#kaotaba

Thank you to @is-nino-actually-luka and some Revue Starlight fans on Reddit for encouraging me to write this! After my quick drabble on Kaoruko, I knew I had to delve deeper. @tokyo-tower-symbolism already had some amazing thoughts on the FutaKao revue, so if you haven’t read it yet I highly recommend that you check it out!

DISCLAIMER: HUGE spoilers for the Revue Starlight movie and anime ahead, and my analysis expects you to have already seen it. If you know anything about Revstar, you’re aware of its highly surrealist and interpretive nature. If you don’t agree with my interpretation, I’d love to read your own, but don’t attack or send any hate to me. Furthermore, I’m organizing my thoughts thematically rather than chronologically, so they may be a bit out of order! I talk quite a lot about Futaba and Kaoruko as characters separately, so if you just want revue analysis, read Act I and then skip to Act IV!

ACT I. - Alcohol motifs and symbolism

ACT II. - Kaoruko and her motivations

ACT III. - Futaba and her motivations

ACT IV. - The Revue of Malice/Resentment

ACT I. - “We drink the poison our minds pour for us and wonder why our stomachs hurt.”

I want to start out by talking about alcohol and poison and how they relate to the revue. Since the Revue of Resentment occurs soon after the Revue of Annihilation, I believe some of the metaphors carry over. So this begins with Daiba Nana — after annihilating (get it?) all her classmates on top of a moving train, she declares: “It feels like… I’ve just drank a very strong sake.” It’s pretty clear she’s describing passing into a state of inebriation, submerged in the adrenaline after delivering such a dazzling performance.

But the thing about sake and alcohol is that it’s not good for you at all. Think about the inevitable kidney failure and hangover the next morning! And being drunk makes you do stupid things! So why do we keep drinking it? Because it makes it seem like it’s good. It tastes good, it feels good, and it’s so incredibly addicting. The system isn’t any good either, but the Stage Girls love performing too much to see it. Nana seems to know this but can’t really find it in her to stop. However, she’s thinks she’s wise enough to stop her friends from succumbing to the same fate, hence the time loop.

Junna pretty hilariously replies “but we’re minors.” I giggled at this on first viewing (Junna, guru of words, not understanding a metaphor!), but upon further reflection, it’s sort of heartbreaking. Maybe Junna doesn’t understand the metaphor, Junna who loves words so dearly, because she isn’t ready to yet. Junna’s perceptive enough and has the connection with Nana the others don’t, so while she’s just has surprised by the fact that all their stars might burn out and die, she understands quickly. But her words are reflective of her feelings — no one’s ready for that kind of life, or death. They’re too young and naive and hopeful. Junna doesn’t think her or any of the others are ready to consume that alcohol/drug/substance that Nana does. And I don’t think she’s quite ready to grow up. The Stage Girls are accustomed to basking in Starlight, but never actually grasping the actual Top Star (Hikari’s fate after becoming Top Star is a whole other post). After seeing what their fate might entail, they’re starting to doubt whether they have what it takes to make it in the industry. Will they burn brighter, or fizzle out?

Alcohol causes intoxication, like with Nana, or even alcohol poisoning. Which allows us to segue into my next topic — poison in the Revue of Resentment.

While it being alcohol poisoning is a bit of a stretch on my part, Kaoruko compares Futaba to a candy box. She lashes out at Claudine, exclaiming that Claudine has “eaten, destroyed, poisoned it.”

With the meaning of alcohol that I’ve already established, I can only assume that Kaoruko is claiming that Claudine has corrupted Futaba by imbuing her with an actual desire to perform and become a Stage Girl. The initial reason Futaba auditioned for Seisho, or the reason why Kaoruko believes she did, was to be with Kaoruko. However, later in the show, she falls under Claudine’s teaching and hones her skills, managing to snag a role that Kaoruko presumes to be hers. Though Kaoruko probably knows the truth deep down, she chooses to place the blame on Claudine’s mentorship rather than the fact that Futaba sought to advance her abilities herself. In some strange rendition of purity culture, Kaoruko refuses to accept that the apple is rotten to the core.

