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A Deep Dive of the Junna-Nana Revue in the Movie, or why you really ought to believe in others more

The Revues in Revue Starlight can be difficult to understand.

Usually that’s because of all the imagery and music and symbolism coming at you simultaneously, but this one in particular is confusing because Nana is just so hard to understand. She is absolutely terrifying in the movie, and last time it was because she had to protect her reruns, but we don’t know why she’s doing it this time. And don’t get me wrong, we just had a whole thing where Mahiru chased Hikari with murderous intent, but that was acting! So we keep waiting for Nana to drop the act, but she never does! Even when Junna is crying and has lost the will to fight, Nana just leaves her behind like she doesn’t even care!? What’s going on? Nana is Junna’s biggest fan! What happened to Nana? What’s going on?

So this is my attempt to lay out everything going on and try to get a better understanding of what was going on with Junna and Nana throughout the movie. It’s also part of my series of deep dives into each of the movie’s Revues, and while it should be able to be read as a standalone thing, I will be analyzing the Revue of Annihilation in this one, so I may touch on the issues everyone else is dealing with as well.

So to start it off, let’s take a look at what Junna’s dealing with at the start of the movie.

And I gotta say, girlie is going through it.

Admittedly she seems fine at a glance, but literally her first scene has her own acting being overshadowed by Karen’s brilliant performance of someone who feels lost after their friend leaves them behind. And if we’re being real, that really says more about what Karen’s going through than anything about Junna’s actual ability, but can you blame her for being discouraged by this brilliant display of method acting?

And it get’s even worse when you realize what they were performing. This is the play that they were going to see at New National. And from the poster and the fact that Mahiru and Futaba were practicing these lines, you can figure out that Junna was playing the lead role in this rehearsal.

So literally everything in the script is working to make her stand out, but she got upstaged by the supporting cast! Not only that, but she’s also gonna see this her own role played by a professional soon enough, so she’ll have to compete with that too soon enough.

If you take a look at her future plans, you can see that Junna plans on continuing to University, which is a big departure from literally everyone else who is planning on auditioning for Acting Troupes so they can become professional actors straight out of high school. But unlike them, Junna wants to study more about the stage right now to understand it deeper.

And this is a sign of the growth for Junna compared to the start of the series, since she used to be extremely impatient. She was obsessed with becoming the top star and pushed herself with extra practice to the point of passing out to try and make up for her lack of experience compared to Maya or Claudine, so the fact that she’s willing to take it slow and learn properly is much healthier for her in the long run. If you think about it, pre-character development Junna probably would have applied for a troupe immediately after graduating because that’s what everyone else was doing and she doesn’t want to fall behind, even if it wasn’t the best move for herself.

But if she wants to understand the stage, it’s a little odd that she’s applying to a literature department as her first choice. Keep in mind that Seisho is a music academy and her second and third choices are explicitly drama focused, so it’s a little strange that her first choice isn’t explicitly stage related.

But then again, Junna has always loved using quotes from literature, and she says she’s going to use what she learns to act in college, so it’s not like she’s completely given up! She says as much, in that all of this is so that she can become the star she aspires to be! Also she quotes William Shakespeare because of course she fucking does.

But I think it’s a little sad that the quote she and her teacher recite is about how some are born great, while others achieve greatness, and it’s pretty clear that Junna doesn’t think she’s the first one or that she’s the second one yet.

We see this lack of confidence surface again when Kaoruko accuses them all of having given up their desire to become a top star.

Obviously in the scene we know that Kaoruko is wrong here. Kaoruko even admits as much to Claudine after storming off from the room. She’s clinging to an idealized version of the past, so obviously the rest of them aren’t interested in becoming the top star of a stage that never existed. They are looking to the future instead.

But I wanna take a look at Junna’s reaction in this scene.

When Junna looked at her phone, she didn’t recognize the date, because she had moved on from the auditions, which is a little surprising when you remember how much weight she put into that initial loss to Karen. She was ready to complain to the manager about it too! But then again, Junna had matured since that first revue, and by the 10th episode when she got knocked out of the auditions, she wasn’t bitter. She instead chose to watch and learn from everyone else.

So she and everyone else is shocked to realize that Kaoruko actually still wants to participate in the auditions.

Although unlike everyone else who remains shocked, Junna is the only one who looks away while Kaoruko talks about waiting for another shot at the auditions. Because although this is coming from a place of hurt, Kaoruko accidently hit the nail on the head for Junna. She hasn’t been waiting for the next audition, since she doesn’t think she can compete with top stars as she is now. And from an outside perspective, this scene almost makes it seem like Junna can’t bring herself to look at the brilliance of someone who strives to be the top star of the audition.

But all of that was just my wild speculation about this scene. For all I know I could be reading way too into it, but Junna explicitly says as much to Claudine later in the train ride, so I’m probably not too far off.

On the train to New National, Claudine decides to reenact her conversation with Mahiru in the laundry room, but this time with Junna.

Just like with Mahiru, Claudine takes a look at her questions for New National. And Junna’s questions are… rough to say the least. They’re all about how to handle pushback from those around her or how to overcome hesitation about her career path. And like wow, this is heavy stuff. Can we go back to the power of love overcoming hardships? This got way too real for me way too fast.

Honestly that thing in her questions about her family makes me think her first choice college being a literature department instead of a drama department might have been a compromise with her parents so they would let her act in college. As I said earlier, girlie is going through it.

But Junna defends herself for having such a long list of questions, just like Mahiru did with Claudine earlier. And just like with Mahiru, Claudine remarks to Junna on how excited everyone is, because thinking of new conversation topics for every single person is hard.

But eventually Junna asks Claudine if she’s the one who recommended Futata to aim for New National. And while Claudine says she simply encouraged Futaba, she does ask if Junna is okay with not applying to New National.

Junna doesn’t directly answer that question, saying she’s no match for Claudine or Maya right now, but she’s going to improve to be their equal one day because she’ll keep learning and trying. Anyways that whole monologue is a nice call back to what she had been saying since the first episode, that she would work hard to catch up to the rest of them and reach her own star!

But don’t let her eloquence deceive you, she absolutely dodged the question on whether or not she was okay with not applying to New National.

Anyways, earlier I mentioned that the conversation was practically ripped from the laundry room scene before, but there was a notable difference. When Mahiru expressed doubts that she would be good enough to get into New National, Claudine didn’t try to comfort her, but Claudine tried to cheer on Junna when she expressed her doubts.

This is because despite their similar lack of self-esteem, at least Mahiru is at the start line and is willing to at least audition for the best troupe in the world. Mahiru doesn’t need Claudine to encourage or comfort her.

But Junna gave up before she even started, already deciding that she needs to learn more, that she’s not ready yet. Which is why Claudine tries to give Junna a push, just like she did with Futaba. But even when Claudine encourages Junna literally word for word the same way she encouraged Futaba, Junna is still hesitant to try to audition for New National, too scared to aim for the top star at the top troupe.

But that’s all in her head. Junna is underestimating herself. Sure Claudine was making a jab at Maya when she said Junna was just as good, but she really does think that Junna has what it takes. And much later during the Revue of Resentment with Kaoruko, Futaba explicitly mentions Junna as a stage girl who has something she lacks.

Junna covers up this insecurity of hers by claiming she’s only not a match now, and in the future she will be, so it’s not that like she’s completely given up. But even so, right now Junna has lost the recklessness she had at the start of the series, that courage to try and become the top star, no matter how slim the chance. The Junna we see on the train is not the same Junna who got mad at her classmates for giving up on becoming Flora or Claire even before the auditions because they were sure Maya and Claudine were going to win.

That Junna would have snapped at this Junna.

Anyways, there’s a reason that is the last meaningful conversation anyone has until the Revue of Annihilation.

But before that, let’s take a look at Nana.

In Nana’s career counseling, she says her current plans for after graduation are to either apply to New National’s acting troupe, or apply to be part of their production troupe, but she’s not completely sure which one to choose in the end. This is a nice reminder that although Nana’s pretty knowledgeable about the auditions and revues and everything, she’s also trying to figure out her own future, just like everyone else.

It feels important though, that Nana mentions that she knows she will have to choose, and that eventually it will end.

But unlike everyone else who is guiding the new students in their opening scenes, Nana is instead helping out Class B, essentially guiding the existing students instead of new ones.

Although, I gotta be real with you guys, I kinda forgot that Nana’s initial goal was New National.

When I rewatched the movie, I actually did a double take at this scene since I completely forgot that she applied there, and not the Royal Academy for Theatrical Actors where she ends up in the epilogue. And while this may be attributed to the fact that I am illiterate, I think part of it is because we don’t really see Nana get excited about New National with Maya, Mahiru, and Futaba.

The entire time before their field trip to visit New National, the three of them are talking about it non-stop since it’s their dream troupe, but not Nana. She’s thinking about something else the whole time.

As for what she’s thinking about, we can take a guess.

If we go back to the scene where Karen and Junna are acting in front of potential students, Nana is in the background watching, and it’s pretty clear that Nana definitely relates to Karen. In Karen’s performance of someone who is lost because their friend has to leave them, Nana is the one who finishes Karen’s line, “Why are you leaving?” by adding “my friend.”

Nana’s whole subplot in the show was about how she didn’t want her friends to change and leave her behind, making her alone again like her time in Middle School. And while she made peace with the idea that they would all eventually grow and evolve as stage girls at the end of the show, the threat of them growing apart is still very real, especially as they all graduate and go their own, separate paths.

And unlike every other girl in their class, Nana and Karen are the only two without a clear plan for the future. But while Nana is at least attempting to narrow down her options and aware that she has to make a decision soon, Karen left her future plans sheet blank.

