So this is a bit unique. After having the spotlight in Episode 7, Nana gets it again here in Episode 9. I mentioned before that Nana seems to be the fan favorite out of the main nine and I think one reason as to why is because she seems to also be a favorite among Revue Starlight‘s own staff. Whereas Junna, Mahiru, and Kaoruko get the spotlight for one episode and the show moves on, Nana gets two episodes to herself. As a result, she has one of the most explored arcs apart from Karen and Hikari’s (which obviously takes center stage). I really like Nana so this presumed bias doesn’t bother me in the slightest. Plus, given the large scale of her arc, the show ought to make her the featured character for its conclusion.
Not to going lie, the opening scene of this episode is kind of funny. Pre-production for the second “Starlight” is in full swing and many of the characters are discussing what’s changed between this and the previous year’s performance. Meanwhile, cut to Nana, who looks like she needs to stare at a mirror and cry. Don’t get me wrong, this scene does a great job establishing that things aren’t going as Nana wants for the first time. I just can’t help but chuckle at everyone unintentionally throwing jabs at Nana’s dream.
Sometime after class, Hikari pulls out her copy of the book “Starlight” is based on, “The Starlight Gatherer”, and she proceeds to read to a very curious Karen. So finally, at the ninth episode out of twelve, we get to know what exactly the story within the story is about! It’s been a ridiculous wait but I suppose it’s better late than never. Parallel to this, we get to see the full performance of the first “Starlight” by the 99th class. It would’ve been cool to see the illustrations in the book in greater detail but showing the first performance is the right way to go. That helps hammer in the strong parallels between “Starlight” and the main characters’ own narrative.
The “Starlight Gatherer” and “Starlight” takes place in a faraway world and it revolves around two village girls, Claire (Maya) and Flora (Claudine). Claire and Flora have made a promise to meet each other every year during the village’s annual Star Festival. On her way home however, Claire loses her memories in an accident so when she meets Flora a year later, she doesn’t recognize her. Flora and Claire decide to climb up the Tower to the Star, where they can reach for the stars. If they can get a small star, they’ll get a bit of happiness. If they can get a large star, they’ll get a large fortune. If they have both, they can make a wish (and yes, it’s very intentional that the two stars resembles Hikari’s hair clip). At the tower, Claire and Flora encounter goddesses who have been trapped on the tower as punishment for their sins: Fury (Junna), Evasion (Kaoruko), Arrogance (Karen), Enchantment (Futaba), Jealousy (Mahiru), and Despair (Nana). Despite opposition from the goddesses, Flora and Claire manage to reach the top of the tower and they wish for Claire’s memories to be restored. While the wish works, Flora gets blinded from the stars and falls off the tower and the two are forever separated from each other.
As mentioned in previous posts, the plot of “Starlight” mirrors that of Revue Starlight itself and that’s made even more apparent now that the show has finally explained what the play is about. In particular, the play is very reminiscent of Karen and Hikari’s story. Flora and Claire’s promise to meet each other again is akin to the eventual reunion between Karen and Hikari in the first episode. Claire forgetting who Flora is reminds me of how Hikari forgot about her promise with Karen while studying and fighting in London. Both Karen and Hikari are competing in the revues to become the Top Star, much like Flora and Claire’s dealings with the goddesses as they climb the Tower to the Star. Given the parallels however, one must also consider the ending of the play. In line with the opening scene of Episode 4 and Nana’s warning at the end of the last episode, “Starlight” ends in tragedy. Does this mean Hikari and Karen are doomed to suffer the same fate? It’s something to keep in mind as the show comes to an end.
In hindsight, it’s pretty ironic that Claudine and Maya are Flora and Claire in the first “Starlight”. I mean, Flora and Claire are best friends and that’s not necessarily true with Claudine and Maya, given their rivalry. Maya also hasn’t forgotten Claudine in any sort of way. If anything, she keeps Claudine in mind more than she lets on. It’s also worth noting that these two don’t necessarily share the same fate as the characters they play. Flora and Claire get separated by circumstance. Claudine and Maya on the other hand are estranged with one another by choice and they could reconcile if they want to.