Let’s jump ahead to the scene in the nightclub, which looks too similar to a lesbian bar to be coincidental. (Kaoruko is literally in clubbing clothes, and Futaba’s in a suit that evokes “male impersonators” or just your average baby butch. I refuse to believe the imagery wasn’t intentional. But I digress.)

A bar, simply put, is a place where alcohol is served. Kaoruko’s already made herself comfortable, nursing a glass, while Futaba looks anxious, like a fledgling chick learning to walk. The bar is the stage, the alcohol served there is representative of the feeling of being a Stage Girl. Kaoruko is more aware, having been in the spotlight since she was a child, while Futaba isn’t as experienced.

Futaba admits to not possessing the skill the other Stage Girls have, but this only angers Kaoruko. “From idealism to generalities,” she says. “You’re making a mess of reason everywhere.” Even after Nana’s warning, Futaba still idealizes what it’s like to be a Stage Girl and is irrational in Kaoruko’s eyes. Meanwhile, Kaoruko doesn’t stop trying to achieve her goals, but she’s self-aware of what it means to achieve them. I don’t think she knew what might happen to her before Nana Daiba basically tells all the Stage Girls they won’t make it with their current naivety and skill level, but she’s the least worried about it besides Maya, her foil.

Dousing herself in a tub of what appears to be sake under golden lights, creating one of the most visually stunning shots in the whole movie, she shows Futaba reality. Being a Stage Girl means indulging in intoxication that will only serve to ruin you in the end, but Kaoruko chooses to consume more and more because she can’t resist it. She’s practically drowning in it. After all, stars need their fuel.

(P.S: There is some significance to be drawn between sake facilitating the binding of the gap between the mortal and divine realms, and giraffes being messengers of the gods in some folklore. I’ve always felt the giraffe was meant to deliver some higher purpose to the girls, with stars being in the heavens. Maybe being drunk is the closest thing they’d ever get to getting there, a false illusion i.e “seeing stars”, but these are also late night incoherent ramblings by me so who knows if they carry any value.)

ACT II. — Kaoruko Alone

Kaoruko is far more interesting than anyone gives her credit for. To me, she’s one of the most realistic depictions of theater kids. As one myself, I can’t count on one hand how many people I know that are just like her. Think of a student who was gifted academically from their childhood and never had to study for a test, but as soon as they hit high school, they struggled with the more challenging material. Since they never learned to study, they just give up on learning all together and burn out. Kaoruko is similar with her art. She’s been in the spotlight ever since she was young, and she always thought it would stay that way without her having to put in extra effort.

Kaoruko has been basking in attention for beauty and dance prowess since she was young. Over time, she’s grown to crave it. If she’s neglected too much, I can imagine her experiencing withdrawals. Like alcohol withdrawals. (No, I’m not going to let the alcohol motif go.) However, as much of an attention whore she is, she doesn’t really want to do much to get attention. Low-effort, high-yield. RIP Kaoruko, you would’ve loved being a TikTok influencer.

Here, Kaoruko compares herself to a flower that needs to sunbathe and drenched in water (see parallel: the scene where Kaoruko drenches herself in sake) to flourish. This is the kind of gluttony they talk about in the Bible! I don’t really blame baby Kaoruko, honestly. It must be physically taxing and mentally exhausting to be enveloped in the world of performing arts since you were young (see: her foil Maya), but the issue isn’t that she didn’t want to as a kid, but that she carried over her sin of sloth into her adult years.

Shifting gears, look the snacks piled high beside Kaoruko, while Futaba is empty-handed. Kaoruko has been relishing the abundance of attention she has been receiving (the snacks being from Futaba reinforces the idea that Futaba is enabling her attention-seeking tendencies by feeding her what she craves), but poor Futaba gets the short end of the stick. There’s no one to pay attention to her.

Additionally, think of the progression of the sugary snacks and Kaoruko’s water bottle to the drink Kaoruko has in the Revue of Resentment, to represent her entering adulthood. As she matures, she needs something headier than the snacks of childhood.

