(L) Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight

[4th Dimension]

I'm more wondering about the mechanics of this. Yeah I know, don't expect that here.

Spoiler for Mechanics:

So apparently the fate of the top star equals the fate of the figure she would be playing? It kinda checks out with Banana, in that she did basically imprison herself and everyone else in that time loop. But I don't think she ever top-stars. She just kept rewinding to that initial stage.

On the other hand we do see the outcome of the London one, and there the Top Star isn't imprisoned. Sooo, is it because they are doing a different show? I'm not familiar with Macbeth.

Or is it because she can't perform properly or something?

[Kazu-kun]

Originally Posted by 4th Dimension

So apparently the fate of the top star equals the fate of the figure she would be playing?

No, Hikari chose to become the "Claire" of her story in order to protect the others. This wasn't fate. It was a choice. She could have chosen to become a super star instead, but that would have stolen the other girls' radiance. Hikari didn't want that so she chose to sacrifice herself instead.

[4th Dimension]

That's not excatly the way the Giraffe and Karen present it there.

Giraffe tells her that in order for "stage to ignite her heart" (basically for her to become a star) fuel is needed, and she rejects that saying she will provide it and that it will make the resulting show unpredictable.
To her it's her sacrificing herself as Clare, but practically the only thing that changed compared to the normal Revue is that the Top Star wasn't buffed by the light of other contestants.

[Kazu-kun]

Originally Posted by 4th Dimension

To her it's her sacrificing herself as Clare, but practically the only thing that changed compared to the normal Revue is that the Top Star wasn't buffed by the light of other contestants.

No, what changed is that she was locked away. If she chose to steal the radiance from the others and become a star instead, she wouldn't have been locked away. Being locked away is the symbolical way the show depicts the fact that she lost everything that was important to her. It's the representation of her sacrifice, which was the choice she made.

[Triple_R]

Well... very interesting to see Revue Starlight go more hardcore Ikuhara-style here in Episode 11. At the same time, it was pretty emotionally strong and resonant.

I think that Kazu-kun's theory may well be correct. However, it does make me wonder why Hikari didn't just let Banana keep on winning. I mean, potentially living forever in Banana's time-loops, while being oblivious of that, has certain downsides. But it also has certain positives, and it did enable people to keep shining it seemed.

Still, it seems very likely to me that Hikari's actions were an intentional sacrifice, as Kazu-kun lays out. A very risky one emotionally, for Karen, but I can somewhat understand it all the same.

[Kazu-kun]

Originally Posted by Triple_R

I think that Kazu-kun's theory may well be correct. However, it does make me wonder why Hikari didn't just let Banana keep on winning. I mean, potentially living forever in Banana's time-loops, while being oblivious of that, has certain downsides. But it also has certain positives, and it did enable people to keep shining it seemed.

That's easy. Hikari wanted to believe it was possible to become top stars together with Karen. But then the giraffe announced the Revue of Tragedy and Karen panicked and looked at her like expecting Hikari to get them out of trouble. That left Hikari with no options but to execute plan B.

[Triple_R]

Originally Posted by Kazu-kun

That's easy. Hikari wanted to believe it was possible to become top stars together with Karen. But then the giraffe announced the Revue of Tragedy and Karen panicked and looked at her like expecting Hikari to get them out of trouble. That left Hikari with no options but to excuse plan B.

As the Giraffe would say... I understand.

Yeah, this makes pretty good sense to me. You're probably right.

[Requiem-x]

Originally Posted by Triple_R

I think that Kazu-kun's theory may well be correct. However, it does make me wonder why Hikari didn't just let Banana keep on winning. I mean, potentially living forever in Banana's time-loops, while being oblivious of that, has certain downsides. But it also has certain positives, and it did enable people to keep shining it seemed.

Funny you mention that, because the short text preview for episode 12 has been translated and it sheds some light on that point

Hikari's Stage of Fate was a forever repeating empty repeat performance chosen to protect Karen and the rest of the theater girls. However, Karen jumps straight on to the stage and rejects that choice. "Starlight is always a tragedy of departure." The last revue that will change fate begins.

So, Hikari did choose a smilar path to Banana, but the loop is affecting only her and outside the real world as well. Fitting as how she's doing it solely for someone else rather than to protect her own feelings.

I forgot to mention this in the prior post, but I do like how Karen found the answer on her own drive without having to get slapped, even if its kind of silly that all she had to do was read the actual story.

[4th Dimension]

Originally Posted by Requiem-x

I forgot to mention this in the prior post, but I do like how Karen found the answer on her own drive without having to get slapped, even if its kind of silly that all she had to do was read the actual story.

She didn't find her drive after reading the story. She found it by wanting to know what the original meant. Her drive made her keep translating the language she didn't know well into the night and like. Without it she wouldn't have been able to do it.

[Benigmatica]

I must say that Episode 11 was a good buildup for the finale as Karen Aijou got her groove back after that betrayal from Hikari Kagura, despite the fact that Hikari doesn't want to take her radiance.

Now, I can't wait for the final episode and see how it plays out.

[Bladezer]

Originally Posted by Requiem-x

Oh, I get it now...

Spoiler for Spoiler:

BAKARI!!!!! You really couldn't get in that thick head of yours that YOU are Karen's reason to step on the stage, just like she is yours? No, I'm not shipping, this is literally what the show has told us again and again! Now its up to your baka partner to bring you back, and hopefully put some clothes on you.

