An Underrated Anime NO ONE Understands | Revue Starlight Analysis
The very first thing we hear at the beginning of Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight is the opening lines of the play that this tale is built upon, and thus the story of our Stage Girls is parallel to that of the cast of Starlight itself. A group of girls whose eyes are set on the shine of the stage, fighting for their place in that shine as the Top Star. Two star-crossed lovers bound by fate to climb a tower to achieve a wish held within a star. Both are tales that are bound to these themes of height and shine, derived as well from the influence of Takarazuka Revue, an all-women’s theatre troupe that as well carries a top star system that has a heavy focus and value on the attributes of height, talent and shine. Thus, Revue Starlight can be seen as a tragedy, a story built off of this ideal of an unattainable shine that can only be reached by climbing the heights of this system, only to end by the cruel hand of fate casting back into the darkness…
But if that’s where you stop, you have failed to do something important. You have failed to understand what this story is about.
The influence of Takarazuka Revue and the play of Starlight itself, both things that this story draws its own name from, are merely pieces that form the groundwork for what this story is at its core. To only focus on the system gives you the idea of dismantling said system, but such an idea is not at the core. It blinds from the point. To focus only on the ascent and descent as two opposing ideas is to not see what lies between. It blinds one from the goal. And to focus solely on the idea of fate is to ignore that which lies at the core of Karen and Hikari’s journey, not a story of fate or tragedy but that of bonds that can define one’s destiny.
Because to stop at any of these concepts is to be like Flora, blinded by the light of the star, and to not look beyond them is to never see what our two leads reach at the end of this tale.
So let us discover what lies at the top of the tower, in the light of Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight.
Revue Starlight isn’t exactly subtle with any of its imagery, as the idea of height is present throughout, be it Tokyo Tower, the tower in the play of Starlight, the height of those with talent and even the giraffe who carries out the revues themselves. The theme of shine and glimmer is so bright it’s almost blinding, especially given the visual flare the series carries within itself, but you must first ask the question of what these things mean, and one thing between both that is shared heavily can be defined with one word: unattainability. That which lies in the sky furthest from our grasps and that which lights the darkness of the night is a star, and as theater can only take place upon a stage placed a considerable distance from those in the audience that is within a dark room lit only by the spotlight that shines upon our actors, the word star is prevalent. Just visible enough and tantalizing to the eye but unattainable and untouchable to all except those who stand upon that stage. As Takarazuka values the height of its actors, a genetic trait only given to a select and lucky few, this idea of the unattainable is central to the theater where only a few can shine. But while Revue Starlight shares these themes of height and shine, the actual height of the characters is used only for that initial framing. The very fact that Tendou Maya is the perceived most talented and as well has that trait of height plants this correlation in your head…until you realize something interesting.
Daiba Nana is taller than even Tendou Maya.
Yet she herself puts no effort to shine as bright as her.
So far more prevalent is this idea of the effort one puts forward, because as we eventually find out, Nana is every bit as talented as Tendou Maya, yet not only resides herself to the role of support, fully embraces it. And while the focus of height can be used to look at who is the most bright within the world of Revue Starlight, we moreso see this idea of the effort one puts forward to attain such heights.Which is why Aijo Karen is seen as the weakest of them all.
There is a very clear and obvious effort being put forth by all in the class except for Karen. She struggles with even the basic stretches, is late to wake up and seems to be going forward at a pace that allows her to perform with her friends but not enough to surpass any of them. She stands at the bottom of our main cast in every sense of the word, and as we later find out, she wasn’t even destined to take part in the Revues. She didn’t have a shine, so to only focus on the idea of height is ignoring the difference between those with the effort and desire to reach their shine that those at the top have. It’s revealed that Futaba is advancing farther than Kaoruko by putting in the efforts to be a better actress. Nana has the talent to surpass Maya, yet never once reaches past her because what she desires isn’t what Maya does.