I won’t get too into this unless specifically asked to write about Maya-Kaoruko and Futaba-Claudine parallels, but I see Maya as Kaoruko’s foil. Both grew up in performing families that encouraged their pursuit, both of them have partners (girlfriends) that facilitate their theatrical journeys, both teeter on the edge of narcissism. But the beauty of Maya’s character is no matter how much she surpasses her peers, she never rests.

Kaoruko wants the instantaneous destination without the journey. Claudine encourages Maya to go further and higher, but Futaba only enables Kaoruko’s laxity. Even more interestingly, Maya’s arrogance seems internalized with her silent and quietly smug personality, while Kaoruko’s is externalized by her need for outside attention and outward extravagance.

This line above can be interpreted either way, with Maya being a vessel of God or God itself, but I choose to believe she is the God. She has a pretty clear God complex, after all. Furthermore, “this vessel” makes it seem like she’s talking about something besides herself, and “reflects.. infinite multitudes of myself!” implies that she is speaking about a vessel of herself. Not to mention, the metal bird melts beside a burning cross, mimicking a crucifix, portraying the vessel a Christ-like figure. The mortal manifestation of the God Maya believes herself to be. Anyway, all this to say that Maya respectfully has her head so far shoved up her ass to believe she is God, and she doesn’t need anyone to tell her is. Meanwhile, Kaoruko desperately needs attention and validation to believe she’s worth anything at all. FutaKao and MayaKuro being foils to each other happens to be my Roman Empire, but I won’t write anymore than what’s relevant to this post unless asked. Just know if a Maya analysis or Revue of Souls analysis is requested, well — you haven’t seen the half of it. And if a full analysis on FutaKao and MayaKuro being foils is requested, then you asked for it.

Okay, I lied. We’ll talk about Maya and Kaoruko again for a bit. In episode 6 of the show, Kaoruko seems appalled that she hasn’t received a lead role, but as we’ve already established, it’s not really for the joy of performing. If she’s not in the center of attention, then it’s a waste of her time. Contrasting Maya, who has played supporting roles before but made them her own through her love for her craft, and strives to be the best actress in the world to have satisfaction within herself. Kaoruko also wants to be the best in the world—

— but she prefers to fall back on traditional dance instead of theater, to gain her own satisfaction through others rather than self-fulfillment. Why? Because it’s what she’s always been good at. In the show, she gets rejected from a role and told she should “stick to her dance,” so I guess she took it to heart. She doesn’t have an issue with switching her artform, because the artform doesn’t particularly matter to her in the first place. Just the status of being the world’s greatest. Though she’s grown as a person since the show revue and taking the responsibility of inheriting the dance school, Kaoruko before the Revue of Resentment is still a self-centered person.

I think I’ve given Kaoruko enough attention (lord knows it’s what she wants), but if you’re interested in any further thoughts, here’s my quick analysis of Kaoruko in the Revue of Annihilation!

ACT III. - Futaba, Alone

I’ll admit that this was a harder section to write than Kaoruko’s. I realize I’m part of the problem, but I never gave Futaba much thought compared to my Kaoruko ramblings. Writing this actually gave me a deeper understanding of her character.

I struggle to write Futaba and Kaoruko separately. Like Maya and Claudine, their lives are so irrevocably intertwined with each other, it’s hard to separate them. But unlike Kaoruko and her own foil Claudine, Futaba didn’t start out an artist.

In episode 6, the earliest memory of Futaba’s we see is her chasing after Kaoruko after she sneaks away to satiate her attention craving. While FutaKao babies are certainly très mignon, it’s depressing when you realize Futaba has based her identity around Kaoruko at such a young age. It fosters a toxic dependence on each other and an unhealthy attachment and possessiveness.

I’ve already discussed the pile that Kaoruko has and the lack of snacks Futaba suffers from representing how much attention has been lavished upon them. But let’s talk about what Futaba lamenting her empty purse while Kaoruko has more than enough to share with her. It’s representative of Kaoruko takes and takes and wrings Futaba dry without giving her anything in return (starving Futaba vs. greedy Kaoruko 🥀). And not to mention the practice Kaoruko complains about being something Futaba has never had the privilege of being able to attend.