This separation of Nana and Karen from their classmates continues even into their next scene at Seisho. While Karen is who-knows-where, Nana had left to do laundry before she can hear Kaoruko’s rant about how pathetic they all are for not being interested in the audition this time. However despite being physically separated from the group and not participating in the conversation, Nana is somewhat aware of what’s going on with everyone.

Nana doesn’t come in and take part in the conversation though. She chooses to wait outside, despite not being busy with the chores.

This is a switch between Maya and Nana’s usual roles in the show, since usually Maya would be the one to be separated from the group in the show, and Nana would be the one infodumping about what’s going on. My working theory is that Nana feels guilty about what she will have to do later, so she’s trying to isolate herself from her friends before the Revue of Annihilation.

Even on the train ride, Nana only talks to Karen, the sole person in their train car who won’t take part in the upcoming Revue. And it isn’t like the two of them are having some important conversation either, since Nana is paying attention to Junna and Claudine’s talk.

When Junna talks about how she doesn’t plan on aiming for New National right now, Nana stares, although I gotta wonder if she is staring in disapproval or concern?

And like I said, that was the last meaningful conversation anyone has before the Revue of Annihilation.

Everyone, sans Nana and Karen who are conspicuously absent, are surprised to see Revue cloaks fall in front of them and the giraffe wheel going by them, and are disoriented when they find themselves thrust on top of the train in the dark.

Meanwhile, the drums start when the camera reveals Nana, her shadow looming over the position zero. She taps her foot, already dancing to the music of the stage, unlike the stage girls who are frozen in place, save for the movement of their hair and clothes from the wind.

Nana prepares to fight, and cryptically says the train will go to the next station, and then asks about the stage, and about “us”. And I just think it’s notable that Nana is including herself in that question.

Anyways, the train cars behind the stage girls detach and we see the giraffe standing in front of the New National Theater, literally the next station for the train, and he announces the star of the Revue of Annihilation.

When we cut back to the train, the backdrop rises, revealing lights that blinds Kaoruko, Futaba, and Junna, and while they’re distracted, Nana pounces in front of them.

Maya and Claudine say her full name before she starts singing, so I guess that counts as a Revue introduction? It could be a reference to how Nana didn’t introduce herself in the Revue of Solitude? That feels like a reach though if I’m being honest. I think the real reason she doesn’t do one is because the Revue introduction basically states what a stage girl wants out of a Revue, and Nana’s motives are supposed to be a mystery right now.

Either way, when she starts singing she specifically mentions “wi(l)d-screen Baroque” and “Sing, Dance, and Battle” both of which the giraffe had said outside New National, even though she ought to have no idea about that.

As she makes her way to the other side of the train, dodging and parrying each of the stage girls, the song has Nana asking if they understand the rules, reminding them of the giraffe’s catchphrase, despite the fact that he isn’t there. She also asks what they plan on doing once their life ends, which sounds dumb, but then again a stage girl is constantly reborn so I guess it’s a valid question.

Kaoruko mistakenly thinks this is an audition, but is interrupted by another train approaching, which Nana had been waiting for, sees as it gives her a second sword.

That second sword is important because it’s a show of how much brilliance Nana has. When Hikari lost her brilliance, her sword significantly shortens, so clearly having two shows just how much hidden brilliance Nana had. In fact the time we see Nana with two swords is the moment she stops holding back and defeats Maya in the original timeline, so it’s a sign that Nana will not be holding back against her classmates this time.

But circling back to the second train for a moment, I wanna point out how it’s strange that something from the outside is helping Nana, considering they were isolated on the train. In the scene before the Revue, their classmates say that everyone else had made it to New National except them, and once the Revue began, the attached train cars all fell away, so it’s a little jarring for a new element to show up on the stage, and a little suspicious that Nana was expecting it.

But that’s just to show that Nana had outside knowledge before this Revue. She knew it was coming.

In the recap/prequel movie, Rondo Rondo Rondo, an exclusive scene added to the end which has Nana see a vision of everyone dead. It’s like the very first scene of the show with everyone lying in the same positions on the stage, except this time there is blood tomato juice everywhere. She brings up the dead stage girls to the giraffe who can’t confidently say he understands, but he warns her about the new ending that the audience demands: “wi(l)d-screen Baroque.”

In another after credits scene from the previous movie, Nana comes to the conclusion “We are already on Stage”, and welcomes Hikari. And I gotta say, I probably should have watched Rondo Rondo Rondo before I wrote the Mahiru-Hikari Revue. I was super confused on how Hikari knew that phrase despite not taking part in the Revue of Annihilation, and apparently it’s because Nana told her beforehand. Although Hikari didn’t really get it, which led to the whole Revue of Competition, and if that interests you then read the write up I did for that.

Anyways, what I’m trying to say is that Nana isn’t attacking her friends for no reason. She’s trying to pass a message onto them. But they don’t know that, and neither does the viewer who skipped the recap movie because they just watched the actual show before this, so why would they want to watch an abridged version?

Hahaha, fuck me.

Now armed with her second blade, Nana aggressively charges at the rest of them, and we get a fixed wide shot of Nana fighting everyone at once. It’s not even a challenge for her, though. She’s weaving through their attacks effortlessly and pushing them back!

But despite this utter dominance, the backlight has everyone shrouded in darkness from our point of view, and literally no one is talking. And in the song even, Nana is bemoaning how no one there has any brilliance. How boring the whole fight is for her.

These stage girls aren’t a challenge for her, they’re a shadow of their former selves.

Also considering this is an essay about Junna and Nana, I feel like it’s important to point out the scene of Nana blocking Junna’s arrow without even looking, while the song in the background talks about how there is no excuse for running away.

Anyways, the first one to break the silence is Kaoruko, who claims she’ll use this to become the top star, but this is silenced by Nana cutting off her clasp, and she tells them that this isn’t an audition.

Earlier in the movie, before heading to New National, Kaoruko complained about how none of them were aiming for the top star. But literally no one was aiming for that because they aren’t performing Starlight anymore. Well, they still have their third year performance, but that’s not what the movie’s about. They all have their own futures they need to work towards, and each of those will take them different places.

They aren’t competing for the same role anymore, so there’s no need to audition.

Anyways Kaoruko calls them all useless for that, but later admits that she’s the most useless of them all. And as I said in my analysis of the Kaoruko-Futaba Revue, that uselessness is referring to her refusal to move onto the next stage.

And don’t get me wrong, Kaoruko was lashing out from a place of hurt, so she didn’t actually have a point, but literally no one here is ready to move onto the next stage. None of them are actually ready to confront their insecurities, so they are holding themselves back from their full potential.

So that’s what Nana means when she says this isn’t an audition.

In Revue Starlight, the auditions were meant to steal glimmer from the other stage girls to use as fuel so the top star could get to their stage of destiny, but this isn’t an audition. The Giraffe isn’t watching the Revue of Annihilation, and there’s no rankings here either.

After the Revue, the giraffe has a scene where he says that he is their food, their fuel. And he meant that literally, seeing as the giraffe is made of various vegetables and fruit, including that tomato that each of them will use as fuel to get to the next stage. So as a result, this time they don’t need to steal from each other in order to get to their next stage.

Basically when Nana says that this isn’t an audition, she’s refuting Kaoruko’s idea that they should still be aiming for the top star in the Starlight Play, instead they need to find a new goal. But literally this entire Revue is showing that everyone lost their edge, so we know that none of them have actually found that new goal yet.

Also it sort of hints at the nature of future Revues, with Position Zero no longer being the goal, and the former rules of the auditions no longer applying.

And I just want to mention that in the background, Nana sings that even if you step off, you are still on stage, and that’s important later because Maya says that she is always on stage if the audience desire it at the end of the Revue, and Maya is also the only one who doesn’t get defeated by Nana, so clearly Nana has a point here.

This philosophy is that none of them can half ass being a stage girl. They can’t just take a break. The need to be in 100% on being a stage girl, or give up. There is no middle ground.

Another important line that Nana sings in the background happens when she throws her sword at Junna, and in the background Nana sings that you can’t just get by with words alone. Plus there was also that line about being all bark and not bite, essentially talking big but not delivering.

I swear it’s like this song’s lyrics are targeted at Junna specifically.

Anyways, then Nana manages to cut the cloaks off of Futaba and Mahiru simultaneously, and repeats that this isn’t an audition. This is because Mahiru and Futaba had been attacking her, trying to cut the clasp off like in an audition, but that’s not how they were supposed to beat Nana in this revue. Just defeating Nana wouldn’t do anything for them, since they’d be in the exact same headspace they were before. In order to beat Nana here, they’d have to be confident in their next stage, but neither of them actually think they can get into New National, which is why both of them lose to Nana.

Anyways, after seeing this impressive display, Junna can’t bring herself to try and fight, or even perform. And this is reflected in the Revue as the music slows and the train goes through a tunnel which blocks the stage lights. At this point, Nana doesn’t even need to run anymore. She just picks up the sword she threw earlier and easily cuts Junna's cloak without a second glance at her.

And when Junna falls to her knees, all she can say is that she doesn’t know this Nana, but Nana ignores her and has already moved on to her next opponents.

And this sucks for Junna. I mean don’t get me wrong, giving up without a fight is pretty tragic for her sure, but that line also calls back to that night after Nana lost to Karen where Junna comforted her.

Initially when Nana tells Junna about repeating the year (time loops, not being held back), Nana remarks that the Junna she knew isn’t called Junjun, introducing this recurring idea for the two of them. Anyways, as is natural when your roommate tells you that they are responsible for putting everyone in a time loop, Junna is completely lost and can’t say anything, exactly like Junna on the train.

Anyways, after Nana loses to Karen, Junna finds Nana again, and Junna doesn’t blame Nana. She says that Nana was trying to protect them, and was well intentioned at the very least. Anyways, during that conversation, Junna complains that she doesn’t know anything about Nana, but by the end of the conversation realizes that Nana is a real stage girl, and that she’s a scardy-cat and a crybaby, like a kid.

