WElcome
So you might be wondering why I decided to do a fucking carrd for thisAnd the real answer is, idk I thought it would be funnier than just dumping a block of text on a twitlonger or a wordpress articleTo start the essay, I'd like to say that every single Revue in the movie is fucking STUFFED with details in every single one of them, but I had a very natural attraction to the Revue of Malice because of my dear love of FutaKao and what it meant to me, not only that, the song is amazing from start to end, the visuals are insane and everything is very over the top. Very fitting for Bingus and Bongus.
Another very interesting thing to note is the influences in the revue's art and style directions, say for example the prodigy of theater and the french star have a revue very heavily inspired by european theatre, while our main leads for this essay get a very heavily japanese influenced Revue. I apologize in advance if I miss, missinterpret or completely mess up something, I am but a mere amateur who just really loves this movie, as well that certain details are very much so open to interpretation so this could very well be my own take on it and that's about it. With that said, let's dive right in.
Act 1
The Revue of Malice (here on referred to as Wagamama Highway because I love the song name way more) is the second Revue in the Revue Starlight Movie and the first in the 5 Duet Revues. It opens up with a view of a gambling house. Inside, we first see the statue of a Hannya, a mask of a jealous female demon. If you're reading this I don't think I have to tell you who's our lil blue headed jealous demon.
Speaking of the devil we see Kaoruko dressed in what I can only call a Kimono sitting in front of Claudine. We also see her throw dice in a cup like in the game Cho-han (simple gambling game where you have to guess if the dice in the cup add up to an odd or even number), welcoming Claudine "of the gambling house", noticeably upset at the presence of the woman. Claudine notices this and points it out to her telling her to "not look at me like that".
Kaoruko responds to this by telling her that she won't forgive her, lifting the cup that concealed the dice and instead revealing two of the golden star buttons seen in the Revue uniforms together, symbolizing how Futaba and Kaoruko brilliances were together up to that point. Then she accuses Claudine of "taking her precious candy box, and eating, destroying, and poisoning it!" This is referring to all the influence Claudine has had on Futaba even from the show. The girl who spoiled her with everything she needed was taken away by someone else, taught things she didn't know, spending time away from her alone with someone else, and then she was poisoned with ideas to leave her to pursue some other dream. Then she immediately stabs the ground in front of her with a knife, from our perspective, making it seem like that separated the two brilliances from each other.Claudine immediately catches on, but still asks her if it's about Futaba she's so upset about. Kaoruko then pins the blame on her, but before she can specify on what Claudine is guilty for causing between her and Futaba, she's interrupted by the stage, pressuring her to bet.The scene is immediately interrupted by Futaba crashing in with a truck, apologizing for coming in with the lights.I'll interrupt this section of the essay to say, this section of the revue has some very intricate wording at play, which I, at my current not-even-basic level can't understand to fully grasp the beauty and meaning of it, so a lot of it will be taken at face value on the subs by Veggie subs. (ty goat)"I was born in traditional Japanese dance, and grew up on Stage"
While she was born into the world of dance next to Kaoruko, she really grew into her current self when she learnt the joys of the stage and wanting to improve in it."The butterfly's selfishness, and the flower's nonsense, apologies for the inconvenience they've surely caused you all."This is both in reference to Kaoruko, who is the cho-han dealer (cho being butterfly and han from "hana" which is flower", or Kaoruko's surname starting with Hana, either way referring to Kaoruko and her troublesome personality"Our rotten relationship slathered in candy - I'm betting on laying it to rest"To put it simply, she's done with the way things are, and she's betting that the only way she'll get what she wants is by letting their rotten yet indulgent relationship to end."This is a straight path of parting!"
This is a very simple reference to her introduction during Hanasaku Uta, but back then it was "Yet I have found a straight path, one that rises to the night sky!" which was her path to her better self, but now that path has led straight to the two of them parting ways."Alright, which one will you bet on?"
Betting on letting go of each other? or betting that she can cling on to her enough that she'll give up her dream of the new national to return to Kyoto together?Kaoruko thanks her politely for coming, introducing herself in a similar fashion without any standouts until"With the camellia of spring lies a longing for tomorrow, with the sweet flag of summer lies a cherished vow, with the maple of fall lies a discordant farewell, cut the narcissus of winter, throw it away, and let it fall!"
It's a very simple summary of their relationship, as young kids in the summer they were hopeful of the day Kaoruko would shine bright as a star and Futaba would be right next to them, then during their summer they promised that "they'll make it together in the world" and then Kaoruko would pay back Futaba her taxi fare, they're experiencing the discordant farewell over Futaba's choice to apply for the new national, and by the end they'll have to throw away their relationship.
