Skip Beat 4

I wonder if anyone will cosplay this? XD

Alas my vacation is over and despite being busy for more of it than I had hoped, I did find time to catch up with a few shows, Skip Beat was one of them. Not that there was really too much going on in episode 4.

After her crushing setback by failing the audition, this episode is mainly about Kyoko finding her feet again. Ironically enough the person she hates most in the world and her whole reason for trying to make it big in showbiz in the first place, yet again helps to spur her onwards to her goal.

Its been three days since Kyoko’s failed audition and she has found herself a job as a gas station attendant. Which is probably a good thing she’s getting experience with wearing something ghastly, although her current outfit could probably be considered understated compared to the one she’ll be sporting in the near future.

The enthusiasm Kyoko had in the beginning appears to have waned following her failure. The Darumaya boss asks her if she has given up and says that he thought she was someone with more guts, looks like he’s pretty disappointed in her.

You sure? I give great foot massages.

Kyoko can’t help but feel however, that she has already experienced giving it her best only to lose it all. It seems she is slipping back into old habits, such as when a co-worker asks her to pick up lunch for her too. Rather than just saying sure, Kyoko asks if there is anything else she can get for her. It makes her think of Ren and she grudgingly admits to herself that he was right, she needed more than just determination to succeed.

Their casting couch is huge!

I think Kyoko is deserving of a prettier bitch don’t you?

Make sure she can see your face in those shoes mister! 😛

Attack of the CHIBI!

She hasn’t given up entirely however as she is still thinking of ways she could make it in showbusiness. After imagining what her victory would be like though, she decides that LME really is the only option if she wants to beat Sho.

Back at the Darumaya shop, the owners wife is worried about Kyoko, she says she hasn’t seen any signs of Kyoko picking herself up and worries that she will really give up on the idea of showbiz. But while he might be disappointed in her current attitude, the boss seems optimistic that Kyoko will find her determination. GO BOSS! A man of few words but he seems to have a lot of affection for Kyoko, he definitely seems to have a lot of faith in her.

Don’t look directly at her, legend has it you’ll turn to stone. Oh wait that was Medusa. I think you turn into popcorn or something, num num num.

This is what happens when you eat too many cup ramens. Listen to Naruto and stick to Ichiraku dattebayo!

While at lunch Kyoko witnesses an ad on t.v, starring her own evil nemesis, Sho Fuwa and Kyoko thinks of the unfairness as she slips into her fantasy world.
Sho can star in a cosmetic commercial, while she can only dream of being able to afford good cosmetics. They are something she feels she wouldn’t be able to get even if a hand came out of her mouth to grab them and so her hatred begins to manifest again.
Her co-worker appears to be a fan of Sho and she totally misinterprets Kyoko’s reaction to the commercial thinking that Kyoko too is a fan of Sho’s. Before Kyoko can correct her co-worker’s mistake their boss yells out that they have a customer.

OMG why is he stripping?

Fuck finesse, I’ll just bludgeon him, its quicker.

To her co-workers delight and Kyoko’s utter horror, this customer turns out to be the one and only SHO!
Kyoko fantasizes about beating the crap out of him while she’s so close to him but opts for trying to keep a low profile instead, considering how badly he would probably take the piss out of her if he recognized her.

She would have gotten away with it too, if it wasn’t for a dog and group of pesky kids. Wait, sorry it was actually her co-worker who puts Kyoko in danger of being found out. She gets an autograph from Sho and tells him how great she thought his commercial was. But she mentions that Kyoko loved it so much she could barely stand.

We know that Kyoko was actually trying not to vomit all over the place but apparently most people around Kyoko are dense or just can’t tell killing intent from excitement. Hmm maybe Kyoko isn’t the strange one in this show after all…

No Sho it wasn’t. Quite frankly she’s had better, you left her wanting and she had to finish herself.

Yes, burn with the pain of the clap that you gave me.

Because after I’ve poisoned you, cut you into itty bitty pieces and burned them, there will be nothing for them to beat.

The flames of Kyoko’s hatred burn brightly, but she grits her teeth and tries to act like she thought it was cool so that Sho won’t be suspicious. She goes a little too far though, telling him there is no man in the country that would be able to surpass him.

Kyoko’s co-worker says that she should come over and shake hands with Sho and Kyoko tries to ignore her. But the oblivious nitwit begins to yell out her name, so Kyoko has to come running over to shut her big yap before the jig is up and Sho figures out who she is.

Her cap flies off in the process and for a second Kyoko worries that she has been discovered, but Sho just acts as if he doesn’t know her, shakes the hand of his fan and at the insistence of his manager, heads of on his merry way.

Kyoko wonders if he really doesn’t recognize her and a smirking Sho apologizes for not being able to recognize all of his fans before he drives off.

The poor girl is absolutely stunned, she realizes that she changed her appearance somewhat, and wore her cap low, but after knowing each other so long, Sho really can’t recognize for who she is. His manager appears to be on the ball however, as Kyoko seemed familiar to her even though she couldn’t quite place her. But Sho says since 80% of his fans are enthusiastic and dye their hair they all pretty much look the same to him.

If he had a brain I doubt he’d know how to use it.

Oh Kyoko, there is plenty of room in there, but he’s too dumb to figure out that he can fill it with stuff, see that for rent sign? His manager had to do that, he’d have never thought of the idea on his own! 😛

He does acknowledge she was different from his usual fans in one respect however, as she told him exactly what he wanted to hear, he muses over the fact that someone other than Kyoko could do that. He is such a bloody moron, as he is right now, it makes you wonder what Kyoko ever saw in him to begin with.

When were you going to tell me you had genital warts!

