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「されど舞台はつづく」 (Saredo Butai wa Tsudzuku)
“The Show Must Go On”
Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight was trying very hard to convine you that it was reaching the climax of the story this week. We had characters mulling about and reflecting on the past. The protagonists reaffirm their motivations. An epic showdown is set. But intelligent viewers like you, dear readers, would naturally have looked at the episode title and realised that this was just episode 10, so it’s not nearly time to end things with a bang yet. And we also haven’t had the Maya/Claudine ED yet, so I guess have at you.
Unfortunately, the characters in Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight are not quite as savvy as we are and completely missed the mark. By which I mean Karen has apparently never been in a competition for anything ever, and so naively thinks that Hikari and her are somehow going to be joint winners. But of course not. It makes for a great scene, yeah, but it’s undercut somewhat by sensible tournament structure. Obviously, the Revue of Fate is just the semifinals. Isn’t it pretty standard for a round-robin tournament to cut to top players for elimination matches. Does this not happen in Japan?
Speaking of things that Revue Starlight really shouldn’t be getting wrong: surely, all the revues so far have been duets. This one would be a quartet. No? No? This show’s wrong about everything!
Er, where were we. Right, climaxes. It’s curious how Maya’s character has been handled. On the one hand, she’s been set up as a sort of final boss. She’s explicitly the head of the class. Claudine almost worships her, holding her up as the pinnacle of achievement, her own guiding star. On the other hand, we know that Maya can’t be the final boss, not just because it’s only episode 10 but because we also already know that Maya is not invincible. Presumably, Nana always defeats her back when time was still looping, so May has already lost 15,532 times. Rather than the pinnacle, it turns out that Maya is actually the one who never quite gets there. Perhaps it’s deliberate dramatic irony, where Claudine feels like there can be no place for her but number two, when that doom is actually reserved for Maya. For all her skill, does it just come down to who wants it more, in the end? And after all her bluster in the Revue of Pride, does Maya deep down still not want it quite enough?
Because, surely, Hikari doesn’t want it enough either if she’s refusing to trample Karen on her way to the top. After she struck Karen down I’m assuming she’s going to restart Nana’s loop or some other time travel shenanigans (like the classic ‘forget about me!’ sacrifice). If that does happen, I think it’s about time Karen proves her worth as a protagonist. So far it’s really been more of Hikari holding all the agency with Karen playing a supporting role, providing Hikari with motivation nad conflict. If we’re going to have a Karen solo-act for a bit then it’s an excellent opportunity for her to step up.
https://randomc.net/image/Shoujo%20Kageki%20Revue%20Starlight/Shoujo%20Kageki%20Revue%20Starlight%20-%2010%20-%20Large%2023.jpg
https://randomc.net/image/Shoujo%20Kageki%20Revue%20Starlight/Shoujo%20Kageki%20Revue%20Starlight%20-%2010%20-%20Large%2036.jpg
Why didn’t we get an entire episode(or episodes) dedicated for this couple??
I think they got a pretty good run, all things considered. For a cast of nine they got quite a bit of presence.
Says the man who disliked the Futaba & Kaoruko episode.
-_-
@McL
Hey, that just makes my point, no? At least Maya and Claudine can call themselves important, unlike Futaba and Kaoruko.
I couldn’t contain my disappointment seeing the better and superior couple losing in the end just because of the obligatory “unmei”.
I just accept this newest case of “power of friendship” for now because there’s still two episodes and they didn’t changed the established rule that dictates only one top “Pig Girl”. Now I want to see Hikari choosing to put staying at the top ahead of her promise and friendship with Karen. After all, is she chooses Karen then her dreams of stage become meaningless. And I suspect that there’s some time shenanigans at play here, that little Hikari in the park was suspicious…
About Claudine, I appreciate that her relationship with Maya is healthy and they do good for each other.
https://randomc.net/image/Shoujo%20Kageki%20Revue%20Starlight/Shoujo%20Kageki%20Revue%20Starlight%20-%2010%20-%2009.jpg
IF I had to guess (always dangerous), Hikari is going to go all the way back.
https://randomc.net/image/Shoujo%20Kageki%20Revue%20Starlight/Shoujo%20Kageki%20Revue%20Starlight%20-%2010%20-%20Large%2023.jpg
Maya and Claudine are the true best girls. The series feels like it would have been better if they were the MCs rather than Karen and Hikari.
Part of me suspects that may be the point. If we’re going to talk about nebulous things like ‘shine’, then Maya and Claudine certainly had more stage presence than Hikari and Karen. Yet, they’re not the protagonists. The implication would be that there’s something more to it than that.
Of course, it could just be that the underdogs winning makes for a better story.
https://randomc.net/image/Shoujo%20Kageki%20Revue%20Starlight/Shoujo%20Kageki%20Revue%20Starlight%20-%2010%20-%20Large%2035.jpg
The second coming of Akuma Homura. Long live the Queen
https://randomc.net/image/Shoujo%20Kageki%20Revue%20Starlight/Shoujo%20Kageki%20Revue%20Starlight%20-%2010%20-%20Large%2034.jpg
I can see it now… By the powers of Kami Madoka and Kami Honoka, Karen will rise from the flames by their blessings and protect the shine of all Sutai Shoujou past, present and future.
They showed Hikari with a dual-wield dagger setup, and in the actual revue she only had one dagger. WTF? Also, “Oh FRY me to the star~” made me chuckle a bit.