Ya Boy Kongming!
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| Tbh, I like Eiko and Nanami's relationship better than any other character pair in this show now. Unfortunately, she revealed her revelation that she's part of Azalea. I like her the show dived more into her character's past She's become a very important character in this show just from these past few episodes and this one. Hoping to see her sing with Eiko together again. I also thought Eiko's song this episode was one the most emotional ones yet this season. |
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| The Three Kingdoms' Oath of the Peach Garden is such a significant event, and in the modern day context, so is Eiko and Azalea's Nanami Kuon's meeting that would turn their friendship into rivalry. The pudding geezer still doesn't accept Eiko's development, so Kongming's 3rd and final bag comes in handy now for the final look at Sky Square. And needless to say that Eiko finally knows of Nanami's true colours as the lead singer and bassist of rival idol band Azalea, but the band's fruition was a whole other story. From the typical orthodox friendship naming their band after the flower that represents the joy of youth as high school students, it went from the love of music to play for a small audience, to music company Key Time's producer Toshihiko Karasawa sealing their fate to make it big, but to sing songs produced by companies instead. Making it big in Tokyo is never an easy thing, and trading their love for jobs to earn money to support their band, they literally have no choice but to turn to Karasawa to turn them into stars. It's compensation for doing things you love, but at the expense of outlandish decisions in the pursuit of fame. And true enough, what was promised got delivered, but it robbed them devoid of their own personal senses (as is the case with Nanami) to become company-manufactured idols, and Nanami wants out of that horrid experience. Having Eiko by her side really gives that sliver of hope that more than some LEGIT competition that can reach the populace, Nanami must face her own fears and Eiko as a rival the next time they meet. Kongming being in that stuffed mascot shocked me though, and with Eiko having found her answer, it's time to ascend to greater heights. The episodes just get better and more spectacular. |
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| I just really love their singing in Engrish |
| I wonder if Nanami was hoping or she knew the blimp route, to make the revelation. The only way to be more over the top is if, had some fireworks behind her. Some need to make pact with the devil, luckily Eiko had a Kongming pact. I thought Nanami outfit was a closed top, like main fabric, and thinner fabric where now I see that is open, fall in a very specific "style". At least she have a mask. In these last feel episodes I had almost forgotten about Kongming. Now he popped up again. |
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| You gotta love the classic "two sticks of leaves to hide" technique to watch over Kabetaijin. Was that also something Kongming utilized back then? Lol Sacrificing your artistic autonomy for the sake of sales and publication...many who have been in the arts knows what that feeling is like. Nanami's attachment to singing on the street is her chance to get away from that "corporatization" of her music and just be her raw, unfiltered, singing self. It's a part of what makes what transpires in the music office all the more upsetting - Azalea clearly has spirit and zeal, but Karasawa's also blunt but correct in that they haven't made a name for themselves. The transition from unknown to stardom, ironically, dimmed their own inner star. Spurned by Nanami, Azalea "sold" more of themselves to become known. But now she's "locked" into Azalea because of all the people who helped get the group there. It's not hard to realize that Nanami clearly feels guilty and torn about all of it... And Eiko's performance, compared to the other ones, now has real pathos behind it. She's come a long way in 9 episodes. AND WTF KONGMING!? XD XD XD Also, MAJOR props to this series for its depiction of what one might call "negative fanservice" with Azalea's new aesthetic. The costumes, the jiggling, the focus on her pelvis...it is made out to be sexy only on the bare surface. The show has brilliantly shown just how saddening and depressing it is. |
| "You don't need a reason to help people." ~Zidane Tribal |
kongming caught me off guard lol 😂 |
MnMm07May 26, 2022 7:54 AM
| The last scene with Eiko singing was beautiful and I'm glad it reached Nanamin. |
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ZNoteTaku said: You gotta love the classic "two sticks of leaves to hide" technique to watch over Kabetaijin. Indeed loved how he masterfully utilized this technique 😂 |
