Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we’re storming the gates of high society with a battalion of rebellious rock tunes, as our heroines Lilisa and Otoha continue their dual lives as elegant young ladies and sneering rock gods. When last we left off, the two had just secured a pair of key victories, guiding a mild-mannered symphonic group into a rousing performance that affirmed their stage-ready skills. This in turn won Lilisa the support of her stepsister Alice, who was dazzled by the confidence and authenticity Lilisa could evoke in her true element.
While that performance was certainly a great success for our leads, it also has me wondering precisely what depths this series is interested in delving into, be they cultural, psychological, or otherwise. Rock here is defined largely as “authenticity,” or perhaps more specifically as a “lack of social propriety,” but rebelling purely because you don’t want to dress up and make nice is still defining yourself according to the expectations of your assumed social stature. You can’t make a character study out of two shallow veneers; if Lady’s Modesty wants to foster substantive emotional drama, it will need to dig deeper into the feelings and experiences that have driven its cast to their current perspectives. If, on the other hand, it wants to explore music as a unifying or even liberatory cultural force, it will likely need to elaborate on its philosophy of rock beyond “fuck you, I won’t do what you tell me.” Regardless, Lilisa’s always a pleasure to hang out with, so I’m sure we’ll find something to talk about as we charge through Rock is a Lady’s Modesty!
Episode 6
We open three days after the symphonic performance, as Lilisa’s wakeup ritual reveals that even in her sleep, her hair just kinda stays like that. Becoming increasingly suspicious of how it turns a sort of sickly green as it reaches its far ends
Though to be honest, never washing your hair is also pretty rock and roll. There are a fair number of popular rock aesthetics over the years that you could qualify as various forms of bedhead, from Johnny Rotten to Robert Smith to Billie Joe Armstrong
And Alice is still keeping her secret. Lilisa’s whole monologue here is basically just establishing our “new normal,” setting up the backdrop of assumed developments so we can move on to the next arc (presumably gaining the rest of our band members). You see this quite often in shows based on light novels, where the first volume’s conclusion is often blindingly obvious, but plenty of stories take a quick breath after their establishing act
Strolling towards school while musing on new members, she notices our mascot cat stuck in a tree. Seems like this cat is basically the avatar of fate in this world, leading our characters wherever they need to be
I appreciate Lilisa’s blunt private assessment, that the cat should stop climbing shit if it doesn’t want to get stuck in trees. Right now it feels like she’s so repressed during her school life that her own feelings have to come out as a violent explosion; I’m hopeful that, as the band becomes a more regular release valve for her, she can learn to balance her feelings, and not just switch from utterly obsequious to utterly stubborn
While Lilisa stops herself before leaping to rescue the cat, the blue-haired girl from outside the performance hall has no such reservations. An immediate alignment of our soon-to-be keyboardist with earnest self-expression; even in front of their classmates, she is willing to embrace her own instincts
Her form is reflected in Lilisa’s eye; once again, seeing someone through glass or reflection, and thus recognizing their true self
With her height, lower voice, and confident manner, she’s the classic androgynous “noble prince” archetype you’ll often find in Class S dramas or shoujo manga more generally, as typified by Dear Brother’s Kaoru no Kimi, or even Sailor Moon’s Haruka Tenou
Given how well she fits into that well-traveled role, I imagine part of her embrace of rock and roll will be tied in with a rejection of that aesthetic. An interesting thought, considering the role itself is something of a rejection of traditional femininity. Of course, a narrow alternative to an established norm can feel like nothing more than fetishization, and the prince role often works as a “safe” alternative to a genuine male presence, demanding as much of a specific performance as the roles it is established in opposition to. I’ve actually seen multiple idol shows tackle the limiting obligations of this archetype with varying success – Love Live! with Rin, and Idolmaster with Makoto
What do you know, she’s actually known as the “Noble Prince of Oushin”
Her name is Tina Isemi. Always charmed when an English name with specific cultural baggage is repurposed like this; “Tina” feels like it naturally comes with a Brooklyn accent, but I imagine that’s not the resonance they’re going for here
Her parents are the founders of a high class cosmetics brand. Thus even her family background inspires a question of gendered beauty standards, painting her as a potential future rebel against her parents’ philosophy
And Tina actually stars in their commercials; she is the face of her parents’ power
“I guess even high class ladies come in different types.” How did you not watch Dear Brother for reference before coming here, Lilisa. This is Ladyship 101 stuff
Tina tilts Lilisa’s chin up to stare at her more directly, prompting the “oh shit I’m gay” responses that princes foster in all genders
On her desk, Lilisa finds an invitation from the student council president!
