What They Say:
“Scandal”
Following their TV program, WUG makes smooth progress on the road to idoldom by appearing on a radio program and beginning work on their second song. However, as word of their activity spreads, people begin sharing less than kind words about former I-1 Club member Mayu.
Content: (please note that the content portion of a review may contain spoilers)
The story gets a text-based start this time as the bespectacled fan we’ve seen off and on in past episodes takes part in an online discussion about Mayu being a part of the new idol group. While he’s excited, he’s shocked to discover that not only are other fans unhappy about this, they’re angry that Mayu would dare attempt idolhood again. This links back to other moments where Mayu looked uncomfortable talking about fans, and we get hints that her break with I-1 may have had something to do with a supposed boyfriend.
Mayu refuses to talk about quitting I-1, even with her new friends, but the problems she’s having are hardly secret. Miyu has also been reading the online discussion, and the groups’ managers and songwriters acknowledge that she must have a lot of past issues that she unfortunately has to deal with now that she’s in a group again.
While the other girls and the adults are content to let Mayu talk about it when she feels like, the wider public isn’t so happy about that. Suzuki, a creepy reporter we saw smirking at the end of last episode, calls President Tange about a fake idol documentary, saying he wants to interview the girls. Unsurprisingly, it’s a trick to force Mayu into revealing why she really left the group. A man? Scandal with other members? Mayu (again unsurprisingly) keeps tightlipped, but the other characters’ reactions are pretty satisfying. First, Tange and Matsuda show they actually know how to protect their clients as Tange punches Suzuki and boots him out, while Matsuda quickly pulls Mayu away from them. And the girls react in a pleasantly non-catty way; though Mayu won’t talk to them, and Suzuki said they wouldn’t exist if she wasn’t in the group, they aren’t annoyed at her or jealous that they’re perceived as less-than compared to her. Instead, they decide they have to work harder so they can get better, and agree together that it must be very hard to be in Mayu’s situation.
In Summary
Not much seemed to happen in this episode, but the story still moved along as bit by bit some things came to light. More of the secret behind Mayu leaving I-1 is revealed, and though Mayu is obviously not ready to talk about it, it may soon be time for the full story to come out. The ability of the other characters to support their friends starts to shine out, too, as none of them pressure her to talk about these problems, even though it’s becoming clear that her history will affect the way Wake Up, Girls! is perceived in the public eye. This maybe lessens the group drama, but that kind of conflict is annoying more times than not, and the girls are realizing they might have their own problems to focus on if this is what happens when you’re in the entertainment business. And besides, as the I-1 group prepares to come to Sendai, and one girl vows to crush Mayu, we may soon be getting all the girl drama we can handle.
Grade: B-
Streamed by: Crunchyroll
Review Equipment: 13″ Apple Macbook set to 720p