| Absolutely beautiful episode. Pure goosebumps during Eiko’s song at the end. So I was right about Nanami being an idol last week, was pretty obvious based on her reaction when the band got brought up Loved the general message of the episode, is it worth it to be famous if you can’t sing what you want to sing and how you want to do it? Fills your bank account but definitely will make you feel empty, that must be so difficult for Nanami and the girls. Hopefully they’re able to get out of that situation |
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KANLen09 said: The Three Kingdoms' Oath of the Peach Garden is such a significant event, and in the modern day context, so is Eiko and Azalea's Nanami Kuon's meeting that would turn their friendship into rivalry. The pudding geezer still doesn't accept Eiko's development, so Kongming's 3rd and final bag comes in handy now for the final look at Sky Square. And needless to say that Eiko finally knows of Nanami's true colours as the lead singer and bassist of rival idol band Azalea, but the band's fruition was a whole other story. From the typical orthodox friendship naming their band after the flower that represents the joy of youth as high school students, it went from the love of music to play for a small audience, to music company Key Time's producer Toshihiko Karasawa sealing their fate to make it big, but to sing songs produced by companies instead. Making it big in Tokyo is never an easy thing, and trading their love for jobs to earn money to support their band, they literally have no choice but to turn to Karasawa to turn them into stars. It's compensation for doing things you love, but at the expense of outlandish decisions in the pursuit of fame. And true enough, what was promised got delivered, but it robbed them devoid of their own personal senses (as is the case with Nanami) to become company-manufactured idols, and Nanami wants out of that horrid experience. Having Eiko by her side really gives that sliver of hope that more than some LEGIT competition that can reach the populace, Nanami must face her own fears and Eiko as a rival the next time they meet. Kongming being in that stuffed mascot shocked me though, and with Eiko having found her answer, it's time to ascend to greater heights. The episodes just get better and more spectacular. I think the reveal is more a reference to Romance of Three Kingdom's Cao Cao and Liu Bei's feast chapter. There is an important chapter where Cao Cao invites Liu Bei to dinner and they discuss philosophy and why they fight, both them answering that they fight to restore the Han Dynasty, they acknowledge they have the same goal but have different methods to achieve it. Cao Cao then asks Liu Bei who the heroes of the land are. Liu Bei fails to answer him. Cao Cao then answers Liu Bei and himself. As Cao Cao reveals his answer, thunder strikes and shocks Liu Bei. There is an emphasis on the sky as prior to them eating, they notice a Dragon Cloud in the sky. Liu Bei then realises Cao Cao's intention that he views him as a rival, so Liu Bei runs away. This is the last time they are on good times with each other and from then on they become arch enemies. This is all similar to how Eiko and Nanami have the same dream but different ways of achieving the same goal. Eiko herself is trying to figure out the reason why she sings and asks Nanami the question. Nanami then reveals she is a part of AZALEA and a blimp is behind her, drawing attention to the sky. The reveal shocks Eiko. They both realise they have the same goal however they have different ways of achieving it, with Nanami selling herself out and not being true to herself. There are many Eiko comparisons to Liu Bei in prior episodes. So Nanami is Cao Cao in this equation. At the end of the scene Nanami says the next time they meet they'll be rivals. Eiko realises the reason why she wants to sing is to save the Populace. Since music saved her life, she wants to do the same for people too. It is similar to how Liu Bei hopes to inspire people to be virtuous and save people from the corruption. The first time Liu Bei directly crosses paths with Cao Cao after the Dinner Chapter is The Battle of Changban where Liu Bei is famously escorting innocent civilians and running away from Cao Cao's forces. Liu Bei is seen as the person who speaks for the people. Obviously this isn't 1:1 as Nanami isn't as wicked as Cao Cao but she does have better resources/start than Liu Bei. And they will remain friends hopefully, unlike how it actually goes for Cao Cao and Liu Bei. I'm using Dynasty Warriors 9 as a references for the pictures, it can be seen as a reach, but I believe they have strikingly similar story beats to the original novel.       |
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| God I hope Nanamin Leaves Azalea and joins Eiko in her quest for Glory. Truly this is what we need. Also Nanamin slight fanservice as well? I'm in. Took a while for Eiko to realize it was the Populace all along...lol. I feel like the song, even though is being used over and over is changing in rewards to how it's sung. I felt like when Eiko sung it at the end it had more of a concert like feel to it. Great episode. This moment and the end with him in the costume had me laughing so damn hard. |