And don’t get me wrong, Nana is exactly that, but that’s not all she is.

On the day that Nana faces Karen, Nana mentions that she and Junna haven’t faced each other in a Revue yet. And the next day is when Claudine and Maya fight Hikari and Karen, which means that Junna has never fought Nana before the Revue of Annihilation.

So even though Junna thought that she understood Nana best, it must have come as a shock to her to see Nana like a completely different person. She’s just as lost now as she was when Nana told Junna about the time loops.

Anyways, like Nana, let’s ignore Junna and get back to the action.

The music kicks up again when they leave the tunnel and the train is out in the city, and Nana asks Claudine and Maya the question from earlier, about how the train will reach the next station, but what about the stage, what about them?

Claudine is confused, but Maya says that if the stage and the audience ask for it, she is already on stage.

At this moment, Nana knows that she can’t beat Maya in this Revue, since Maya came to the answer that Nana was trying to get them all to reach. Maya has the wrong idea of her next stage, as we see in Maya and Claudine’s upcoming Revue, but it’s a goal she decided on and she’s wholeheartedly working towards it, so that’s enough.

And as if to physically show this difference between Maya and the rest of them, the train enters the tunnel again, and blankets Nana and the stage girls she defeated in darkness.

But Claudine, like the rest of us, has no idea what the two are talking about, and isn’t in sync with Nana and Maya who approach each other simultaneously, and is thus ignored. In anger, Claudine charges at Nana, who swipes at her but ultimately goes past her, to lock blades with Maya, who she is evenly matched with. And while Nana couldn’t say anything in response to Maya earlier, she does shut down Claudine for being a bit too talkative.

And the moment Nana and Maya separate is the moment Claudine’s cloak falls off. And the clasp falling off is timed with Nana reaching position zero, because she had finished what she came here to do.

Now that the play-by-play is done, can I just take a moment to say how cool Nana was this entire Revue? Like that thing she does at the end with her hair? Completely badass. 10/10. Absolutely terrifying and I love it.

I’ve been holding it in till now, but oh my god she’s so cool! Like she was completely destroying them and she made it look effortless! And these are like the top students at the top academy! Did you guys see the grace with which she dodges and weaves! Like don’t get me wrong, in the show she had that powerful presence, but there’s only so much of her skill you can convey if you only show her swinging her sword down really hard. Meanwhile this fight choreography undeniably shows the Nana who could beat Tendou Maya countless times for her time loops. And she just makes it look so easy! Like I get that everyone was nerfed because they had no clear idea of their goals or conviction in this revue, but still!

She’s just so awesome. Plus it makes it even funnier that they all call her Banana. Am I really supposed to take her seriously with a name like that? Because I will. Again, she is just that cool.

Anyways, back to the analysis.

It’s silent for a bit as they all try to process what happened, until Nana says that she feels like she was drunk. But she has to repeat herself a couple times because she speaking softly and the train is loud so no one can actually hear her, but eventually she speaks up so everyone else can hear her.

Anyways Junna points out that they’re minors so they can’t drink. (Don’t tell her about Kaoruko taking a bath in champagne later in the movie. Or the drinking age in France.)

But she’s right, Nana doesn’t know what it feels like to drink strong sake. Instead, Nana’s just playing a character who has. She’s acting. But because Junna refused to act in response, blood tomato juice sprouts from her neck. After all, a stage girl refusing to act is essentially death for them.

Everyone is overreacting to the blood tomato juice that’s gotten everywhere, except for Maya who points out that it’s a prop, because as the only one who wasn’t “killed” by Nana, she’s the only one with an objective view of the stage as she isn’t as affected as the rest of them due to their collective loss to Nana.

As a stage girl, Maya is the farthest from death currently.

Speaking of Nana, she’s not looking at any of them. She’s doing that pose from when she won the Revues in her time loops, where she’s enchanted by that dazzling light. And I’ll talk about this later in the actual Revue, but it’s not a good sign that there’s something else dazzling enough to make Nana not pay attention to them.

Anyways, Nana’s train car separates from the others, leaving them standing still as she goes off into the distance. Nana repeats her question from throughout the Revue, “What about the stage, what about us?” Only this time she answers, that they are all already dead.

I think it’s interesting that she's including herself in that, because if you remember from her career plan, she isn’t sure about her next stage either. She’s still trying to decide if she wants to stand on stage or create a stage.

She isn’t already on stage like Maya.

Anyways, while everyone is left behind and standing still, Kaoruko tastes the blood and says that it’s tasty, implying that it’s actually tomato juice, which we later see is the fuel that they need to go to the next stage.

Either that or this was her cannibal awakening.

We next see Nana and Karen riding the train car together alone. Their conversation is mostly about Karen, so I’m probably gonna talk about this scene whenever I get to Karen-Hikari Revue deep dive, but I just want to point out how tired Nana is in the scene. She’s not cold or overbearing like in the Revue of Annihilation, but she doesn’t have that usual friendly, reliable Banana energy either. She sounds mournful when she talks about everyone going their own way, to their own stage, their own roles. And while she tells Karen to find her own stage at the end of the path, Nana gets off the train, claiming she has to go back.

So after those heartbreaking scenes of utter confusion and loss, it’s time to party!

The kick off party for the 101th Production of Starlight is a blast and everyone is happy, except for the stage girls who Nana beat, who are all sitting in darkness. Junna in particular is sitting at the gazebo they usually hang out at, where Nana usually gave them snacks. Nana meanwhile, is nowhere to be seen.

Anyways if you wanna know why I love this scene, check out the section in the Mahiru-Hikari Revue essay since I don’t wanna write it all out again, but what you need to know from this is that this is the moment where everyone realizes it’s okay that they don’t know what they’re doing. No one has all the answers and everyone is incomplete. But they aren’t alone, and their friends can help them figure it out along the way.

Also we finally see where Nana is, because she was helping set up the stage. It’s a little strange that she’s alone though, because setting up that tower required a coordinated effort from the members of Class B.

Anyways, Nana mentions how the time for snacks is over, and instead they need to hunger for a new stage. This is similar to what Nana said to Karen earlier in the train car alone, but unlike Karen, Nana says that everyone else is already seeking that new stage.

Also it feels targeted at Junna, considering she’s the one who is at the gazebo where they always ate those snacks. And if you also consider how Junna is settling for a smaller stage so she can take it step by step and slowly get better, instead of ravenously clawing for the top like she did before.

This eventually leads all of them back to the top of the train car where Nana utterly demolished them.

It’s not clear if Nana is doing a monologue or talking to her classmates, either at the kick off party or the following scene on the train, but Nana reveals that, as seen at the end of Rondo Rondo Rondo, she saw a vision of all of their deaths.

I’m gonna be real, so much of my confusion could have been solved if I had just watched the Rondo Rondo Rondo exclusive scenes. I’m fuming.

Anyways, regardless of who she was talking to, everyone faces their corpses as dead stage girls. None of them are wearing their clasps or jackets, since it’s all in a bloodsoaked tomato juice soaked pile in the corner. They have been defeated. Also, they give off a packaged doll vibe if you ask me, considering how they have the bodies and the accessories neatly laid out, if you ignore all the tomato juice. But the thing about dolls is that they can’t move on their own. They can’t act.

Also the reason they aren’t wearing shoes is because it’s a cultural thing to take off your shoes when you commit suicide, meaning the stage girl corpses weren’t defeated in a Revue, but chose to die. After all, losing an audition doesn’t mean you can’t try again. The only way for a stage girl to stay dead is if they choose not to act, choose not to live. (Apologies to the Futaba-Kaoruko Revue Deep Dive, the curtains were not just blue apparently.)

But yeah, this is a vision of what they could be if they decide they don’t want to be stage girls, which is a perfectly valid path for them. After all, they’re just high schoolers, they have their whole life ahead of them. They can find a new dream to pursue.

But if they want to be a stage girl, they have to go all in on it. Just like what Nana sang on the train, they need to be ready to always be on stage.

So after finding a new resolve at the Kick off Party, the stage girls all face their failures and they all choose to get back on stage. This includes Nana, which is a little surprising considering she didn’t really fail or learn anything new from the Revue of Annihilation, but I guess it makes sense considering she’s in the same boat as everyone else about graduation.

Okay, I take that back, she probably learned one thing from the Revue of Annihilation, and it’s that Junna is no longer fit to be a stage girl.

Nana saw that Junna no longer had that same ambition that she had last year. Instead of aiming for the top, Junna had essentially given up before she even started. She refused to apply to New National, thinking she wasn’t on par with Maya. She even refused to fight Nana once the gap in skills became apparent! It’s not for nothing that Junna was the first one to “die” on the train.

Nana initially put them all in the time loop to protect them. And the first real shock that made her go down that path was seeing that two of her classmates dropped out of Seisho. And now it looks like Junna is going down that same road.

So Nana resolves to go back into her own role, to the obsession of that girl, to seeing to her end. But for those last 2, the camera shows Junna instead of Nana, making it unclear if she was talking about her own obsession with the past and the end of that, or Junna’s obsession with one day finding her star and the end of that. Probably a little bit of both if you ask me.

Meanwhile Junna is completely lost. She doesn’t know what Nana’s talking about putting an end to. Unlike everyone else who properly faces their stage girl corpse, the shot of Junna barely has it in frame. And this checks out if you see them facing the corpses as acknowledging their failures so they can find out what they need for the future. After this scene, everyone other than Junna knows what they want from their upcoming Revue.

It’s also interesting to compare it to the shot of Nana looking at her stage girl corpse, since Nana herself is barely in the frame. Unlike Junna, who doesn’t know what she’s doing wrong, since she’s not aware that she’s basically given up on being the top star, Nana is very aware of what she’s doing wrong. She’s been very withdrawn and isolated from her friends because she knows that what she did and what she’s about to do will hurt them.

