THE iDOLM@STER – Episode 24

Vanished from her sight…

Word for word, it’s an eerie two way translation between fiction and reality. It may be an advantage to possess such an intense synchronization with the role but having those feelings linger outside of it is nothing short of depressing, all the more when the lines she recites represent a harsh reflection of herself as seemingly the only one who is clinging onto those memories in the past… Feeling like she never moved on… Feeling like…she has been left behind, all alone.

Yet she still pushes herself to keep up but her drive would only serve to break her further when she’s not in the right state of mind.

Haruka finally voices the biting reality about their current situation and these words couldn’t have been more objectively true. They’re devoid of any semblance of selfishness and her inner feelings of wanting everyone to be together. It’s only the plain, simple truth. It does beg the question though… If she had told everyone this earlier, would she be in the state she’s in now? Surely someone else besides Chihaya would have agreed with her?

Ritsuko, you just triggered your own comment to self destruct *facepalm*.

“The last show”. Not the “last show of the year” but “the last show” they would do together. Ever. All of her observations so far have accumulated to this conclusion. The conclusion that the New Year live is the only definite occasion at the moment which gives her any sort of concrete assurance that everyone will be together. Everything after that has become an obscure blur to her, a fog caused by her assumption of how everyone has become distant in their efforts in creating chances to be together.

Miki is probably the one person who can identify with Haruka on similar grounds. They’re both hard workers, they’re both always enthusiastically charging ahead in whatever they’ve set their minds on, and they both enjoy the thrill of shining on stage. It’s no surprise whenever they work together these traits are mutually visible between them so when one of them starts to falter in her composure, it’s easy for the other person to pick up on it.

Except…the most obvious dissimilarity between them is that Haruka and Miki love working as an idol for different reasons and this shows in Miki’s stunned look in that last image. Her expression is just marvelous in a wretched way. It paints a picture of her utterly failing to understand Haruka’s feelings during that moment and it’s a strong follow up to her earlier question of “Haruka, what are you trying to do?”. Probably everything she knew about Haruka is destroyed within that very instant. It doesn’t help that the latter’s cryptic tears and soliloquy only intensify the shock and confusion further. Speaking of Haruka’s soliloquy, I like how the writers phrased her words in this scene for this particular storyline. They’re really suitable in illustrating and bringing about two starkly contrasting scenarios – 1) Having lost one’s way, with regards to Haruka having lost sight of her purpose in her position as an idol; 2) Having been pulled back on track, with regards to Miki eventually realizing she was close to falling into the same pit upon hearing Haruka’s words.

The plain fact. It’s enough to hammer in the awareness about their state and where they could potentially go from here. They’re all successful idols. They’re all capable of making it big on their own… But it’s not necessarily an encouraging prospect.

“仕方ない”. “It can’t be helped”. “They can’t help it”. Never have any phrase sounded more frustrating in this episode than this for the ring of hopelessness it carries. What makes it even more annoying is that it accentuates just how wrong the entire situation looks with no one doing something about it…yet.

Unity. It’s a tenure that is synonymous with 765 Pro. They inspired others with it. It’s now up to them to remember why they did.

Family. It’s another tenure that is synonymous with 765 Pro. It’s what they’ve grown to become over time, isn’t it? After every experience they went through. After every adversity they overcame. Every one of them has been learning what it means to unite and move forward together not only as colleagues and friends but as a family. It’s now up to them to remember what they used to be.

Onwards to finding herself again.

Drawing from what Haruka and Chihaya discussed before, this is the kind of reality the girls have to face as idols who are rising to stardom. Barely having time to spend with one another, even hardly seeing each other. However…it wouldn’t have been so bad if it was more in the physical sense…

…rather than emotional. Haruka, who is well known for her knack of reading other people’s emotions, is more aware of and affected by this than anyone else.

