Here’s my full analysis and thoughts on Shizuku’s episode

(BIG thread but I hope you enjoy it. )

Firstly I want to point out how cool it is that the episode itself begins with a single spotlight over a dark stage, the main focus being of course, Shizuku (Although this isn’t exactly her).

It’s common for some plays to have either an external narrator or the main character themselves establish the setting or driving force that will set the tone for the rest of the story, especially for clear cut tales like those presented in Love Live.

The whole idea of Shizuku’s inner dialogues or “asides” (where she is speaking to herself and the audience in a space separate space outside of the story) is a really neat way of portraying not only these points...

but also just the not-so-usual way that Shizuku reflects upon the events in her life, and you get the first tastes of how impactful theatre and acting have been in her journey.

It is in this first scene, before everything else, that we are presented with the two key players: a Shizuku dressed in a gallant white dress with a blue gemstone necklace and a Shizuku dressed in black, a mask covering her face.

Right off the bat I’ll make it a point that the Shizuku in white represents her beauty, talent, and expectations, both outside ones and personal ones. It is basically the presentable, yet hollow side Shizuku expresses herself with in her daily routine.

The Shizuku dressed in black represents not only her oddities and quirks, but her repression as shown by the mask she wears all the time.

(Also let me mention now that the OST used in these ‘aside’ scenes is amazing, as well as the entire episode’s music.)

The white Shizuku begins telling the story of a girl that wanted to sing for the world. Which we can assume is Shizuku herself, the girl that wants to become an ideal heroine.

But the black Shizuku plants ideas of self doubt within the other, telling her that she cannot become this heroine, because they are one and the same. Shizuku is hiding something from the world.

Is it something so terrible that it will surely make everything crumble? We don’t know, but the white Shizuku is clearly shaken by this statement. The scene ends.

Throughout Niji’s lifespan we’ve known Shizuku seeks to portray what she indeed calls “An Ideal Heroine” (It’s the name of her first solo song!) that everyone can love and is essentially, the best version of herself.

A seemingly noble goal at first, but in this case, the fact that we are shown her inner dilemma of white vs black and that we are aware she hides something under that mask tells us this “Ideal Heroine” ideal might not be as pure-hearted as we think...

...which completely puts a spin on that idea and signals that maybe Shizuku might be hurting in some way.

We also see that the triggering event for the self-discovery to come is the drama club president informing Shizuku that she will lose the role that she was set to perform in a play because “She wasn’t putting herself out there.”

At first this struck me as odd, because I couldn’t really place how you could tell something like that... thankfully the following scene where Shizuku is practicing alone basically sells it. And we see why the Drama Club President knew about what she could be facing.

Based on the lines she recites we learn that the character she is playing faces a similar problem to her, so obviously she should act a bit more natural, maybe let it sink in since she understands the conflict deep down. However what we get is overacting.

It’s her placing yet more layers on top of what should be there, distancing herself as much she can from whatever nags at her. And of course, Kasumi notices.

Kasumi’s character arc of understanding how others feel and how to help them is just as important in this episode as Shizuku’s, because it’s an arc that’s been building up since episode 2 where she learned what Setsuna’s mindset looked like to see where she was coming from.

Kasumi first tries to help Shizuku feel better in the best way she knows how, just hanging out, making her smile as fellow first years (alongside Rina) and doing cute fun things. But we know that’s not quite tackling the core of the issue, even if it does put a smile on her face

It’s not until Rina notices that Shizuku’s attention is on something else that she realizes there’s a problem in communication here, and that Shizuku needs someone who is willing to listen to her and pull her away from that depression.

Rina compares it to her own experience with Ai which I thought was extremely sweet and an even greater insight into what Rina values about her own friendship.

Kasumi begins to understand that she needs to be the one to step up since she seems to be the closest person to Shizuku and really appreciates her as we see later on. It’s clear that she doesn’t quite know how to approach the issue but does know that she needs to confront her.

Before that though we get another ‘aside’. The Shizuku in black had become more insistent and forceful in a way, pressuring the white Shizuku and gnawing at that pretty face that holds all the attention at the moment

At first slowly but rudely trying to convince her through memories and past experiences. Facing White with her fake reality. Telling us that it was White who made her hide like this because they were different (to such an extent that White begins to cry).

In this new ‘aside’, however, Black clamors that she “needs her” to reach this place.
But then comes a nice twist. The Black Shizuku says that the white needs her because... Black also wants to sing to the world.

She wants to be part of that performance, but first her opposite must accept her. So they can both shine. Perhaps the ideal heroine and the villainess aren’t who we thought at first.

