girl help

Worst things first

Ichika: Ah, Shiho wanted to talk to Shizuku about Sekai, but I don't know if she did.

Haruka: They did. Shizuku was ecstatic saying "I'm so happy we get to share the same thing as sisters!"

I wanted to SEE these conversations. Freaking. SHOW THEM to me dont just TELL ME ABOUT THEM. GRAAHAHHGHHHHH.

Emu: Saki-chan and Tsukasa-kun too, they also talked about Sekai!

Emu: It seems they fought about it! "Onii-chan, why didn't you tell me?" "Saki, you also failed to mention it to me!" Like that

SHOW. IT. TO. ME.

Kanade: Ena didn't know that her younger brother and his team also go to Sekai.

Haruka: So it seems like everyone kept it a secret, even from their siblings huh

I know I'm being picky but BAH. maybe, MAYBE theyll show it during their own events because, notably, none of the siblings are in this first lineup, but i think i honestly wouldve rather had the sibling thing not be addressed at all in this first story than just to have it be over in 6 lines from characters not in any of those families.

In the login story, each of the leaders hear each other and talk through the tree. We see leoni's reactions to hearing fragments Minori, Tsukasa, Kohane, and Kanade's voices.

??? (obviously tsukasa): [words cutting in and out] HELLO! IS -- THERE? CAN YOU -- ANSWER --!

Saki: Th-that loud voice sounds reeeealllllyy familiar!?

They really had me when Saki first heard Tsukasa's voice resonating through the tree('s feeling fragments?? still confused on the logistics of that, i very excitedly skimmed the text in japanese and didnt absorb it all in english brain). This brief reaction to hearing his familiar voice wouldve been enough to hold me over until we could actually get to her event and her chapter where she couldve been able to have screentime properly reacting to her feelings about it.

According to emu, both saki and tsukasa were hurt that the other hid the sekai from each other and while also failing to see the hypocrisy in that, and that! That could've been such a GREAT SCENE TO READ AND WATCH FOR MYSELF. And I just know that these writers arent going to backtrack and show this scene for real because, well, obviously theyve already addressed it! so that means its resolved now! All done! Time to move on to the next scene with little consideration for how these characters think and feel about each other beyond basic "this is my friend/sibling and I face-value care about them." God I'm so annoyed. Anywayyyy

Miku literally OUTS Kohane and VBS to the 4 in front of her because none of them can see vbs and wouldn't have known they were included otherwise.

but also, supposedly, Minori, Airi, and Shizuku are all somewhere else with vbs members and would’ve told Haruka anyway, as so on. Idk it was just, a weird choice.

I think I understand that the writers had to make everyone find out at the same time because of continuity and theres events in between WL3s, but I think it couldve been silly goofy and fun of them to keep some secrets a little while longer. Imagine the 4 of them having that meeting in the park trying to devise the nicest way possible to break it to their friends that their siblings have been hiding something from them. I think it would've added some fun interpersonal drama that these stories are hurting for.

After that opening chapter, Haruka's chapter is the introduction to a new npc and that's what the whole story is about,, helping some rando not give up music

Despite my knee-jerk reaction to the sibling thing, I did enjoy reading these chapters. I love Haruka and Emu dearly. I thought Haruka was such a badass trying to hold the shattering fragment together to protect a complete stranger's feelings, and just after she was the first one to approach the crying NPC girl (I think her name is Mimi) when she dropped her notebook. I was compelled to take a screenshot even tho I'd already seen her card because she just looked So Cool. I love her So Much.

ngl i started screaming crying throwing up when she flashbacked to her asrun stage fright. It gets me every single time. God. Haruka. And yet she persisted.

On Mimi, it seems like theyre going for a Miku Who Cant Sing canon version but only this time all 20 ocs are in kahoots. I saw exactly one person comment that this could be a new unit, and to that, i am mentally spraying the thought with a water bottle like my cat trying to climb my curtains.

The devs would reeeallly have to put work in to make me care about a new unit, like theyd have to ascend to avemygo levels of drama to get me minimally invested. I can't do another unit. I won't do it. She seems like a regular schmegular ol npc but,,,,,,, but if they were to introduce new playable characters, this would, unfortunately, be the best way to do it. I'm not saying they are and I don't think they are, but if they were going to, this would be a great way to get us to care about a new group of kids after being so deep in these 20 kids heads for so long.

I must say, my absolute FAVORITE moment of all of this so far is the moment it clicked in my brain that Emu and Kanade just watched this heartbroken stranger (Mimi) say goodbye to her dying grandmother.

EMU AND KANADE YOU SAY? The two characters who have had grief weighing them down since the very beginning?? The two characters in which their grief is their driving force to do what they're doing? That was So GOOD. Five course meal, absolutely delicious thank you thank you thank you THAT is the kind of angst and drama I want.

Never have I been so excited to be SO WRONG

The very last thing I was expecting was ICHIKA to think about the grief she went through losing l/n, even going so far as to Holding Miku's Hand While Sitting With Her Eyes Closed And Imaginging Them Dead. I actually thought that was one of the best and most healthy depictions of exploring negative feelings I've seen in my entire life. In just 15 minutes they showed how Emu and Kanade opening up about death affected Ichika. She caught herself spiraling into thoughts about a world with out Saki, and recognized that if she can’t handle even thinking about how horrible it would be to lose her and honami and shiho, she can’t handle what it'd be like to actually lose someone you care so much about.

It brings her closer to understanding the kind of grief that Mimi is experiencing to make her want to give up music. She understands it, she imagines it in a safe environment with someone sitting next to her to ground her, and then after exploring those thoughts and feelings she comes to a different resolution than Mimi, but now she's closer to being able to help people like her, and Emu, and KANADE.

Ichika looks up to Kanade so much, I dont know what I'd do with myself if Ichika knew just how much of Kanade is fueled by that grief.