These specials tell you how many days are left until the Seisho festival so I know for a fact that this special takes place a couple weeks after the first one. And yet, it appears that Karen is still practicing baseball? Knowing Revue Starlight, I can see this being symbolic, what with Hikari seemingly making some social home runs in these specials. This could also just be a visual running gag. Either way, what the hell is Karen doing with that baseball bat? Like, shouldn’t she be practicing for the play?
Anyway, this special has Junna stumbling upon an argument between Maya and Hikari regarding the character of Claire in “Starlight”. Having played Claire before, Maya believes the character’s most defining trait to her resilience, as noted in her climbing the tower and trying to recover her memories. Maya feels that Hikari’s performance doesn’t emphasize this, hence the argument they’re having. Hikari then explains her interpretation of the character. She instead believes that what defines Claire the most is her relationship with Flora, how grateful to have Flora by her side through thick and thin and how much she wants to repay that kindness. In the end, Maya concedes that Hikari’s take is just as valid as hers.
I’m not surprised that Hikari and Maya have very different interpretations on Claire. When you consider their respective arc, you can see how they’d reach their respective conclusions. Maya felt she had to reach for the top alone so naturally, she’s put a lot of value in Claire’s individual strength. Meanwhile, Hikari owes a lot to Karen for inspiring her on her path as a Stage Girl and convincing her not to give up on their shared dream. She’d of course put greater emphasis on how Claire feels about Flora.
It’s nice to learn how Maya is dealing with not being Claire again. The show kind of glosses over the fact that Maya was about to reprise as the character until Hikari came back and she got the role instead. I can picture Maya respecting Group B’s decision but at the same time, it’s hard to picture her accepting it completely. Finding out that she had some reservations feels more in line with her character. I also like how comical her frustration can get. At one point, Maya flat out screams how annoyed she is to not be in a lead role. It’s very out of character for her to do but because it’s atypical, I completely believe her aggravation.
As for Junna, she serves as the middle man in the entire conflict. It actually feels pretty intentional to have Junna here. When Revue Starlight started, she was very envious of her peers and she overworked herself into getting better. Compare that to now where she’s just happy with the opportunity given to her and she wants to make the most out of it. She of course would like a more prominent role but she’s not as impatient as she used to be. Junna doesn’t have much of a stake on how Claire should be portrayed but her humility makes her perfect as the mediator between her friends.
Xenodude Scribbles 