Now that she’s officially a part of Poppin’Party, Sāya is need of a new drum kit so the band pay Edogawa Music another visit. While Kasumi buys herself a distortion pedal, Sāya finds a drum kit to her liking and fortunately for her, Rii reveals that students can get a discount on it. The more I see Rii, the more I can’t help but notice how often she interacts with her demon plush, Debeko, either by talking with it or even talking as it. I think what amuses me about this quirk is that it still doesn’t make Rii the most eccentric member of Glitter☆Green, not when you have Hinako around.
While hanging out with everyone at Arisa’s place, Kasumi brings up her desire to have Poppin’Party perform at Space. Coincidentally, Tae learns in a text message that one of the Space’s staff members had to call in sick after contracting influenza, leaving Owner to run the venue by herself. Despite the Owner’s reservations about having new staff on short notice, she agrees to let all of Poppin’Party work at Space for the day so that the next liveshow can still happen. Kasumi, Arisa, and Sāya manage the food court while Rimi and Tae help the Owner run the stage equipment. As you may have noticed, the talk of Space closing down from the last episode is put aside for now though it briefly comes up again when Tae notices that Space’s schedule is completely empty after a certain date.
After showing Poppin’Party some of the ropes, the two bands for the liveshow arrive for sound check and rehearsal. Glitter☆Green is of course one of the bands and we get introduced to a new one, Roselia. I forgot to mention it before but this scene is where the show formally confirms that Nanana, the student council president, is the black-haired member of Glitter☆Green. She just happens to take off her glasses and change her hairstyle when she performs. I actually thought I was going a little crazy over this because I assume Nanana is part of Glitter☆Green since you see her hang around Yuri and the others but the show didn’t outright confirm it until now so I couldn’t help but second guess. As for Roselia, their appearances are minor this season but they’re actually one of the major bands in Bandori. I believe they later show up more prominently in Seasons 2 and 3 as well as their own film duology so they’re definitely a group of characters to keep an eye on.
Tae has mentioned before that Owner is strict but kind though this episode is really where we get the best glimpse at Owner’s character. She’s definitely a stern lady, often calling out any of the girls in Poppin’Party when they mess up, goof around, or show a bit of attitude. At the same time however, she appears patient enough to show them how things are done in the live house and there are a couple of times where she offers some advice when the girls start to get anxious. By far, the most notable example of the Owner’s kindness is when Roselia’s bassist, Lisa (Yurika Endō), has a breakdown over one or two mistakes during the band’s performance. The Owner reminds Lisa that a flawless performance isn’t necessarily for a great live show and that she should instead be proud of what she and the rest of Roselia has accomplished instead. It’s unusually direct advice from the Owner but it’s that directness that conveys how understanding the Owner is and how well she knows her talent to best help them.
Following the live show, Kasumi becomes even more determined to perform at Space so she and the others decide to audition the following week. During the audition however, Poppin’Party fails to impress Owner. My personal headcanon is that the Owner doesn’t pass them out of spite for that “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” performance six episodes ago. Joking aside, you can tell from girls’ expressions and some deliberate mistakes in the music that they’re dropping the ball and they don’t sound as good as their previous performance. Really, the Owner makes the right verdict here. A particularly interesting moment here is when the Owner asks the band if they themselves think they did well. The question alone telegraphs that the band didn’t meet up to her standards and almost everyone agrees they didn’t, except for Kasumi. It’s the kind of response I’d expect from her but the more I think about it, the more I feel concerned for Kasumi. In her mind, she probably thinks failing the audition is typical but while that is an understandable assumption, it also means she’s not likely to figure out what to improve on for the next round. For once, Kasumi’s ability to keep her high might not be to her benefit. Further complicating this issue is Owner confirming to Poppin’Party that she is closing down Space. If the band wants to perform at Space they have to nail the audition and they can’t exactly trial and error their way out.
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