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flightworks2020-07-12 04:05 am
feralphoenix) wrote in flightworks2020-07-12 04:05 am
Entry tags:
shoujo kageki revue starlight, episode 9 script
long time no starlight!
Episode 09: On the Night of the Star Festival
KAREN
Whoooooa…! The script!! It’s the script to our new Starlight!!!
BANANA
Amemiya-san finished it yesterday. By herself.
SHION
I mean, look at how hard group A is working. Group B can’t let you show us up.
KAORUKO
Hee.
SHION
This is still the first draft, so it’s only going to get better from here. That’s why today, I want to hear what everyone thinks of it.
KIRIKO
It’s the long-awaited 100th Seishou Fest, so let’s make this the best play ever!
ALL
Yeah!!!
FUTABA
See this part here…? Can it be a little bit longer?
PROP DESIGNER
Huh? You don’t want it to be shorter?
FUTABA
I think maybe it’ll pop more in the fight scenes if it’s just a little longer.
CLAUDINE
Oh, I see. So these are the rough designs for this year’s goddess costumes?
COSTUME DESIGNER
Yeah! We got a lot of ideas from Hanayagi-san!
CLAUDINE
Is that so?
KAORUKO
You see these hoods from last year’s costumes? I felt they made the silhouettes rather heavy, so I thought we should get rid of the hoods altogether to draw attention to the jewels on our foreheads.
CLAUDINE
C’est bien! Nice idea.
KAREN
“You two are blessed. For you know not your own sin, nor the tragedy that shall befall you.” Whoa, the goddess of despair’s line in this part has changed!
MAHIRU
It looks like they’ve tweaked little bits all over the script.
KAREN
But I think the line’s better this way! ‘Cause, this way the goddess’ sadness, and her… dominating…?
MAHIRU
Do you mean “domineering”?
KAREN
Oh, yeah! Her domineering nature comes across better!
HIKARI
Sigh…
MAHIRU
It’s just a replay of the same story… But the pacing and the lines are so much better now.
JUNNA
“Life is tedious as a twice-told tale.”
KAREN
Huh?
JUNNA
It’s a quote by William Shakespeare.
HIKARI
Shouldn’t you know that?
KAREN
But my life’s not tedious at all.
JUNNA
Sigh… That’s not what it means.
MAYA
We can only live once. So, repeating the same story over and over is boring. So to avoid that tedium, one should try one’s hand at many new things.
JUNNA
Even if we’re putting on the same play, we should try to do it better… I think that’s what it means.
KAREN
Ohhh! I get it now!
FUTABA
Even if it’s a replay… No, exactly BECAUSE it’s a replay, we gotta make it better…!
KAORUKO
That’s what this audition is for, no?
CLAUDINE
There’s no guarantee that even the lead roles will be cast the same.
MAYA
This replay exists so that we and no others—we, who have diligently studied and grown—can show the next stage of the 99th class.
[Posters]
99th Seishou Fest “Starlight” – Act 2 Imageboard | 100th Seishou Fest “Starlight” – Act 2 Imageboard
JUNNA
It’s starting again. I like our new script, too.
BANANA
Oh.
KAREN, MAHIRU
Huh?
JUNNA
…Nana…?
Who, oh who will be the one to pluck the star from the top of that tower?
The heat of a silent flame is burning in all of our chests.
This is the Wheel of Fortune
But we aren’t merely being forced to dance upon the stage
Spring forth!
I know that on that day
I saw the sparks of starlight spread
Until I’m able to touch
That faded promise…
We begin before the curtain rises,
The story is being written before our very eyes.
Now that I have been reborn,
I have been reunited with you here
Once more
KAREN
What’s up with Banana? I wonder if something upset her. I’ve never seen her act like that before.
KAREN
I really do think this Starlight is great, though…
HIKARI
You’re such a Starlight addict.
KAREN
Well, of course I am! It’s the first play I ever saw, and the reason I became a Stage Girl! You’re addicted to it too, right, Hikari-chan?
HIKARI
Mm.
KAREN
Hmm? Is that the libretto for Starlight?
HIKARI
I picked it up in London.
KAREN
Yikes, it’s all in English.
HIKARI
I’ll translate it for you.
