You, Dicktaro, is probably the most insensitive jerk that the world has ever known.
Ren X Kyoko is finally here! Fine, it is not even anything close to romantic feelings, but Impz has the right to cheer because Ren actually has more funny faces in this episode than the last ten episodes combined!
Summary
Dicktaro was wondering how this “fan” knew about his name, since he told no one about it. However, his troubles continued as he was forced to play badminton, a game he completely suck at. It caused some whispering among the crowd, and he tried to make an excuse to get out of it. However, Bo passed him a racket, and the penalty for the game was to bark like a dog. Somehow, Dicktaro managed to maintain a great rally with Bo. In addition, he looked extremely cool while playing it and his fans went wild. Kyoko wanted to use her special move to finish Dicktaro off. Dicktaro remembered the move as one of Kyoko’s devised move to beat Dicktaro. However, the shuttlecock got stuck on the ceiling, and Bo lost. By then, Dicktaro was getting suspicious that Bo might be Kyoko.
Kyoko was lectured by the director of the show, and warned her that any more antics would cause her to be banned on the TV set. Kyoko was wondering how her efforts were merely making Dicktaro more popular. At the next segment of the show, Dicktaro tried to take off the head of Bo. When asked by Bridge, Dicktaro said that he was interested whether the person inside Bo was male or female. During their struggle, Bo fell on top of Dicktaro. Dicktaro touched her boobs, and said that he woman in Bo must be plain and unfeminine. Obviously, this pissed off Kyoko and she went to strangle Dicktaro. This resulted in Kyoko getting banned from appearing anymore. Kyoko tried to argue it was not her fault, but the director told her that she was causing trouble.
After the director left, Kyoko was lamenting how she was blamed even though it was clearly Dicktaro’s fault the second time round. She realized that it was the rule of showbiz, where only the most popular people are going to shine while others will languish. Kyoko could not believe she was actually admiring Dicktaro when he was in the bright stage lights. While thinking and running aimlessly, she got lost. It turned out that she somehow stumbled to find Ren looking rather serious. Ren was the last person she wanted to meet, and she wanted to sneak off. However, her Bo feet made a squeaking voice. Ren called out to Bo and asked for help because he could not turn to anyone else for help. He started sparkling brightly, and wanted to borrow a mobile phone. However, he instantly went into low morale when Kyoko said that she had no mobile phone.
Kyoko asked if Yashiro had a mobile phone, but his manager’s phone was spoiled. Kyoko asked whether Ren needed the dictionary to check out something he did not know in the script. Ren immediately sparkled and smiled. Kyoko realized that he was lying because of his words to her previously. She started to force him to a confession, only for him to show a seriously angry face. Kyoko freaked out and started apologizing profusely. She said that she was mean because she totally hated him. Ren smiled, and said that she had a strange reason to be so insistent. Moreover, it was refreshing to hear someone describing how hated he was.
Kyoko asked if he was angry. He said that he had to forgive someone who begged so sincerely. Kyoko felt that he was so mature. Ren said that he was also at fault for lying. Kyoko felt that Ren was very different from his usual side. She also realized that she was being a total mean person, because she would be very hurt if Ren was to force her to a confession that she was dumped by Dicktaro. Kyoko begged to help Ren. It turned out that he did not understand a line containing the word “Tenteko-mai” and was wondering what kind of dance it was. He asked very sincerely what kind of expression he should have when he mentioned the dance. Kyoko tried to hold in her laughter, but she burst out laughing because the phrase was obviously not a dance.
Ren was very embarrassed when he realized. As the door for Ren’s stage was open, a bright light beamed through and Kyoko fell from the bright lights. Kyoko said it was merely anemia, and Ren tried to remove her Bo’s head to give her some oxygen. Kyoko stopped him and said that she wanted to wear the suit more since she was fired from her job. Ren said that she should not be so knocked up over a job, and Kyoko said that he would not understand it. Ren said that he was fired a lot of times when he was a newbie because he refused to listen to advice.