Nonetheless, the two of them both choose to take a bite of the tomato, and accept the fuel so they can reach the next stage. After all, they chose to be stage girls. They are already on the stage.

The Revue opens with Junna rising from a platform, still confused from earlier. She doesn’t know what needs to be put an end to, or with who.

It’s a little odd for Junna to not realize she’s gonna be fighting Nana though, but she’s been through a lot in the past couple of hours, so I’m not gonna blame her too much.

The set of the stage is Seisho Academy, with two giant katanas hanging from the ceiling along with a projector that displays Daiba Film Co., Ltd on a screen.

Honestly, Junna’s entrance here almost mirrors Hikari’s from the Revue of Competition. They were both confused once they got to the stage, unlike their opponent who was expecting them and has complete control of the stage. But unlike Mahiru, who was welcoming initially, Nana isn’t nearly as kind.

Earlier I said that Junna and Claudine’s conversation on the train was the last meaningful moment before Revue of Annihilation, and the reason for that was because that conversation was what pushed Nana to start the previous Revue.

A projection of Junna during that conversation is displayed, and she says “As I am right now, I don’t have enough experience or practice. I don’t even have the resolve to stand on stage”. But what Junna had actually said at the time was “I’m no match for people like Tendo-san, or you” to Claudine.

Basically what I’m trying to say here is that Nana’s whole basis for this Revue is flawed.

Don’t get me wrong, Junna definitely lost faith in herself and her abilities. She isn’t aiming nearly as high as she should be. But it’s a mischaracterization on Nana’s end to think she doesn’t have the resolve. After all, Junna took a bite of that tomato. She’s willing to use it as fuel so she can get to the next stage.

Junna has always had this attitude towards Maya and Claudine. In her second Revue with Karen, we see that Junna saw herself in the audience, or as one in the crowd, unlike Maya, Claudine, and the other top stars who shone on stage. She was always aware of this gap in their abilities. That was why she worked so hard to catch up and surpass them. So that one day she could find her own star.

But Nana’s not completely wrong though. When Junna watched Maya and Claudine's Revue against Hikari and Karen, she was watching intensely and saying that she can’t let them defeat her. But now Junna is saying that she’s no match for them?

And that’s why the second part of the memory is accurate when Junna says that what she said before was “just for now!” Because while Junna believes in her future, Nana does not. When Claudine and her teacher asked about Junna’s future plans, she was always hopeful for her future, but to Nana, it just sounds like an excuse, and she says as much when she enters the Revue. After all, Nana saw how time passing eroded Junna’s ambitions as a Stage girl, seeing as Junna went from someone who would challenge the top stars to someone who gave up before she even tried.

Just like Mahiru in the last Revue, Nana also enters the Revue and immediately opens with her Revue Introduction, since she already knows what she wants out of this Revue.

Unlike her initial introduction with Karen, when Nana talked about how it was her duty to protect the fragile fruits that were her classmates, this time she refers to Junna as an ugly fruit that’s ashamed to live. And while she considered her classmates to be unripened fruits hanging from the tree before, she now sees Junna as an overripe fruit that will fall to the ground since the branch can no longer support its weight.

Because as Nana sees it, Junna gave up. She used to reach out for her dream despite how unlikely it was, but she’s lost that drive. And if Junna never tries, she’ll never get anywhere. Instead she’ll just keep futilely chasing her dream, hoping, waiting for it to come to her some day, but it never will.

Junna’s a lot like how Karen was before her first Revue with Maya, as she’s just spinning her wheels, hoping that her feelings will eventually bridge the gap in abilities between her and those who have been trying to reach the top star long before she started.

If Junna keeps going as she is now, she’ll never succeed. So at this point, it’s basically a mercy for Nana to stop Junna from continuing as a stage girl. It’ll hurt now, but it’ll save Junna from the constant pain of constantly failing to achieve her dream in the future.

Of course this is all just Nana’s opinion.

But that’s why Nana’s here. Her introduction says as much, that she’ll offer Junna a beautiful end, instead of a long, painful, drawn out one.

Unlike everyone else, Nana’s end goal here isn’t to find her own stage or determine her own future, but instead to end Junna’s future as a stage girl, to get her off the stage.

This is reflected in the outfits they are wearing. It’s some kind of military uniform, and I’m gonna be real, I do not feel like looking up the specific branch of the military or what time period they are from. If I had to guess based on my gut feeling, I’d say Nana is an army officer and Nana is either a navy or airforce officer, but it really doesn’t matter right now. What does matter is what they are doing.

Their poses resemble seppuku, or the Samurai ritual of suicide. Junna is kneeling with a blade in front of her, and she’s supposed to use that to stab herself in the gut. And in order to make sure Junna doesn’t suffer a slow death from blood tomato juice loss, Nana is supposed to decapitate her once she does that to end it quickly.

As I mentioned earlier, the corpse of the stage girls on the train weren’t wearing shoes, implying they committed suicide. That’s because the only way for a stage girl to truly die is when she chooses to no longer act. Nana beating Junna in this Revue wouldn’t actually achieve anything, since Junna could just decide to get back on stage again à la Karen.

The only way to achieve Nana’s objective is for Junna to give up being a stage girl of her own free will.

It’s also interesting how they are awash in a red light that references first Junna’s Revue, when Junna had Hikari pinned with her arrows and there was a red spotlight on her. Only this time, Junna is the one who is trapped and unable to move.

Anyways, we get a close up of Junna’s eyes panicking because she’s in a very high stakes situation all of a sudden, when Nana’s sword swings down, smashing the tomato underneath Junna’s discarded cap.

Nana is trying to cut off Junna’s path to the future as a stage girl by destroying the fuel she needs to get there. It doesn’t really do much though since Junna already ate though.

For a second though, you think that Nana actually succeeded in decapitating Junna though, since Nana slowly walks away with blood tomato juice on her sword. We saw on the train that Junna couldn’t fight back, and now she’s frozen in place once again by the scary red lights, despite all the positive connotations of red if you consider color theory.

But we do see Junna safe and sound, having run away from the dangerous situation, although Nana claims that it’s futile considering she lost sight of her star. Basically this is what Nana was worried about, that Junna would fruitlessly struggle, but it’s not as if that would change the end result.

And Junna admits as such, that she can’t see her star and she doesn’t see a future where she succeeds. But she’s never seen that, so her only hope is to continue down her chosen path until she gets there. Plus she brings out that aerial hoop she used in her Revue with Hikari, which she absolutely dominated up until Karen very rudely interrupted Junna, so it’s a way to show that Junna is going to put on her best showing.

Anyways, despite Nana having complete dominion over the stage a few moments ago, Junna takes control and brings up a maze of walls to trap Nana in. Junna may have lost the will to fight Nana before, but she’s ready now. She decides that in the Revue of Hunting, she will be the hunter instead of the hunted.

Junna can’t beat Nana in a straight fight, so she keeps her at a distance and forces Nana on the run with her arrows, and keeps her guessing where the next attack will come from by concealing her own presence. Junna is very resourceful while using the stage, since she distracts Nana by using the debris her arrows cause by hitting props.

And while Junna seems to be winning, this is actually bad for her.

Because a stage girl is supposed to shine, so why is the spotlight only shining on her opponent during the Revue?

Junna’s whole strategy against Nana is suspiciously similar to her plan when she had her revenge Revue with Karen. Just like with Nana, Junna was caught off guard by Karen during their first fight and lost. So in her rematch, Junna is more cautious. She hides in the background and uses the debris from the props to distract Karen.

But Junna couldn’t win like that, and by the end of that Revue, she decides to be more straightforward like Karen. So in the little bits we see of her future Revues, and that one time when she almost beat Hikari, Junna continues to use the stage to her advantage, but she herself is front and center, boldly facing her opponent under the spotlight.

In this Revue though, she regressed, so Nana clearly had a point about Junna not shining as much as she did before.

And seeing as this is a battle for Junna’s life as a stage girl, the least she can do is give a counterargument to Nana.

While sniping at Nana, Junna says a couple quotes from famous writers about how trying is the first step before succeeding, hoping to convince Nana to see it from Junna’s perspective, that she just needs time before reaching her star.

And from Junna’s singing, we get a glimpse into her mindset, that if she uses the wise words from people of the past, or learns from her top star classmates, eventually she’ll drift towards the stage and find her star. But the word drift is troubling, since that implies passivity on her end. She might get there eventually, sure, but it’s essentially up to the tides of fate.

But Junna has always been about putting in the effort to achieve her dreams, so it almost feels like Junna isn’t even sure that she’ll be able to make it. Her list of questions from earlier did ask about how to overcome any hesitations about a career in living on stage.

And you can kind of see this idea in the scenery too.

While Junna is hunting Nana, we see these giant red kanjis, meaning “star,” fall in the background. Funnily enough it’s the same kanji (hoshi) used in her last name. And while Junna does use them to her advantage, we eventually see where they are coming from, the Tokyo Tower above them. Tokyo Tower often represents the stage, so essentially by relying on these stars, Junna has been damaging her own stage.

This is seen more explicitly when we cut to Nana, since these falling stars have destroyed the maze that Junna used to trap Nana. Because Junna is surrounding herself with stars at the expense of own stage, she’s quite literally sabotaging herself in this fight.

But that’s not just in this fight. That’s what’s happening to Junna in the real world. She’s always comparing herself to the greats and consequently doesn’t think she’s good enough.

Anyways, there’s also a shot of an arrow coming at Nana while Junna says that words are her power, again showing Junna’s mindset in the battle. She doesn’t have enough confidence in herself, and is instead using lines from more established writers to compensate. It also links this reliance on words with her bow, her usual method of fighting as a stage girl.