TEACHER
I’m sorry. This is all because I couldn’t help…
BANANA
It’s not your fault. Even though everyone’s in other clubs, I’ve had them put their names down for this one too just to make sure it wouldn’t get disbanded. Of course they want to prioritize their real clubs.
[Chalkboard]
Middle School 7 Cultural Festival
“When Passion Wakes”
TEACHER
Daiba-san… Do you want to apply for Seishou Music School?
JUNNA
That’s the Starlight Gatherer Tower.
BANANA
I hear they’re going to make a new one just for the 100th Seishou Fest.
JUNNA
Oh… We’ll sure be busy. It was tough staying up late into the night, but it felt so rich and fulfilling. It’s only been two months since the last play, but it already feels so long ago.
BANANA
Heheh. It’ll start all over again soon—the 99th Seishou Fest’s Starlight.
JUNNA
Eh?
BANANA
I was always all alone, you know. It was only when I came to this school that I finally made friends who truly worked together with me to put on a play, and was able to take the stage. It was my first play ever, with the best team there could be.
JUNNA
Nana…?
BANANA
I have to protect my Starlight.
KAREN
Starlight. It’s the story of goddesses guided by the light of a star.
BANANA
This is the story of a nearby yet distant planet. It is an epic of ancient times, and a drama of the far future. It is the legend passed down in a tiny village in a tiny country, of a summer star festival.
MAYA
Beneath the shooting stars pouring through the sky, on this night that only comes once a year, I met Flora—
CLAUDINE
I met Claire—
MAYA, CLAUDINE
And I met my fate.
CLAUDINE
It’s almost as though we’ve known each other forever.
MAYA
Let us meet again here next year.
MAYA, CLAUDINE
On the night of the Star Festival!
KAREN (crosstalk over lyrics)
The two were bound together by that faraway promise.
BANANA (also crosstalk)
But on the night of the Star Festival when they both turned sixteen…
CLAUDINE
It’s been a long year since we last saw each other, Claire! It’s great to see you!
MAYA
Who are you?!
CLAUDINE
Huh? Claire…!
MAYA
If you claim a modest star,
Then you will be rewarded with modest bliss.
MAYA (crosstalk)
I don’t know…! Your voice, your warmth, the promise we made… I can feel it was important. But I can’t remember…!
BANANA (crosstalk)
On her way back from last year’s Star Festival, Claire was in an accident, and lost her memories.
CLAUDINE
If you claim a great star,
Then you will be rewarded with great fame.
CLAUDINE (crosstalk)
Maybe we can get them back.
MAYA
Eh…?
CLAUDINE
Today is the annual Star Festival. If we can claim the star at the top of the Starlight Gatherer Tower… then your memories…
MAYA, CLAUDINE
Then let us go together, to claim that star!
MAYA, CLAUDINE
However, if you claim both,
Then your wish shall be granted for eternity.
KAREN
“If you claim a modest star, then you will be rewarded with modest bliss.”
HIKARI
“If you claim a great star, then you will be rewarded with great fame.”
KAREN, HIKARI
“However, if you claim both, then your wish shall be granted for eternity.”
MAYA
To gather starlight is to absolve one’s sins
The starlight gatherer is a miracle of the night
Starlight is the light of hope
KAREN, HIKARI
“To gather starlight is to absolve one’s sins. The starlight gatherer is a miracle of the night.”
BANANA
Following that song, the two girls arrive at the Starlight Gatherer Tower. But…
FUTABA
Who goes there?!
CLAUDINE
Your light is the light of a star
MAYA, CLAUDINE
And it shall be bestowed upon you, the Star which you have longed for—
BANANA (crosstalk)
The women they met there were sleeping, dying, sinful goddesses who were confined in the tower five hundred years ago. Wrath. Avoidance. Hubris. Entrapment. Envy. Despair.
CLAUDINE
Please, let us claim the star! It’s for Claire’s sake…!
JUNNA, KAORUKO, KAREN, FUTABA, MAHIRU, BANANA
We have no star to give to you!
BANANA
The goddesses had forgotten over the long centuries why they were imprisoned here, and even what sins they had committed.
CLAUDINE
If you claim a modest star,
Then you will be rewarded with modest bliss.