He started counting the number of failures, and Kyoko was surprised because she expected Ren to have success served on a silver platter. Kyoko wondered why the tabloids never picked up on his failures, and asked if he was in Hollywood during that time since he did not know about Tentenko-mai (despite being an uncommon Japanese phrase). He simply did a sarcastic expression and started talking in English, pissing Kyoko off. It was clear that he was making fun of Kyoko. After he left for his job, Kyoko moved back to her belongings. Ren suddenly appeared, scaring her because she feared that she was found out. However, he came to thank her for her help. Kyoko saw another different side of Ren, and found her heart beating harder when he smiled so sweetly to her. She also wondered if she should apologize for her previous rude actions to Ren.
Thoughts
This episode is just so funny! This is everything that Skip Beat is all about: Comedy, serious drama and extremely sweet lovey-dovey moments of Ren and Kyoko. Yes, I am a total shipper of Ren X Kyoko because the two of them are just so adorable together. Where should I even start writing for this episode?
All right, let me talk about Kyoko and that arrogant singer first. I bet that even Kyoko is surprised when Dicktaro manages to play a decent game of badminton since her record against Dicktaro was a magnificent 36-0. Considering how Dicktaro considers Kyoko to be absolutely nothing to him, he does remember many things about her and gets reminded of her so much. That does not feel like someone who did not care about her. However, I guess Dicktaro is too much of a flirt, and Kyoko isn’t someone who screams sex appeal. I am rather amused when Dicktaro gropes her breasts and say that he felt very little. That was such a bloody low blow!
It’s probably this episode where Kyoko finally realizes her place in the industry. Obviously, Kyoko is not naive enough to think that she will be the top easily, but I think she overestimated herself. She finally realized how big a gulf Dicktaro and Kyoko have between them, and I believe that it is the reason why she actually admired Dicktaro for a moment when he was glimmering with the bright stage lights flashing on him. She realized that she might want to be loved by someone, or something. It’s probably a very weak need due to her inability to receive or give love, but she does feel something I think.
Ok, it’s finally time for this. Hands up all who actually Kyaa-ed at least once when Ren appeared. Yes, we can complain until the cows come home that Ren looks less handsome in the anime compared to the manga. However, they are really doing a good job with the various creative ways to make him sparkle so brightly. Darn, I am blinded by the amount of sparkles that this episode has, but my favorite sparkle must be the one when he thanked Kyoko for her help at the end. That was just so sweet and kind. I mean, for the last ten episodes, Ren adopted a somewhat antagonistic attitude toward Kyoko. This is the first time that the two are talking like normal people, and Ren’s sweet attitude is just something that can soften a typical girl’s heart.
I also laughed my head off when Ren went all emo and sad after sparkling so brightly. This episode is really a tale of two halves. While the first half is slightly more devilish and painful (due to how much suffering Kyoko went through), the second half is much more tender and sweet. The animators did a pretty good job at joining these two together while adding some individual touches in terms of effects and special add in (a girl singing the theme song of Skip Beat? LOL!). I was just a little sad Yashiro did not appear for a few seconds like in the manga. I like Yashiro a lot! I am also a tad disappointed that we did not see the gazing look of Ren after he made that American mocking. That would tell more about the darker side of Ren.
As a parting shot, I still do not know what tenteko-mai is. Does anyone have a clue?
15 Comments
Tentekomai means very busy, but since it has an ending “-mai”, Ren thought that it was some kind of dance.
Thanks, Impz. I’ve become your SB blog’s fan lately. I agree with your analysis of D-taro’s feelings for Kyoko. The girl who will become such a flirt’s love interest is the most unfortunate. I’m glad Kyoko is off the hook (isn’t she?).
From what I’ve heard,”tentekomai” means something like “very busy.” I remember that the example given was a hotel worker saying “Today there’re many guests; it’s very ‘tentekomai’” or something like that.
Please correct me if I remember it wrong.
Ren is very sweet. Besides his sexy dark side, I love his sarcastic humor the best.I personally look forward to KyokoxRen scene in the next episode (big spoiler, sorry). It is my favorite among Ren’s teases.