Regarding the goddesses, I already mentioned in the Episode 7 review that their personalities match their respective actress. This episode makes even easier by naming every goddess after their trait, like Mahiru’s character being called the Goddess of Jealousy. The only role that doesn’t feel too accurate is Karen as Arrogance. Like, Karen was arrogant in Episode 3 for thinking she can take on Maya but I would call it her most defining trait. One role that is maybe not as self-explanatory by comparison to the others is Futaba as Enchantment (or Curse depending on the translation). It basically refers to the strong admiration she has for Kaoruko.
For the few times the episode shows the book, the text is actually written out. It’s not really worth pausing to read it. You’re already seeing the play acted out and only a few pages are shown anyway. One page that does stand out however is the very first one, where it more or less lists each goddess’s attribute as well as what their attribute was before their imprisonment. Each sentence mirrors the arc of the respective actress. For example, there’s the sentence, “When Jealousy was Affection”. This of course refers to Mahiru’s jealousy towards Hikari stemming from affection towards Karen. Mind you, the page ends up being a bit ironic given the arcs of the Stage Girls it alludes to. Like, Mahiru represents jealousy but she does revert back to affection by the end of Episode 5.
Atypical for the show, this non-revue scene is accompanied by an insert song titled “Hoshitsumi no Uta” (HIDIVE doesn’t provide an official English translation, but the song does translate to “The Song of Starlight Gathering”). It’s basically a song that sounds like something you’d hear if “Starlight” was turned into a musical, with Claudine singing as Flora and Maya as Claire. There’s a very sentimental tone to the play, which I think suits the theme of friendship in “Starlight” while also belying the tragic conclusion of the play. This song may actually sound familiar to you and that’s because it’s a vocal version of one of the show’s BGM tracks, “Hoshitsumi no Melody”, which has played a number of times at this point. For whatever reason, HIDIVE’s stream does not provide an official translation of the lyrics. From what I can tell from fan translations, the song has Claire and Flora talk about making a wish upon the stars, even brining up the whole small star and large star stuff mentioned in the play.
Parallel to Storytime, we see Nana look nostalgically at a shelved prop of the Tower to the Star from the first “Starlight”. It’s a very fitting image since it’s looking like Nana might not be able to wish herself back in time again. It’s a bit crazy of Nana to confess everything to Junna but I suppose that speaks to her confidence. She still thinks she can make her wish so it doesn’t matter if Junna knows the truth. I really like Junna’s reaction. She’s confused and maybe a bit horrified at what Nana has done but she’s still concerned for her friend.
There’s a brief yet important flashback early on in this scene that helps explain why Nana is so attached to the first “Starlight”. Apparently, Nana was part of her middle school’s drama club, only for it to go defunct after the other members moved onto other activities and Nana failed to gain new members. Once she enters Seisho, she finally gets what she’s been looking for: friends who all share the same passion as she does and executing a performance unlike any other she’s done before. It’s no wonder that Nana wants to travel back in time. She loves the feeling that first “Starlight” gave her and she’s afraid to see it fade it away like her past efforts did. Since she can actually cling onto this feeling, she’s afraid to know how the future will replace it. How differently will her friends be next year? Will the next “Starlight” even be better than the first? Will it ultimately all be in vain like it was for her old club? It’s a possibility she doesn’t want to risk seeing and winning the revues have allowed her to avoid it.
For the revue of the week, we have Nana versus Karen. I remember in my original episode reviews that I predicted that Nana would eventually come into conflict with Karen. Hikari’s presence at Seisho is a big change in the timeline but I’d argue that Karen is also an impetus. I couldn’t help but grin when Nana realizes this as well. According to her, Karen had participated in the previous timelines’ revues but she always ranked last. In the current timeline, Hikari takes Karen’s slot. And yet here we are, with Karen as the impromptu ninth contestant, with a couple wins under her belt, while also causing new developments to unfold as a result. If anyone has caused more ripples in the timeline than Hikari, it’s most definitely Karen and that naturally makes her the one Nana wants to fight the most.
