Will they be able to come back from this?
What They Say:
“That Song Once Again” and “Closing Doors”
At Sound Ship, IDOLiSH7 are excited to perform and do perform well, but TRIGGER is having issues because their president had a fight with studio heads and won’t be able to perform.
Headlines and false stories are putting a strain on IDOLiSH7 and when Tamaki lashes out during a show, things don’t look good for the group as their relationship falls apart.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
This week was very heavy, I won’t lie. More so in episode 15 than #14 but we’ll get to that. First with the more happy subject.
In episode 14, IDOLiSH7 is very hyped to be given the chance to prove themselves and come back from the fiasco that was Music Festa. They are set to perform along with TRIGGER. They meet in the hall and they root for one another with less tension than implied. TRIGGER is in danger of not performing because Yaotome got in a fight with studio heads. Meanwhile, IDOLiSH7 performs and does very well, even with the TRIGGER fans in the audience. After the performance, the crew comes and tells Tsumugi and the boys about the TRIGGER situation and ask them to perform in their place. The phone call between Gaku and His father is unsuccessful and IDOLiSH7 performs in their place. The fans don’t take it very well but they soldier on anyway. In their performance of the TRIGGER single that was stolen from them the trio figure that it’s not a coincidence that it fits them very well. There’s a confrontation with the man who stole their song and they finally find out how it was stolen.
I7 did very well in their performances even while under pressure from the TRIGGER fans who understandably wanted to see the ones they paid money for. The first one was animated in a lesser quality than their previous performances but I liked it just fine. The second one where they stand in for TRIGGER was lacklustre at best. Most of the time they were just clapping with their mouths open when they were supposed to be singing lyrics so that got to me a bit after a while.
I really like how we get to see more of TRIGGER in this episode after them being absent for the last few episodes. We get a bit more of their relationship and their passion for their fans despite company standards. Gaku tries very hard to get his father to let them perform but relents when there’s no way out of it unless he wants to lose his credibility. His dad even gives him the “the fans don’t let you sing, I do. I have the power over you, not them” stuff and it says a lot about how he runs the company. I was sincerely hoping that they would jump out and perform regardless but the fact that they don’t do that conveys the restraints that are put on them by their company and how little freedom they truly have. I think Gaku is rooting for them because they are gaining the same amount of success with even less than his production company gives his group.
I found it interesting that Yotome and Takanashi productions have more of a connection than that of rivals; Sousuke and Otoharu have history and very different ways of going about producing idols. From what I could glean from their conversation is that they both loved the same woman, Tsumugi’s mother, but Otoharu ended up with her instead of Sousuke. He even says that he could have made her happier and that Otoharu was the reason she had an early grave. Their dynamic doesn’t go much beyond that other than Otoharu believing that making idols is about making people happy rather than controlling them like Sousuke does, but I like how there’s a personal aspect to it. It makes it more interesting to me and Gaku overhearing gives him more of a connection with Tsumugi. I don’t ship her with anyone but I appreciate Gaku in any case.
I think Tenn is finally starting to realize the work that Riku is putting into his dreams and in IDOLiSH7 as their centre. He mentions it while they watch I7 perform in their place. I really look forward to them making up.
Episode 15 is where it all goes downhill. The end of the opening theme shows them all looking sad with Riku looking into the camera a preview of what’s to come. Lots of tabloids are revealing facts and fiction and it puts a strain on the boys in IDOLiSH7. Mitsuki and Riku remark on how they don’t gather to rehearse together anymore, Yamato might quit being an idol to pursue acting and Iori has made comment in an article that made Mitsuki insecure. They fight after Tsumugi announces she has her drivers license. She accredits it to them being busy. Gaku shows up and wants to talk with her. They talk about their families and she reveals that their song was stolen. It’s suspected that all this press has Yaotome behind it. The show that Tamaki agreed to be on that promised to find his sister brings in his father instead and he makes a scene causing another fight later. Gaku tells the others about what he’s learned and what he might do. They have a moment of discussion. Tsumugi rushes into the somber scene to tell them they have been nominated for the JIMA Best New Artist award to no response. Banri and the president come in to congratulate and Takanashi notices the mood of the room and declares them disbanded because they have lost their passion.
