This entry will be more solemn than usual, as the episode has hit me quite hard emotionally. I still remember this particular chapter in the series because it is one of those scenes that make me love Kyoko so much. Hence, it will not do this episode any justice if I make a joking entry. Please tolerate me for this episode at least.
Last episode ended with Kyoko holding a knife with a radish on her other hand. What is this special act going to be? For those who do not watch Skip Beat, I implore you to at least read the thoughts. There is something special I like to share to all.
Summary
Everyone was thinking that Kyoko would be acting as a vegetable seller. Sawara feared the worst for her. However, her special act is in fact carving a rose out of that radish. That special artistic skill impressed everyone in the panel, and Sawara gave her a thumbs up. Kyoko passed the first round easily. During the intermission to the next test, Moko taunted Kyoko and added that Kyoko would simply be a stepping stone to her great success. That infuriated Kyoko a lot and she was cursing Moko with the most vile threats in her mind.
The next test turned out to be an acting segment on the spot. It involved reacting to the message that was spoken through a mobile phone. When it came to Moko, she was able to cry almost instantly before mouthing out “yes, we will get back together.” Moko has given Kyoko a tough precedent. Kyoko listened to the message and it reminded her of how Dicktaro had abused her.
The message was initially about a man who was a womanizer, but decided that the actress was the best for him. Hence, he wanted a reunion. Initially, Kyoko started to gather a great killing intent before breaking into a warm smile. Just when Sawara thought she succeeded, she suddenly turned dark again as she smashed the mobile phone while screaming “saying sorry does not mean you will not go to hell!”
At the end of the test, Kyoko realized she failed, and the successful Moko happily mocked her. In addition, she smiled sarcastically and politely bid farewell (implying she will not see Kyoko again). Kyoko sent her evil spirits to stalk Sawara. Sawara explained to her that she lacked the most important thing for an actress: knowing how to love others. Kyoko realized that she had no ability to love anyone due to the trauma caused by her mother and Dicktaro. Kyoko mouthed out that she understood, and Sawara was surprised she did not continue to pester her. Kyoko simply wondered why actors can love mere strangers and started to waver. With that, she left quietly.
Back at home, she locked herself in the room. She realized that even her attempt to take revenge is merely revolving around Dicktaro made her realize she was really useless. Due to Dicktaro, she lost the ability to love others. With that, she started to cry uncontrollably. It had been a very long while since she cried herself to sleep.
The next day, Kyoko woke up with Corn’s stone, a stone that she used to stifle her sadness. Kyoko told the restaurant owner that she would be looking for a job. The owner’s wife asked about her acting aspirations, and Kyoko said she was not suited. The owner said that he was surprised how fast she gave up, and he loaned the knife to someone who was desperate to succeed. Back in LME, the president was clearly interested in Kyoko, but was puzzled about her inability to love. The president received a phone call from Sawara, and it turned out that he would give her another chance if Kyoko returned to them. Sawara said that she would definitely return to LME.
Thoughts
I am always on the verge of tears for this episode. It is really painful to see Kyoko so depressed, so helpless and so discouraged. There are actually three scenes in the whole manga series that almost brought me to tears despite reading it countless times already. This is one. It’s heart-wrenching for her to realize that her life was one that cannot even understand the notion of love anymore. I cannot imagine how painful that is, because it reflected a point of time in my love where I somewhat feel that way. It’s definitely not as strong as how she felt, but it hurts.
It hurts so much.
It hurts so much that it is a sharp knife.
To vision that, imagine something Like a sharp knife drawing and carving through an open wound. It really hurts. That said, Kyoko is really strong. Most people would have wallowed in self-pity and any typical shoujo heroine would probably be crying every single day for someone to save them. Those are typical shoujo heroines. However, Kyoko is made up of sterner stuff. Despite that setback, it is pretty clear that she will move on quickly and go back to being the awesome lady that she is.
That is the charm for the series. If it is trying to teach anyone something, it is the clear life story that “nothing ever takes you down. Only you can take yourself down.” Most of the time, we give up on things not because it is completely impossible to do it. It is the fact that we already think that it seems impossible to get it. We always convince ourselves that it is the right choice to make. Is it really true? When people tell you it is impossible, do you give up? Will you comfort yourself and say that it’s better to do something else?
There is a key difference here that is important to decipher. Many of us always think the impossible is impossible because it is. Nothing is really impossible. In fact, how can aiming for a goal be impossible? The purpose of a goal is to strengthen you. As old cliches go, it is merely the journey that trains you up, not the destination or the end product.
That is where Kyoko and her story of Skip Beat is so compelling. She knows that her road to success is going to be an impossible task, but she is merely caring about every single little step to that road. It is not the end, but the sum of the parts that matter so much to her. This story is about self-actualization of your hidden dreams that you have kept in a dark corner of your heart. That is why Skip Beat is so different compared to the dozens of typical shoujo series.
