch the 2nd INS!: Streaming ▼

「すべては一歩の勇気から」 (Subete wa Ippo no Yuuki kara)
“Everything Starts with a Courageous Step”

This may have been a Yukiho-centered episode, but I made sure to get a reasonable amount of Miki shots in as well. You didn’t really think I’d let a shutter chance slip by did you?

I’m never too big on overly timid characters, even if it is due to a fear of men and dogs, but Yukiho’s innocence was fun to watch in 765 Pro’s first gig in a good while. I have an unusual image of her character though, since her seiyuu Asakura Azumi was replaced by one of my favorite female seiyuu, Horie Yui, in the Xenoglossia spin-off. I could easily say I prefer Hocchan in the role, but she wouldn’t be the “real” Yukiho, hence why I’m inclined to familiarize myself with the Yukiho we have here. I can probably do without her high-pitch squealing (very cringe-worthy during the concert), but I was pretty amused by how she resorts to digging a hole and burying herself when she’s embarrassed beyond words. She sure knows how to take shutting herself in to the extreme.

This episode marks the first time that our Producer has done something really reliable and befitting of his title, suggesting that he’ll remain a respectable producer for the entire series. I honestly don’t know if I could watch two cours of the more perverted alternative, considering that we do have girls like Yukiho. Plus there are die-hard fans who don’t like the fact that there’s a male producer to begin with, as ludicrous as that sounds. I’ve already said how I like having a character for the idols to interact with, even if they can’t be bothered to give him a proper name, and this gig in a small town pretty much showed why. With most of the girls dejected over the small stage and the subsequent realization that they forgot their costumes, it was up to him to rally their spirits and get them motivated and he managed to do that with the help of Ritsuko. Of course, the sweetest moment was when he helped Yukiho, especially with the way she thanked him in return. I dare say Yukiho has jumped up my list a fair bit because of her thoughtful dried plums gift and her smile while making a hand-puppet of a dog.

Amidst all that, leave it up to Hibiki to make the most of the moment, hanging out with a cow. Nothing can seem to get Miki down either as long as she has somewhere she can sleep, unlike Ami and Mami. I just seem to like the characters that make the most of the situation rather than complain about it, even if they’re just completely laid-back and happy with what they have. The townspeople were really welcoming of them as well and I thought it was kind of cute how they got their agency’s name wrong on all the signs — 756 Pro (Nagomu) instead of 765 Pro (Namugo). For that same reason, I really want to see more of Chihaya and Takane, who look like they’ll be front and center next time.

 

ED3 Sequence

ED3: 「First Stage」 by 浅倉杏美, 平田宏美 (Azakura Azumi, Hirata Hiromi)
Watch the 3rd ED!: Streaming ▼

Preview

24 Comments

  1. Yukiho was REALLY getting on my nerves. They basically took her only character trait and ran it to the ground. Hopefully we won’t get another episode focused on her for a while.

    Good thing they put some screen time for the other idols. It’s nice to see Producer doing something significant for them.

    fragb85
    1. Same here, I’d say the only good points in her is that she doesn’t beat those men after bumping into them but all in all too plain and annoying for my tastes. Well maybe not so much since she did outdone herself in the end.

      Nhelraios
  2. this ep wasn’t as good as the first 2, but the sweet moment makes up for it. hopefully, next ep is not as cliche as the idols messing up their cooking and some how just magically work in the end.

    cool master
    1. i don’t know why but i always look forward to the songs in each ep. “My Best Friend”, “Alright”, and etc. Maybe because I listen to their song, and eager to find out which one they put it in.

      I hope they put “Shocking na Kare” when it’s Miki turn.

      cool master
  3. So, are you picking up this and the other series you posted today? I’m just wondering since I don’t see a Snapshots tag underneath the name :O

    Loved this episode. The animation was fluid and high as usual, and the concert scene was just awesome. Also, I thought that the Hibiki’s cow scene and Miki’s stand-up routine were hilarious.

    Click
  4. CRINGE ALERT

    Okay, I like happy stuff, happy stuff is great. But that part where they get up on stage and say “yay” awkwardly like 3 or 4 times before singing was just…unbearable. I had my headphones on and everything, but I still felt super embarrassed that I was watching it. The rest of the episode was alright, soooo yeah…

    james
  5. lkaze IDM@TR level: 5/12 Without referring to Wiki or internet

    Currenty able to remember :
    Yukiho – scared of man
    Makoto – tomboy
    Miki – always sleeping
    Iori – Kugimiya Rie
    Haruka – clumsy girl

    lkaze
  6. Yukiho is definitely at the bottom of my list. She seems… too plain for me. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it doesn’t appeal to me personally. Her only real defining trait is her androphobia, which isn’t anything special either compared to Inami from Working!! (who had an adorable character design and I grew to love). Her squealing was painful too and I just… generally find Yukiho unlikable.
    Still, it wasn’t a bad episode. The producer is a likable guy. Miki was cute as ever!
    Waiting for her episode to come around!

    Aisu
  7. Yune from ikuko meiro has a shy personality and no one on here is bashing her into the ground but the characters on this show and Saya from Blood c are getting the most of it. This is why I dislike feminism when it comes to anime because female anime characters aren’t allowed to be girly anymore, they have to be just like a guy in order to be likeable meaning they can’t show their emotions or build relationships with anyone while still maintaining a postive outlook on life because that would label them “annoying”, “useless” “pathedic” “whining” and a “crybaby”. There are people in real life who are very shy and have trouble learning self-confidence. Just because anime has certain personality-types doesn’t mean these personalities can’t be tied to real life even though some are exasperated. no offence to anyone

    1. It’s probably because, after females started taking more action-oriented lead roles when, previously, it was the other way around (people didn’t think an action-oriented female lead would work in movies, video games, and other things before Tomb Raider and even then, it was very sketchy for years after), people just seem to have switched their gears and now just expect them to constantly be badass most of the time in some way (or at least in-between), and also having anime constantly having fighting girls (several with a bunch of favorites) cements it in a lot more for people.

      I don’t mind if they’re shy or anything, but when it’s (in Yukiho’s case) constantly taken way over the top over and over again several times in a single episode rather than once or twice one episode and then once or twice again several episodes later, it does tend to grow more annoying more than cute pretty quickly.

      On the other hand, as I stated in response to episode 2 of Blood-C and now for episode 3, I find Saya to be quite adorable in the day (and awesome at night) and don’t really have a problem with how things have really been going (then again, I didn’t see all of the previous Blood stuff either).

      HalfDemonInuyasha
    2. The thing is, I’m not a feminist at all. But I cannot stand Saya from Blood-C and Yukiho. Does that mean I dislike ‘girly’ characters? No. I dislike these two because of how they go about it. Saya is a typical mary-sue and there’s no real depth to her character other than everyone loves her and she’s horribly clumsy but a superstar at sports at the same time. Yukiho, as I stated in my other comment, is just too plain for me and doesn’t appeal on a personal level for me. I can stand her, I just don’t particularly enjoy her.
      However, I absolutely adore Isana from Yumekui Merry, Otohime from Ookami-san, and Haruka from Itsuka. They’re all ‘girly’ and more background characters, but they made it their own. They can stand on their own as likable characters. They have feelings and try to keep a positive outlook, but it’s not shoved in your face. It isn’t their defining character trait.

      Aisu
  8. “For that same reason, I really want to see more of Chihaya and Takane, who look like they’ll be front and center next time.”

    Chihaya and Takane will just share in a single episode when Yukiho gets a whole episode for herself?? Come on.

    I need my dose of Chihaya! I demand one whole episode for her!

    nagi

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