I know I’m starting to sound like an irritating broken record by now but Iori’s response here is simply why I adore her. She really knows how to say the most stirring things sometimes and you can well bet if she had known what Haruka was feeling inside, she would have gone all out with guns blazing in herding everyone together on Haruka’s behalf, even going as far as challenging the higher ups to alter everyone’s schedules if she needs to. But alas, there are valid reasons why Haruka couldn’t speak to anyone about her thoughts.

It’s only because Chihaya experienced the same kind of despair that she’s able to say these words. Haruka’s situation, albeit of a different nature, pretty much treads on very familiar territory with her with regards to having important things taken away, moreover seeing as the matter concerns the one person who spearheaded the others to help her when she was stuck in a similar dilemma before.

Wow. I love the lines penned for the characters in this series. Granted, they may not be as compelling and epic as the quotes of say, a certain AWSM BRO from Fate/Zero, but they unquestionably carry a comparable level of impact in hitting the point home. As metaphorical as Miki’s words sound here, the significance behind them is downright straightforward in their meaning. They represent what she and the other idols are going through in their progress towards aiming for the top – doing their best in every challenge they take on, accomplishing as many tasks as they can to build up their experience but at the same time, these words draw attention to how they’ve been overly absorbed in their work so much so they’ve begun unconsciously neglecting the little things which keep them rooted to who they used to be before jobs and fame took over. Miki is the best personification of this since she’s quite possibly the brightest star among her peers who is always pulling out all the stops in her career. Touching back on Haruka’s soliloquy, I love how it indirectly saved Miki from similarly losing sight of the more meaningful aspects of her position as an idol. You know how in a scenario where you see another person mess up, and it makes you realize and tell yourself you don’t want to end up like him/her? Okay, that was a bad example but I suppose it works in the same way. Back then, Haruka visibly showed she had been pushing herself too hard despite the emotional turmoil she was in and as a result, she forgot the purpose behind her role as an idol which manifested in the questions she asked herself about her reasons for being involved in this occupation. Her words were puzzling during that very moment but if one takes the time to contemplate on them, the underlying message couldn’t have been more obvious. Miki (and to a certain extent, Ritsuko) saw and heard Haruka utter those words firsthand so it makes sense to have her reflect on and share part of Haruka’s feelings here with everyone else.

To answer Iori’s question of why Haruka didn’t tell them anything, this is precisely one of the reasons why. Whether it’s the objective of this entire plot or not, it ended up portraying a rather interesting conflict in Haruka’s character – her seemingly selfish wish in wanting to be with everyone as opposed to her selfless personality in not wanting to impose her feelings on them. I thought this is a great follow up to Haruka’s development that was sparked in Episode 20 although we could say this gives her another new dimension to her character rather than expands on it. Back in Episode 20, she initially felt powerless to help Chihaya out of worry of hurting the latter’s feelings further. The Producer called her out on this, advised her to avoid being excessively considerate of other people’s feelings if she wanted to help them and told her to boldly hit Chihaya with everything she felt. She did that and it worked. So what happened to that Haruka who doesn’t irresolutely probe and maneuver around a problem anymore when it gets bad? Why isn’t she as vocal about her feelings now as she was with Chihaya? I suppose her situation in these two episodes emphasizes the difference rather clearly and it has a lot to do with her selfless personality. With regards to Haruka, her words here show there’s a fine line between honestly expressing herself when it concerns helping and benefiting another person and when it concerns “helping” and “benefiting” herself. In the latter case, it’s not a stretch to say the last thing she wanted to do in the presence of her friends was project herself as a self-centered and inconsiderate person when her feelings and wishes concern herself. After all, Haruka has always been the kind of individual who prioritizes others first before herself even if it means trampling on her own emotions over it. Furthermore, there’s the fact that moving forward in their career as idols is the right thing to do from a professional perspective. All of those media personnel such as the staff member who told Iori and Azusa that they’re doing well enough to make it on their own without clinging onto 765 Pro’s name spoke the truth. There’s no denying they were right. Getting to where they are now is what each of the girls has been working hard for from the beginning in aiming for the top. Becoming busier in their progress as a result of that is only expected. For Haruka, wishing they could return to their older days and desiring for everything to stay the same would seem like undoing everything they’ve worked for.