So why does Futaba stay with Kaoruko? There is no doubt in my mind that Futaba and Kaoruko love each other, but love can be unhealthy. When you’re in an unhealthy relationship, there’s a tether attached to the “but I love them” that keeps you together — “I can fix them, they will change, I’m too scared to leave..” etc. But what is it for FutaKao? There isn’t much concrete evidence (It’s Revstar, nothing is concrete) but I’m going go out on a limb based off of Futaba’s personality and her foil.

Claudine is talented in her own right, but Maya blows her out of the water. Claudine even admits it. There’s no reason for Maya to have a rivalry with someone below her league. While that’s a separate post, I believe Futaba thinks Kaoruko is out of her league. While Kaoruko is surrounded by adoring fans, Futaba can only be a face that blurs into the crowd.

Futaba doesn’t think she’s worthy of Kaoruko’s affection or attention, so she doesn’t ask for it. But when Kaoruko exclaims that she’s going to marry into a family that gives her attention, it instills a fear in baby gay Futaba that Kaoruko is going to leave her. So she gives Kaoruko what she wants, what she thinks will make Kaoruko stay with her— the attention she craves, so she doesn’t have to get it from anywhere. This was the toxic codependency and possessiveness I discussed earlier manifesting.

Moving on from Kaoruko thinking her presence alone is enough to repay Futaba’s devotion.. When you put someone on a pedestal, you give them everything you have and don’t think you deserve anything more. With her low self-esteem, Futaba believes that she should be grateful that Kaoruko stays with her at all, and doesn’t ask for anything more. She should be grateful that Kaoruko chose her to be the one to see her shine. She follows Kaoruko where she goes like a loyal dog. She auditions for Seisho to be with Kaoruko, but since she never thought she’d have a future in performing and honed her own skills, she’s last considered.

Surprisingly, Seisho is where the tables turn for Futaba. Under Claudine’s mentorship, she works hard for the talent that Kaoruko takes for granted. Even Kaoruko has to admit that Futaba has improved.

This scene occurs after Futaba claims a possible role in the production, while Kaoruko misses out. Kaoruko lays on Futaba’s lap, while Futaba never rests on hers, physical indication of how Futaba always supports Kaoruko. Notably, it’s Kaoruko’s head in Futaba’s lap, their relationship at this point consists primarily of Futaba feeding into Kaoruko’s mental demands and letting them go to her head. Kaoruko doesn’t ask but commands Futaba to give the role to her, to which Futaba continues drinking what appears to be a strawberry milk or juice carton. If we consider the same metaphor of the snacks —> alcohol representing attention and the experience of being a Stage Girl, Futaba doesn’t quite have a pile of snacks or a tub of sake. However, after her stellar performance, she’s having a tiny taste of what it’s like. And I think, deep down, she enjoys Kaoruko paying attention to her instead of the other way around.

Now that Futaba knows how it feels, she realizes that the wonder of a Stage Girl is being able to push forward to burn brighter. She doesn’t want to leave Kaoruko, but having gained some of her own autonomy, she decides that she wants to stand beside Kaoruko as an equal rather than watch her in the distance, a face in the crowd. Instead of succumbing to belief that she wasn’t worthy of Kaoruko, she would devote herself to becoming the best version of herself she can be to become worthy of Kaoruko. I think that’s beautiful.

I think I may have delved deeper into episode 6 than I need to, but Futaba’s history is critical to understanding to her motivations in the movie.

Back on track, Futaba has more uncertainty about what her future holds than Kaoruko. She wants to audition for New National, but is aware that it might be too competitive for someone of her skill level. Even under Claudine’s mentorship, Futaba still has to catch up to years worth of practice and experience her peers and competition will have. Still, like the bright-eyed and spunky high school graduate she is, she’s willing to give it a shot.