BANANA (crosstalk)
Ah, it’s happening again. The cycle of despair will repeat itself under this starlight…!
MAYA
If you claim a great star,
Then you will be rewarded with great fame.
BANANA
Despite being cut and torn by the black hearts of the goddesses, the two girls aimed for the tower’s top.
CLAUDINE
Claire, your star is just past here…!
JUNNA, KAORUKO, KAREN, FUTABA, MAHIRU, BANANA
And it shall be bestowed upon you, the Star which you have longed for—
CLAUDINE
Ahhh!! My eyes! I can’t see! Claire…! Claire, where are you?! Claire!!!
MAYA
I remember…! Your name is… I’m sorry, Flora… Our dream will never come true.
MAYA, CLAUDINE
However, if you claim both,
Then your wish shall be granted for eternity.
BANANA
Flora’s eyes were seared by the star’s light, and she fell from the tower. She and Claire would never meet again. And the stars sparkled on unchanged, forever.
HIKARI
Starlight. This is the story of a nearby yet distant planet. It is an epic of ancient times, and a drama of the far future.
KAREN
It’s so good!
HIKARI
Yeah. It’s good.
KAREN
Flora is so brave, to try to make a miracle happen for her friend without thinking of the danger.
HIKARI
Claire is so strong, to still remember her promise with her best friend even when she got amnesia.
KAREN
It’s the good stuff!!!
HIKARI
Yeah! It’s great!!
KAREN
This is a treasure! It’s a treasure book! It’s old! It’s thick! It’s heavy!
HIKARI
It’s a perfectly normal book like you can find at any secondhand bookstore. It’s not like it’s a priceless antique.
KAREN
Huhhh? But…
HIKARI
What’s really priceless here is what sort of play we’re going to make, and what sorts of stars we’ll be. Right?
KAREN
Yeah! Our new Starlight… we’ve gotta make it the best play ever!
BANANA
The best play ever… the best friends I could ask for… I want to hold it all close forever. So for my Stage of Fate, I chose to replay that year.
JUNNA
Your Stage of Fate…?
JUNNA
Your Stage of Fate…? Like what the giraffe talks about…?
BANANA
That’s right, I still haven’t fought you in the auditions this time, have I? But you said it yourself, didn’t you, Junna-chan? That it was tough, but rich and fulfilling. That it was the best year ever. I want it to go on forever. That’s why I’ve been repeating it—that year is my eternal play.
JUNNA
Nana, what are you saying?
BANANA
But ever since Hikari-chan transferred in that day… everything’s gone wrong. Nobody calls my Junna-chan “Jun-Jun”. She’d never let anyone call her that.
JUNNA
Huh…?
BANANA
I don’t need that script. It’ll change everything. The next Starlight…? That’s not my Starlight at all!
JUNNA
Nana…
BANANA
If I want to continue my replays, I can’t afford to lose to anyone ever again…! But why…? What is it about this replay? Our audition of eight people, where Karen-chan participated… Karen-chan was always in last place in every replay, and she got kicked out of the cast. But then when she joined back in…
BANANA
This isn’t… because of Hikari-chan. The one who changed my replays… it was Karen-chan…?
BANANA
The stage is laden with the ripe fruits it’s borne. But fruit is soft and fragile, so someone has to protect it…! Daiba Nana of the 99th class! I’ll protect it… forever! As many times as it takes!
KAREN
Banana…
GIRAFFE
We henceforth begin the seventh day of auditions… the Revue of Bonds!
BANANA
I shall never allow anyone to interfere
This eternal play is mine and mine alone
BANANA
The one who changed my replays… It was you, wasn’t it, Karen-chan?! Starlight is an eternal tale woven by eight players! There shouldn’t be a ninth character! So, Karen-chan… just what role are you playing?! Who are you?! You’re not the Karen-chan I know! This replay is different from all the others! What is it that changed when Hikari-chan came?! Why did it change?! What’s so different now that you and Hikari-chan are together?!!
KAREN
Hikari-chan and me are gonna do Starlight together!
BANANA
I hate Starlight!
BANANA
Change can only bring tragedy
BANANA
I despise the tragedy of being torn apart from your friends! That’s why I’ll protect you. That’s why I’ve got to protect you!! If I can’t beat you in my replays… my replays will stop!
