What They Say:
The president is putting SHONEN HOLLYWOOD’s face out on TV, but not in the way that the boys had expected. Instead of cool music programs, they go on “lame” TV programs. The humiliation is eating at Shun. If he’s given the chance to go, will he?
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Shonen Hollywood gave us a fairly standard kind of episode last time around as the group headed off for a summer camp to get their bonds strengthened. And to have a little bit of fun. There’s definitely been an element of that throughout the series so far as we see how these young men interact with each other and that kind of playfulness in a friendly and engaging way is definitely nice to see since there’s no cruelty or talking down kind of jokes going on. It’s done in a way that has them working to inspire and uplift each other, which they need since they’re in the middle of a difficult situation with what they’re doing and the kind of legacy they’re dealing with in carrying on from the previous incarnation of the troupe.
As the boys have been noticed a bit recently what with their public performances in the street that were designed to give Kakeru confidence, the President is now moving to the next phase of introducing the members to the world at large. And that’s getting them on TV for some face to face time. While the boys are excited about the potential of their appearances, there’s a good bit of deflation and embarrassment when they realize they’re being put on the less than cool kinds of goofy talk shows that dominate a lot of Japanese TV with the gags, costumes and weirdness. Being a part of that doesn’t sit well with some of them, especially Shun, but most try to make the best of it, especially Kakeru in their first one since he has to wear the big costume and actually show his face. The trials and hardships of becoming a star to be sure.
The episode has the group going on a whole lot of different kinds of shows like this and it’s amusing to watch them go through the hoops and do all that’s required of both up and coming celebrities and those that are hoping to become that. There’s a certain game that they’re made to play through and unfortunately, most of them end up actively doing it because to do otherwise would keep them on the outside no matter how much they do. You can certainly feel for Shun and the way he feels about all of this, but there’s that terrible tradeoff that comes with fame in how you have to achieve it and things like this are part of the price. Seeing Shun find the balance is what’s all about, though you have to feel a little disillusioned that he does give in to it in the end.
In Summary:
The path to fame is one that will crush the character of most and turn them into different people than they started out with. As the President gets ready to move the troupe to the next level now that a lot of the boxes are ticked, the marketing phase of the members is what’s done here and we see the kind of silly, stupid and degrading things they have to do to try and connect with audiences that want, well, to see their performing animals perform for them in ways that make them feel better about themselves. It’s a hard truth about the entertainment business and one that the Japanese side tends to take very seriously and further than we see in the US and parts of Europe. There’s amusement to be had, but also a certain kind of sadness as well.
Grade: C
Streamed By: FUNimation
Review Equipment:
Sony KDL70R550A 70″ LED 1080P HDTV, Apple TV via HDMI set to 1080p, Onkyo TX-SR605 Receiver and Panasonic SB-TP20S Multi-Channel Speaker System With 100-Watt Subwoofer.