Though she might not be the most skilled, this is a good sign that Futaba is willing to branch away from Kaoruko and find a way to flourish independently. After all, both Kaoruko and Futaba realize that Futaba joining the New National theater troupe means they can’t stay together anymore. Afraid of Kaoruko preventing her from making the decision, she doesn’t it behind her back. As you can imagine, Kaoruko isn’t too happy about this.

ACT IV. - Futaba and Kaoruko, together (or the actual revue)

I’ve heard people describe the FutaKao revue as a divorce. I prefer to think of it as separation with promised reconciliation that they would return better partners for each other.

I’ve already talked about Kaoruko deflecting the blame onto Claudine and objectifying Futaba in the gambling house scene leading up to the first portion of the revue. But I haven’t introduced Futaba, in a totally badass fashion, crashing into the gambling house (or Kaoruko’s warped perception of reality) and apologizing for showing up Kaoruko and Claudine with all the lights. In a way, the modern, flashy semitruck destroying the walls of the traditionally styled gambling house is interestingly illustrative of Futaba making progress and destroying the traditional way of doing things in her relationship with Kaoruko. The American-style clothes Futaba wears versus Kaoruko’s yukata only makes me think more of the dilemma between globalization and technology and tradition. It’s an interesting comparison to draw.

Is it bright? Is it blinding? Futaba is shining more than ever as she declares Kaoruko a selfish inconvenience and clamors for an end to their relationship — the metaphor of saccharine sweet candy illustrating how their relationship rotted to nothing more than a one-way transaction of attention. Not only has Futaba grown more proficient in her abilities, she’s done it without Kaoruko. She claims that “this is a straight path of parting,” that there will be no issue ending the years-long relationship.

Kaoruko monologues herself, describing the fading of their relationship over time to foliage through the seasons. After proclaiming she will cut the “narcissus of winter and let it fall”, she echoes Futaba’s words that this will be “a straight path of parting.” Both of them seem confident that their feelings won’t get involved. But consider this — when characters are wearing costumes outside of their revue outfits (here in Kaoruko’s dealer ensemble and Futaba’s American-style number), they are playing characters. This is pretty evident in the MayaKuro revue — they aren’t being authentic to themselves. So is this what they really feel?

The location the first battle is in appears to be the same setting that the childhood home that served as the location for their first battle was in, or at least a with a similar style.

As Kaoruko furiously expresses her betrayal over Futaba moving on to bigger and better things without her, saying the promises Futaba made to her were empty lies, Futaba attempts to console her. She claims that the only reason she’s leaving her side is to come back to her as someone more worthy of her. Whether that is or isn’t true doesn’t particularly matter, though, because Kaoruko doesn’t believe her.

As they advance up the stairs, up from their childhood home, from their childish promises, Futaba’s excuse grows flimsy. Them going up the stairs represents them growing up. The lyrics of the song the two sing, indicative of their true thoughts, imply that they knew the parting was a long time coming. Even though Futaba claims that she will eventually return to Kaoruko’s side, the same reasons she used a year ago in the show wouldn’t cut it. As they reach the top of the stairs, the setting switches to the bar.

The significance outside of the stage metaphor is the progression of the childhood setting they were once in to the nightclub of adulthood, representing them almost graduating from Seisho. Futaba and Kaoruko are growing up and apart, and the promises and hollow words that held them together before won’t cut it.

Honestly, the whole confrontation scene between Kaoruko and Futaba in the bar is uncannily similar to accusations of infidelity. The only thing missing is a giant WELCOME HOME, CHEATER banner next to the booth. Especially when Kaoruko complains, “What do I care about other women?” when Futaba describes her inferiority complex compared to the other Stage Girls. But unlike someone who cheated on their partner, Futaba’s only crime is trying have a life outside of Kaoruko. In that way, Kaoruko must feel like Futaba has been leading “another life” without her, like an adulterous partner with their “other family.” But the way I see it is Kaoruko making herself the victim in a situation where she is at fault, putting on a show (again, wearing non-Revue outfits means they’re playing characters) where Futaba has wronged her. I really do believe Kaoruko knows in her heart that she can be selfish and has made some bad choices, but she has a perpetual inability to accept that, so she deflects the guilt onto others.

