From the aftermath of an article in a gossip magazine regarding Chihaya’s past, it kind of shows how judgmental society is even though it clearly crosses the line.
Considering how tragic Chihaya’s past, the drama came at no surprise. This episode had a different feeling compared to the lighthearted moments of girls enjoying themselves. On the other hand, we have to realize that Chihaya’s situation is different since she officially breaks ties with her parents after they fought over the death of her little brother. As they gone through more details about her past in the libelous article, it reminded me of a similar situation in Clannad where Tomoya’s mother died early on and shortly after, got into a fight with his dad. After that, he acts like his father doesn’t exist until several years later.
Although Chihaya was never physically harmed in any shape or form, the emotional impact of that event was so great that she could never make up with them nor return to her cheerful self. The magazine that slandered and falsely blamed her for the death of her younger brother, Yuu made everything worse as nobody understood the true story. In reality, he was the one that inspired her to sing. With that gone through this realization, her sudden inability to sing was inevitable. Eventually, she fell into depression and pushed away everyone, including Haruka.
On the other hand, Haruka played a big role in helping Chihaya smile again. In the past, she has been a great supporter for her and everyone else through her acts of kindness and getting everyone’s spirits up. Despite the initial reaction from Chihaya for being too compassionate, Haruka went ahead and drafted a touching song based on the drawings Yuu made during his childhood with the help of the other girls. Once they finished, she leaves the drawing book and a letter from her in her mailbox. When Chihaya read the letter and saw the sketchbook, it has touched her heart. It simply gave her the courage to continue what she enjoys doing.
As she recovers from the sorrow, we have the performance. Although it looks as if she might not make it again, the other girls came on stage and sang along. This was very emotional as it gave her the strength to reconnect with her younger self and Yuu so she can sing once again. When she started to sing “Promise” (約束), it sounded amazing. Imai Asumi’s through her singing was able to convey the feelings and meaning of the song. I feel that this is true in majority of her songs she sung, not just this one. In short, you can say that it sounded beautiful.
In the end, Chihaya has finally overcome the harsh and dark past. She finally realizes that her friends and fans are by her side to support her, not just her deceased brother. That’s great since Kuroi’s shameful plan had failed once again. Not only that, Jupiter is starting to notice how despicable he has become from these dirty tricks. On a lighter note, her younger and cheerful self looked adorable. Not only that, she smiled after her performance ended. That alone shows how powerful and great this episode was.
Some Notes
This post title is actually based on an actual song in Idolmaster that has the same title, which also serves as one of Chihaya’s personal songs.
Leave a Reply