Episode 11
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It's almost like you caught something I missed last episode, but then they made it much more obvious in this one!
Quote Originally Posted by neflight86 View Post
I do always find Hijiri fascinating to watch, as we haven't seen her character shaping trauma/backstory yet, and I enjoy trying to fabricate reasons for her being... this way. It is telling that her response to being called out is that she isn't technically a villain because this is her natural personality, and she isn't outright trying to be abusive or abrasive. Of course, that appears to be lip service at surface observation, but if she is indeed psychopathic, this would explain her behavior well and make her a more interesting character down the road, perhaps..
Hijiri sure is a bitch about it, but even she gives helpful professional advice to her assigned kouhai. Ai low-key hates her mom, but also recognized that her mom gave her a lot of good acting advice over the years that Ai can use to be the "first across the finish line."

Ai's freight-train of thought is so freaking weird...

I like that Kaoru has become the motivational core for their group. She's got the ambition to kick the rest of her friends in the backside to get them up and running to their goals. Sawa is still super overly serious and formal, but Sarasa's corresponding demand for a "coming atcha!" handshake had me rolling.

Sarasa's boastful speech getting out of the bath gave me Sheryl Nome vibes (Sayonara no Tsubasa version, of course...right before Northern Cross). Seriously love how poofy her hair is outside of the pigtails. She's like Tsumugi's sheep from Amaama to Inazuma.

The difference in opinion between the male and female teachers was also quite telling and insightful, loved that short scene so much. They know what these girls are capable of doing to each other, even if the men had good intentions with the audition and changing the graduation festival in the first place.

Bwahaha, direct Glass Mask references practicing their lines in their room! Yay!

Seriously though, they definitely cast the two leads correctly. I'm stunned at the range of these two voice actresses. Actually, all of the main cast, but especially these two.

The shame is that this series is finally getting to what feels like the meat of what the cast is doing (stage acting!), but it's almost going to end for this season too.