Anyways, Junna couldn’t beat Karen with this strategy before, and she can’t beat Nana with it now either. While illuminated by the red light of danger from before (coincidentally, red light also symbolizes the top star), Nana cuts the giant arrow in half using her own power, and destroys the stars that Junna has been letting cover the stage. After all, those were just props, and Nana is an actual top star.

Nana knocks Junna down, and traps her again. Junna’s attempt at fighting back clearly didn’t impress Nana. Junna didn’t even try to shine on her own merits. She’s hiding from the stage and hiding behind the words of others. Nothing she did in that fight could possibly shake Nana’s view of Junna. And as Nana sees it, if Junna continues as she is now, she’ll never achieve her dreams of becoming a star.

While Junna is pinned to the ground, Nana says that Junna had been beautiful, and in the background you can see pictures of Junna working her hardest at practice and studying.

But I gotta ask, if Nana takes pictures of beautiful things like that, why does she also take one of Junna now? I think this shows that Nana is a little more conflicted about how she feels about Junna’s brilliance than she lets on.

It’s a tiny detail, sure, but photos are important for Nana. She’s constantly taking photos, since she’s sentimental like that, and has tons of pictures displayed in her room. Plus photos are a way to preserve the moments of the past, so it’s almost like her time loops.

But after she gives up on her reproductions, she stops taking them.

Although in this movie, when helping Class B, we see that Nana started taking photos again. Although now she’s using a brand new disposable camera, instead of her phone. The same camera that she now uses to take a picture of Junna while she’s pinned down.

So just like Junna, Nana has also regressed to her pre Karen self during this Revue.

On the train, Nana talks about going back to her old role, and in both the Revue of Annihilation and the Revue of Hunting, and she’s been acting like she did in her Revues with Karen and Hikari. Don’t get me wrong, in the time loops and both those revues, we’ve only ever seen Nana act like this in a Revue. Cold and overbearing, clearly in control and gazing at a goal beyond what anyone else can see. But you’d think after realizing that she didn’t need to protect everyone, she would act a little differently.

But in a way, she is still trying to protect everyone. Her Revue of Annihilation was a wake up call that everyone needed. Even now she’s trying to protect Junna from future pain, in a twisted sort of way.

But while last time she tried so hard so everyone could stay together, this time Nana is deliberately forcing them apart. She stabs a blade between a picture of the two of them walking home in the evening, literally severing their bond. And in the background, Seisho itself splits when she does this.

But we know Nana, and she treasured her newfound friends and school more than anything, literally to the point of sticking them in a time loop so they would never have to separate from each other.

So we know doing this is probably killing her inside.

But none of that is showing in her acting. Nana’s been very cold and ruthless this entire time. Even when you could tell that Nana was mad at Junna for giving her a subpar performance earlier in the Revue, the anger seemed very cool and resentful. It’s completely unlike the last time we saw an angry Nana, when she was desperately shouting, trying to understand Karen in their Revue.

And that resentful anger is there when she was talking about how amazing Junna used to be. About how Junna used to be unaware of the gap that existed between her and top stars, and she could blindly reach out to become the lead.

The thing is though, Junna didn’t foolishly reach out to become the lead in the original timeline, or any of the loops. She was always very methodological in her approach, constantly learning and improving, while never giving up. It’s only after losing to Karen, who’s inner stage girl was reignited by Hikari returning, that Junna decided to straightforwardly aim for the top instead of overthinking.

The Junna that Nana is talking about isn't the one from her reproductions, but the one we saw in the show.

And Nana says that Junna was dazzling.

Dazzling is an important phrase for Nana. In the show, dazzling is how she describes the 99th Starlight. And it was so dazzling that Nana never wanted to leave that moment. She was content to live in that moment forever, since from the first loop to the last one before Hikari arrived, Nana says that particular stage was still dazzling, no matter how many times she reran it. And Nana is always chasing that shine, up to the point in her Revue with Karen, where she asks how Karen is so dazzling, just before she loses.

And sure, Nana lost to both Karen and Hikari in a Revue, but it’s the conversation with Junna after the Revues, when Junna asks Nana to let them make the next stage together, that finally convinces Nana to end her reproductions.

In that moment, Junna was dazzling enough to make Nana's desire to see their future overcome her desire to return to the past.

But unlike the 99th Seisho Festival, Junna couldn’t live up to Nana’s expectations, and she is no longer dazzling.

And this genuinely angers Nana. She grips her sword too tightly, and sounds just so desperate and frustrated in this line. She gave up everything because she believed in the stage girl Hoshimi Junna, but Junna doesn’t even believe in herself anymore.

That’s gotta be disappointing.

So instead of cutting off the clasp to her jacket, as they normally do to win the Revues, Nana instead smashes the gem on Junna’s bow, literally destroying Junna’s ability to fight, her ability to shine as a stage girl.

Because Nana’s goal isn’t to just beat Junna and show her what she’s missing like on the train, Nana’s goal is to kill Junna as a stage girl, but there’s really no way for her to do that. Sure if the auditions were still a thing she could maybe steal Junna’s motivation for the stage, but that’s not possible anymore. The only way for Junna to die as a stage girl is for Junna to choose that, so Nana instead has to destroy any hope that Junna has for being a stage girl.

Like the start of the Revue, Nana gives Junna her sword to commit seppuku, only this time Nana isn’t offering to see to her beautiful end. Instead, the spotlight follows as Nana just walks away, no longer visibly angry, instead it's more like she doesn’t even care.

And this is tragic for Junna. She’s had doubts about her future, sure, but she received nothing but support from her teachers and friends up until now. So when Nana, the person closest to her, confirms her fears that she isn’t good enough to be a stage girl, she breaks down crying.

Junna cries and asks why Nana said she was dazzling in the past tense, but Nana ignores her, simply noting to herself that Junna was crying.

And this sucks for Junna. It really does. It’s almost a repeat of when Nana beat Junna on the train, where Nana ignored her and just moved on while a defeated Junna was on her knees in the dark. She’s in the exact same position, so like Nana said, despite her attempts to fight, it was futile in the end.

So to motivate herself, Junna recalls quotes about failure and how people can overcome that, but for a moment it looks like that isn’t enough, since she hesitantly picks up the seppuku blade that Nana gave her.

And this is heartbreaking for her. For the obvious reasons, of course, but also because this isn’t the first time that one of them was crying in the dark while Junna started reciting quotes in front of Seisho Academy.

After all, this entire set is just a callback to that night in front of Seisho Academy in episode 9.

That time, Nana was the one crying, while Junna tried to recite quotes to cheer her up. And that time, instead of walking away, Junna hugged Nana, and assured her that as a stage girl, Nana would be fine. But when their roles are reversed, Nana is doing the opposite.But the thing is, what touched Nana that night wasn’t the quotes from great writers. She only cheered up when Junna said her own, original quote, which happened to be her Revue Introduction.

And that’s exactly what Junna does now. She needs her own words. She realizes that the words of others aren’t enough, so instead of using Nana’s sword to kill herself, Junna instead uses it for a different purpose.

She slams the hilt into one of the fragments of her gem that was shattered around, making Nana’s sword her own.

Remember how she said words were her power when shooting an arrow? Well now that she can’t use her bow, she needs to find a new source of power. And using quotes is kind of fitting for a bow, since Junna is using other people’s word, the arrows, and shooting it at the target. There’s a degree of separation there, so that’s kinda symbolic.

Although the first time I heard the line that the words of others aren’t enough, I thought she was talking about quotes by other people, in that Junna relies on using wise words to guide herself. But she could also be talking about Nana’s words. When Nana said Junna wasn’t dazzling anymore, Junna really took that to heart, and that’s what really made her break down, which is kind of surprising after considering Nana completely destroyed her in both of the Revues, but Junna’s built different and would never completely give up from something like that. So this declaration could also be referring to how she decides to ignore the words of others, and truly follow her own path.

So Junna comes to a new resolution. Just like that night when she convinced Nana not to do the reruns anymore, Junna says her brand new Revue Introduction. She says that she knows she’s not enough, and she’s tired of it. But unlike before when she would try to drift towards her star, now she’s going to desperately struggle until she not only takes the leading role, but devours it, calling back to what Nana said about the stage girl hunger during the kick off festival.

And unlike before, when she would previously introduce herself as a part of the 99th class, now she introduces herself as the student council president for the 99th class, which is subtle but also kind of a big deal. You see, everyone else just says 99th class, except for Maya and Claudine, who introduce themselves at the first and second rank of the 99th class respectively. So by acknowledging her own achievements, she’s bringing herself to their level in a way, despite earlier claiming she was no match for them.

(Although I could have sworn she was just the class representative for Class A, but who knows, maybe she got elected in her third year, in which case good for her! But considering there’s like 2 classes in a year, I’m not sure if there is much of a difference.)

So even though Nana tried to destroy Junna’s passion for living as a stage girl, it didn’t work. If anything, that gem on her sword shining shows that Junna is more passionate than ever. After all, the stage responds to the stage girl's passions, and their gems would always glow during those moments.

And now instead of trying to become someone who can impress Nana, Junna instead calls her out. She won’t let Nana ignore her again just because Junna couldn’t meet her expectations, and she also won’t give Nana what she wants either.

If Nana wants to kill the stage girl Junna, then she’ll have to do it herself instead of making Junna do it.

The stage shifts to a yellow (Nana’s color), hazy landscape, with Nana’s swords all around them, pointing at Junna.

The set is still entirely under Nana’s control and hostile to Junna, as seen by the fact that she is still getting utterly bodied by Nana. I get that she’s not used to the new weapon yet, but it’s kinda embarrassing how she is completely off balance and is thrown backwards during each of their exchanges.

But she doesn’t give up, no matter how unsightly she looks. In the background, Junna sings about how she's gonna keep continuing on her journey and won’t ever give up on it, which is remarkably similar to what she said when she first fought Nana in her Revue, that even if she can’t see her star, she will continue down her path.

