Skip Beat Ep 12 – Erika, your day has come!

Cursing is the tradition of LOVE ME. Good job, girls!

It’s the CM arc. Die, Erika, I hope you will finally be shown your place in life!

Summary

Kyoko was allowed to stay as Bo, despite the director’s dislike of her. She was walking back to the office, when Ren appeared in the same hallway. Kyoko wanted to thank Ren for making her feel better when she was in Bo’s costume, but remembered that she did that rude hand gesture to him. However, she did not need to worry about it as a sparkled-filled Ren had his fake gentleman smile, and started chasing her. She could sense the malicious intent of Ren, but was unable to run away despite walking very fast. She tried to retreat to the female’s toilet, but she was chased down by Ren. After taunting her for not greeting a senior and also thinking that he was a vengeful person, Ren’s manager came over with a shocked face. He thought Ren was sexually harassing Kyoko.

Ren was asking why Kyoko was not wearing her unique uniform, and advised her that she should try to get attention in the media world. Kyoko was surprised that Ren was kind today, and he also gave her a car ride home. Kyoko also told Sawada that she will be going for an interview for a CM job, and told him that she wanted to try it out. The next day, she went to the audition center. While daydreaming about being friends with Moko, she was knocked down when the door leading to the audition area suddenly opened. Kyoko apologized for daydreaming at the door. A blond girl was the one who opened the door, and ignored Kyoko completely. That annoyed Kyoko because it felt like she was being provoked. Kyoko did cool down when she realized that the blond girl was mocking Moko, calling her an unknown side character her whole life.

We see this Erika acting like a spoiled princess, and she was a daughter of a billionaire. Kyoko wondered how Moko got to know such a person, and also Moko’s comments about “Erika using that power to get this job.” Kyoko looked stern, and said that she was more concerned about something else: Why is Moko not greeting her cheerfully as a friend? Moko reminded Kyoko that they were rivals. Kyoko said that they were compatriots accursed in the same fate. Erika was surprised at the remark of Moko, and Erika’s butlers were making fun of Kyoko’s poor status. Erika said that it was probably a rival of poorness. The audition was starting, and Erika continued to mock Moko by saying that it was a futile attempt for Moko. Kyoko said she was surprised Moko was running away from the confrontation and wondered if Erika was that great. Kyoko also added she could not believe Moko was relegated to side roles in her school. Moko then replied angrily whether Kyoko thought of her as one of low ability.

The director turned out to be late, but Erika stole the show using her heritage as a leverage. Everyone was trying to gain the attention of the jury, while Moko and Kyoko were totally dispirited. Kyoko remembered how they were unable to talk about happy things in their school years. Kyoko asked if Moko already gave up halfway. Moko said that she knew how it would end, and would not go for the second audition. Kyoko said that the jury liked her, but the director was not there. Moko told Kyoko that Erika would stoop to absolutely everything to bring Moko down. Erika used money to bribe votes during a play at Form 3, and did not allow Moko to join the drama club in secondary school.

Kyoko continued to ask Moko if she was to give up. Moko reiterated that money would beat talent. Kyoko slapped her, and told her that talent could never be replaced by money. Moko told her that money could buy the hearts of people, and Kyoko said there were people who are incorruptible. Kyoko persuaded Moko and told her that Moko should try to resist Erika once even after being totally crushed by her. Kyoko asked if Moko wanted to be an actress. Moko started to realize she was escaping, and asked Moko (sparklingly) how to fight back. Kyoko did not have a solution and started to panic until remembering Ren’s words to attract attention. Kyoko said she had a way to attract attention, one that only they could do. Moko finally realized what it was.

A gangster-looking man said that he was interested what these two people would do that can immediately attract attention. Ren was working in another place, and managed to steal another actress’ heart through his sweet words. Yashiro said Ren was being nice yesterday, considering how he hated Kyoko earlier. Ren was surprised his attitude became soft to Kyoko without realizing, and he told Yashiro he would remember to treat her badly. Back to the audition, it was obvious that they wore the pink overalls. Kyoko said that they would both fight hard to destroy Erika, but the audition only accepted one person.

Kyoko said it was all right because it was the better person who won. Moko said that Kyoko was really like her in terms of perserverance, and she felt like she could beat Erika. She wondered if it was because she was no longer alone. Erika continued to go on a tirade, and blamed Moko for wasting her time and life on her. Kurosaki-sensei (the director) also changed the plans to get two people for the commercial. Moko sarcastically apologized to Erika that she had ruined Erika’s life, but it would all end today.

Thoughts

Please repeat this after me: Erika should be hung, shot and be bankrupt immediately so that she can experience the life of a poor person. Wow, if you think that Ruriko is somewhat annoying, Erika is someone you wished to suffer for the rest of her life in eternal hell. She manages to get on my nerves so badly, and I must applaud the seiyuu for making her sound like a total pain in the rectum. Her haughty attitude and “I have money, so I beat all of you” is something that I really hate, and i personally never liked rich people anyway. They tend to be totally incapable to empathizing with people of lower status, and I wish that these rich sons and daughters would be bankrupt one day. Yes, I am evil.

In addition, Erika is probably the only antagonist, other than a certain someone that will not appear in the anime (too late) that can rile me up so badly because they are so badly lack of redeeming factors for a human. Even that certain idiot eventually backs off of sorts, but Erika just continues to grind on the Stuck-up-meter. Her personal random tirade on Moko at the very end of the episode just seals her fate up. Please put this OJOU-SAMA IN HER PLACE: RIGHT IN A RUBBISH BIN FILLED WITH SO MUCH FILTH AND DIRT!

Anyway, I felt that the scene of Ren x Kyoko was a little under-done in the anime version. Even though I seldom enjoy comparing the manga to the anime, I felt that Ren’s reaction was rather confusing without the notion that he is merely poking fun at Kyoko and trying to see that she would just react the same way he did when she was young. I am not sure if it is a deliberate attempt by the animation companies not to cover the history of Kyoko and Ren at all, since they will be unable to cover all the existing chapters. It will be leaving others hanging too. If so, I guess the changes do make some sense.

One of the key elements of Skip Beat is that it often presents a conflict in a simplistic way: a protaganist versus an antagonist, but carries out the plot in a way that makes the character develop around Kyoko. Rather than Kyoko evolving to someone totally different and deep by her own, the side characters are the one that shows the different sides of Kyoko through their own reactions with Kyoko. In this episode, we always know that Kyoko is tenacious, but it is through the actions of Moko that we see that. I think that is why we empathize both Moko and Kyoko. Most shoujo series often make characters too stereotypical and wafer thin.

One more major theme discussed in this episode is how Moko never fights back. I think that it is probably logical for Kyoko to wonder about why Moko gave up so easily in the face of money. From the little things we know about Moko, Moko’s love for acting is very strong, and it will probably take something drastic to change her view about things. It is really painful, but I do agree that money can shift sentiments, yet talent will never be destroyed or overcome by money that easily. It does sometimes, but not always. What do you think?

Oh, lastly, I guess the thing about Moko does make sense if you have some spoilers about her family background and her treatment of Kyoko earlier on. I will not spoil you though. So, it’s the reckoning for next week. GO LOVE ME SECTION!