KAREN
That’s a non non to you, Banana!
BANANA
Ah…
KAREN
Stage Girls evolve every day! Neither we nor our play can ever be the same!
KAREN
The sparkle of the sky changes from yesterday to today
Because it wants to bring its newborn stars to you
KAREN
Every play can only happen once! That’s ‘cause they burn out the moment they happen! That’s why they’re beloved, that’s why they’re irreplaceable, that’s why they’re worth something! Stage Girls are reborn every time we take the stage ‘cause we burn to ashes like phoenixes!
BANANA
No, Karen-chan! We all have to keep doing these replays… No, Karen-chan…! No! You can’t!
BANANA
I just want to protect you
KAREN
Sorry, Nana. I’m going with her… I’m going with Hikari-chan to claim that star!
KAREN
We become stronger when we find things we love
So I’ll always protect the bonds between the stars now they’ve formed
BANANA
Karen-chan… Why are you sparkling so much?! Why are you so bright?!!
KAREN
Haaaaaaaah!
GIRAFFE
The seventh day’s audition is now over.
JUNNA
You forgot this.
BANANA
Ah…
JUNNA
You’ve been looking after us for a long time, huh. All by yourself.
BANANA
I just wanted to protect everyone. Was I wrong?
JUNNA
Men are men. The best sometimes forget themselves.
BANANA
Eh?
JUNNA
That’s a quote by William Shakespeare. Time travels in diverse paces with diverse persons. That’s Shakespeare too.
BANANA
Tell me more.
JUNNA
More?! Uh, umm… Goethe: “He who moves not forward moves backward.”
BANANA
Huh.
JUNNA
“The future influences the present just as much as the past.” That one’s Nietzsche. “It’s never too late to be who you might have been.” George Eliot. “The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be constantly fearing you will make one.” Elbert Hubbard.
BANANA
What else?
JUNNA
You still want more?! Umm… Oh! Every person in the world has their own fated star. Twinkling stars, dawn stars, shooting stars. Even if I cannot see my own star, I who look to the heavens only live today! I, Hoshimi Junna of the 99th class, will grasp my own star!
BANANA
What’s that quote?
JUNNA
My own words, of course.
BANANA
Haha… ahahaha…
JUNNA
H-hey, what’s the big idea?!
BANANA
I’ve never had this much fun with you before, Junna-chan!
JUNNA
That’s no fair. I don’t know anything about you at all, Nana.
BANANA
Sigh… Maybe I was too greedy.
JUNNA
Huh?
BANANA
With each replay I kept changing my lines and how I behaved, thinking maybe it would make that year more fun, or that we’d get to be better friends. But when Hikari-chan showed up, and Karen-chan changed, and everyone else changed, I got scared. I felt like it flew in the face of everything I was trying to do. But these new days are so inspiring, and your new selves are so wonderful… I’m not sure what to do anymore.
JUNNA
Look at you. You’re a proper Stage Girl after all.
BANANA
Eh?
JUNNA
You were always trying to improve on your replays to make something better.
BANANA
Ah.
JUNNA
Plays and Stage Girls change. It’s what we are. You’re a Stage Girl, so you’ll be okay. So let’s build it together, Nana—let’s build our new Starlight ourselves.
BANANA
I’m sorry. I… I…!
JUNNA
I never knew you were such a crybaby and a scaredy-cat even though you’re so big, Nana. You’re like a little kid.
BANANA
What should I do with this…?
JUNNA
Let’s take it with us.
BANANA
Eh?
JUNNA
That’s the time you treasured. It’s everything you tried to protect. You should take it with you to our new stage!
BANANA
Okay!
Sometimes I get worried, because
I feel like you’re going to disappear somewhere
Oh, please don’t let your shining eyes reflect anything but me
Oh fly me to the star
Oh, little bird who cried the dawn
Stop the hands on the clock
Shooting stars are dripping down the curves of the morning
Oh fly me to the star
[Rank:
TENDOU MAYA
KAGURA HIKARI
SAIJOU CLAUDINE
AIJOU KAREN]
GIRAFFE
This shall be the last day of the auditions. I see.
Next Episode: The Show Must Go On
BANANA, JUNNA
Girls’ Opera, Revue Starlight.