| Listen to my podcast https://anchor.fm/waifusandweeaboos Follow my twitch. https://www.twitch.tv/sorasensei1 Spring 2024 Waifus on Profile "You can have multiple Waifus" -me |
| Yeah Kongming still is a part of this show. Too bad Nanamin had to go, but hey still looks like she got that missing motivation back again, and that's all really matters right now. |
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| Yeah, as expected Azalea is "sell your soul for fame and money" type of thing. Kongming's the master of disguise lol. |
| That was a very emotionally powerful episode. I can't believe there are only three episodes left. |
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| Great episode! Nanami revealed to Eiko that she was in Azalea! They had to accept the producer's offer in the end because of desperation for money. It would seem the producer they partnered up with made them sing songs they don't actually enjoy, despite the fame they bring... They had to follow every instruction that Karasawa told them to gain popularity. Nanami doesn't want to sing what Karasawa asks her to sing anymore either though she can't bring herself to quit due to the effort the staff have put in to promote them. Eiko's singing made Nanami cry... just what will Nanami do in the situation she is in? Kongming was deeply touched! Looking forward to the |
| AISHITERU...REM! |
| Did her voice change lol ? It seem to be so different now |
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| kongming and his mysterious ways, Nanamin and her friends sold their souls and lost their way, maybe Nanamin was also touched and will break her chains. |
| The opening narration mentioning Guan Yu and Zhang Liao, foreshadows Nanami and Eiko's status as friends and enemies. Steave's noticed Eiko has improved herself. The street performing with Nanami has paid off but she has no answer to what she is singing for. Time to bust out Kongming's third item to help her. It is at the platform that she learns that Nanami's identity as the bassist for idol group Azalea, the same one she's competing against for likes. You can see the contrast between how Karasawa treats Nanami/Azalea and Kongming treats Eiko. Azalea is Karasawa's money-making machine, and the members sacrificed their group's identity to become that. Soon, after their burst of popularity, he told them they just needed to lip-sync, damn. Nanami took to street performing as a means of escape from her controlling producer. Maria's singing saved Eiko so she decided to sing her song "I'm still alive today" acapella under the starlight in order to save Nananmi. Nanami leaves tearfully and Eiko appears to find her answer; "populace". Of course, Kongming who gave her the ticket to the platform was there watching her moving performance. Speaking of which, checking up on Kabetaijin with only two stick of leaves lol |
Fortress_MaximusMay 26, 2022 2:01 PM
 Novels I have read/am reading pending approval: since November 10 2022 |
| I really loved the contrast between the meaning of Azalea's name and how they sing under Karasawa's orders. Kongming was hilarious this episode. |
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| This one is probably my most favorite episode so far. The backstory of Nanami and the band felt so realistic. Espically when they were talking about what they bought after the performance, clearly shows that they're hiding everything about money and stuff like that. Nanami has been training to change but the person behind her is just too big for her too handle. But, that's where Eiko comes in. A beautiful song, it felt even better than the previous ones. Kongming popping out of nowhere was hilarious! |
   “You yourself have to change first, or nothing will change for you!” ' |
| DID IT REACH HER??!! *Nanami dies* Idk about you, but when the moment that got me was when Nanami's back is turned to us, but we can still see her mouth trembling, doing her best to hide her tears from Eiko, whom she so badly wants to sing with, but can't. To sing with Eiko would essentially be to give up her own career, and sacrificing the livelihood off her two close friends in the process. She oh so much wants to follow her own passions, but she still is burdened by her duty to fulfill to her team, her fans, and her friends. Eiko has truly touched Nanami's heart, her newfound voice resonating within her soul. But Nanami is still tied down by the world, and departs from Eiko in pain and sorrow- but not before they make the promise to each other that they will sing with each other again one day, both singing with true passion and purpose. How Kongming was able to set all this up by simply giving Eiko a ticket, who knows. But all in all, Eiko has accomplished her rather vague task of finding her own voice.  |
  NYANPASU  5700XT |
So why is Karasawa's head so promintent here, given that he's a minor character introduced so late? just looks odd |