Well, show did basically pair every girl up, so there isn't really a need to say you aren't shipping it, cause the show pretty much has given Karuko/Futaba, Claudine/Maya and Junna/Nana as much blatant subtext as Hikari/Karen, so the writers clearly intend for us to read these all as romantic.

Anyway, anyone else notice that Karen is acting the exact same way Hikari did back at episode 8, right after she lost the London Revues?

Just me, but I kind of think this means, that they basically share their, let's say shine for lack of a better term, since the day they decided to become stage girls together, when they promised to become stars together.

To me this also means, Hikari's plan to save Karen doesn't really work, since she is what allows to Karen to shine so much, since the promise is what brought them both to the stage.

I feel this is also why Hikari had shine left to effectively make a dagger with what she had left, cause Karen still had her shine, since they both share the same shine between them.

Though I don't really know how much my theory works, since Karen is able to get herself out of her rut, since I'm saying they share their shine. Though hey, maybe because they share it, and since Hikari refused to take everyone else's shine, Karen is holding onto a little, since she needs Hikari for her to be able to shine as brightly as she wants to? So maybe next episode, we'll be getting Karen wielding Hikari's dagger.

And on another note, I have a hutch about who Karen had a chance in defeating in previous loops, I feel the ones she had a chance of possibly beating are Futaba, Junna and Mahiru.

Why those 3? I feel she has a chance of defeating Futaba, because it seems she only recently decided to step out of Karuko's shadow, where as Karen always had the mind set of wanting to stand beside Hikari, though I don't think that would really be enough to beat Futaba, since Karen while wanting to stand beside Hikari isn't basically doing what Futaba did, which is ask for help where she needs improving.

With Junna, I feel its a case of Karen understands the need of not overworking yourself, which Junna really didn't in previous timelines, before Karen basically beat that lesson into her, though cause Karen was basically coasting by in lessons its possible, she didn't win against her in previous loops either.

With Mahiru, its rather simply, Karen has the confidence to stand on her own unlike Mahiru, who needed Karen to give her the confidence boost she needed.

Though with that said, I see Karen only really winning her match against Mahiru, and that effectively being her only win, while the others would get more wins, so she'd have always remained at the bottom on all other previous loops, cause I can definitely not see her beating the others, without Hikari to basically give her the push she needs to be able to actually get more then one proper guaranteed win.

[4th Dimension]

Shine wise it's rather simple. Both girls apart from their inborn drive for theathre, were driven by their promise to each other. One could argue more Karen than Hikari.

Hikari was actually robbed of her normal drive/shine, but they couldn't take her memories of the promise and that left her enough to compete in Japan.

What she failed to realize is that for Karen the promise was quite a bit more important than her drive for theater, so once she seemingly lost Hikari, she pretty much lost her drive/shine even without being drained of it. Hence Hikari's plan being unworkable from the start. Her effectively breaking the promise will for all intents and purposes rob Karen of her drive/shine weather Giraffe is involved or not.

But once Karen figures that Hikari might need her help... IT'S FUCKING ON BITCHES!!

[Kazu-kun]

I think you guys are reading too much into it. That scene happens 7 months after Hikari disappeared. Rather than losing her shine, at this point Karen is exhausted and depressed. She feels the same as when Hikari lost her shine, but the point was to make her understand what Hikari has gone through. The official translation is crap so it's hard to understand, but her last line in that scene is "I get it, Hikari lost everything that was important to her."

After experiencing a loss of her own, now Karen can truly understand Hikari for the first time.

[4th Dimension]

Umm, pretty much what I said. In effect they expirienced the same. Only in Hikari's case it was "artificially" induced, while Karen's loss was due to loosing Hikari.

And besides shine/drive/skill are all pretty much interchangable. Just as the stage fights are just a representation of their comparative skils.

[Kazu-kun]

Originally Posted by 4th Dimension

And besides shine/drive/skill are all pretty much interchangable. Just as the stage fights are just a representation of their comparative skils.

Except they're not. When you're just depressed or confused, you can easily get that shine back by working on whatever emotional problem you have. We saw this in the Mahiru episode. When the giraffe's magic steals your shine, on the other hand, that's something way more sever. The only reason Hikari could still fight was because she still had a bit of shine in her (the promise with Karen), otherwise that would have been the end for her. She was like in life support all throughout the show, only moving forward by clinging to that promise.

In any case, Karen is just fine. Depressed, sure, but she hasn't lost her shine. The point of her breakdown during practice was that she finally understood what Hikari has gone through. Thanks to that, now they have a shot at a happy ending.

[Liddo-kun]

Watched episode 11:

For a moment I thought giraffe stole Karen's "shine" for fuel... but I guess Karen's depression happened naturally, because her waifu disappeared.

How did Hikari manage to survive half a year in the basement... Giraffe gave her food? And why in the world is she naked?

[4th Dimension]

Symbolism!

[EroKing]

[4th Dimension]

That was a good ending. I'd have maybe liked more combaty action but eh it was still great.

The situation is saved from Hikari's adaptation that turns the show into a Solo performance, by Karen's ending Fan Fiction

[Bladezer]

Well, good ending. Seems the Giraffe was actually after a good ending the whole time, who knew?

I say this, since he was the one who dropped Hikari into the time loop, so Karen would fuck everything up.

Also, glad that Karen's stubbornness finally played a factor into everything, since she basically said, screw your sad ending, I'm making this 100% happy, and no one is going to stop me.