Sorry about the total digression. Of course, I could have done a simple impressions section about “how Kyoko-sama is so adorable in her delusions”, “how Moko is so evil to her”, “how exaggerating her acting is” and “how she realizes her void of love.” However, I feel that it is important to discuss something much closer to my heart, so forgive my indulgence.
Do you think that Skip Beat is a shoujo romance series? It’s much more, and I want to hear what you feel about it.
20 Comments
Your pathetic emo whining has summoned me from the depths of hell. For all of this emo bullshit i will rape your beloved kyokowhatever 11 times a second
RAPERAPERAPERAPERAPERAPERAPERAPERAPERAPERAPE
i think your emo state of being is seriously affecting your writing capabilities.
“It hurts so much.
It hurts so much that it is a sharp knife.”
Omfg that is real poetic, well it would be for a 16year old russian emo
“I cannot imagine how painful that is, because it reflected a point of time in my love where I somewhat feel that way”
can or cannot? make up ur mind emo
Kyoko kinda reminds me of what my AP stats teacher told my class, “don’t be down, be a contender!”
The best thing one can do for themselves is to never give up, but let those hard experiences make you better =D
This is why Lory is awesome (well, that and his entourage), is there a more understanding boss in the world? I don’t think so.
I’m really hoping they get far in the story, cause I want to see Ren and Kyouko healing each other’s emotional wounds.
Blah, blah, blah, blah, yada, yada, yada, yada… suck it up or walk it off. Take it like a man, WUSSY!
This is a “shounen” shoujo series. Kyoko will always be the underdog but with some kind of special unberibaburu ability that comes out of the blue for many onlookers, but to herself it feels so natural because she was raised that way. It’s like all the child prodigies of shounen past. You can take her down once, but you can never take her down again using the same trick, she keeps rising and rising to the occasion, one step at a time.
After this chapter, I don’t think Kyoko would go emo and cry a river as much as this. She’ll definitely be back with more devil auras!
I like skip beat so much, because unlike most shojo is focuses on the characters more then the romance. I hear too many complain that the romance in skip beat moves slowly, and every time they say that I tell them that it is because skip beat isn’t just about romance. If I want unadulterated romance, then I can go pick up some silly romance novel from Food For Less. Skip beat deals with many themes; perseverance, following dreams, hard work, and so many more, but I the biggest theme in skip beat for me is love.
skip beat spends a lot of time discussing the ability to love, whether it be parental love, sisterly love, friendship or romantic love. It is very important for kyoko to learn how to love, not only as a person, but as an actress. Kyoko’s character growth comes from her interactions and relationships with the people around her, so she can start to rely less on her inner demons/hatred(although I do love kyoko’s demons), and more on her own pure strength. Kyoko is such an enduring character because of the way she interacts with the people around her. Skip beat isn’t just about romance it is about love and strength.
@Detroit & Random: HAHAHAHAHAAH, FUNNY. My girlfriend laughed at your comment. Emo sucks, huh!
@Shiro: Well, the good thing about Kyoko is that you will never be able to let a good woman stay down for too long. I feel that this is why it is inspirational for someone to watch this.
@L-chan: Ya, it feels a little like Kare Kano but in this case, both of them are hurting as well. Lory is so flamboyant that sometimes it obscures the fact that he is a very caring president.
@13sugars: go die, piglet.
@Bluemist: Oh yes sire. The thing about Kyoko is that she has very few moments of weakness like this. Most of the time, she does take time to recover but it is as you said, a shounen shoujo show.
In a way, the plot of skip beat is like a shounen show. Kyoko has a problem, Kyoko wonders how to solve it, kyoko levels up, owns everyone and seizes the day!…oh no.
@Uber_cast: To reply anything other than “I agree with you” will spoil your comment, so I will do just that.
I guess not.
I think one of the key things that people often forget about Skip Beat is that it is unconventional in its approach about love. It’s not about two doe-eyed people trying to fall in love. It’s about two people who wants to work hard in their career and have burned themselves in terms of love. Hence, they are no longer able to truly love another person (or the rights to do so in terms of Ren).
I can understand those who are a little disappointed at Skip beat’s pace in terms of romance. In fact, I want them to get together quick. However, as you said, it is not the true purpose of Skip Beat. It’s about life and how to live your life. In that case, it’s like a fake headshake where it seems like a romance series but it opens up to different themes.
Love is a huge discussion in Skip Beat for sure. I find that the parental love is addressed very nicely later on. I ain’t giving spoilers but those who read the manga will know what I mean. I also find friendship love as a very beautiful thing, particularly with Moko x Kyoko.
Thank you. Actually, I liked this scene a lot too, although it didn’t move me in the same way that it moved you. To me, the most important part of this whole arc actually will happen in the next episode, when Kyoko meets Lory and asks him to help her regain an important human emotion. This was the first indication of what the theme of Skip Beat was about – regaining the ability to love. Aside from the types of love that you guys have mentioned already, I think it’s also crucial to the whole revenge-forgiveness aspect of the Kyoko-Sho relationship. When Kyoko regains the ability to love, she’ll be able to forgive and let go of the hatred that she has for Sho. So this whole arc is the first time she realises and states her problem.