The fight this time around is titled the “Revue of Bonds”. The name is very befitting for both duelists. Karen is motivated to audition because of her bond with Hikari and she’s proven to be a very kind friend to the others, as best demonstrated in her interactions with Junna and Mahiru. Nana is a bit more twisted with how she cherishes her friends, what with her repeating the same year to shield everyone from an unknown future, but you can’t deny that bonds are very important to her.
Coming off of the last revue, where Tokyo Tower plummeted into some water and it was the coolest thing ever, I figured it was entirely possible that the remaining fights in the show wouldn’t be as exciting. That said, it does feel like the show is scaling down from this point onward. This fight in particular is one of the shortest ones in the show. All Karen and Nana do are some sword slashes here and some heated dialogue there. Karen beats Nana pretty easily and while I knew Karen would win anyway, it does feel a bit anti-climatic at first. Even the stage seems awfully simplistic compared to the extravagant set pieces we’ve seen before. You have a recreation of the “Starlight” set (albeit with some props covered up), the 99th Seisho Festival’s logo etched into the floor, and the return of the blinding lights. That’s really about it. I wonder if the staff might gotten strapped for cash and/or time and the last couple of episodes took a hit as a result.
Mind you, I think the fight still works to good effect. The stage isn’t extravagant but given the inclusion of Nana, it makes a lot of sense that it would take the form of the first “Starlight” set. Much of the stage is covered up, as if they’re wasting space, is on point. It’s almost like Nana knows that deep down, it’s time to pack up and leave her dream behind. The inclusion of the 99th festival’s logo is a neat visual to show Nana clinging onto the past. Likewise, Karen stepping out of it and making it disappear is a cool way for her to convey her decision to preserve towards the future and to tell Nana that it’s time to move on.
I would have liked to see a more drawn out fight but it is fitting that Karen wins so quickly and so easily. A big part of Karen’s character is her desire to grow and evolve. She very much embraces the future so there is no way Nana could convince her otherwise. Karen might as well get straight to the point and be done with the fight. And because Karen is willing to move forward and evolve, she ought to shine a lot more than Nana. The show indicates that much by turning on the blinding lights at the end of the fight. Nana may be strong but I doubt she’s gotten stronger and at this point, I think it’s entirely plausible that Karen would have an easy time against her.
The insert song this time around is “The Bond of the Stars”. Since how quickly the fight goes, this song is likewise the shortest one in the show. It plays for just 3 minutes and 16 seconds, beating “Until the World is Turned to Ash” by 39 seconds. In this song, Nana sings about her refusal to let anyone interfere with her repeat performance and her desire to protect something that she holds dear. This is then countered by Karen, who argues to Nana that they must embrace the future so that they can grow, while also assuring her that their connection will remain the same. I really like the tone of this song. The first couple of notes has this distorted sting to them, which is then followed by a very intense verse accompanied by some eerie backup vocals, that sells Nana’s frustration and determination. But as Karen starts to win the revue, the song takes a more hopeful tone.
Following the revue, Junna helps Nana let go of the repeat performance of “Starlight” and accept the next one on the horizon. I’ve always appreciated the friendship between these two. It’s not the most prominent bond in the story but it is the most stable and least heated bond in the show. There have been a couple of scenes before with these two together but this scene is where they feel especially close with one another. I particularly like the part where Junna cites some quotes from famous writers and philosophers to help Nana. All of the quotes are applicable but what ultimately wins Nana over however is Junna’s own roll call for the revues, her own friend saying in her own words that she’ll face the future.
There’s a brief post-credit scene, in which an updated leaderboard for the revues is shown. It appears that the auditions are down to a final four: Maya in first place, Hikari in second, and Karen and Claudine tied for third. I’m not surprised to see Maya at the top. With Nana’s arc resolved, Maya ought to the next big rival. How exactly Karen and Claudine are tied is beyond me but the fact that they are tied is very intentional. I won’t spoil what the next revue is but you can probably take a good guess as to what it’ll entail based on these rankings. One thing I will say is that Revue Starlight is very on point with the last couple of matchups.
Watch Revue Starlight on HIDIVE
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