KYAAAAAH!!!! Its the commercial!!! I LOVE THAT CHAPTER~! I definitely can’t wait for that episode ^^
Still so far with the anime I have to say I think they’re doing quite a good job adapting the material, sure they miss out on some small details but they don’t skip out on all the small quirks and details that made me fall for the manga.
Yeah, what they said.
But I’m kinda sad they didn’t put the scene with Yashiro in and replaced him with a random guy. A little weird and unnecessary? I didn’t understand why they did that.
And Kyoko is pure awesomeness. I can’t say that enough. She is such a developed character with a not so great past but that shapes who she is. Even though I’m sure we all hate Dicktaro, he is the reason why Kyoko gets to meet Ren (at least the actor Ren… lol) and Moko and all the other fantastic people and it’s because of him that Kyoko gets to show the world what she’s made of.
And the commercial arc is next! omg I LOVE that arc. It’s perhaps second only to the PV arc. But the whole Dark Moon arc is fabulous too… lol I can’t choose! I’m so excited!
“That does not feel like someone who did not care about her.”
I find that the one weakness that the author has in her characterization of Sho is that as the series progresses, you find that Sho actually knows Kyoko -pretty- well. He knows her food preferences, her behavior, her sadness about her mother, and all sorts of things; the part that he missed, apparently, was how wonderful she was altogether. One particularly chilling line from him during the promo video arc is about his shock when Kyoko shows up gorgeous; he says something like, “I always thought in the whole world that Kyoko knew me best, and that I knew her best, too.” Well, that actually sounds pretty affectionate. So what the hell happened??
Somewhere along the line his brain became incredibly twisted -_- I feel like there’s this big, big gap in his brain with how he treated her and how he continues to think of her. HE STILL HASN’T ACKNOWLEDGED THAT HE MISTREATED HER. I want him to suffer the fires of hell. and that hasn’t happened yet. I’m waiting for that day, but I still want a legitimate explanation.
It’s still funny to hear Tamaki’s voice come out of his mouth though.
OH Ren!!!!! You sexy thing. XD Yeah, Ren looks much better in the manga… I wonder what’s up with the animators.
That said, I was just daydreaming and I realised Kyoko would make the perfect boyfriend!!! Ren would be a bad girlfriend, though not as bad as Dicktaro who would be one of those whiny princesses. Oh well.
@Pea: Arr, thank you for that!
@Pch: Yep, the thing is that if Dicktaro does not even care a single bit about Kyoko, all those memories would disappear almost immediately. It is obvious that he is a fricking flirt, but I doubt that he himself recognize how much he actually cared for Kyoko until she is no longer with him. That idiot is just such a retard.
OH, YES, I LIKE THAT A LOT! Let’s keep it to just that so that others don’t get spoiled ok?
@Machi: Ya, some of the small details are missing but I think it is fine becaus e they often replace it with something funny too. I mean, Yashiro did not appear but we get to see an animated version of the singer singing the main OP of the series. Now, that’s a sweet touch and nice sublime advertising there. Ya, I think what they did was great to make the anime smooth yet still showing the little developments and progression of the characters. I can’t fault them for that, and they even add some personal touches to it.
@Twilight: Hah! Are you defending Dicktaro? ARE YOU? You better not be defending Dicktaro because I will make sure you be named Twilitaro
Just teasing! I do agree that Kyoko’s hatred of Dicktaro is a very important background theme that shows the conflict between taking revenge and to improve herself as a person.
I actually think that part of the Yashiro issue is that the show is only 26 episodes. There is quite a hint of Kyoko x Ren in that short interaction, and they will be hard felt to follow up on this at least in the duration that they have. Moreover, it is really much better for them to show the stage with the OP song being sung by a singer. It feels a bit more anime, I guess?
I don’t think we will have the luck for the Dark Moon arc though. It’s so delicious too T_T
@Kylara: I think rather than a weakness, the amount of time spent with her makes him knowledgable about her. Kyoko is a very open person that has no secrets with Dicktaro, and Dicktaro is hardly a retard or stupid person. So, he probably remembers quite a bit of her, but I do agree that he seems to care WAY too much for someone who does not love Kyoko.