GIRAFFE
I understaaaaaaaaaaand.
Episode 09: On the Night of the Star Festival
KAREN
Whoooooa…! The script!! It’s the script to our new Starlight!!!
BANANA
Amemiya-san finished it yesterday. By herself.
SHION
I mean, look at how hard group A is working. Group B can’t let you show us up.
KAORUKO
Hee.
SHION
This is still the first draft, so it’s only going to get better from here. That’s why today, I want to hear what everyone thinks of it.
KIRIKO
It’s the long-awaited 100th Seishou Fest, so let’s make this the best play ever!
ALL
Yeah!!!
FUTABA
See this part here…? Can it be a little bit longer?
PROP DESIGNER
Huh? You don’t want it to be shorter?
FUTABA
I think maybe it’ll pop more in the fight scenes if it’s just a little longer.
CLAUDINE
Oh, I see. So these are the rough designs for this year’s goddess costumes?
COSTUME DESIGNER
Yeah! We got a lot of ideas from Hanayagi-san!
CLAUDINE
Is that so?
KAORUKO
You see these hoods from last year’s costumes? I felt they made the silhouettes rather heavy, so I thought we should get rid of the hoods altogether to draw attention to the jewels on our foreheads.
CLAUDINE
C’est bien! Nice idea.
KAREN
“You two are blessed. For you know not your own sin, nor the tragedy that shall befall you.” Whoa, the goddess of despair’s line in this part has changed!
MAHIRU
It looks like they’ve tweaked little bits all over the script.
KAREN
But I think the line’s better this way! ‘Cause, this way the goddess’ sadness, and her… dominating…?
MAHIRU
Do you mean “domineering”?
KAREN
Oh, yeah! Her domineering nature comes across better!
HIKARI
Sigh…
MAHIRU
It’s just a replay of the same story… But the pacing and the lines are so much better now.
JUNNA
“Life is tedious as a twice-told tale.”
KAREN
Huh?
JUNNA
It’s a quote by William Shakespeare.
HIKARI
Shouldn’t you know that?
KAREN
But my life’s not tedious at all.
JUNNA
Sigh… That’s not what it means.
MAYA
We can only live once. So, repeating the same story over and over is boring. So to avoid that tedium, one should try one’s hand at many new things.
JUNNA
Even if we’re putting on the same play, we should try to do it better… I think that’s what it means.
KAREN
Ohhh! I get it now!
FUTABA
Even if it’s a replay… No, exactly BECAUSE it’s a replay, we gotta make it better…!
KAORUKO
That’s what this audition is for, no?
CLAUDINE
There’s no guarantee that even the lead roles will be cast the same.
MAYA
This replay exists so that we and no others—we, who have diligently studied and grown—can show the next stage of the 99th class.
[Posters]
99th Seishou Fest “Starlight” – Act 2 Imageboard | 100th Seishou Fest “Starlight” – Act 2 Imageboard
JUNNA
It’s starting again. I like our new script, too.
BANANA
Oh.
KAREN, MAHIRU
Huh?
JUNNA
…Nana…?
Who, oh who will be the one to pluck the star from the top of that tower?
The heat of a silent flame is burning in all of our chests.
This is the Wheel of Fortune
But we aren’t merely being forced to dance upon the stage
Spring forth!
I know that on that day
I saw the sparks of starlight spread
Until I’m able to touch
That faded promise…
We begin before the curtain rises,
The story is being written before our very eyes.
Now that I have been reborn,
I have been reunited with you here
Once more
KAREN
What’s up with Banana? I wonder if something upset her. I’ve never seen her act like that before.
KAREN
I really do think this Starlight is great, though…
HIKARI
You’re such a Starlight addict.
KAREN
Well, of course I am! It’s the first play I ever saw, and the reason I became a Stage Girl! You’re addicted to it too, right, Hikari-chan?
HIKARI
Mm.
KAREN
Hmm? Is that the libretto for Starlight?
HIKARI
I picked it up in London.
KAREN
Yikes, it’s all in English.
HIKARI
I’ll translate it for you.