Re-igniting that belief again when it first looked as though that trust was lost.

Right on cue, they’re calling for her to return to where she belongs…

…back with her family.

Thoughts
I mentioned before that I kind of doubted there would be another storyline after the outstanding Episode 20 which would make me as emotionally invested in this series as it did. Let’s just say I’m glad I was proven wrong. This one undeniably went all out in establishing itself to be nearly just as good in terms of execution. The quality of storytelling isn’t surprising since the key individuals who were involved in creating this installment, namely Takao Touko (episode and unit director, storyboard) and Tsuchiya Michihiro (script), were part of the ingenuity behind Episode 20. It’s just as well they were put in charge to draw out the truckload of potential this episode has seeing as this arc touched on arguably the two biggest themes in the iM@S universe – the journey to idol stardom as well as unity.

I’m really pleased they rounded up the series with a story focused on Haruka as the last character centric chapter, not so much because she’s generally deemed as the lead heroine but more because she has a setup which allows dynamic development for her character given the right kind of story. This setup very much pertains to her goals for becoming and being an idol, and the most striking feature about it is that it’s tied to the two aforementioned themes above. To expand my thoughts from my past reviews a little, I do think Haruka has a tendency to project herself as a seemingly idealistic dreamer through the things she says and does. For instance out of the girls who have stated their reasons and dreams as idols, Haruka’s motive appears to be the most inspirational but also the most fantastical of them. While people like Makoto or Yukiho harbor concrete, personal reasons and desire concrete, personal results as idols, Haruka is in it for a more carefree intention and that is to just have fun performing on stage together with everyone. It’s definitely not wrong to have such a lighthearted, group oriented purpose compared to everyone else’s more personal ambitions but it could affect the drive that pushes her forward. This was made evident when she became downhearted over that group being taken away from her as a result of the members drifting apart, an inevitable consequence that was bound to happen in a storyline which narrates the progress of a group of idols aiming to become the best in their field. Drawing parallels from the real world, these two episodes were excellent in underlining how this kind of outcome is expected especially as far as showbiz is concerned. It’s easy for people to forget the more humble things when work robs them of their time, and it’s all the more palpable in an aggressive industry like entertainment. Haruka understood this all too well since the top was what 765 Pro have been striving for from the beginning, and everyone becoming busier and spending less time with each other once they’ve gotten used to the pace is simply unavoidable.

Still, in spite of the emphasis on the first main theme of stardom, this is THE iDOLM@STER we’re talking about and THE iDOLM@STER wouldn’t be THE iDOLM@STER if it wasn’t for its other main theme of “danketsu” i.e. unity. It’s a subject that has always been strongly featured again and again in almost every episode we’ve seen so far. Whether the girls were blithely having fun or seriously facing any challenges that came their way, they were constantly in it together as a group; as fellow colleagues, as friends, and most importantly, as a family. At the center of it is of course Haruka, the one person who was often shown encouraging unity among her friends. If anything, her role in this particular plot brought about an interesting issue of “idol stardom versus unity”. It both reflected and challenged what 765 Pro have established themselves to be – successful idols who got to where they are now because of unity. To have these two contradictory themes infused into a single storyline, I thought it was nothing short of a highly commendable effort on the writers’ part even if the premise and execution didn’t look original compared to many other series nowadays.

