Skip Beat 05-07 ~Matsunai Ruriko Arc~

Hooray for bitch fights!

.

I decided that because of my packed schedule and the fact that the story is progressing very much like the manga that I will be posting Skip Beat in arc instead of per episode. Nothing much ever really happens per episode until a specific arc is finished anyway.

.

Episode 5 ~Danger Zone~

.

The pink I get. The heart… *shudder*

.

Kyoko was taken by Sawara into the president’s office where she was “officially” inducted into the Love Me Group where, even without any confidence that she has what it takes to be loved, she expressed her determination to get back the precious emotion. She was given her work uniform (pink!) and was asked to clean a floor filled with gum from the auditions. Because of her obsessive personality, she overdoes itand so many people ended up slipping, earning her only 10 points from Sawara. So she starts over at 0.

.

I always lol when Shou’s overinflated ego pops up.

.

In another part of town, Shou was waiting for his manager to come around with the car when he encountered Ren. He wanted to make his presence known to him as the next big thing and knowkced down the ashtray just right before Ren passed by. There were strange vibes between the two of them. But Ren just took it all in stride, telling him that things like that would happen and that he should clean up the things he dropped and walked away. So that would be Ren – 1, Shou – 0.

.

I believe in giving your all in the job that you’re given. But I really believe that there are some things that are just beyond your job description.

.

While she moped about it, she meets the latest idol of LME, Matsunai Ruriko, who she ends up tagging around with to a shoot. The car that broke down on the way to the shoot and Kyoko went with Ruriko uphill, vowing to protect her because she saw her as some kind of delicate princess – also because she believed that Ruri is allergic to UV rays. Ruri is generally a brat who got tired after walking five minutes so Kyoko ends up carrying her until she fell with a swollen ankle. Ruri left her and went to the location by herself. Kyoko was later found by Ren, who carried her to the shoot.

.

Episode 6 ~Invitation to the Ball~

.

I think the real reason why she’s so adamant about him carrying her is because of where his left hand is.

.

Kyoko’s ankle was treated by Yashiro, Ren’s manager, and Ruri was fuming over the fact that Kyoko got there carried by Ren in a princess cradle. Actually, Ruri as more pissed that fact that she only agreed to be int eh film because she was told that Ren was the one who wanted her there, but he never so much as greeted her when she arrived.  She took out her anger at Kyoko and told her that she had no respect for the kiss-ass member of Love Me and wants to defeat her. It turns out that the reason why Ruri was being treated so shabbily by everyone was because everyone was in on teaching her a lesson, as instigated by the President – that included her manager, the director and Ren.

.

I love crushing setdowns on unpunctual people!

.

Anyway, Ruri couldn’t get a break with the director and kept making excuses about the things that he would point out as NG, most of it because she’s new at acting. Then Ruri pointed out at Kyoko because since they’re both new at acting, she should be able to get the satisfaction of the director. Kyoko accepted the challenge and uses the skills that she learned working at Sho’s family’s inn to portray a well-mannered young lady. But of course, her swollen ankle was suffering because of the walking that she’s doing. Ren looked after her leg and told her to give up because the next scene was a tea ceremony scene where she will be forced to sit on her ankle.

.

…because most sensible people would go to the hospital on swollen ankles that’s obviously turning into fractures.

.

Ruri is still bratting away because she’s not getting her way – especially since she was always pacified and looked after by everyone when she declares that she qill quit. She and Kyoko got into a cat fight when Kyoko confirmed that Ruri was not really allergic to UV rays and she got injured in order to protect her. Anyway, Ruri got an NG rom the director because she kept on looking at Ren and forgot her lines so he wanted to get to Kyoko instead.

.

Episode 7 ~Princess Revolution~

.

.

At Kyoko’s turn for the tea ceremony scene, Kyo was on all fours being told by Ren that even though he admired her perseverance, she should just give up already because she wouldn’t be able to perform anyway. Kyoko said that she will be fine was “Action!” was said. And she did, giving off the aura of a refined young lady without a hint of pain in the scene that even Ren took her seriously and the director explained to Ruri that you have to be serious in order for Ren to take you seriously too. Ruri started reminiscing about the time when she was just starting out at show business and the dedicated she showed compared to how she was now.

But the pain was getting to her and Kyoko ouldn’t focus anymore. But she kept telling herself what Shou’s mother always told her about bearing everything until the guest leaves. Everyone noticed it and told her to stop, but she wouldn’t until Ren stepped off the platform where she promptly fainted. Ruri went to the director and asked for a second chance even if it irks her that everything will be done according to the satisfaction of the director.

.

Let’s both not be too astonished about giving and receiving 100 points.

.

Kyoko just got back from the hospital where the crack on her swollen ankle has became a fracture and was given 100 points by Ruri. After that, as a consolation prize for not getting the role (which she will never get anyway because the director had no choice but to have Ruri as the lead), the director treated her to a photo to celebrate her first make-up experience (what???). She said that she was glad that she lost because that was not to full extent of her ability and she couldn’t live with it if she fell into a trap set by Ren. But the director just assured her that Ren was taking her seriously while acting but she just thought he was being mean to her.

.

I too would talk more to the glasses character than the bishonen.

.

The director requested that Ren (and Yashiro) escort her back to her room. She was animatedly talking to Yashiro but completely ignoring Ren, who was acting as if he didn’t care. Then when the topic turned to the tea ceremony, she started thinking back to the training she received from Shou’s mother, which generally implied that the reason why she was being taught was because she was being prepared to be the next okami of the inn (Shou’s family owned) and was equivalent to being groomed for being Shou’s bride. She got frustrated about it she fell on the ground and Ren escorted her back like a proper gentleman would. She didn’t want to remove the make-up but was reminded of Shou’s cosmetic commercial and had it removed. The next day, she told them that the reason she fell the night before was not because of the pain but because she remembered “him”. She got -10 points from Ren and screamed bloody murder.

.

Thoughts:

This is what I expected Jigoku Shoujo to be like.

.

Part of the reason why I will be posting Skip Beat! into arcs rather than episodes is because I already read the manga (well, as far as chapter 131 – the latest chapter to come out) so I don’t find anything cliffhanger-y anymore per episode. ~Which by the way reminds me… While I have no particular complaints about the episodes themselves, I really think the series is moving too slowly. There’s no info on how many episodes this show’s gonna be – unless that said it in the Japanese website but I can’t read Japanese so that’s all shot to hell. Anyway, I just think this show’s way too slow if there’s only gonna be 20++ episodes… I wonder how far will they go with the manga and how much of it gonna be an anime-only plotline. I’m actually really hoping for 52 episodes because that would be heaven it would really cover the more interesting aspects of the manga. This is already episode 7 and they’ve only covered 14 or so chapters and it’s becoming quite a “When’s the next part gonna come?”.

.

.

I actually find this to be one of the funnest arcs. For one thing, the KyokoXRen shipping starts here because he will regularly be appearing in the series more rather than just the short small scenes on the prior episodes. Not that I will be expecting him the next episode either anyway since it will be more of a Maria episode… I hope that arc lasts only 1 episode because I don’t really see the point of dragging it on for two or more episodes.

.