Forget about the radio show’s impending cancellation, which was hinted at last week; Yuhi ended up getting canceled! This episode throws a significant external conflict into the hands of our perpetually battling heroines, following all the internal squabbling that has propelled Voice Actor Radio’s problems thus far. In some ways, the outcome is exactly as inconsistent as the anime has been thus far. In response to reports that Yuhi had an extramarital affair in order to land her most recent job, the show is attempting to address other “real” sides of the voice acting/idol business, akin to some of the previously observed inside baseball. However, it is forced to stand out as a dramatization due to the ongoing plot and the overall style of writing. At least the drama is the main reason I’m here.
To its credit, Voice Actor Radio manages to depict an emotionally draining interaction in an opening section that is uncomfortable in a way that I believe is intentional. Following last week’s focus on Kimura as a red herring, Shimizu’s abrupt reveal as Yuhi’s rejected, reputation-damaging stalker comes as a bit of a surprise. However, his unexpected entrance adds to the confusion of the entire picture as he appears screaming and yelling, making Yuhi’s unease visible to everyone on the internet. Aside from Kimura at least trying to do something, it’s difficult to watch in a sense that goes beyond your typical secondhand embarrassment, made worse by the distant social mores of the classmates.
It means that there’s a lot of overt monologues showing the entitled attitude of some idol fans and the reactions that said idols may have to them. In this instance, though, I’ll let it slide because Yasumi does a great job dissecting Shimizu’s heinous deeds, and a lot of “fans” probably need to hear it for themselves. Furthermore, it’s quite nice to have Yuhi herself hit him after all the nerve-wracking build-up. It’s all extremely cathartic when Yasumi knocks him down again on her way out. The current entertainment frenzy takes precedence over the question of whether real talent in this field could ever bounce back from something like this. It’s just as fanciful as the forced fanservice bathtub hang-out from the previous episode, but instead of making you worry that your roommate is going to stroll in at any moment, it makes you pump your fists.
The key factor that will probably determine whether or not many listeners of Voice Actor Radio ultimately give up on the show is their ability to suspend disbelief during this entire staged scenario. Indeed, Yasumi most likely wouldn’t get away with breaching her contract and morals in order to host an independent radio show in which she would present her authentic gyaru persona and assure her followers that Yuhi is a moral person who wouldn’t consider sleeping her way to the top. A portion of it functions outside of that direct story function, enabling Yasumi to articulate her nuanced feelings of admiration and annoyance for Yuhi in a way that allows her to spell things out in a way that this story’s protagonists love to do. It’s a good counterbalance to Yasumi’s previous apologies to Yuhi, admitting that her claim that her colleague used the casting couch was excessive—especially considering what she had to deal with right away. It’s also good to see Yasumi clarify for the audience what she had evidently previously realized: Yuhi had clocked Shimizu especially to keep Yasumi’s own hidden school identification a secret.
Even so, there is still a sense of “and then everyone clapped” throughout the entire presentation. It’s using its own very direct approach to expose the inconsistencies between phony idol personalities and the true fan devotion of them, at least on par with something like Oshi no Ko. It doesn’t help that Yuhi is supposed to show up for the follow-up, accompanied by her father, the secret superstar anime director, who will provide the perfect amount of dramatic speeches and digital receipts to clean her record. Voice Actor Radio bravely plays Jenga with its clumsily constructed story devices, and the only thing keeping it together is Yasumi’s sincere comedy response to the macabre insanity of Yuhi’s circumstances and her realization of how utterly pointless her efforts were.
Everything works as it should to conclude this initial story arc, however the main point of interest is mostly what it might mean for future plot developments. In addition to their romance, Yasumi and Yuhi get to “start over” with the radio show that centers around it. Their genuine selves are now fully exposed, and although that includes their grudging respect for one another, it appears that even they have come to the realization that they get along better when they deliberately try to be a little more real and sassy with one another. Though who knows how much of an impact that will have on the plot moving forward, I hope that was addressed more in the “new” version of the radio show that was heard following this episode. Will the story’s interpretations of artifice in this sector change as a result of their public identities and personas? Will their attempts at fame and careers be realistically affected? Voice Actor Radio has taken an intriguing detour from its initial focus, and its future direction will be determined by how it handles this.
