It’s been awhile, but it’s time to focus on everyone’s favorite Chuunibyou idol.
At a glance, Ranko has some resemblances to Takanashi Rikka since they share the same voice actress (Uchida Maya, although she uses a slightly different tone for Ranko), both are Chuunibyou and they dress similarly. If you consider her personality and looks, there is no wonder why Ranko is so popular.
However, the differences between the two girls become apparent as the Producer lays out his plans for her debut. During the meeting, she begins showing her true self. Underneath her illusions, she is just an ordinary, sweet and shy girl who loves beautiful things. However, she doesn’t like horror films at all despite being interested in gothic stuff. We see this when Koume, who lives in the same dorm as her and Anya, tries to persuade her to watch it.
Since she reveals her true personality, her shyness and low self-esteem is what sets her apart from Rikka besides not being uni-dimensional. Her timid personality was already apparent when Kirari tried to look at her drawing in the 5th episode. Now, her shy persona is shown in the forefront as she runs away from the producer while attempting to work on her plans of what she wants in her notebook.
While it’s funny to see her brush him off with her illusions, eventually, she had to face the producer and say what she wants. Otherwise, she will get a debut that she might not be satisfied with. Thankfully, with the help of the other girls, the Producer was able to get her to reveal what she wanted for her debut. I have to admit that his interaction with her was enjoyable as he tries loosens up and begins to understand what Ranko wanted. Even so, I highly doubt that he wants her to forget her true self completely even if she wants to.’
While it’s nice to see Ranko become satisfied with her debut after talking to the Producer, I have a feeling that he is finally becoming more open to the girls instead of being a hermit. It will take some time until he shreds his stiffness completely, but hopefully he will become competent and compassionate just like the other Producer. Aside from that, it seems that Kanako is next girl who will receive a debut. ¶
What a way to come back after a week off disguised as a special. The writers knew they had to focus on a big star so why not one of, if not the biggest?
I was most satisfied with The Great Ranran’s character driven episode and am confident the others will get some good episodes as well.
From Russia with Love indeed. Win more hearts miss Anastasia.
In Soviet Russia, Heart wins you.
But I do agree that this Ranko episode was very satisfying and hopefully the character-specific episodes will be just as enjoyable.