This isn’t to say that effort is all there is to this idea, as part of Juuna’s arc is that she has the greatest effort of them all, yet collapses under the weight of it. However, notice that Juuna is also alone in this endeavor where Tendou Maya has Claudine who challenges her. Where Futaba asks Claudine for help. And most importantly…the one who changes the destiny of Aijo Karen who previously wasn’t trying her best. The one who kickstarts the change in this cycle by igniting the glimmer within the destined partner of Kagura Hikari.
There is a reason Starlight has two leads, why Revue Starlight has its cast members be grouped into pairs, and in some cases like with Mahiru in a sort of trio. In order to challenge the idea of the lone star, the top star who stands alone, at the center of its narrative is this idea of bonds, and not just bonds but a highlight into the far more important aspect of the two themes derived from the word star: what lies within one’s shine. Because what the Top Star system introduces is this pursuit of one goal, one Starlight. It asserts that only one can stand at the top and must take from everyone else. It asserts that the only way to achieve one’s goal is to tear others down and desperately climb to the top to achieve that shine. But to shine means something different to each of our players.
For Isurugi Futaba, her Starlight wasn’t in what she was able to achieve, but in that which she was chasing: the light of Hanayagi Kaoruko. Kaoruko, however, does not put forth the effort to go anywhere beyond where her natural talent would reach, something easily surpassed by the other members of the 99th who work with all of their hearts to reach the top. But upon being lectured by Tendou Maya, Kaoruko is instead reminded of where her Starlight was: the desire to be the greatest in the world so that her greatest fan can witness her rise. The Revue of Promise is thus Kaoruko fulfilling said promise: to reach the top so that the one who follows after her can witness that shine. But notice how their Starlights are in tandem with one another: a shine that can only be reached with one supporting another. As such, their mirrors in Maya and Claudine are a similar case, because it’s not that Maya simply has unbearable talent that can’t be beat, but that she shines and tries her hardest for the sake of Claudine who chases and follows after her. Maya learned French for the sake of connecting to Claudine. Their eternal rivalry allows for the further polishing of their respective skills and abilities, allowing both to stand far beyond the others. But to be the one who stands at the top, to be the top star, you have to be willing to chase after that shine with everything in your heart and soul.
And nowhere is that better embodied than with Daiba Nana.
As previously stated, Nana in every way SHOULD have been better than Tendou Maya, but her desire was not on the stage, but in everything else that allowed her friends to shine, for Nana’s Starlight was not for her own shine but for that illusive 99th performance of the Starlight that enraptured her and changed her world. But as the giraffe says:
What lied within the crown of the Revues was a chance to achieve any one wish, and as seen in the London Revue, it was the desire to have talent that stood above the others, said talent that stole the shine from everyone she defeated. It was a sacrifice made in the fight for the top where only one could win. But Nana’s solution was one where no one had to face such hopelessness and rewind time to experience her Starlight over and over and over again. Because Nana’s shine wasn’t in any achievement she made herself. After all, a banana is nutritious for those who eat it, a benefit for the ones the banana supports. Nana’s shine was seeing all of her friends as happy as they could possibly be. This was enough.
Yet Maya criticized her for her actions.
It was clear that Nana had talent, yet she rejected it because it didn’t serve her purposes, only using it to continue the loops and hold onto a world without suffering, protecting them from despair. It wasn’t perfect, but protecting them should have been enough. Yet Karen jumped in when she saw her friends suffering, not resolving to protect them from their despair but to fight with Hikari in order to make sure no one had to suffer because of their unity. Because ultimately Nana was alone, only watching afar as everyone embraced each other’s feelings while Karen was fighting alongside Hikari. And after all, a banana is a fruit that grows in bunches…while Nana was alone that whole time until she saw the error of her ways.