I don’t think Futaba really wants to leave Kaoruko. I think they’ve just outgrown their current selves. Futaba is no longer the subservient dog she was for Kaoruko earlier, but Kaoruko is still largely arrogant and petty. At this point, unlike Claudine and Maya (who end up going to different countries as well), they cannot grow any further together.

Kaoruko accuses Futaba of being a liar yet again, this time preaching to her about idealisms while bathing in her sake tub. I still think this is such a beautiful clip.

In the sub translation, Kaoruko says: “Expose your true intentions. You got annoyed with me, didn’tcha?” In the dub, she says: “You got sick of me, didn’t you?” That stabbed me in the stomach like Anthy and Utena.

I love that that line shows a bit of Kaoruko’s vulnerability. Like I said earlier, she’s not as confident in herself as Maya. She needs someone to make her feel wanted and maintain her arrogant front. And now, she feels like Futaba doesn’t want her anymore.

They warn each other to “Keep away!” but they continue to drive towards each other, and they can’t really help it. Kaoruko even admits it by saying: “we’re useless, huh?” They claimed that this was a straight path of parting, and the lyrics say they’re indifferently passing each other on the highway, as if their relationship would only be a blip on the road for them. But the only path they’re taking is to each other. That’s been the order of things for years, after all.

As they crash into each other and plummet over the edge, Futaba holds Kaoruko’s hand to prevent her from falling. Protecting her as always, but here Kaoruko looks extremely vulnerable. Softly, she asks: “Did we cut ties?” She really is terrified of Futaba leaving her, of losing her rock and her love. Even if she’s loathe to show it. In the end, it wasn’t a straight path of parting, ending up clinging to each other in the end.

Mirroring Claudine calling Maya a greedy human, Futaba says that Kaoruko’s been greedy, unfairly hogging her all to herself. The little conviction they have snaps, and they fall down together. Their relationship needs to have a few downs, they need to fall, if they want to be “reborn” in the end. Unlike in the Mayakuro revue, they’re actually falling than flying like it seems in the Revue of Souls.

As they lay in a bed of sakura petals (which I think represents their childhood feelings. They’re still there, but Futaba and Kaoruko lie on top of them, meaning they’re bigger than them now), Futaba says that it’s her turn to be selfish. She doesn’t ask for permission. Kaoruko says she doesn’t know about all that, but she doesn’t reject the notion. She’s accepted that Futaba is ready to move on to the next stage.

Futaba gives Kaoruko her key and tells her to take care of her motorcycle, which I think means “don’t forget me when I’m gone.” The motorcycle is a more mature version of the bicycle Futaba used to drive Kaoruko around. Even as they grow up, and things change, their feelings and Futaba’s devotion to Kaoruko will remain stagnant. Kaoruko replies, “I’m not waiting, even if you leave this with me.” Even as she says that, the song lyrics, unveiling her true feelings, croon: “Until you return, I’ll always be waiting.” I think I cried when I first saw this.

I have to echo a thought I’ve read in other analysis before, since it’s just poignant. Futaba’s keychain is Position Zero. Position Zero is the place all Stage Girls return to, the final goal. Futaba reassures Kaoruko that she will always come back to her, that no matter where she goes, her place is by Kaoruko’s side.

The Revue ends with an adorable cut of baby FutaKao holding hands. Kaoruko repeats how useless they are, but in a different context. She has her naughty front, but she’s admitting that Futaba makes her weak (SEE: MAYAKURO).They can’t fully overcome their childhood feelings for each other, but they don’t need to. They just need to learn to handle them in a healthier way. They’re useless in the way that they can’t put aside their feelings for each other (see: Maya), they just can’t help falling in love. (Is someone cutting onions?)

(P.S: I couldn’t find anywhere to fit this, but in the color-coded subtitles, Futaba and Kaoruko have each other’s colors (˃̣̣̥ᯅ˂̣̣̥) They’re so sickeningly sweet!!)