First, let’s talk about how hard it was to watch the relationship between these boys that has built up for 15 episodes just fall apart in a matter of 20-ish minutes. It was heartbreaking to see them like this, giving in to the gossip and the press. Mitsuki was insecure because Iori had done an interview where he said that he was only there because he rode in on Iroi’s coattails. He had always been considered mediocre compared to his brother and that printed in a magazine hurt him. It was especially worse when he went and asked Banri about this who said it was true; that if he hadn’t already had potential he wouldn’t have been scouted with his brother. This comes up again during that fight after Tsumugi tells them she will be able to drive them to work where he accuses Iori of looking down on him. Yamato is revealed to be the lovechild of a famous actor, which he still denies, but it comes up during an argument as well. Iori admits that they should have known something like this would happen once they entered this industry but it doesn’t seem to help matters. When Tamaki shut down and lashed out during the taping of the television show I believe that was the nail in the coffin for our boys as we know them up until now. Not even Riku and Nagi trying to keep everyone together and getting along couldn’t stop the inevitable; Takanashi disbanding them. I sincerely hope they aren’t disbanded by the end of this series. It would be a welcome exception to every other happy ending narrative idol shows are known for, but at this point, if that happened I would feel like my time has been wasted rooting for them. I’m sure they can come back from this but this was a blow to my heart for sure. The moment they were disbanded was meant to be a cliff-hanger for sure, but it was almost too abrupt. No discussion just: “you don’t have the passion anymore when you’re so close to your goal of the award? Disbanded. Done. Over. Good day, sir.” I’m just nitpicking but it was almost too much after all we had been through already.
The moment Gaku, Tenn, and Ryu have is amazing. I truly love the relationship they have outside of being idols, or rather, the one they will have leading away from this revelation. Before telling them that their song was one stolen from I7 he declares that he will quit because he will punch his dad if he finds out he was behind it. Ryu and Tenn are confused and want to know why but he refuses to tell them. Tenn understands because they are only business partners but Ryu stops them. He recounts that they are friends that have always worked together and will always work together. Basically, he’s trying to convince them that they are more than business partners and that they can have a more personal relationship and that’s when Gaku finally tells them about the origin of their song. I began this series thinking I would hate these three, that they would be dastardly, cartoonish villains that want to stay on top without letting anyone get in their way. I expected them to try and stop I7 every step of the way but I have been surprised. Gaku encourages and roots for their success, Tenn is finally acknowledging Riku’s hard work, albeit from afar, and now they have accepted that they can be friends as well as business partners. I really love the direction TRIGGER has gone throughout the series.
The conversation Gaku has with Tsumugi is very raw and I like it as well. We learn that his parents are divorced and that his mother always said that his father was in love with someone else. He always assumed it was an affair but it’s clear that his father was still in love with the woman that was Tsugumi’s mother. She doesn’t remember much of her mother since she died when she was very young. It was a good way to develop these characters and give some more backstory to the both of them, though more to Gaku.
We also got a moment similar to this when Tamaki sees his father again. The host believed it would be a heartwarming moment but this was done without the knowledge of their history. His father left and this had a hand in the disappearance of his sister. I knew that they wouldn’t actually have his sister at that point in the episode. It was very close to the end and even if it was her, I would have hoped for maybe even a cliff-hanger to have her revealed in the next episode. I hope they do find her before the end, or even reveal that the red-haired fan they keep showing is his sister. That theory still stands because she is the only fan they show consistently. Time will tell.
In Summary:
These two episodes had me on an emotional rollercoaster, especially the 15th one but it was well done. The boys redeemed themselves, TRIGGER became even more humanized. We learned many things and the hope still remains that they will not truly be permanently disbanded.
Grade: B-
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
