Given the ending of Episode 5, one would naturally think that Episode 6 would follow up on it. Surprisingly, that is not the case. Instead, Jellyfish focuses on Miiko/Shizue Baba (Sumire Uesaka), the struggling idol from way back in Episode 1 and the one whose livestream Kano and Yoru hijacked to kick off JELEE’s career. It’s a baffling change of pace but what’s even crazier is that this show actually gets away with it.
As Kano struggles to write lyrics for a new song (I’m convinced her feelings towards Yoru has something to do with it), Kiui reveals that JELEE has received a commission from Miiko. Upon meeting Miiko, JELEE learns that the idol is actually not 17 years old as she claims but is instead 31. Considering that a lot of anime characters don’t look their age, I’m both surprised and unsurprised at the same time. Anyway, because Miiko is so “old” and unpopular, she risks getting fired from her talent agency so she asks JELEE to create a new song for her next gig. To coerce the girls into helping her, Miiko brings up the fact that Kano and Yoru hijacked her livestream as a stepping stone for JELEE’s career. That’s a bit of a slimy move for an adult to make but Miiko isn’t wrong that JELEE took advantage of her so the girls should do her a favor.
While shadowing Miiko to get ideas for the song, JELEE learns that Miiko is a single mother with a daughter named Ariel (Nao Tōyama). The mother and daughter relationship between Miiko and Ariel is really heartwarming. I kind of expected Miiko to stay as a joke character but I find myself rooting for her instead. You can’t help but admire the fact that she perseveres through her idol career while also managing to raise her daughter. As for Ariel, I love that she isn’t too resentful or embarrassed over her mother. There’s a little bit of that in this episode. Ariel is initially embarrassed to wear the cutesy outfits her mother makes for her and some of her classmates use Miiko’s career to pick on her. In spite of all that however, Ariel is still supportive of her mother.
At home, Kano confides to Yoru via voice chat that she’s stunned at the happy and stable relationship Miiko and Ariel have. She then admits in retrospect that her relationship with her own mother was more businesslike than familial. I appreciate that this episode acknowledges that Kano would have a stronger reaction than the others upon seeing Miiko with Ariel. Plus, this is an organic way for Kano to elaborate more on her past.
This scene is also the only time Episode 6 brings up the kiss from last episode. Yoru brings it up to steer Kano away from thinking over her estranged relationship with her mother. It’s insane for the show to not address the kiss in greater detail but the fact it is acknowledged suggests that this plot thread is far from over. I must say, between Yoru’s pose when she asks about the kiss and Kano fumbling her way into giving an answer, it’s hard not to think that there is something romantic going on between them.
The next day, Ariel talks to JELEE about how her mother inspired her to be less introverted, something which Mei relates with. In the flashback, Ariel even has the same hairstyle as Mei did before her makeover so the connection is definitely deliberate. Realizing that they’re in the same boat, Ariel asks Mei about what she should do when people make fun of her mother. Recalling her experience as Nonoka’s fan, Mei encourages Ariel to stand tall and continue being Miiko’s top otaku (TO). The timing of this scene does feel a little conspicuous. By giving us an earnest reminder of Mei’s feelings towards Kano/Nonoka after the kiss scene last episode, you feel compelled to wonder if the show is actually framing it as romantic and not just bait for yuri fans. Regardless of that, it’s very fitting and sweet of Mei to give Ariel advice on how to support her mother’s idol career. And while I do find Mei funny, it’s nice to see her in a more dramatic scene again.
On the day of the concert, Ariel visits a shrine with her friends. Here, she decides to wear one of the outfits Miiko made for her, showing that she’s taking Mei’s advice to heart. While at the shrine, some boys pick on her, even going as far as post nasty comments on Miiko’s videos. Miiko gets notified by the comments and figures out what’s going on, prompting her to bail out of her gig to find Ariel. What a wonderful character this woman is. Her career is in jeopardy but she chooses to make sure her daughter is okay instead.
My one nitpick with the resolution is that it’s kind of dumb of Miiko to sit down and watch Ariel from a distance once she gets to the shrine. That kind of detracts from her taking the initiative earlier. I do however get why the show has Miiko do that. It’s so that Ariel gets her moment to shine, telling the bullies to piss off and declaring herself as her mother’s TO (thereby echoing Mei’s advice once again). Having Miiko immediately come to the rescue would make more sense but by delaying it a bit, the episode satisfies both hers and Ariel’s arcs. I do like that when Miiko does step in, she commits to her idol persona and acts unfazed to the criticism, which unnerves the bullies more than if she just yelled at them.
Because Miiko bailed, JELEE is forced to perform in her stead. No new song this time around. JELEE instead performs “Saikyou Girl”, the insert song/ED from Episode 3. The reuse of the song is actually a very apt choice as its theme of overcoming anything suits what Miiko and Ariel are doing in parallel. To maintain their anonymity, the girls claim to be a JELEE copycat band. That’s a very flimsy cover considering that Kano uses the same voice and the only disguises she and the others have are different outfits and hairstyles but whatever. Really, the more pressing question to ask is what the hell is Yoru doing onstage? I get Kano, Mei and Kiui but Yoru? As the artist in the group, she doesn’t have to perform with everyone. I can only assume that Kano looked at Yoru with some puppy eyes and convinced her to join. Whatever the case may be, I’m glad Yoru is onstage because she is killing it with that triangle. Between this and the play in Episode 3, I’m noticing that Yoru has to sacrifice her dignity throughout the story and I now hope that this trend never ends.
Thanks to JELEE’s impromptu concert, Miiko actually has enough time to come back to the gig and perform. Before she begins however, Miiko reveals her identity to her fans, including her actual age and the fact that she has a daughter. This is really surprising to me. I get that Miiko wants to be more honest with herself but knowing idol culture, I don’t think she was entirely wrong for lying about herself. It at least made sense for her to hide the fact that she has a daughter. Even if it was mostly for the idol persona, it must’ve kept the number of people who would pick on Ariel to just the handful we saw earlier in the episode. It just seems risky for Miiko to reveal so much about herself. I also have a hard time believing that this barely puts a dent in her career and if anything, she’s more popular than she ever was before. Then again, I suppose Miiko keeping her secrets would go against what we’ve seen with the main characters. All four of them are honest with themselves so it wouldn’t be right for Miiko to not end up the same. And since Miiko has revealed herself, I’d rather have things go well for her and Ariel than to see her get punished for it.
Watch Jellyfish Can’t Swim in the Night on HIDIVE
Xenodude Scribbles 