The big red button says, “you know what to do!”
What They Say:
Episode 8: “After the Rain”
Misa is back where she belongs, but what happened between her and Mamechiyo? And what is Shuten up to, anyway?
The Review
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
The evil Takumi group is at it again, why do they keep blowing everything up?
The girls reconvene after the kidnapping last week, and Ai is eager to get her hands on a stone for her assistance. Treated to snacks instead by Misa they head off for a maiko makeover and go out for a walk around town (loosing Yukina in the process, of course.) What exactly does Shuten want though? Everyone seems to want to know what his motivation is to interrupt the concert.
The ongoing mystery of the stones reveals that Chiaya’s mother needs to get as many as possible before the full moon. Is Chiaya going to turn into a weresquid permanently or something if her mom doesn’t do something before then?
The mystery, or legend, of the Rolling Girls is building in this episode. Chiaya’s camera can see right into a persons most cherished memories. Yes, Misa and Mamechiyo were friends once, but fame seems to have driven them apart. There’s a lot of symbolism in that split heart-shaped stone they both share. Mamechiyo makes off with Misa’s guitar pick then tosses her own pick and Misa’s into the river. Nozomi shows up just moments later and the whole group takes to the river to find the missing articles. Ai realizes they might not find the pick in time for the concert and heads for a stone disposal box to attempt to find a replacement.
Chiaya’s mom’s gofer arrives at the temple where Shuten has armed the mutli-armed deity statues inside with even more arms, courtesy of the Takumi group of course. There’s a back up detonator though, located somewhere nearby…
Of course the concert happens, and in the end the gods of rock smile down on Misa and Mamechiyo. It was Mamechiyo’s mother who warned Misa away from her daughter because she was distracting her from her studies. Mom didn’t think Misa would cut all contact. The girls manage to drive home the point that if Misa really didn’t care she wouldn’t have held on to the stone pick they share. Rolling Girls to the rescue, they get Mamechiyo to the concert on time to get the pick returned. In an explosive finally we get to see that the best rock concerts are always the ones you think you might die at. We even discover the secret identity of Chiaya’s mom’s gofer. Who knew?
As for Shuten? He didn’t have an ulterior motive, he was telling the truth. He just likes the spectacle and hates to be bored. Go figure.
In Summary:
The best episode of Rolling Girls since the opening salvo, Nozomi and friends may not be as flashy as the Bests but their hearts are in the right place. The rock concert finale is certainly the best the show has been since the start, and contrived as it may be I had a big smile on my face as Misa sang and explosions went off. Another case solved, or at least helped out a bit, by Nozomi and friends. Destined to be a mob indeed. There’s only two more towns and two more conflicts to resolve on this cross-country road trip. Will we discover just what Chiaya and the magic stones are before the final curtain falls?
Episode Grade: B +
Streamed by: Funimation
Review Equipment: 27” iMac running OS 10.10.1, via Safari 8.0.2, FIOS 15/5 Mbps connection. Your milage may vary.