TEACHER
I’m sorry. This is all because I couldn’t help…
BANANA
It’s not your fault. Even though everyone’s in other clubs, I’ve had them put their names down for this one too just to make sure it wouldn’t get disbanded. Of course they want to prioritize their real clubs.
[Chalkboard]
Middle School 7 Cultural Festival
“When Passion Wakes”
TEACHER
Daiba-san… Do you want to apply for Seishou Music School?
JUNNA
That’s the Starlight Gatherer Tower.
BANANA
I hear they’re going to make a new one just for the 100th Seishou Fest.
JUNNA
Oh… We’ll sure be busy. It was tough staying up late into the night, but it felt so rich and fulfilling. It’s only been two months since the last play, but it already feels so long ago.
BANANA
Heheh. It’ll start all over again soon—the 99th Seishou Fest’s Starlight.
JUNNA
Eh?
BANANA
I was always all alone, you know. It was only when I came to this school that I finally made friends who truly worked together with me to put on a play, and was able to take the stage. It was my first play ever, with the best team there could be.
JUNNA
Nana…?
BANANA
I have to protect my Starlight.
KAREN
Starlight. It’s the story of goddesses guided by the light of a star.
BANANA
This is the story of a nearby yet distant planet. It is an epic of ancient times, and a drama of the far future. It is the legend passed down in a tiny village in a tiny country, of a summer star festival.
MAYA
Beneath the shooting stars pouring through the sky, on this night that only comes once a year, I met Flora—
CLAUDINE
I met Claire—
MAYA, CLAUDINE
And I met my fate.
CLAUDINE
It’s almost as though we’ve known each other forever.
MAYA
Let us meet again here next year.
MAYA, CLAUDINE
On the night of the Star Festival!
KAREN (crosstalk over lyrics)
The two were bound together by that faraway promise.
BANANA (also crosstalk)
But on the night of the Star Festival when they both turned sixteen…
CLAUDINE
It’s been a long year since we last saw each other, Claire! It’s great to see you!
MAYA
Who are you?!
CLAUDINE
Huh? Claire…!
MAYA
If you claim a modest star,
Then you will be rewarded with modest bliss.
MAYA (crosstalk)
I don’t know…! Your voice, your warmth, the promise we made… I can feel it was important. But I can’t remember…!
BANANA (crosstalk)
On her way back from last year’s Star Festival, Claire was in an accident, and lost her memories.
CLAUDINE
If you claim a great star,
Then you will be rewarded with great fame.
CLAUDINE (crosstalk)
Maybe we can get them back.
MAYA
Eh…?
CLAUDINE
Today is the annual Star Festival. If we can claim the star at the top of the Starlight Gatherer Tower… then your memories…
MAYA, CLAUDINE
Then let us go together, to claim that star!
MAYA, CLAUDINE
However, if you claim both,
Then your wish shall be granted for eternity.
KAREN
“If you claim a modest star, then you will be rewarded with modest bliss.”
HIKARI
“If you claim a great star, then you will be rewarded with great fame.”
KAREN, HIKARI
“However, if you claim both, then your wish shall be granted for eternity.”
MAYA
To gather starlight is to absolve one’s sins
The starlight gatherer is a miracle of the night
Starlight is the light of hope
KAREN, HIKARI
“To gather starlight is to absolve one’s sins. The starlight gatherer is a miracle of the night.”
BANANA
Following that song, the two girls arrive at the Starlight Gatherer Tower. But…
FUTABA
Who goes there?!
CLAUDINE
Your light is the light of a star
MAYA, CLAUDINE
And it shall be bestowed upon you, the Star which you have longed for—
BANANA (crosstalk)
The women they met there were sleeping, dying, sinful goddesses who were confined in the tower five hundred years ago. Wrath. Avoidance. Hubris. Entrapment. Envy. Despair.
CLAUDINE
Please, let us claim the star! It’s for Claire’s sake…!
JUNNA, KAORUKO, KAREN, FUTABA, MAHIRU, BANANA
We have no star to give to you!
BANANA
The goddesses had forgotten over the long centuries why they were imprisoned here, and even what sins they had committed.
CLAUDINE
If you claim a modest star,
Then you will be rewarded with modest bliss.
BANANA (crosstalk)
Ah, it’s happening again. The cycle of despair will repeat itself under this starlight…!