MeansToAnEnd said: So why is Karasawa's head so promintent here, given that he's a minor character introduced so late? just looks odd I imagine he's basically going to be the antagonist of the last few episodes, right? Like I dunno if he'll use any dirty tricks against Eiko, but for sure he'll use his money and power as he has been to hyper-promote Azalea. Anyway, the boy band singer and the meathead gymgirl singer are on the poster too, so it's just any character who's remotely significant to the story. One thing that does confuse me is that if Azalea is already as popular as Nanami made it sound, it should have had posts with more likes by now. Maybe I'm thinking on American standards, because any remotely popular group can land 50k likes easily. But it might be different in Japan, it's hard to say. |
| That was beautiful |
| kongming was on a metal gear solid mission this episode looks like kabe and eiko finally found what they were looking for |
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| Really this show is on a whole other level when Kunming is around. The three seconds he appeared were something else. Eiko's development was good. Azalea's back story was good. However I still love the final minute when Kunming appeared more than the whole episode. |
If you are going to disagree with me, don't bother talking to me. I will seriously hurt you! |
| Oh no, seems like Nanami friends really love their new life. As usual, add a fan service and many will love them... But Eiko will prove it soon that without fan service can sell too. |
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SoraSenpai said: in the opening there are hints that she will join themGod I hope Nanamin Leaves Azalea and joins Eiko in her quest for Glory. Truly this is what we need. Also Nanamin slight fanservice as well? I'm in. Took a while for Eiko to realize it was the Populace all along...lol. I feel like the song, even though is being used over and over is changing in rewards to how it's sung. I felt like when Eiko sung it at the end it had more of a concert like feel to it. Great episode. This moment and the end with him in the costume had me laughing so damn hard. |
| I'm just glad Karasawa never tried to replace a single member of Azalea. They've become a marionette power trio but at least the three friends are still together. |
Eiko's had a separate for singing since the first episode |
| Every time I hear Eiko-chan sung that song it always makes me tears. I hope everything will be OK for Nanami-chan too. It's really rough for her. Who will win the 100,000 likes project for Summer Sonia?!! HAHA Koumei-san been just there in a Mascot custome observing. Shibuya Sky Square is beautiful. |
| Oppai check! 111 cm: Hancock 110 cm: Zoro 100 cm: Robin |
| Great stuff,that last uta was magestic you also could feel how different it was from the first time she sang that song. Nanmin was so moved that it brought her to tears. |
| Nanami's and Azalea's backstory as a whole is such tragic fate, for a trio band of young women who so obviously are passionate about singing and performing to the masses, the way they turned into the cash-grabbing, robot, utilizing sexual appeal instead of skilful performance, that is depressing. They have been taken advantage of when they have no choice but to accept the offer so that they would earn good money, and now that they have, Nanami's friends no longer envision themselves going back to how they were before. This is the problem with idol groups who are forced to be subjected to their directors who prioritize cash above all. Unfortunately, reality does not deviate that differently from what has been portrayed here in the case of Azalea... It's exactly why Eiko is such a massive source of happiness for Nanami lately. The moment Eiko found her voice and who she is singing toward is the moment when he earnestly sang from the heart to reach Nanami who has fallen into the darkness. The next time they meet will be rivals, but Eiko's invitation to sing side by side still stands. The girls' side of the story is disheartening, on the other hand, the boys are just chilling! Kabe is back with his old gang, just innocently rapping under the bridge in their quaint old town beside the waterside. It's a charming wholesome experience, but priceless for Kabe who seeks to find inspiration for his battle. Ahhh, the next episode couldn't come any sooner, I wanna vibe to the OP and immerse myself in the next episodes to come! |
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| This episode is so great. Big goosebumps at the end. I'm crying. |
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| Best episode so far. Nanamin.. (╥_╥). Reality hurts. Nanamin and her friends had to throw away their personalities to appeal to a bigger audience. The animation of her dancing sexily was painful to watch. Eiko singing at the end though! That was a beautiful way to end the episode... Until Koumei appeared out of freaking nowhere though LMAO. I legit jumped a bit when the bgm was abruptly cut. Great shot at the end. Can't wait for the next episode. |
| kongming is a master of disguise |
