Kirarin Revolution, episode 3

(きらりん☆レボリューション) 2006

Kirari (voiced by Koharu Kusumi of Morning Musume!) is a middle schooler who LOVES her food. So much so that it's scary! While girls her age swoon over idols, Kirari swoons over her dad's cooking, and couldn't care less about the life of a celebrity. But when she saves the pet turtle of Seiji of pop group SHIPS and falls in love, she decides to become an idol herself so that they can be together (or so she hopes).

Kirari will be debuting! Well, hopefully. After meeting up at the agency's building, the chairman says he wants her to audition for a cake mix commercial (Nice-Seika Homemade Cake Set, to be exact). Her only obstacle will be a young idol name Erina, a cute but snobbish girl who recognizes Kirari as the one who (unknowingly) got crepe all over her designer purse earlier that day! At the audition Kirari will be expected to both bake a cake and taste it, so she wants to get it right, and asks Seiji to taste her first try. To be kind, he agrees, but the cake comes out looking burnt, and has mushrooms sticking out of the top (mushrooms?! Is it supposed to have mushrooms?).

After everyone is gone and it's dark out, Hiroto comes back to get a script, and finds that the kitchen light is still on. It's Kirari, and she's been there for hours, trying again and again. He calls her stupid, but still puts on an apron and shows her how it's done. They're laughing and smiling when Erina shows up and sees them together, causing her to seeth with jealousy. Unfortunately, Erina finds out the where, when, and how to dress of the audition first and offers to relay to Kirari. When she does, she gives her ALL the wrong information, causing Kirari to turn up at the wrong place (a SHIPS photoshoot), dressed way too casual to impress anyone. Hiroto asks if she's going to give up, she says no. With the help of the SHIPS staff, Kirari is ready to go and makes it, if a little late.

But Erina isn't done. While baking their cakes, Erina shoves Kirari and the poor girl's batter goes flying. Thankfully not all of it is lost, and she's able to finish (Hiroto actually lept in and shielded her from getting any on her). Then Erina tricks Kirari into looking away, and has her dog, Tantan, sit on the cake. When Kirari gets upset, Erina "graciously" allows her to use a spare cake (packed with 100 red peppers), and Kirari finds she can't swallow after taking a bite! Thinking fast, she turns to show everyone the tears that are falling from eating the terrible cake. She says "It was so tasty, I started crying!"

Well, Kirari gets the job, and at the end we see Seiji, Hiroto, Kirari and the chairman looking at a billboard with her face on it.

And here comes shoujo standard #13-C - the jealous rival. We can expect many tricks and annoyances from her in the future, I'm sure.

I thought it was adorable (and amusing) when Hiroto "saves" Kirari from the "evil" cake batter - my only guess is because he didn't want her outfit and hair to be ruined. They have an interesting relationship. One minute Hiroto is all "OMG Lozer, go away!!1" and the next he's Mr. Protection.