MAYA
If you claim a great star,
Then you will be rewarded with great fame.
BANANA
Despite being cut and torn by the black hearts of the goddesses, the two girls aimed for the tower’s top.
CLAUDINE
Claire, your star is just past here…!
JUNNA, KAORUKO, KAREN, FUTABA, MAHIRU, BANANA
And it shall be bestowed upon you, the Star which you have longed for—
CLAUDINE
Ahhh!! My eyes! I can’t see! Claire…! Claire, where are you?! Claire!!!
MAYA
I remember…! Your name is… I’m sorry, Flora… Our dream will never come true.
MAYA, CLAUDINE
However, if you claim both,
Then your wish shall be granted for eternity.
BANANA
Flora’s eyes were seared by the star’s light, and she fell from the tower. She and Claire would never meet again. And the stars sparkled on unchanged, forever.
HIKARI
Starlight. This is the story of a nearby yet distant planet. It is an epic of ancient times, and a drama of the far future.
KAREN
It’s so good!
HIKARI
Yeah. It’s good.
KAREN
Flora is so brave, to try to make a miracle happen for her friend without thinking of the danger.
HIKARI
Claire is so strong, to still remember her promise with her best friend even when she got amnesia.
KAREN
It’s the good stuff!!!
HIKARI
Yeah! It’s great!!
KAREN
This is a treasure! It’s a treasure book! It’s old! It’s thick! It’s heavy!
HIKARI
It’s a perfectly normal book like you can find at any secondhand bookstore. It’s not like it’s a priceless antique.
KAREN
Huhhh? But…
HIKARI
What’s really priceless here is what sort of play we’re going to make, and what sorts of stars we’ll be. Right?
KAREN
Yeah! Our new Starlight… we’ve gotta make it the best play ever!
BANANA
The best play ever… the best friends I could ask for… I want to hold it all close forever. So for my Stage of Fate, I chose to replay that year.
JUNNA
Your Stage of Fate…?
JUNNA
Your Stage of Fate…? Like what the giraffe talks about…?
BANANA
That’s right, I still haven’t fought you in the auditions this time, have I? But you said it yourself, didn’t you, Junna-chan? That it was tough, but rich and fulfilling. That it was the best year ever. I want it to go on forever. That’s why I’ve been repeating it—that year is my eternal play.
JUNNA
Nana, what are you saying?
BANANA
But ever since Hikari-chan transferred in that day… everything’s gone wrong. Nobody calls my Junna-chan “Jun-Jun”. She’d never let anyone call her that.
JUNNA
Huh…?
BANANA
I don’t need that script. It’ll change everything. The next Starlight…? That’s not my Starlight at all!
JUNNA
Nana…
BANANA
If I want to continue my replays, I can’t afford to lose to anyone ever again…! But why…? What is it about this replay? Our audition of eight people, where Karen-chan participated… Karen-chan was always in last place in every replay, and she got kicked out of the cast. But then when she joined back in…
BANANA
This isn’t… because of Hikari-chan. The one who changed my replays… it was Karen-chan…?
BANANA
The stage is laden with the ripe fruits it’s borne. But fruit is soft and fragile, so someone has to protect it…! Daiba Nana of the 99th class! I’ll protect it… forever! As many times as it takes!
KAREN
Banana…
GIRAFFE
We henceforth begin the seventh day of auditions… the Revue of Bonds!
BANANA
I shall never allow anyone to interfere
This eternal play is mine and mine alone
BANANA
The one who changed my replays… It was you, wasn’t it, Karen-chan?! Starlight is an eternal tale woven by eight players! There shouldn’t be a ninth character! So, Karen-chan… just what role are you playing?! Who are you?! You’re not the Karen-chan I know! This replay is different from all the others! What is it that changed when Hikari-chan came?! Why did it change?! What’s so different now that you and Hikari-chan are together?!!
KAREN
Hikari-chan and me are gonna do Starlight together!
BANANA
I hate Starlight!
BANANA
Change can only bring tragedy
BANANA
I despise the tragedy of being torn apart from your friends! That’s why I’ll protect you. That’s why I’ve got to protect you!! If I can’t beat you in my replays… my replays will stop!
KAREN
That’s a non non to you, Banana!