When watching Revue Starlight, it’s important to realize what each person’s individual desires were for entering the Revues, and more importantly realizing something else. Mahiru’s Starlight was simply to follow Karen because she felt like she had no worth on her own. She wasn’t special in any way except that she was able to stand by Karen’s side, yet there seemingly was no place for her there when Hikari arrived. But after her defeat and coming to the dorms and seeing all of her friends eating the potatoes from her beloved hometown, she realized that there would always be a place by her side…on the stage. Then, as if to hammer it even further, Karen points out that she looks full of the shine that she saw in everyone else in the video of her in front of her town. Her shine could be achieved without engaging in the Revues because she already had it. For Futaba and Kaoruko, it was the desire for Futaba to witness Kaoruko shine and for Kaoruko to show her greatest fan the heights that she promised, and ultimately so long as they had each other, they didn’t need the Revues. Juuna was falling into despair because of her efforts never paying off, yet Karen showed her that even if she fails she can just get back up. She shines brightly as the hard worker she is and is far from just another face in the crowd because she is onstage with others who support her. There was no need for the Revues. And arguably the most important, Daiba Nana desired the first Starlight merely for her fear of change and that she would never be able to experience the same thing again, but as Juuna pointed out to her, as well as Karen and Hikari’s determination, it will never be the same because the world must keep moving and evolving, and you can’t truly fall into despair as long as your comrades are by your side. Nana didn’t need the Revues in order to find her shine. Even Maya and Claudine didn’t need the Revues in order to achieve some big dream, because Maya had Claudine to challenge her and sharpen her skills and Claudine had Maya to constantly chase after. The Revues were ultimately unneeded.
So that begs the question of what exactly is the point of having the Revues in the first place, why one must always win and why that victory steals the shine of all others for the sake of the Top Star. Because ultimately only one shines greater than the others. Only one onstage is the lead and only one is the focus of the story, the stage and the Starlight. Ultimately, Flora is the one who falls from the tower while Claire remains, in despair over the suffering she caused her friend. That despair of failure and of not reaching the top is brought up again and again. It’s what Nana fought against and what Hikari suffered from when her glimmer was stolen in London. But there is one word that Revue Starlight gives us from the very beginning, right from the start, and even amongst the world of the arts you can find this concept everywhere. When an actor feels like they’re stuck in a rut or wishes to move past their current level, they go back to the basics. They reevaluate who it is they are and what it took to get them there and choose to climb back up again. They look to reinvent themselves…to become a new person. You could even say becoming an actor is to strip down who you are and reconstruct yourself to fit the role, to be reborn anew. When Karen jumped on the giraffe’s neck, forced his head down and made her way into the Revues of her own volition and desire to be by Hikari’s side, the screen turned a deep red with the words “self-remake” filling the screen, Karen’s precious crown hair ornament being melted down, Karen being stripped bare and adorned in the clothing of one who enters the Revues for the battle of their shine. More than height, more than Takarazuka, more than effort is the idea of the self-remake, of bursting into flames and being reborn as someone new.
In Hikari’s fight against Daiba Nana, her tiny blade was all that remained of her glimmer, and Nana pointed out how pitiful she was and that she would protect her. Yet, being reminded of her Starlight, of her promise with Karen, ignited the glimmer she had left, remaking it and shining brighter than she ever had before, claiming the victory over Nana. And that’s the important part. Nana had the talent to defeat Tendou Maya yet only used that talent to delay the inevitable, to run away from the possibility of failure and despair. Yet Hikari had already tasted failure. She lost everything, yet she still got up and chased her Starlight once again. She looked in the darkness of despair and changed fate with her own to hands. At Karen’s side she would be reborn.
So the fight between Maya and Claudine versus Hikari and Karen was to prove such an idea, because ultimately Claudine was simply chasing after Maya and Maya standing atop watching Claudine follow after. Yet Hikari and Karen worked together, stood alongside each other and shone brighter by standing atop the stage as one united front, resolving not to leave the other behind. Yet ultimately, Hikari still cared too much about Karen, pushing her off the tower and claiming the position of Top Star alone…yet everyone was spared because of her efforts. The only one who suffered was Hikari who sacrificed all of her shine for the sake of the 99, leaving the academy and being thrust into a cycle of never-ending despair.
And Karen came to save her again.