Meanwhile Nana demands her Katana back since Junna isn’t using it for the intended purpose. And just like at the beginning of the Revue, Nana tells Junna that fighting is futile. That Junna lost her ambition and now she won’t ever be able to fulfill her dream.

While fighting, Nana brings up that Junna just parrots the words of others, but only moments ago Junna herself decided that she would no longer rely on that. So Junna has evolved in the middle of this Revue, but Nana isn’t acknowledging that.

Meaning Nana is fighting now someone who doesn’t exist anymore.

Just like last time, Nana easily beats Junna and tells that she can’t take ahold of her own star, and attempts to walk away again. But just like last time, Junna picks up the sword again, and challenges Nana to kill her herself.

And this bothers Nana.

Just like when Nana brought up how Junna used to be dazzling, she clenches her sword and starts sounding a lot more passionate compared to her cold demeanor from before. Because even though Junna knows she stands no chance against Nana, she’s foolheartedly fighting back anyways.

Exactly like the Junna that Nana found dazzling.

Nana is completely different from before. She’s no longer as dominant as she was during the Revue of Annihilation or in the beginning of the Revue of Hunting. Despite claiming nothing would change no matter what Junna did, Nana’s getting desperate to end this. And when she fought before, her sword would always stop for a moment and lock with the weapon she parried, but now she’s flailing her blade wildly and letting their swords slip by each other after every hit. Not only that, but she’s evenly matched with Junna, despite easily stomping her earlier.

This uncontrolled fighting style is similar to when Nana fought Karen in the Revue of Bonds. She was so desperate to achieve her goal and cling onto the past, but at the same time so curious as to why Karen was so dazzling.

Just like with Karen, in this Revue Nana brings up the roles they play, and how her opponent is different now. But it's not just a callback, but also a role reversal of the Revue of Annihilation, Junna brought up how she didn’t know this Nana, but now Nana is the one who doesn’t know this Junna. And this scares Nana, since as I mentioned earlier, she was fighting someone who doesn’t exist anymore, but she’s only realizing this now.

With this realization, the haze clears and the light turns green (Junna’s color), revealing that Junna was already at Position Zero, the final goal for a stage girl, and we couldn’t see it. Junna reached this point by evolving as a stage girl throughout this Revue. She died and was reborn along with a new weapon. She found a new resolve as a stage girl, so if she wanted to end it here, she would be fine. At this point, she would probably be able to achieve her dreams if she keeps up this passion and resolve.

But that’s not enough for Junna. Instead of accepting an end set by someone else, she steps past Position Zero. She claims she will find her own path, different from the one that Nana planned.

And she doesn’t stop there. She says she won’t accept the roles Nana gave her or any of her stages, and literally bisects the stage and giant sword set pieces in the background. Not only that, but she cuts down the projector that Nana used at the start of the Revue. But this declaration isn’t out of spite though. She’s not mad about how Nana literally tried to get Junna to give up on her dream.

It’s just because Nana’s a shitty director.

In her song in the background, Junna asks Nana where she has been looking all this time. And Junna herself says that Nana was blinded by the light, the same thing that Nana accused Junna of being when she lost her ambition. And looking at the set designs, she was probably right. When they were covered with the yellow light of Nana’s color, the stage was hazy and hard to see. But when it’s green like Junna’s color, it’s clear.

In Nana’s mind, Junna’s role was supposed to have a beautiful end after realizing that she no longer had that ambition from last year. But Junna’s whole thing has been never giving up, and putting in more effort until she can catch up, so Junna was never going to do that. Nana doesn’t understand Junna nearly as well as she thought she did. And for that reason, Junna isn’t going to stand on Nana’s stage.

So instead of waiting to become the star of a distant stage like before, Junna claims the lead for herself now. And instead of relying on Nana to call her dazzling, Junna is now confident enough in herself to claim that descriptor. Just like how she doesn’t need Nana’s roles, now Junna won’t let herself be defined by anyone else. She will no longer say she isn’t a match for people like Claudine and Maya.

When Junna finally swings her sword, we get a shot of the stage falling, but it’s juxtaposed with a shot of Nana’s clasp flying in the air. Because although this stage has ended, Nana’s future is up in the air, and she will continue as a stage girl. Unfortunately we really don’t know anything about Nana’s future though, since both of them were fighting over Junna’s future as a stage girl in this Revue.

Earlier in the Revue, when Nana was walking away from Junna, she was following a pink path to her next stage. Now, at the end of the Revue, Junna and Nana are facing away from each other on that same pink path, but on two different sides of a crossroads. Coincidentally, this forms a giant Position Zero.

So symbolically, this looks like the end of their relationship. After all, Position Zero is the end, and now we have Nana and Junna going their separate ways.

Junna says that the stage she mentioned before where she is the dazzling lead will be her next stage, and that she will never stop reaching for it. That kind of messes up my point from earlier about how she was no longer relying on the future to become a star, but art is subjective, and I choose to interpret it so that I was right earlier. But it's nice to see this Revue helped her find her way, so that’s nice I guess. She’s now properly facing her next stage, symbolized by her green light at the end of the path.

Plus, now that I think about it, she completely destroyed that stage where she was the lead, so maybe it’s for the best that she was talking about a future stage.

Nana is also headed towards her next stage, represented by the yellow light at the end of her path, but I do have to wonder how ready she is for it. Unlike Junna who got a new resolve for herself, Nana’s resolve was probably destroyed by this Revue. After all, she was wrong about Junna, so what if she gets it wrong again?

She sadly says that her reproduction might have ended, but if we’re being literal, her reproduction ended last year. Maybe she’s talking about ending her idealization of the past, since that was the point of the reruns last year, but I think she was actually talking about her relationship with Junna and everyone else.

After all, the point of the reproductions was to make sure their friends never had to go on their own separate paths after graduating, and now that’s basically going to happen in a couple months.

But in a way, the time loops were also to protect the relationships Nana made at Seisho. And her actions here could have completely destroyed her bond with Junna. She literally stabbed her sword between the two of them in the picture, and it can be hard to forgive someone if they try crush your dreams and get you to kill yourself (metaphorically, of course.) She knew that going into this, which is why she was always somber outside the revues, because she knew she was about to do something unforgivable to Junna.

But just like the night that Junna forgave Nana for the time loops, she understands where Nana was coming from and forgives her. Even though they are going their separate ways, Junna looks forward to when they can stand on stage together again. And when she says this, we finally see a shot of their faces and we get to see Nana’s reaction. Very surprised, I think, but also really grateful that there’s no hard feelings between them.

And sure, earlier I said it symbolically looked like this was the end for them because they were going there separate ways on a giant position zero, but Junna stepped beyond the position zero. She can do whatever she wants, and she wants to be with Nana.

Not right now though. But later, definitely.

They “See ya” to each other, implying that it’s not goodbye, just bye for now. And as they go down their respective paths, the water repairs the damaged picture, showing that this Revue wouldn’t impact their closeness in the long run, despite the fact they have to go their separate ways.

It also shows Nana’s discarded camera in the pool of water, showing that Nana no longer needs to hold onto the past so tightly. It also shows that she hates the environment, but in her defense 100 companies are responsible for 90% of all global plastic waste, so I’m not gonna get on her case too much.

But was it really that hard to find a trash can?

Despite Nana being the one earlier to insist that the curtain falls, Junna is the one who sings about the ending as they go their separate paths, but knows they will meet each other on stage one day, since she knows they’ll both continue on as stage girls.

And as they walk away, Nana thanks Junna for helping her arrive at a brilliance that’s like jewels set ablaze, a phrase which she previously only used to describe the 99th production of Starlight that she was always trying to reach.

But Junna is just so dazzling that she can make Nana forget the past.

And while walking away, this time Nana is the one crying, another role reversal for the two of them. So now Junna is the one to mention that “she cried.” And just like Nana before, we see Junna continue down her path after taking a moment to make a steel herself. And since this is a mirror of the earlier scene, we can assume Nana must have done something similar too at the time. Even back then she didn’t want to ignore a crying Junna, but she thought she had to do it for them to make it to the next stage, and forced herself to move on.

But unlike episode 9 though, Junna isn’t there to wipe away Nana’s tears. Nana is still a bit of a kid and a crybaby, just like Junna noticed back then, but now Nana has to find her next stage on her own, so she wipes away her tears on her own, and continues down her path.

Anyways, despite that heartbreaking goodbye, literally 5 minutes later we see the two of them sitting with each other. I mean I know they promised to meet together again soon, but this was probably way sooner than they expected, right? Then again they are roommates and this is like May so they have like 9 months of school left, so their reunion was probably going to be sooner rather than later, but could you imagine how awkward it would be if Nana actually succeeded in making Junna give up on being a stage girl?

Now let’s take a look at their endings.

Junna ended up studying abroad at the New York Musical and Drama Academy. This was not on the list of colleges she was initially applying to, so I’m guessing after the Revue, Junna decided to apply for schools regardless of her chances of being accepted, and she got in! Plus she’s not in the literature department, so she can focus on the stage full time now! And it’s a performing arts school, so I guess she doesn’t need to focus on learning more quotes from famous pieces of literature anymore.

But I thought that she would apply for an troupe instead of a school though, since she got more confidence in herself after that Revue, but in the beginning she said she wanted to study more about the stage objectively, so clearly she wasn’t saying that because of insecurity, but because she really does love the stage and wants to learn more about it.

Plus she says she is having a lot of fun right now, and that’s what really matters.