Kaoruko removes part of her kimono, revealing a large dragon tattoo. This has a lot of meanings, including strength and passion, and it could also be representing the dragon as a deity (further complimenting the upsides of the dragon rising and staying in the heavens during spring/summer and descending in fall/winter as this "Maple of Fall" is proving to be her downfall).
This is also complimented by Futaba's jacket displaying a tiger, who, in mythology, is the compliment of the dragon in a ying-yang sort of way, and in the "only one strong enough to stand next to the other" way, as well.Kaoruko repeats that this is a straight path of parting, then adds "Fall like the flowers scatter!"This is a common trend over the movie, from wild-screen baroque's (When your life ends, the flowers scatter) and Karen Aijo's revue introduction (Even if the stardust falls and the flowers scatter), it's an idiom representing to die a noble death in battle, meaning that she's fully intending to "kill" their relationship once and for all.And uh funny Kuro shrug
ACT 2
After leaving the gambling house clad in their revue outfits they start exchanging blows on the outsides of what looks to be the streets in Kyoto. Kaoruko calls Futaba a liar for wanting to break her promise to be right next to her while she became the greatest dancer in the world. Futaba exclaims that it wasn't a lie, but that if she wanted to be right next to her as they aimed to be the top in the world, she'd have to become someone befitting of her, someone who could stand next to her, that could be the tiger to her dragon, if you will. So this decision was both for herself AND for Kaoruko's sake, trying to amend things with this logic and immediately offering her hand.We finally get the extra element of the lyrics in the background which essentially work as the girls' inner desires and monologues. A more in depth look to their real thoughts than what they can actually say.
The lyrics for this section is simply them noting that they promised seeing the first star together (them as top stars) but the path they were taking together to see it was finally splitting after a long, long time, almost, their whole lives.
Act 3
sexy main hall
The scene is immediately interrupted by a sign stated "Sexy Main Hall" with a flower logo, then cuts to Kaoruko, with a rather seductive dress, sitting on a stool in front of a bar, exclaiming that what's happening is irritating, a bother. We see Futaba standing at the entrance, confused, in a full suit, looking like mafia.
Then the scene shifts to the two of them sitting on opposing chairs with a table in the middle. Distance.
She exclaims again that Futaba's excuses are a bother. That the "For you" excuse is simply nonsense.
All whilst holding a drink and trying to look at someone who won't even meet her eyes.
She points out that if it's "for her" why would she decide the "new national" thing without asking her, to which Futaba immediately responds shying away without responding, Kaoruko gets her attention again, and then she finally admits that it's because she'd oppose it, even if it was "for her". This gets further complimented by the lyrics "You wouldn't get it (You, like that) What could I say to you (what would you say)
Not a single thing, that's all" because no matter what she told Kaoruko to try and get her to understand, she wouldn't get it, so the only way to do it was to apply without telling her.Then Futaba shifts to saying that she knew she wasn't good enough. Because she wasn't like Junna and her determination, like Mahiru who can steel herself for things or like Maya or Kuro and their natural talent.Before she can even finish this new thought, Kaoruko get's her attention one more time, quoting their promise "From the closest to you in the world, I want to see that brilliance with you, Kaoruko!" and then calling her a liarThen she suddenly appears on the now iconic wooden platform, at the very top, inside an o-choko fountain spilling champagne to the bottom and over herself, a complete display of power and adultness, telling Futaba she's spilling a mess of reason everywhere, from the idealism of "I'm doing this because you deserve better" to simple excuses based around everyone they have spent the last 3 years with, further solidifying the point by saying that she doesn't care about other women at all, and that the "Logic of an adult is such an annoyance".If Futaba is going to try to act like such an adult, then she might as well act like one too, right? An adult spilling money everywhere with alcohol, talking straight, direct and even slightly aggressively with Futaba.She ends up crawling on top of the table in front of Futaba, telling her to expose her real intentions, to be honest with her. But to Kaoruko, it's that Futaba is finally fed up with her, with her requests, with her in general, she finally got annoyed with her and wants to run away, telling her to take this outside.Lastly, "Aah, on the windshield, the rain is flowing down—
To be far away enough for my cheek to feel the touch of your breath, let me use that as an excuse, han…" is just simply to represent that even when they're separated she's still trying to find an excuse to feel her warmth, that whispering right next to her is to feel her breath on her cheek as well.
selfish highway
Now. I could just leave down my thread and call it a day, but I want to do this properly and completely.We get an establishing shot of the final stage of the revue, along with the title, song, and the title of the first wi(l)d-screen baroque revue
From it, and from thematics I'll explain later on, we can establish this is 清水寺, Kiyomizu-dera, a temple in Kyoto.