Hikari’s victory and why she lost in London is simple. It’s tied to the circumstances of their separation. Karen was the one openly crying when Hikari had to leave, and Hikari justified it as her not wanting Karen to follow her and be reliant, yet in reality it was for her own sake and desire to be by Karen’s side. And ultimately, neither one was excelling as they should have been because their Starlights lied elsewhere. The very fact that they were apart denied them of what they really wanted, what they truly desired…what their Starlight was. Karen’s Starlight was only achievable if Hikari was by her side, and without her there, there was no need for her to try as hard. Without Karen by her side, Hikari ultimately lost the London Revue. It’s only together that the two defy their circumstances as well as fate because the play of Starlight is one that is a tragedy, that ends with one being alone.
But during Hikari’s disappearance, Karen finds the English version of the Starlight play, and translates it into Japanese. She rewrites the story in a way that she could read it, because while Hikari read it as it was, Karen went out of her way with her own efforts to see it from her perspective, realizing that the only reason the play is a tragedy is because it’s accepted as such. The only reason it’s referred to as fate that only one can shine at the top is because it’s accepted as such. It’s taken by everyone as the inherent truth. But Karen, just like how she forced the giraffe’s head to bow to her will, just like how she burst into flames and became a new person, and just as she who had no shine forced her way into the Revues, proved one thing: fate is only what you make of it. It was in their fights with Karen and their facing of each other and the possibility of despair while fighting as hard as they could that each of the members of the 99th came to realize that they didn’t need the Revues. It’s telling that in the audience of the fight against Maya and Claudine that the others were in the audience, resolved not to watch in despair as others excelled far beyond them, but to learn how to improve. They watched that Revue and came to see how they could improve, become greater and even if they failed, get back up again. And ultimately, Karen loses to Hikari again when she goes to save her, her entrance beginning with a descent. But that descent isn’t some way to defy the system, because it’s just true that only one can shine as the Top Star. Karen fell at the hands of Hikari again, yet even after her loss she defied the hands of fate by doing what no one else could.
She got back up again.
It’s Tendou Maya, the one who most will cite as “the embodiment of the system” who points out something important. Though there is one who is the Top Star, everyone on that stage is equally as important. A play is not it’s lead role. It’s not just the cast. It’s not just the sets, the effects, the costumes or any one individual thing. The stage is that which houses every single piece that forms the whole of the production. It’s every member of the cast that works to put on the best production that they can with the efforts they can spare. It’s not merely one, but all of them together. The Top Star system in Revue Starlight and arguably even the one within Takarazuka itself asserts that only one stands above the others. It asserts that one is bound to the role by their fated genetics and God-given talent…only if you accept it as such. Because simply by fighting to get up again and again and forcing fate to bow to her whims and with her decision to rewrite the ending, Karen proved that fate is only fate if you accept that as the ending. Revue Starlight is a tribute to the stage, but also Takarazuka Revue, and as such directs not criticism towards the system but those within it. The love for the stage is here filling every second of this production. The Top Star system isn’t even inherently being criticized, it’s the mindset of those who fall into despair after being second fiddle once. Only one can shine at a time, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get back up and fight until it’s your turn. It wasn’t talent that separated those who become the Top Star, because ultimately even Maya and Nana failed. It wasn’t height because Karen was shorter than most yet stood at the top. It wasn’t simply effort because even Juuna by herself wasn’t enough. It was only when Karen fell and fell and got back up again. It was only when Hikari lost it all and fought until she got it back. It was only when two realized their Starlight wasn’t in one single hand…it was in both clasped together on the stage. I believe the reason why Revue Starlight’s story is focused around the 99th is because the first performance may have been amazing. It may have had Maya at the lead and been an experience beyond anything they’ve had before…but to go into the future is to face the despair and possibility of failure. To go into the unknown is a path that might hurt you. You might not even get the lead role, but the advancement into the future is bright for those on the stage…for they’re never alone. Losing or failing once isn’t the end, and there will always be another chance to try again. An artist can always recreate themselves. Because as 99 turns into 100, they can always get back up…because there are others by their side ready to create the greatest show they can.
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