Locodol

Episode 11

First, let us get right to the most important point - we still haven't heard Nanako's song. After the more-or-less cliffhanger ending of episode ten, it looked as though this one would open with the first performance of the song we watched Nana labor to compose. Instead, Locodol chooses to play it coy – we jump right into the Locodol Festival without having heard what our girls are bringing to the competition. This is actually a pretty smart move, as it increases the tension over their chances, especially when we learn that last year's winners, the Awa Awa Girls, have become regulars on national television. Strangely enough, they are allowed to compete again this year, and their booth just happens to be right next to Nagarekawa's. To make matters worse, the megane girls of Glass Cute, which is backed by a talent agency, is across the aisle. All of this contributes to make the Nagarekawa Girls look very naive and provincial...but when you come right down to it, that's part of their charm.

This is something that the episode goes out of its way to point out to us, albeit more with more subtlety than I might have expected. The Awa Awa Girls, once they meet the Nagarekawa Girls, begin to grow nervous. Yukari is a more obvious threat, but once Nanako gets going, it's clear that the previous winners are seeing them as the real competition. As viewers, we can attribute that to their basic charm – Nana's stutter that turns her into a cat girl (one of the best comments in the episode), Yukari's quiet self-possession, and of course the undeniable charm of Uogokoro-kun, who is an instant hit with the kids. The Nagarekawa group may not have the poise and polish, but they have the raw charm, and that clearly represents a threat.

Not that the girls are aware of it. The show does a decent job of showing their nervousness, although at times it appears to forget that they're supposed to be a bit out of their element and both Yukari and Nanako come off as a bit too comfortable. (Not during their routine – I expect it there at this point.) Happily the way that they are presented as being more concerned with representing their hometown than the sort of fame the Awa Awa Girls have is clearly shown, not to mention contrasted with the fact that the latter only sells out of character goods, leaving local specialties untouched, while Nagarekawa sells all of their local items. It's as if the show is asking which is worth more – local pride or national fame?

The reason all of this does not add up to more than a B- is that there's very much a feeling of trying too hard to build up to the actual Locodol Festival performance. The episode goes out of its way to avoid showing it, even going so far as to add in school scenes in the beginning that really don't do much for the story in order to get the requisite length sans song. That makes it drag when it shouldn't, and it's too bad, because this episode of Locodol has a lot of interesting things to say about the way they do idols in Nagarekawa.

Rating: B-

Locodol is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Rebecca Silverman teaches English and writes ANN's RTO manga review column.