BANANA
Ah…
KAREN
Stage Girls evolve every day! Neither we nor our play can ever be the same!
KAREN
The sparkle of the sky changes from yesterday to today
Because it wants to bring its newborn stars to you
KAREN
Every play can only happen once! That’s ‘cause they burn out the moment they happen! That’s why they’re beloved, that’s why they’re irreplaceable, that’s why they’re worth something! Stage Girls are reborn every time we take the stage ‘cause we burn to ashes like phoenixes!
BANANA
No, Karen-chan! We all have to keep doing these replays… No, Karen-chan…! No! You can’t!
BANANA
I just want to protect you
KAREN
Sorry, Nana. I’m going with her… I’m going with Hikari-chan to claim that star!
KAREN
We become stronger when we find things we love
So I’ll always protect the bonds between the stars now they’ve formed
BANANA
Karen-chan… Why are you sparkling so much?! Why are you so bright?!!
KAREN
Haaaaaaaah!
GIRAFFE
The seventh day’s audition is now over.
JUNNA
You forgot this.
BANANA
Ah…
JUNNA
You’ve been looking after us for a long time, huh. All by yourself.
BANANA
I just wanted to protect everyone. Was I wrong?
JUNNA
Men are men. The best sometimes forget themselves.
BANANA
Eh?
JUNNA
That’s a quote by William Shakespeare. Time travels in diverse paces with diverse persons. That’s Shakespeare too.
BANANA
Tell me more.
JUNNA
More?! Uh, umm… Goethe: “He who moves not forward moves backward.”
BANANA
Huh.
JUNNA
“The future influences the present just as much as the past.” That one’s Nietzsche. “It’s never too late to be who you might have been.” George Eliot. “The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be constantly fearing you will make one.” Elbert Hubbard.
BANANA
What else?
JUNNA
You still want more?! Umm… Oh! Every person in the world has their own fated star. Twinkling stars, dawn stars, shooting stars. Even if I cannot see my own star, I who look to the heavens only live today! I, Hoshimi Junna of the 99th class, will grasp my own star!
BANANA
What’s that quote?
JUNNA
My own words, of course.
BANANA
Haha… ahahaha…
JUNNA
H-hey, what’s the big idea?!
BANANA
I’ve never had this much fun with you before, Junna-chan!
JUNNA
That’s no fair. I don’t know anything about you at all, Nana.
BANANA
Sigh… Maybe I was too greedy.
JUNNA
Huh?
BANANA
With each replay I kept changing my lines and how I behaved, thinking maybe it would make that year more fun, or that we’d get to be better friends. But when Hikari-chan showed up, and Karen-chan changed, and everyone else changed, I got scared. I felt like it flew in the face of everything I was trying to do. But these new days are so inspiring, and your new selves are so wonderful… I’m not sure what to do anymore.
JUNNA
Look at you. You’re a proper Stage Girl after all.
BANANA
Eh?
JUNNA
You were always trying to improve on your replays to make something better.
BANANA
Ah.
JUNNA
Plays and Stage Girls change. It’s what we are. You’re a Stage Girl, so you’ll be okay. So let’s build it together, Nana—let’s build our new Starlight ourselves.
BANANA
I’m sorry. I… I…!
JUNNA
I never knew you were such a crybaby and a scaredy-cat even though you’re so big, Nana. You’re like a little kid.
BANANA
What should I do with this…?
JUNNA
Let’s take it with us.
BANANA
Eh?
JUNNA
That’s the time you treasured. It’s everything you tried to protect. You should take it with you to our new stage!
BANANA
Okay!
Sometimes I get worried, because
I feel like you’re going to disappear somewhere
Oh, please don’t let your shining eyes reflect anything but me
Oh fly me to the star
Oh, little bird who cried the dawn
Stop the hands on the clock
Shooting stars are dripping down the curves of the morning
Oh fly me to the star
[Rank:
TENDOU MAYA
KAGURA HIKARI
SAIJOU CLAUDINE
AIJOU KAREN]
GIRAFFE
This shall be the last day of the auditions. I see.
Next Episode: The Show Must Go On
BANANA, JUNNA
Girls’ Opera, Revue Starlight.
GIRAFFE
I understaaaaaaaaaaand.