We cut to the two of them in the roof of the temple, the only source of lighting being the set of 3 dekotora behind each of them, shining brilliant lights, they exclaim that lines like "I'm tired of it" are just throwaways in the highway of cutting ties. Both Kaoruko's singing and the dekotora created by the stage call Futaba a her, a "Futaba" that Kaoruko simply doesn't know, and therefore she should keep away. Then exclaiming that with this they'll finally cut ties.
Kaoruko walks away, as if she's finally done with Futaba, as the lights go off.Futaba finally reunites with her own solitude, now that the girl that had always been by her side is leaving. But she always thought she didn't feel alone because she was with her. Instead, it was because she didn't have to dream on her own, she was satisfied dreaming the same dream Kaoruko did.Yet knowing this she refuses to let Kaoruko just cut ties like that, but no matter how much she tells her, she just won't understand. Even after all she's done for her, she bought her sweets, put her to sleep, picked her up and dropped her off, even after everything she's done for her, she can't get her own dream without losing the girl she loves. It's unfair, unfair, unfair, so unfair.Her desire to fight her on this reignited, she tells her for the first and last time that she doesn't plan on waiting on her for any longer than this. That she's gonna go into the New National with or without being on board with it. So if they're gonna settle this, if they're gonna place their bets, they'll do it right away tonight.Futaba tells her that they can't go together anymore, and they both launch towards each other atop the dekatora. The whole point of the dekatora is that they're basically playing chicken with their decision, that they'll each push it as hard as they can, until Futaba gives in, gives up her dream of the new national and returns to Kyoto with Kaoruko. Kaoruko gives in, and doesn't cut the tie with Futaba, while she can go and fulfill her dream, or they'll crash into each other at 100 km/h and seriously cut ties.
Eventually, Kaoruko says that they're really useless, to Futaba's surprise, and we see one of the dekatora fly off the temple into the ground. Neither Kaoruko or Futaba are really willing to give up what they want, but they're also unwilling to cut their bond with the other, they're truly useless without each other, and no matter what they say, Kaoruko still wants Futaba all to herself.
And by the sign on the dekatora that plummeted to the ground having a dragon on it, we can immediately know that she'll wait if she has to, as long as she can keep Futaba to herself.
This, is extra important to their current location, the Kiyomizu-dera temple. Kiyomizu-dera is a historical landmark in Kyoto, which, back in the edo period, had this legend where if you jumped off the top floor of the temple (13m) and survived, you'd have any wish granted. This tradition of the temple created the expression "To jump off the stage of Kiyomizu".
In the end, even when Kaoruko gave in, Futaba jumped after her, saving her from falling. Kaoruko asks if they cut ties, but Futaba going after her and holding on, is accepting that, well, even when they try to cut ties, they can't deny that they're useless without each other. That Kaoruko will still hog her all to herself. And in the end, in their uselessness, they'll have to rely on a wish to bring them back together and that no matter what they'll wait for the other, that they'll be the best in the world, together, when they finally reunite.Kaoruko and Futaba jump off the stage of Kiyomizu, landing on a soft patch of flower petals which now scatter, signaling the death of their argument instead of their relationship.After all this time, after their road finally split. It's time for Futaba to say something selfish, yet she gets interrupted by Kaoruko, already knowing that her partner is going to ask her to wait for her, answering immediately after still trying to keep her pride, saying that she doesn't know, then feeling a tiny piece of metal in her hand. The key to one of Futaba's most important possessions, the motorcycle she got so Kaoruko wouldn't have to walk everywhere, asking her to take care of it. Even then, she still tries to be prideful and say that she won't wait even if she leaves the bike with her, but knowing that, that's just simply not true. Because she's useless without her, and vice versa, they've always been together, and they'll stay that way.She could fight an adult with equal terms, it was a bother, and annoying, but it was something she could beat, but in the end, she couldn't fight the selfishness of a child, filled with a dream of her own, filled with brilliance of her own, and still full of love for her.In the end, it's not a home run, or an attack, or a cheap trick, it's Kaoruko giving in to Futaba, simply cutting the rope that ties her cape with a shard of glass, carefully, slowly, while smiling at the girl she loves.
The Final Lines
Hey! This is just a very quick afterthought, I am but a simple Revue Starlight fan who enjoys writing reviews and analysis about the stuff I love, if you think I'm wrong or I fucked something up I am more than open to feedback, and I hope you enjoyed what my brain could do for my beloved Bingus and Bongus
Thanks for Reading!