Kirarin Revolution, episode 13

(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).

Because the "big" moment will be the last thing filmed, Kasumi (Kirari's manager) tells her to be very careful - she can't let it affect her work. Of course, it does anyway. The fretful idol is so distracted she falls off the stage before she can even sing, and can't sit still for the makeup artist. Her strange behavior does not go unnoticed, and the kiss is reported on television for all to know about. Her father and grandmother have their own amusing reactions to this information.



Kirari considers any closeness with Hiroto a threat - once, all he tried to do was brush some grass off her hair, and she hurried off in fright. When she's finally alone again, Mochida, the big lipped kid from the audition episode (he says he transferred there to study acting), approaches her. He creepily offers to be her practice partner, but she'll have none of that. Some time later on the school roof, Kirari looks at the view with Seiji. His advice is to think of the final scene as the strawberry on the shortcake. Without it, the movie won't work. Using food is a good way to get through to Kirari!

During a SHIPS photoshoot, Seiji and Hiroto talk about Kirari, and how much better she's been coping since the food analogy. One additional thing that Hiroto must understand, however - Kirari is a girl, and to a girl, the first kiss is powerful, Seiji explains. Hiroto looks thoughtful about it.



Then comes the climax. What everyone's been waiting for, with baited breath, happens - Hiroto and Kirari pucker up. But at the last crucial second, just before their lips touch, a curtain blows in front of them, leaving only a sillouette. Hiroto asks if the take was good, and Mr. Pianu OKs it. Filming is done. But did they really kiss? The first thing Hiroto says to Kirari is something along the lines of "Go kiss with someone you like." Kirari is ecstatic, and thanks him. Seiji comes up and presents them with flowers, teasingly asking Hiroto if he's kissed the person HE likes. Hiroto just calls him an idiot. Arriving unfashionably late on an ocean wave (you read right), Arashi comes in to claim what he believes is rightfully his. But once he finds out Hiroto supposedly beat him to it, he's furious and ready to kill. This battle isn't over!

The first time I watched this, I did think they actually kissed. But after reading someone's comments on another site, I thought about it, looked at the clues, and realized they hadn't. This anime is turning out to be really cute. It's got all the blushing and bubbles and drama I expect in shoujo. If it stays like this I may come to be a fan.