Nana also ended up studying abroad, but she’s at the Royal Academy of Theatrical Actors. Her initial plan was to go to New National with Maya, Mahiru, and Futaba, but maybe she thought she needed to study more before moving on to the next stage, after all she never really had a moment like everyone else where she found out what she wanted to do in her future. But that’s because she thought that she was already ready to move onto the next stage, although the fact she couldn’t beat Maya and that she also saw herself dead in the vision means she probably wasn’t as ready as she thought. And after Junna proved her expectations wrong in their Revue, she must have realized it herself. Although I’m a little annoyed we never got to find out whether she decided to focus on making the stage or performing. After the ending of the revue, I could see either happening though.

But it’s cool that she’s not alone since she’s with Hikari in London. And while it’s a little sad she didn’t go with Hikari to meet everyone, it seems like she’s adjusted well to separating from everyone, so that’s nice.

It’s interesting how Junna and Nana are the only ones to change their future plans after the Revue. It probably says something profound about the two of them, but I just analyzed two whole Revues and I’m tired of thinking. I guess it just shows that the two of them have a lot to learn I guess? Maybe to show how the future isn’t set in stone and they can always go down new paths?

Anyways, it was really cool to see an actual fight between the two of them, especially because every other main pairing got the chance in the show, even if we only got to see brief moments of it. They have this really interesting past vs future conflict going on, so it was really cool to see that play out in an actual revue.

But boy did it hurt to see the two who were most supportive of each other duking it out. At least they looked awesome while doing it. They really popped off with the fights in this movie, so it was cool to actually analyze their movements and their meanings.

And now let’s take a look at some cool things that I noticed but didn’t mention earlier because that would mess with the flow of this essay:

I didn’t talk about the kick off party much in this deep dive, mostly because I already talked about it in both of the last two Revue Write Ups and I had to cover two whole revues in this one, but there’s a line of foreshadowing in it that’s relevant.

The line “Be reborn, destroying your old body” is read while Junna is on screen. This hints at her having her gem get destroyed, but coming back to continue fighting with a new weapon, and with a new stage girl ideology.

The more interesting thing about the Kick off Party when it comes to Junna is the fact that she’s the one who brings up how the script is incomplete and doesn’t have an ending. I feel like it’s fitting since Junna herself doesn’t have an end in mind, since she can’t see her destined star yet, but she keeps reaching out because she has faith that she’ll find her ending, just like how the classmates have faith that the script writer will be able to come up with a wonderful ending too.

Also it’s funny because Junna has literally no idea what’s going on during the period between the Revue of Annihilation and the Revue of Hunting. She’s constantly lost and voicing her confusion from the train up until she gets up on that Revue stage. It doesn’t really mean much, but I find it funny.

There are a whole lot of shots in the beginning of the movie where Nana looks straight at the viewer to reference that jump scare in episode 7, and oftentimes it’s not clear who she’s talking to, making it seem like she’s addressing the audience. I don’t really have anything to say about this, just know that while looking for screenshots I had to pause very often so sometimes I got moments where she stared into my soul and I did not appreciate that.

Also, can we just talk about how much unconditional support Junna gets? In her previous songs, it’s heavily implied her parents aren’t completely on board with her decision and she’s had to fight an uphill battle alone for even the chance to pursue her dream, but literally everyone is behind her here. I mean her teacher agrees that her path will be good for her if she wants to become a star, and even though Claudine thinks she should aim higher, she understands that Junna doing what she’s comfortable with is important. Anyways, I just think it’s just really nice that Junna is surrounded by people who love and support her no matter what (yes, this includes Nana despite everything.)

In the Revue of Annihilation, Nana chucks her sword at Junna, causing her to miss and hit the lights, sending shimmering light everywhere which distracts Futaba. This was a tactic Junna previously used against Karen in their second Revue, showing how Nana not only knew Junna so well that she could use her techniques, but also how Nana was so skilled that she could get Junna to help her.

Nana’s literally so cool. What do I have to do to be this suave one day?

Junna’s last name has the kanji for “star” and “to see”, because she is always gazing at stars and trying to reach them. But if you think about it, this means that her star was inside her all along!

Speaking of meaningful names, you can rearrange Daiba Nana’s name to Dai Banana, which means big banana in Japanese!

Thou Shalt not Die is an Japanese anti-war poem where the author mourned her brother having to fight in the Russo-Japanese War and begged him not to let himself be killed. Seeing as the two of them are wearing military uniforms, it really brings into question Nana’s true feelings on trying to kill Junna as a stage girl. Then again I just looked up a summary online and am repeating what some blog said, so as far as I know this could all be bullshit.

But it's interesting how Nana is bringing up literature, since that’s usually Junna’s thing. Although Nana is referencing a Japanese work, unlike Junna who usually quotes Western authors.

Now can we take a minute to talk about how this whole movie is sword propaganda? In what world is a bow not better than a sword!? Bows were way more effective than swords back in the olden days! This is revisionism and I won’t stand for it!

Give Junna her bow back! Actually give everyone bows! Other than Aruru in the mobile game, she can keep her pistols. And that new girl with the boomerang, that’s hilarious. But everyone else should switch to bows.

“Your star is just a piece of space trash” is like the sickest possible burn, I’m still reeling. Especially for Junna who was constantly reaching for a star, but didn’t know what she was reaching for. So to say that the faraway star she was reaching for was actually just junk that humans shot up, it just feels so cruel! They should do more astronomy related burns like this considering how they are all trying to become the top star. Maybe say something about how the hazy landscape they are in is the nebula from Junna’s dying star or something. Honestly that line is just such a good insult, I’m still in awe.

In her song, while she is shining the brightest, Junna brings up how she didn’t look upwards just for show. So even though Junna admits that she was wrong before, she’s not gonna completely disregard her previous methods, and is still gonna use what she learned to shine. This mirrors her advice to Nana back in episode 9, where she told Nana to take the memories she treasured with her to the next stage. And just like that, while she won’t rely on the words of others anymore, she will still use what she learned to become an even better stage girl.

Continuing the previous point, Junna sings about how her unbreakable pen is stronger than Nana’s Katanas. As she said before, words are her power, but now instead of reciting someone else’s words, she’s going to be the one to write them, and no one will be able to break her spirit again.

You know in a way, Nana never went to the next stage in all her time loops. She was constantly stuck repeating the same one over and over again, so she’s probably going to need the biggest adjustment once she graduates. I mean everyone else was used to growing up, but can you really say the same for Nana after she was in the time loops for who knows how long?

But despite probably being the most scared to move on to the next stage out of all of them, Nana made sure she could help everyone get to where they needed to be in order to advance to the next stage. And I just think that was really sweet of her.

Although her methods for helping could have been a bit sweeter if you ask me.

#revue starlight #junna hoshimi #nana daiba #junnana #revstar #gekijouban shoujo kageki revue starlight #analyzing starlight

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waffleweirdo · 8 months

Text

Long Post About Amemiya and Masai

I was just self-indulgently writing about them and I realized I had accidentally written 3000 words. They are so fun to write. This doesn't really have any cohesive narrative really, I was just writing it for fun myself so it's a bit wonky, but there's not enough bgumi stuff, so if you're interested, uh, here?

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Seisho Music Academy was bustling. After all the preparations for the annual-and 100th-Seisho Festival had just begun. Seisho was known as a school for the most elite performers to study and go on to become famous actresses. Often overlooked was Group B. 30 students carefully selected to attend just like the performers, and they studied stagecraft.

Many of her classmates were busy organizing materials and plans for their second production of Starlight, they might even begin creating some references or general set pieces. Meanwhile, amidst the clamor Shion Amemiya was sitting alone in a vacated classroom. Her job, once again, was to write the script. She knew this was coming. Ever since last year when she had been selected out of the class applicants to write for their 99th Seisho Festival she knew it was likely she would be nominated again. She sat at a table cluttered with notes and discarded ideas. Next to her was her copy of The Starlight Gatherer, which she had poured over countless times, indicated by the many creases and veritable rainbow of tabs and notes she had left herself. She loved her work. She was proud of it. But still the pressure she felt was overwhelming. Before anything else could proceed she needed to finalize the script, and with having to adapt such a story, it was almost harder than writing something original. Last year she had felt the weight of expectations after having been chosen to write the script. She had hoped that after a year of practice she would be more confident, but alas that wasn’t the case. Even though it had been a year it felt like barely any time had passed. Had she really grown? Now she had to one-up herself as well… No matter how much she tried she just couldn’t think of what to write. So she grabbed her essentials and changed location.

Seisho had multiple stages. Today the main stage was being used for the actors to rehearse, and most of the workshops were busy with Group B organizing tech. But that left a smaller theatre vacant. In fact this theatre was rarely used, except for some smaller events. As such it was almost always free and had become Amemiya’s favorite spot. Being on stage helped her focus much more, whenever she was stuck this was her hideaway. Slowly but surely, under the dim glow of the work lights she began to write. It was rough coming up with ideas, but there had been parts of the last show that she wasn’t happy with. More than anyone else she noticed those incongruities. She didn’t have to write anything grand and spectacular, she just had to find those moments that she was discontent with and try something new. The load slowly felt lighter and her pencil felt freer. As time slipped out of her awareness, and the scratch of pencil and turn of paper became a rhythm she felt herself find a groove. She enjoyed trying to solve problems and figure out how elements could fit into a performance, but these moments where she felt free to truly weave a story carried her along. She was able to create something that would be made real and then shown to an audience. It was equal parts terrifying and exhilarating. The hours began to pass by and Amemiya was only roused by the tap of a hand on her shoulder. It was Masai.

Masai was the only person who was able to find Amemiya here. This location was a secret between the two of them; in fact it was part of the reason they first became close. The two of them had met here by chance, during their first year. Amemiya was overwhelmed and had sought refuge; they had been working on set building which was her worst field. The noises of the power tools were just too overwhelming. Soon afterwards Masai stumbled in. She had told Amemiya that she was just taking a breather as well, but Amemiya knew she had come to check on her. The two of them sat there together for a while. Of course when they returned they were both punished for shirking their duties. But at a time when Amemiya was overwhelmed and unsure if she could keep going, feeling alone, Masai had helped her. “Hello” Masai greeted her in a soft voice. Amemiya put down her pencil and turned to face her. “Hello, what time is it?”