Note that White Shizuku isn’t in the spotlight any longer, she wants to distance herself from Black Shizuku and the mask, but that hidden side is finally being put on the spot(light) due to the situation she is in. It hurts her.

Even when Black Shizuku calmly extends a hand to invite her back to the forefront, she appears distressed.

It is here that I noticed what is perhaps the best piece of imagery in the whole episode. The necklace that White Shizuku wears, with a blue gemstone shining in the center. It is focused on quite a bit throughout the episode itself,

and I believe it represents Shizuku’s image, the blue gemstone IS her.

And when White begins to be visibly agitated by Black’s remarks, she clings to the gem, trying to grasp the last pieces of stability in her image the “perfect” white was presenting to the world.

This, of course, begins to affect Shizuku in the real world, since she is White at that moment. She is not whole. And we learn when Kasumi confronts her, that this is because she hates who she truly is. This revelation resonated with me in more ways than one.

Having the world look down on you and reject you can really shake a person to their core, and Shizuku is no different, having her passions like novels, movies and theatre itself thrust into the shadows in light of the people around her making her feel worthless.

But it wasn’t until it began to affect her theatre activities that it truly fell on her that she needed to change. Kasumi understands this.

and while the scene where she talks with Shizuku is something I can never hope to do justice with just text, I want to point out that the forcefulness Kasumi exhibits at first to remove her from her dark thoughts and the suddenly spinning the story/conversation to focus on Shizu

instead of herself for once is a seriously amazing payoff for Kasumi’s development as a character that at first only thought about what she wanted.

And finally, with the confession of admitting she really loves Shizuku, even if it’s only her against the world, Kasumi assumes the role of ‘that’ person Rina said Ai was to her. Someone to pull her from the darkness.

In Kasumi’s case, that kind of heartfelt honesty is something her character rarely shows, and it was extremely touching.

The way Shizuku laughs after Kasumi runs away from embarrassment, going from her usual, neutral laugh to a more heartfelt one too and ending with slight tears was great. Had me tearing up too.

On the day of the event it’s clear from the preparation that Shizuku got the part (did we ever doubt this talented queen?) which means that she got ahold of that passion and emotion she was missing. She even puts on said white necklace that White Shizuku always wore.

And the performance itself mimics a lot of what we saw in those ‘aside’ scenes. Were those scenes then future shots? Her mind mimicking the script in her never-ending love for the arts? We don’t know, and I think that’s great.

We then get a scene where Black Shizuku(?) meets White Shizuku for the last time, presumably in the play, and Black is now pleading when White attempts to walk away, that even if White is to be scared to show her true self, she still wants to sing.

But for once, White talks back. After not even addressing her once this entire time… she stops ignoring her, and accepts what she has done. White says that she too wants to sing, and because they both share that feeling, it must be real. That makes them one and the same.

Black is now the one to vocally remind her that she might be hated if she does this. But White tells her that she has someone who absolutely loves her. So they merge, and Shizuku Osaka reveals her true colors, (or lack thereof in this case because monochrome aesthetic y’know)

Now the outfit is split in halves, between the two sides, no mask. And they finally share the necklace.

The song itself and its connection to both the rest of the episode and Anata no Risou no Heroine can basically be summarized by: Read the lyrics. https://love-live.fandom.com/wiki/Solitude_Rain

But at least the short monologue Shizuku has at the beginning is pretty clear on the road she has to walk from now on. And it looks cool as hell to boot. Kaorin can really put on a vocal performance

There are two parts amongst the many great visuals in the MV that I want to point out. First during the chorus where the pouring rain freezes in its tracks, heck, the whole world stops and only Shizuku is there. Loving every second of her own song.

Shizuku has always had a connection to rain and umbrellas, like she shelters herself from the pouring pressures of the outside world, which I believe the rain represents.

And in the shot where she looks up to the sky, her umbrella is on the ground, and the sky is clear, the lyrics reflect this too. And in the next shot she completely disappears the rain that had been drenching her, only the shine of the stage remains.

The song of course ends like the episode began. With her on a spotlight but whole. (I like how it just snaps to black a lotttt)

This episode didn’t feel like a Love Live episode all in all, it was so different and unique in its quirky presentation with a much smaller cast as a focus, it was almost like a play in and of itself. I really, really loved it and I cannot wait for the full version of the song.

Stan Shizuku Osaka this episode is the best one so far in Love Live. From the themes to the EVERYTHING.
[End of thread/essay/whatever]