Kirarin Revolution, episode 9

(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 is at a beach-style photoshoot when the beachball she's holding turns into an octopus. As if that's not strange enough, more fall out the sky like slimy rain! Just moments before this, a strange, shadowed figure appeared and threw a playing card at her prop, but nobody noticed.



Later, Kirari is discussing the situation with the chairman and her manager - despite the setback, the photoshoot worked out. However, the manager is a little concerned about a possible prankster, and they hope that the Rainbow Make-Up Fashion Show, to be held later that night, will not be a repeat. But it's not over! The pencil Kirari is holding turns into an eel, she sits on some sea urchin, her bows turn into seaweed, and Naa-san's tail is knotted to a table leg. When she approaches SHIPS about spotting any mysterious figures, Kame-san (Seiji's pet) magically transforms into a larger turtle, and Hiroto's pants fall down. In these scenarios, a playing card is left at the scene, and the shadowy figure is revealed little by little, without showing the face.

Fed up, Naa-san gives chase, and instead of finding a human, finds a fellow cat. But not just any cat - his brother, Nayan! And the owner happens to be a childhood friend named Arashi, an "impressive illusionist." No doubt, he was behind all the trouble. The reason? He wants Kirari to quit the entertainment business. He claims they promised to marry each other, but Kirari doesn't recall anything of the sort. A flashback reveals the day Kirari presented him with two kittens, fresh from a neighbor's house. She takes one, and Arashi takes the other. Since Arashi was moving to Osaka the next week, this, in a way, would be a connection. He promises to become a successful magician, then return to Kirari one day. In his own mind, this equals a confirmed engagement.



SHIPS tries to reason with him - he's still a kid, after all - but he will not budge. Kirari tells him she has no plans to quit, she likes her job. Even after Hiroto argues with him furthur (via hitting him with the fake Kame-san), the trouble doesn't stop. At the fashion show, playing cards hit Kirari on stage, and she's so scared she doesn't know what to do. Naa-san turns off the lights and distracts everyone until she can pull herself together. She then comes back on stage in a flowing white gown. Once again, everything is OK, and she gains more support from the audience. Afterwards, a delivery boy gives her flowers, who turns out to be Arashi. He tells her he thought she wasn't serious at first, and finally understands, but still wants her to quit. They haven't seen the last of him!

Here comes shoujo standard #7-J, the childhood friend who comes back for some kind of promise, or engagement. I'm not going to like him much, I can tell.