It’s actually an invitation to the council itself, announced with a tea party later. Whether it’s the student council itself or some secondary student society, these schools tend to be dominated by some overbearing student organization, which itself sorta emphasizes how partitioned these schools are from the rest of the world. Revolutionary Girl Utena plays with this assumption directly, building fantastical drama out of the vaulted ceiling of a private academy
This device also emphasizes how the assumptions of this society are self-replicating; the students don’t need adult oversight, they are already self-censuring
“It comes with the great responsibility of serving as good examples to the entire student body.” Yep. By dangling admittance into this elevated society as a carrot, the student council president can ensure she has a willing army of subordinates dedicated to enforcing her ideals of propriety
She ends her speech by saying they’ll “dispense with the formalities,” basically a direct contradiction of her earlier words. They’re always being observed and judged, and even this performance of intimacy is part of the ritual they must execute
Tina arrives. Apparently she’s the vice-president!
We jump to the old academy, where Otoha is running through her entire repertory of songs
Lilisa reflects on how their symphonic performance “lacked depth” once she switched off bass. It’s one of the instrument’s most important roles – to make songs sound more voluminous, filling the sonic space in between the staggered guitar notes
A mysterious message in response to their performance sends Otoha off to meet some contact, giving Tina a chance to confront Lilisa alone
Lovely distortions in form as Lilisa freaks out. As usual, not very much fluid animation, but the individual drawings are excellent; this production consistently leans on its art design fundamentals to make up for its ultimately limited resources
Tina’s eye captures Lilisa’s reflection like she’s the center of a bullseye as Tina announces she knows the truth. Lilisa’s true form has been pinned down
And of course, Tina wants to join the band
Elsewhere, Otoha is meeting our prospective bassist. “Shiro” is unsurprisingly defined by sheer white hair, in contrast with the “Kuro” of Otoha Kurogane’s black hair
Her name is Tamaki Shiraya. The more Japanese you learn, the more you must come to peace with how many anime character names are just goofy puns based on food or colors or animals
Unsurprisingly, Tina’s “true self” is a rejection of the prince role that’s been assigned to her; her features immediately soften as she asks Lilisa to let her join
Oh my god, Tina’s got a stuffed bunny that she confides her anxieties in, and even puts on a high-pitched voice for its responses. Alright, she’s won me over immediately
Tina admits she has no genuine self-confidence, and is simply performing the role that is expected of her. The role of “prince” provides an easy script, but no room for actual self-expression
Shades of Mutsumi’s situation from Ave Mujica; she learned the part she was supposed to play before she learned who she actually was
“I’m a fake. There’s no shred of originality to me.” The tragic endpoint of playing to everyone’s expectations – it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy, as the more you cater to your audience’s desires, the less you have of an “authentic” self to fall back on. Eventually there is nothing but the facade
Meanwhile, Shiro demands that Otoha abandon Lilisa to join her band. I’m coming to appreciate Otoha’s politely blank expression, when it’s clear she’s just thinking about how she’ll reject whatever the speaker is saying
Otoha’s rejection is interrupted by Aki from “Bitter Ganache,” who Shiro is apparently playing with
Apparently Otoha’s pick was also a gift from Shiro, intended to be passed on “to someone worthy of it.” I wonder if Shiro’s backstory will intertwine with Lilisa’s father’s story in some way; seems like a pretty easy point of connection
“So this is a live house. What a particular smell.” Sweat and leather, smoke and beer. Claustrophobic to outsiders, intoxicating to true believers. Odd, the things that can come to smell like home
Oof, whole bunch of awkward skeevy shots as Tina accidentally reveals she’s been binding her chest. Feels very at odds with the “I’ve had to conceal myself for the sake of others’ expectations” theme here to have the camera ogling at her immediately – is it a bad thing that she’s been fetishized and unable to control her own self-image, or isn’t it?
Amusingly, Shiro is from Oushin’s sister school “Kuroyuri,” where all the goth lesbians apparently go
Otoha brightly announces they’ll be competing in a battle of the bands in two friggin’ weeks
And Done
Well that was some remarkably efficient work! After building up to their first performance for five whole episodes, it took us just one more to acquire a keyboardist and presumed bassist, even with the caveats that obviously apply to both. Unfortunate visual framing aside, Tina already seems to fit neatly within this production’s psychological/thematic wheelhouse, presenting another version of personal repression for the sake of her social station. Her chains are actually pretty literal; I imagine she was only playing poorly because the poor girl was crushing her own ribcage, and that things will proceed much more smoothly if she’s wearing clothes that actually fit her. Meanwhile, Shiro seems like a fun irritant in her own right, and I’m hopeful her provocations will force Lilisa to more fully embody her true self. On with the show!
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