| Nanami is in Azalea and also created it with her friends, but it changed quite a bit to what they were going to do first. Eiko's singing did reach Nanami, very nice scene. Very good chapter. |
ZNoteTaku said: I don't know what was negative about it, she was damn sexy in that outfit. I feel bad they were turned into a soulless commercial product that isn't even allowed to perform music at their shows, but I don't see a reason to dwell on the outfit, it's just sex appeal. I also can't take it seriously when it's so highly exaggerated, idols don't wear outfits like that, the "purity" standards are worse than any so called sexual exploitation. MAJOR props to this series for its depiction of what one might call "negative fanservice" with Azalea's new aesthetic. The costumes, the jiggling, the focus on her pelvis...it is made out to be sexy only on the bare surface. The show has brilliantly shown just how saddening and depressing it is. |
| If you reply back to me and I never respond, I lost interest and don't care. Sorry about that. |
| Never paid much attention to them but man, Azalea's outfits sure are ridiculous. I mean, can you even call that "fanservice"? Good thing Nanami and co. wear masks at least. So as expected, Nanami's unhappiness in current Azalea is related to her not being allowed to compose (or even sing) the music she truly wants. Not that you can expect something else when you practically sell your honour for profit tho. Anyways, another great episode. I'm so glad Eiko finally found her essence as musician. Even her singing voice got deeper because of the character development lol. |
| I still don't approve of the use of Engrish, but I see now that the previous performances were supposed to be lacking—the latest one is not bad. |
| Eiko might be the most wholesome character I've seen in a while. Azalea is a great band name. Dubious methods aside, their producer must be really good at PR if he's able to turn a no-name band into the talk of Tokyo. With the level of viral marketing we've seen for their band in the show so far, it must have cost a fortune! Kongming disguises are comedy gold. |
These backdrops were just gorgeous. Last 3 episodes are gone finish strong. Can’t wait for the Eiko and KabeTajin finale.   |
| This show is still great, but the overuse of the same few songs over and over again takes a lot of the emotion out of it for me: we've heard that song Eiko sang to Nanami so many times now that it's completely lost all meaning to me. Even more so because with each improvement in Eiko's performance of it, it becomes harder for the show to hide that it's an entirely different VA singing. And knowing that it's not actually Eiko's VA singing and hearing that more and more does break my immersion quite a bit; surely they could have hired a VA who could actually sing to voice Eiko when her being a singer is a fundamental part of her character? |
Atavistic said: This show is still great, but the overuse of the same few songs over and over again takes a lot of the emotion out of it for me: we've heard that song Eiko sang to Nanami so many times now that it's completely lost all meaning to me. Even more so because with each improvement in Eiko's performance of it, it becomes harder for the show to hide that it's an entirely different VA singing. And knowing that it's not actually Eiko's VA singing and hearing that more and more does break my immersion quite a bit; surely they could have hired a VA who could actually sing to voice Eiko when her being a singer is a fundamental part of her character? With a series that is so focused on the nuances of how a song develops with a singer's improvement, hiring a VA that can match that ability is challenging. At best, you would expect something more akin to a typical idol anime. A good example is Carole and Tuesday. Different person for VA vs. songs. VAs are not trained for that high level of a job, and personally, I don't believe the music would hit as well if they had gone the cheap way of VA singing the songs. |
| Fuck man, that was fantastic. Azalea's backstory is so tragic and so real. Being able to pay the bills from doing something you love is a privilege that not everyone can have. Plus the music industry, especially the idol industry can be predatory. I can understand where the Key Time boss is coming from, but nah, that ain't it bro. Eiko's singing cleansed me of all the pain though, all the pain washed down through the tears. 96Neko's truly talented, she's adjusting her singing to match how good Eiko should be right now. The tears quickly dried up though when Kongming popped up out of nowhere lmao, it's great how he's stalki- I mean watching over Eiko and Kabe. Can't wait for the next episode. For the populace! |
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| Dark side of Idol/Entertainment Industry... Sometimes idealist didn't sell and you have to follow the market. Realistic AF. Wow just wow What a Beautiful episode. Very Emotional. |
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