Solidifying her will.
Creative Staff
Story/Art: Yoshiki Nakamura
Translation/Adaptation: Tomo Kimura
What They Say
Kyoko finally knows why her mother treated her so coldly when she was a child, and the story is more tragic and full of betrayal than she could have guessed. But hearing the painful truth isn’t a new wound on Kyoko’s fragile soul. In fact, it actually releases her from some of the ghosts of her past. She might never have a loving relationship with Saena, but she’s more determined than ever to become an actress to make them both proud!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Kyoko listens carefully as her mother explains what happened leading up to her conception and eventually why she brought Kyoko to full term. While Kyoko could understand her mother’s logic, it was still difficult for her to fully grasp how her mother thinks. But, Kyoko does know she has a lot to be thankful and can even sympathize with her mom a little. Kyoko admits she doesn’t hate her mom and that in the future she hopes she can be someone her mom will be proud of.
With that behind her, fellow Love Me member, Moko, asks Kyoko to meet with her. There seems to be someone claiming that another person took her role in a film. Kyoko and Moko try to figure it out, but Kyoko ends up deciding to try for the role in question that is having another audition. Moko also tells Kyoko that Ren had been looking stressful lately. Kyoko wonders if it’s because he figured out the issues with her mother.
Just when she was thinking about him, he shows up at the place she waitresses at. After confirming Kyoko is alright, talk turns to the new samurai film that Kyoko decides to audition for. Supposedly the ronin role was supposed to go to Ren, but due to conflicts in scheduling, he had to decline.
When out an errand, Kyoko ends up seeing Sho. She gives him a good kick and the shin and finally says what she has always wanted to say. That she is staying in Tokyo to fulfill her dreams and they have nothing to do with him. She also lets him know that she spoke both his mother and her own. Sho and Kyoko may still be rivals, but the rivalry is a bit friendlier now.
In Summary
The story progressed nicely and smoothly and revealed a lot of good information that helped Kyoko’s character grow. The gags were again at a minimum and the art remained high quality. Though this is probably a plight for most long-running manga series, it seems things like love interests don’t really come to fruition quickly. After thirty-nine episodes, Kyoko is still ridiculously single. I really want a romance to blossom for Kyoko and Ren, but it seems that if that’s truly in the cards I will need to wait many more volumes. In some ways, there’s just a lot of filler to keep the story going, which is definitely a setback. However, there is enough that is interesting to keep the reader engaged.
Content Grade: B
Art Grade: A-
Packaging Grade: B-
Text/Translation Grade: A
Age Rating: Teen
Released By: Shojo Beat (Viz Media)
Release Date: September 5, 2017
MSRP: $9.99