Once Kyoko gets over being stunned her rage one again takes over. It pisses her off that while she has spent everyday thinking about him, albeit thinking about him in regards of getting revenge, he didn’t recognize her at all. She continues to stay in a bad mood even once she gets back to the Darumaya.

Poor Kyoko, she can’t have sex until her treatments are all over. Next time she sleeps with Sho she should make sure he wears a raincoat.

She feels like her mind is stuck in a maze and she doesn’t know what to do. The boss comes to her rescue and tells her to stop thinking about it and to just do what she wants to do. Kyoko’s mind clears and she thinks that even if she failed the audition she can still get into LME through other means.

The boss looks a lot happier as she realizes that if one route has become a dead end, then she should just smash that wall down!

The next day Kyoko’s determination is back full force, which is a good thing because the boss says if she returns crying again he won’t let her in. Kyoko says its fine because she is like a Daruma doll and even if she is knocked down many times she will stand back up.

Back at LME Sawara is having a drink with Ren, he can’t believe that its been four days and Kyoko hasn’t come back. Ren thinks that its probably a good thing, despite the crazy plan Sawara and the President (well we all know its mainly the President) have put together, he feels that no-one would really want a person like Kyoko to get into the agency.

Sawara feels that Ren really seems to hate Kyoko, but a smiling Ren says he doesn’t hate her, he just doesn’t like her. An exasperated Sawara states that its the same thing, but notes that for someone to evoke such strong emotions from the usually stoic actor is an amazing thing.

Besides Sawara knows it isn’t really the girl Ren can’t stand, but her reason for entering into showbiz. Ren tells Sawara he seems to be very sure about that and Takenori says that of course he is, since Ren is even pickier than the President when it comes to such matters.

Ren feels that he doesn’t want to be in the same profession with someone who has such a laughable reason for being in it. Sawara feels that what Ren is saying is true, but that the President might also be onto something when says that he feels there is a deeper meaning behind Kyoko’s actions, considering the President is a good judge of character.

As the President receives news that everything is ready and waits for Kyoko said girl turns up at LME ready to give it another shot, just like the President hoped she would. This time Kyoko isn’t going to try and go through the girls at the reception though, having learnt her lesson from her first attempt to get into the agency.

OMG this is Kimiko? Thats one fat cougar.

She heads down a passageway she saw Ren use once but in her haste to get to the President knocks over the actress Kamio Kimiko. The woman is understandably pissed off and berates Kyoko who she mistakes for a newcomer, telling her that her manager should have informed her, newcomers enter through the front. She stops mid tirade though and wonders if Kyoko is from the newly formed department…

Ren’s manager Yashiro informs him that Kimiko has arrived. Ren had been sitting with Sawara while he waited for her to arrive. Its funny, Sho just comes across as a bastard to me, whilst I find Ren’s behavior humorous, maybe its because I’ve read the manga and know that Ren isn’t really half the ass he acts most of the time.

Perhaps its mostly because with Sho its a more personal thing.  Ren doesn’t really know her, its her attitude he has a problem with.  And considering it seems she’s not taking something he does for a living seriously I can see why he’d be a bit of an ass.

OMG she was hitting on me WTF? AS IF! Oh oh I’m gonna vomit.

Kimiko fawns all over Ren as she runs to greet him, apologizing for being late, saying that traffic was bad. The stoic Ren flashes her a fake smile and tells her that next time she should apply her make up while in her car so she’ll be on time.

Its at this point that Kyoko turns up carrying all of Kimiko’s luggage for her she is happy to see Sawara and he tells her that he knew she would return. She says she had to, otherwise she would never find peace if she could not get her revenge and Sawara is happy to see her passion back.

There was a point? What? Where?

She tells him she’ll do anything and so he tells her to finish her current job. She is understandably confused as Sawara tells her it’ll be fine and he’ll definitely award her points.

He doesn’t really have time to explain though since the witchy Kimiko is insistent they get a move on. In an uncharacteristically nice move for Ren he offers to carry some baggage for Kyoko since everything looks heavy. Kyoko is surprised that Ren actually has a gentle side to him but soon that image is shattered.

Uh oh, Sho’s devil sperm escaped again. They’re rife with disease you know.

Kyoko finally gets some answers about the points she keeps hearing about. It turns out that President Lory has set up a new department, the name of which makes Kyoko laugh herself stupid.

Its called the ‘love me’ section, it was made with the aim of being loved by others and people who join it are normally people who want the love of others. Kyoko wonders what kind of people would be in such a department and Ren informs her that the job she is currently doing is a job from that department.

Ren goes on to tell her that the ‘Love Me’ section is mainly for those with talents which would be wasted if they were just discarded. He tells her the President created the department especially to nurture talents that are lacking in something and that she is the first member of the new section!

But it isn’t all bad news if Kyoko gets lots of points the company will come up with a major debut plan for her 🙂

He explains that in order to get points she must put herself in the shoes of those she has to help and find the best way to help them. If she does a good job they’ll give her a stamp with the number of points she has earned.

Unfortunately in her excitement about a way to get into showbiz and beat show she had dropped Kimiko’s bags. The actress is even less impressed that Kyoko let Ren carry some bags for her and she stamps Kyoko’s hand with a penalty stamp.

I told you, not until you’re std free.

And the illusion of a helpful Ren is shattered as he pulls that fake smile of his and tells Kyoko she must take responsibility for a job she undertakes and so no matter how nice he was, she shouldn’t have accepted his help.

Hey Sho’s the one who infected me, he’s the ho.

The cheeky git even wishes Kyoko good luck making her fume that he really must hate her and she quivers with rage as he walks away.