Wake Up, Girls! Episode 9
Sensuifu: So the truth comes out and Kaya is the first to know about it. Turns out Mayu’s fear of explaining herself was mitigated by Kaya’s own personal story, one that encouraged to keep trying, to never give up. Mayu’s reaction to it all though, was truly atypical of confessions commonly seen with tears flowing from all characters involved. Here, it was surreal…in a good sense. No tear was shed; no heavy, sympathetic melodramatic embracing- Just straight talk, albeit honestly, even some teary-eyed response (considering what Mayu had mentioned about her family falling apart, I-1’s plot to dump her, etc.) wouldn’t be misplaced.
Then again, the scene couldn’t have been better considering the two characters involved..both level-headed, grounded, and ‘tough’ in their own right. Mayu’s pretty strong to confide in Kaya without letting the past emotions overcome her new goals. It’s this almost selfish sense of duty to challenge herself that keeps her backbone straight, almost identical to what Kaya and likely the rest, aspire to. And Nanami refocusing her efforts to WUG wasn’t a surprise, though it was cute how she decided to tear up her angst in front of everyone. All the girls can thank her for the skinship time as a result. I think she may be my favorite of the group.
Hitsugi Amachi: That’s definitely the thing about these two. Kaya, from the start, has been portrayed as tough, working all sorts of demanding, physically-intensive jobs and this episode we finally learned why: she’s been on her own since her parents died and she decided to leave her remaining family and hometown because of the depressing aftermath of the tsunami. I was slightly surprised that they were willing to go there, by which I mean the anime production team confronted the tsunami aftereffects head on. They didn’t linger on the destruction that is still apparent in the real world even today, but they didn’t hide it or airbrush it away either.
I agree it makes sense to have these two talk, because Mayu too has a backbone of steel. She was willing to stand up to Shiraki, something we’ve seen that the other girls in I-1 never do. While I think Shiraki is the type who hates being questioned, one almost wonders if he also doesn’t have the slightest grudging admiration for her as well. He calls all of the girls just by their numbers, even the leading members, but he briefly addressed Mayu as a human being when he commented “Your name is Shimada, isn’t it?” And this may explain why he thinks that WUG has potential. He wanted Mayu out of I-1 because she would not be an automaton and obey him unflinchingly, but he knows full well her discipline, iron will, and talent. It really is true that there is no WUG without Mayu, but once the other girls get fully committed and put in the training necessary to reach the top (but without the dehumanizing atmosphere that Shiraki creates for I-1), it won’t be a one-girl outfit any longer.
I guess the real surprise is the true origin of Mayu’s removal from the group. Shiraki’s fixed contest (we’ll probably not see the exact details, but it’s not unlikely that she was given the less appealing of the two singles that I-1 released that week) because of her defiance, no real scandal or even fake scandal involving dating.
I wonder where the show will end the season. Perhaps at this idol contest?
Sensuifu: Possibly. Not sure how far the girls’ progress will be by the time the contest comes around, but giving the pacing, it should turn out fine.
Nork22: I admit I got teary eyed when Kaya manages to open up Mayu’s pent up secret. The nature of the idol business was rather harsh as they are idols first before they are human beings just shows how black the entertainment industry is (not just Japan mind you), and that going against it is like making enemies of both the people you work with and eventually your fans). Anyway like Sensuifu said, both are rather “mature” so they didn’t really need to go crying too much and just shed a couple of tears to acknowledge the pain they went through. Then the rest of the group make their presence known and the bonds start to strengthen (and in a cramp bath). Funny how Nanami tears up the flyer for the music school only to have to be told off for littering.
Also with the show showcasing the small towns that were hit by the tsunami, makes you appreciate that while it was a terrible tragedy, people have the resolve to continue on with their lives and slowly rebuild what is lost. Maybe I should visit Sendai while I make plans for my upcoming holiday.
Anyway, after all this, Kaya is still number 1 for me, with Mayu now moving up to second.
bctaris: Given the production’s focus on portraying in painstaking detail the environs of Sendai and the surrounding region, it was maybe inevitable they would go up north a bit and show actual images of the aftermath. But I wasn’t sure if they were going to. Or make it part of at least one of the characters. (Those backgrounds were the real deal, like a lot in the show. All the empty lots of ruined buildings having been bulldozed away, waiting for new development that may or may not come.) I liked, too, the obvious symbolic touch with the buoy, surviving the disaster (and coming home), same as Kaya.
But, hell, first anime series in the past couple years to actually acknowledge any of that, let alone show it?
Sensuifu: Yeah, the depiction of Kaya’s return to the devastated area was surprising. It was probably rough on the scouts to have gathered those source materials, if it was indeed on-site. I can understand there are some common courtesies regarding photo-ops, so I’m wondering how the locals might’ve felt with ‘tourists’ around. Still, I like what they did in the show; and yeah it does appear that WUG could be the first anime to incorporate this part of history into its story. I’m curious what reaction Japanese fans have in regards to this.
bctaris: Everyone in Japan would be used to the images they used here. Nothing shocking. I recognized it all immediately–this is stuff relayed internationally for almost three years now: those cleared, empty tracts are stark, but they’re not as shocking as what was there just after the tsunami, which was the complete devastation. (Kesennuma, where this episode is set, was hardly the only town along the coast there used for footage in the aftermath; people have probably seen much more of Miyako, in Iwate, to the north.) And I’m sure ‘tourists’ of all stripes have come around the region–except around Fukushima, maybe–fairly regularly. Remember that this was a big economic disaster, too. Any attention, like from the weird hordes of pilgrimage otaku is welcome there, even in larger cosmopolitan Sendai to the south, which was hit hard, too.
That’s the thing–this isn’t only the first serious recognition of the Touhoku earthquake by setting something in or around Miyagi or Iwate, it’s pretty much the first thing set even in Sendai. (Three years this Wednesday, by the way. Methinks this episode airing this past week was just a wee bit intentional. But good for them.)