Masai wore a knowing grin, “It’s already 9 and we are supposed to be closing down. I thought I’d find you here”

“Ah thanks, I guess I lost track of time again”

“It seems like it.” It was a playful jest that the two were used to. Masai would often be the one to come find Amemiya as she often got absorbed in her writing. “What did you write?” Masai asked.

“I think I have about everything up until the second star festival figured out. Plus a few ideas I’d like to ask group B about”

“You’re hard working as ever. Let’s head back for now.”

The two of them had been assigned to share a room for their second year. Usually the dorms didn’t change so it was a welcome surprise. As they headed back Masai told Amemiya about the progress with each department. It was nothing incredible or alarming, but it was fun talking between the two of them. As they got back to their room and got the chance to be alone Amemiya could see the exhaustion on Masai’s face. She had been chosen to be the director, but it meant she had a lot to do, and couldn’t show her faults. Amemiya wanted to give Masai a chance to relax, and so she listened as Masai got everything off her chest. The two spent a while that night talking, and ranting, truly the beginning of work on the festival was a tumultuous time.

Progress proceeded slowly, but surely, and before they knew it the script had been submitted and the time for auditions would begin. After Amemiya managed to finally finish the script she, Masai, and most of the designers took some time to celebrate (and inevitably talk about ideas for the show). It was fun, and afterwards Amemiya and Masai had cake. While the script had been written auditions were coming up and that was often the hardest time for Masai. Inevitably every year no matter the cast there would be complaints. So although she was done writing Amemiya would now shift to giving assistance wherever it was needed, although particularly supporting Masai and the stage managers. This year they decided to hold multiple rounds of auditions in hopes that this could help provide a better overall idea for the cast and allow the actors and tech chances to improve. Amemiya had hoped that this would also reduce the conflict since auditions weren’t final yet, but of course it soon reared its head. Kaoruko Hanayagi came barging in to complain. Last year she had been cast as one of the goddesses, but this year she hadn’t. “This is the first time I’ve lost out on a lead role in any production” Kaoruko started after suddenly bursting open the door. She was angry, and stared demandingly directly at Masai. “So, if I’m not playing a lead, just what am I doing?!”. Masai was trying to show a calm face and hoping to think of a response to ease the situation. But these were the situations she was worst at. Amemiya was frustrated. Frustrated not only that Masai had to have this happen - being unfairly lashed out at - but that she ultimately couldn’t help. She knew she wasn’t cut out to be the director. Masai was able to keep calm and unite everyone, she simply didn’t have that. She felt helpless. Even still, even still, in this moment she could see Masai struggling, and she wanted to do whatever she could. “I’m going to be blunt. In this next Starlight there is no place for you at all…” Her brain was moments behind what she was saying. Only after it had been spoken did she really understand what she said. It was harsh. But at least it would put a clean end to the situation. Right now at least a larger confrontation had been avoided. Still… Amemiya wanted to apologize later. Her words had been sharp and painful, it wasn’t what she had wanted to say, but it was all she managed.

Later that day they both found themselves in the forgotten theatre. They would both go there whenever they needed an escape, and the other always seemed to know. Today Masai was there first. She had turned on the light board and was lying down staring up at the lights. Amemiya moved to join her, she didn’t say anything, but laid down next to Masai. Amemiya methodically intertwined their hands, and squeezed Masai’s hand tightly. A few minutes passed before either spoke. “Thank you” Masai whispered, but to the two of them its sound filled the room. “I’ve still got a while to go. I’m improving since last year, but even still.” she continued.

“It was her fault for getting upset even before the final auditions.” Amemiya responded.

“Yes, but it's still my job to sort out any conflicts. Even when it’s hard I am the director. Even when it’s hard this is still what I want to do.”

Amemiya admired her determination. How she could be so insistent despite struggle was inspiring. She herself always felt adrift. Sometimes inspiration would strike, and sometimes she would be left lost. But Masai stayed grounded, and helped her stay grounded. She turned her head to gaze at Masai, who was staring back at her. “It's my job to support the director, and you’re a director I always want to support”. Masai turned to look up, and Amemiya followed her lead. They both abruptly sat up and the two of them began to yell until they had emptied their lungs. In truth neither of them knew what the sound-proofing in this room was like, but sometimes they just wanted to do this. Afterwards they were both left laughing.

Kiriko Masai had always thought of herself as a stubborn person. The culmination of her stubbornness could be seen as she now stood at Seisho Music Academy. Her family hadn’t opposed her attempting to enroll. But she could tell they never really expected her to get in. But despite what anyone else said she was standing here. It was a few weeks into their first year. Masai was enjoying the classes, and had been getting along well with everyone in class. Although she felt it was surface level, at least everyone was in good spirits. That’s what she wanted to maintain. Afterall she knew how hard it could be for everyone to get along smoothly once a production would start and issues would arise. It was on a day where they were building standard wooden platforms, that she saw someone - she recognized her as Shion Amemiya - flee the class. Masai decided to follow her. Even today she didn’t know why. It wasn’t like her. The class was enjoyable, and she risked getting punished for skipping. But at that moment, dismissing everything else, Masai wanted to run with her. She has never regretted it.

When she had first been chosen to be director Masai was initially overjoyed, and then very quickly overwhelmed. She got along fairly well with everyone in class so no one openly opposed the decision. But she could feel the discontent under the surface. It made sense, so many others wanted to be the director, but it ate away at her. The first time she messed up was the first time she heard it stated openly. “She was a bad choice for director” it was some of her classmates talking behind her back. She recognized the voice, but even still begged to forget it. She didn’t want to know who it was. Even still the next day there they were smiling and chatting with her in class. Without knowing it she had retreated back to the same forgotten theatre she chased Amemiya to that day. Soon after Amemiya appeared, just how she knew she would find Masai here wasn’t even something that crossed her mind. That day Masai cried. From everything she was unsure of, from all the stress that had been building up, from the pressure to succeed. She let Amemiya hear all of it, and the next day she would be the best director possible. Of course not everything was smooth sailing. She still struggled. But this was the first time she had someone she was truly close to. Not her classmates who she just got along with on the surface. Not even her family really supported her. In the future she would make more true friends, and feel more in place as a director. But at this moment, when she felt at her breaking point, it was Amemiya who helped her continue. Whatever the future held she would treasure this time.

At some point the two of them had stopped using each other’s names. Somehow, from the tone of voice, wording, or something they could tell when the other was talking to them. But now, as Masai looked at Amemiya sitting alone in the dark, clutching her script she called out to her. “Shion”. Amemiya looked up. Her eyes were surrounded by dark circles (though not unusual, these were far worse than normal) and her hands were gripping her pencil so tight they shook slightly. Masai knew just how hard writing their 3rd Starlight had been on Amemiya. The two of them had been talking about it for weeks and she knew that even if Amemiya was open with her, her doubts and fear of failing would make her suffer alone in silence. This was Masai’s deadline. She could see Amemiya working herself to the bone. She wanted to give Amemiya all the time she desired. But ultimately Amemiya’s health was far more important to her. So the celebration (help I forgot what it’s actually called) was the cut off. She approached Amemiya and slowly took her hand. She methodically loosened her fingers and interlaced her own. She took the partially finished script. Turned to Amemiya and smiled. Then she took off at a sprint, pulling Amemiya along with her. In contrast to the dark confined room Amemiya had trapped herself in, the two felt the motion, and saw the bright lights of the celebration. Soon Masai took the stage pulling Amemiya along with her. She looked down at all their classmates around her. People who looked up at her expectantly. For two years she had served as their director. To ensure everyone got along and went smoothly she did all she could to be the perfect director. Kind, open to all, and never showing weakness. Amemiya was the only person that she was open with. But now, seeing how much Amemiya was suffering, she realized it was time to let the act drop. She took the microphone and yelled into the crowd. Letting out her fears, and frustration. It had been tough. There had been lots of disagreements. Many things that Masai regretted. But right now, ultimately she felt that she would regret keeping everything hidden. So she let everything she was carrying within out, and unburdened herself. She told the honest truth. She was scared, unsure of what they could do for their third year, and feeling stuck. She shared a piece of that with everyone. Her friends, even the people she couldn’t quite get along with. They were all here together. It was okay because they were all here together. At this point, they had all grown. She didn’t need to be the perfect director anymore. It was okay. She still belonged here. They all still wanted to make the best show they could.

Masai turned back to Amemiya. Everyone had accepted her weakness and fear. Whether the script was done or not it was okay. Amemiya didn’t need to hide and suffer by herself. After all, they had always managed before. Through whatever happened. Masai was here for Amemiya. Always. She was stubborn afterall. Once more she took her hands. And so their third production of Starlight began. Then the script was finished. Then there were of course some squabbles. Then it was time for tech week. Then, equal parts exhausted and thrilled, it was time for the performance. Then the 99th class struck the set for the last time. Then it was time for graduation.

The day before their ceremony Masai and Amemiya sat in their own forgotten theatre. There were no classes, so they spent the whole day there. It was quiet. The temperature was warm. That felt right. It was comfortable. That’s what Masai would remember most. The two of them didn’t meet due to some grand event or experience. But it wasn’t by chance either. This room was overlooked, rarely used, and out of the way. But to the two of them it was their own. Before they graduated they both signed the one of the walls, mostly hidden by view. While others were signing the catwalk, or the tool room. This is where they wanted to leave their mark. As with the rest of their third year graduation buzzed past too fast to process. Their time at Seisho had finally ended. But the two of them would still be by the other’s side. Although everything was changing for them, they would walk forward together.

#revue starlight #revstar #shion amemiya #kiriko masai #bgumi

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