You know what I think is in his head? He is just as thick as Kyoko when it comes to love. He is a natural flirt of course, but he found himself in love with Kyoko, and he is rejecting the whole notion of it because he does not believe in love per se.
Yes, his brain is twisted but I think he is just a fricking self-obsessed character who thinks Kyoko is his. The natural bad boy.
@Solunar: No cross-gender anymore T_T Dicktaro will be a total tyrant princess. I am so not going to … Ren will be a fake nice girl. Heh. Ok, no more implanting silly thoughts in my head.
I’m so happy I just found your blog!
“This is everything that Skip Beat is all about: Comedy, serious drama and extremely sweet lovey-dovey moments of Ren and Kyoko.”
That statement perfectly summarizes my feelings about Skip Beat! I look forward to watching your thoughts on each episode!
PS – If I remember right in a side panel the author admitted that Ren is THE most difficult character for her to draw. Considering that it makes sense that his transition from manga to anime may not be perfect for all fans.
@Impz: hehe Twilitaro… I would never have thought of that. Impztaro? Meh, doesn’t have the same impact lol.
and no I am in no way defending Dicktaro (how DARE he betray Kyoko-sama? He must be punished!) but I will say that each character and event plays a significant role in this whole series. Good stories make really good connections and even incorporates the funny bits with the story (like Yashiro’s phone lol)
And speaking of Yashiro, I do see what you mean, but they could have just made Yashiro the man there who said those lines instead of an unknown and still included the opening song singer. Yashiro would have simply had a smaller part and not talked about his thoughts… or maybe they’re saving more of that for later? We’ll see… I can’t wait for the next episode!
And just a random question (I can’t answer it myself since I don’t know enough about Japanese culture) but what is so uncool about having “taro” in someone’s name? If someone could explain that to me, that would be greatly appreciated.
The problem with KyokoxD-taro relatioship is they are too close to each other. When we really feel at home with some people, we will be less considerate to their feelings although we do care about them. We just take them for granted and assume that they understand and accept what we are and how we think. We tend to claim that no matter what we do, they will always be there.
Too bad, when the law is usually applied to parents,it never works well with lovers.
So, D-taro, you dig your own grave. You’ll never get Kyoko back, hehe *evil grin*
Solunar& Impz: If Ren were to be Ren-ko, she would certainly be one of the legendary tsunderes ever. Compare to Moko, which one will be closer to you heart, Impz-san? ^-^
@Lovely: I think part of the reason why Ren is difficult because he is not your standard bishie. I mean, a straight standard bishie will be something or someone like Dicktaro. Ren isn’t really the highly bishie type as he has that menacing manly feel about him. Yet, he cannot be completely so to lose that beauty. I guess it’s hard…but still T_T
@Twilight: SEE, IMPZTARO sounds so wrong. Only Twilitaro sounds all right. I believe that the name Taro is a very old fashioned name (the taro means first child) that might be rather embarrassing for an artiste who is supposed to be all cool and such.
I wasn’t really minding it too much that Yashiro was not there. It was more like, “if he’s there, it’s good but no biggie.”
@Pch: HUH, I actually do not think Ren will be that much of a tsundere. He’s more of a sarcastic cold girl who doesn’t really dere. I will choose Moko over Ren-ko anytime. ^^ I totally agree with you on the first paragraph by the way. You only realize the worth of something when that something disappears.
I prefer characters with a bit less bishie-ness to them like Ren.
hi anyone know what is the line in the script?
hi I would like to ask if anyone know what that line in the script mean…
Ha ha I loved this series and this episode. I find it very interesting how much Sho really knows about Kyouko but that aside, he definitely doesn’t deserve her after the way he treated her. Then again, regardless of what’s right and wrong, feelings happen. I can clearly see who she’s falling for and I’m glad that for once, the NICER guy (not the complete jerk) is doing better as a love rival.