Moving back on Haruka’s character development, this arc was perhaps more about a story of self-discovery for her than anything else much like it was for Chihaya. Similar to Chihaya, Haruka’s dilemma was a cocktail of her having temporarily lost sight of her reasons and dreams for becoming an idol (as evident in her earlier exchange with Miki and Ritsuko), and dare I say, even having temporarily lost belief in her friends (when she began wondering if nobody else held the same wish as her and expressed her fear that her feelings would weigh everyone down). However unlike Chihaya’s case, the conclusion to Haruka’s dilemma leans towards a result that was mostly brought about by two separate events, with one involving Haruka eventually finding the answers by herself with some assistance from Touma as well as the children, and the other, her friends realizing the distant state they were in after taking Haruka’s feelings into account.

I did say earlier on this episode is nearly just as good as Episode 20 in terms of execution. To elaborate on that, the only reason why this one fell slightly short of being on par with Episode 20 is this very conclusion. I’m somewhat torn over how the whole matter was settled in this way. I’ll give the plot credit for being different and unpredictable in this sense but personally for me, the resolution kind of lacked the emotional punch Chihaya’s story had. I guess I’ll attribute this to it leaving out the bits after Haruka reunited with her friends. It would have been nice if the ending had shown all of them having a warm catch up or even better, a sight of Haruka finding out how Chihaya played a huge part in this. Remember that moment back in Episode 20 where Chihaya looked up, saw Haruka offering her hand to her as a “welcome back” gesture for a group cheer, and her composure broke upon seeing that? I found it to be one of the most powerful scenes in the entirety of this series. It showed the extent of Chihaya’s gratitude to Haruka for pulling her back on her feet due to how she knew the latter was largely responsible for it. Be it another compelling, wordless expression like that or another heartfelt talk between the two of them, I would have loved it if this episode did something along those lines as Chihaya’s role here was a brilliant follow up from Episode 20 in showing how she became the person she is now thanks to Haruka and her friends helping her. Chihaya learned what it meant and felt like to have a family through that experience, and she gave back that lesson to her friends here; her motivation mostly inspired by Haruka’s efforts of always reaching out to everyone and nurturing unity among them. It’s not so much that she’s repaying Haruka for helping her, but rather showing that she treasures what Haruka taught her before and ensuring that these values live on in 765 Pro. I imagine Haruka would have been considerably touched if she knew what Chihaya said and did to bring everyone together. Nevertheless, even if the plot ended the way it did, that’s not to say I wasn’t moved by the events in this episode. I did find my feelings strongly welling up in me in several parts and it’s a good enough sign that the storytelling was really effective in making this a very poignant and memorable arc.

Technical-wise, heaps of praise to Nakamura Eriko for her fantastic voice acting in this episode. She may not be that well known in the Anime scene but her performance here is a solid demonstration of her longtime experience in this business and franchise. She did an incredible job in wringing out every ounce of emotion Haruka possibly felt with regards to the turmoil she’s been bottling inside and this especially showed during Haruka’s stint on stage as well as during her conversation with Ritsuko and Miki. The animation and art direction also took after the figurative style portrayed in Episode 20, and they were definitely a welcome change to the usual mood in conveying the solemn and gloomy atmosphere of this story. Last but not least, while “Massugu” isn’t one of my favorite iM@S songs on its own but the way it was used as the ending theme here really made me fall in love with it. Its lyrics couldn’t have represented a more telling reflection of how, despite the adversities Haruka faces, she believes in herself (with encouragement from those around her) that she’ll overcome them, leave them behind and move forward without any fear, straight ahead. That was without doubt the icing on top of what is already a splendid episode.

PS. Yep, just got back from a last minute travel job shift over Christmas and New Year a few days ago hence the absence. Left in a hurry and forgot to bring the iM@S episodes with me to work on orz. Anyway, I’ll try my best to wrap up the review for the final episode with whatever available time I have in the next few days so hope you wouldn’t mind waiting for it. I intend to see this until the end no matter how much time I’ll take. Also have a couple of other posts lined up after I’m done with iM@S. Will reply the messages left for me after I’ve finished those. Thanks as always for your patience. ^^