@IMPZ
Thank You, I was actually giving up on something that I’ve been working at for a very long time. Then I read your post. Thank you for the inspiration.
@Dizzcity: Yep, if anything, I find that many of the Lory x Kyoko scenes are very poignant for some reason. I am quite sure you have seen the manga so you will know what I am saying. I cannot wait for the next exchange by the two of them because Lory is really like a father to all in his company.
I am personally touched by this episode because it is usually at the lowest point of one’s life that you find the light to salvation. However, then, it is that point whether you want to grab that light or allow darkness to resume in your world. Hence, this is why I am touched because this is the valley where Kyoko will rise up from the ashes to the heavens above.
I do think that she can really use acting to save her soul, and find a reason to live for herself.
@Jedi: Glad to hear that ^_^
You’re right that Skip Beat is about self-realization and self-development to accomplish one’s goal, and that is what promising about it. But it doesn’t make Skip Beat that special for me coz there’re other shoujo mangas like this too. (sorry for not putting examples here. I’ve read shoujo for all my life that I can’t remember most of their names = =. Anyway, that’s why I didn’t feel this kind of plot style is new or that unique for me) However, Skip Beat is surely a nice manga, and I believe it will be a good inspiration for many people like it already did for some of us here ^^
I understand the feeling of ‘losing an ability to love’ too, but for me, it’s rather losing an ability to enjoy love. (please don’t think too much. I’m not being dump and still doing fine, haha) ok! we’d stop it here or else it’ll become fully emo or philosophy thread, lol
Impz, i agree completely about Skip beat! being a shonen disguised into shojo.
Just that Koyko’s main ojective is to seek revenge from Dicktaro (Like some Shonen) but to beat! the final boss, she must level up and beat! a lot of sub-boss and lower levels creeps.
Romance is lacking a bit but hell it’s a shonen.
What is subtle is the use of the show-biz background for this shonen instead of mastering a uber power, Koyko just have to master a new role.
bateszi has very well said that Skip Beat is like a shounen jump series (I know you won’t like any comparisons of Skip Beat with Naruto, but it is a very apt comparison XD). As most people have said here, Skip Beat is a non-conventional shoujo manga, and I personally don’t see it as a “shoujo romance series”, that’s quite an understatement, not to mention deceiving. People who expect this to center on romance will most likely end up disappointed. And don’t worry about becoming all emo with this episode, I think I’ll go all emo myself when I write my thoughts about it.
I think it is a miss statement to compare skip beat with a shonen series. The plot of a show like naruto never changes, where as with skip beat the plot develops from kyoko wanting to get revenge on “dicktaru” more to Kyoko wanting to be able to act as well as ren. The major character development in Kyoko happens when Kyoko realizes that she does not want to act just to get back at “dicktaru”, she wants to act for herself, so she can move forward with her own power.
@Blist: Is it so? I think the thing about Skip beat is the combination of self actualization with a good cast of characters. I have been drained by many paper-thin stereotypes in shoujo that these two themes are sorely missing in many of them. I do not think that the plot is new or refreshing, but it is one of the very few series that manages to make it palptable and awesome at the same time. It’s a rare gem.
A series does not have to be completely new in order to impress.
@Kreb: Ya, but compared to a typical shounen show, there is way more character development. It follows somewhat like the style of shounen in terms of improving and “leveling up” but it is much deeper than your typical lame Naruto now. Yes, Naruto is the anime to bash for anything, even though it actually rock earlier on.
I think that the stereotype that shoujo must concentrate only on romance will be broken here. Sure, there are some romantic elements in this series, but they are far and between.
@Uber+cast: I said that earlier actually. One major difference too is that the main character is often an emo weak-willed character that knows absolutely nothing but to release his energy everywhere. Kyoko is far from that. Kyoko releases the GAR.
I haven’t put up my review for this *nods*, but I found this episode it made me. Well I loves the last episode so much that I had so much expectation and that probably was bad because it made me a bit sad watching how it didn’t full live up to my expectations. But luckily by the middle of the episode I was hooked and all was saved. Tho I probably could watch Skip Beat! not for the story,but the chibi’s.
Nothing quite baffles me like the typical ‘whine constantly about shoujo-conventions when you’re watching shoujo anime’…
I personally like shoujo anime. Is that a problem or something?…
I think Kyoko cutting the radish into the rose is symbolic for her, huh? Who knew that such a plain boring vegetable could be turned into something so beautiful with perseverance and determination. ^_^
I thought it was impressive for Skip Beat revealed this revelation so early. Every other shojo series out there usually develops the story for many chapters/books until the heroine reaches a crisis. To do it near the beginning and to make it BELIEVABLE is amazing. Kyoko’s scene this episode got me to sell my soul to the series.