To both of you still watching – I thank you…
Kabukibu! is going to be one of those series that feels really incomplete when it ends, I can tell. I don’t imagine the production committee expected this to be a big hit or anything, but I can’t think there’s any chance at all (well, maybe a tiny one – this is DEEN, after all) of a second season. At least Ginga e Kickoff got 39 episodes, so we were able to take the Predators and Shou through a rather lengthy development arc and see them achieve some real success. Kabukibu! is already really good, but it’s likely to end just as Kurogo’s dream is starting to come true in a major way.
With three episodes left, it’s not not clear where the anime is going to choose to leave things off. The culture festival performance having been a success, there’s no single huge event looming on the horizon – though there is the important new student indoctrination day, where the Kabukibu will have a few precious minutes to try and win over some new recruits (which they just about have to if they’re to become viable as a real club). That hinges on Akutsu – who’s quickly become the standout performer of the group, even if Kaoru is the biggest draw – and that’s a problem, as he’s on the verge of flunking an English final for the third time and being suspended from the club.
There’s also the matter of basking in the afterglow of the festival performance – and it’s nice to see Kuro actually feeling good about himself. He dares to dream of how his grandfather would be proud of him – his mother (the mangaka of the well-known “Osokano“) certainly thinks he would. The afterglow for Kaoru isn’t so pleasant, as she’s clearly feeling the strain of her double-duty. But what’s interesting here is that she also seems to be feeling something for Tonbo, too – who rather gallantly saves Kaoru from a pack of admirers when she’s feeling particularly peaked. That’s worth keeping an eye on.
The main development here, though, involves the ojii-sans. Shozo-san has clearly embraced his role as mentor to the club, taken in by their unorthodox performance at the festival after his initial skepticism. He brings them snacks, feeds them encouragement too – but most importantly he arranges for them to have an instructor. He’s done that with the help of Jin’s grandfather, who’s taken quite an interest in Shin. As a condition for arranging the instructor – a “former kabuki actor who left the theater at a young age” – he wants Shin to come to his house for a meeting.
This is fascinating on several levels. Jin is rather peeved by all this, obviously – not only does he find Shin irritating but even his name, which in kabuki terms means “the star” (and was almost Jin’s name). We see Jin getting rather bratty and churlish with his father about this, and it occurred to me that the father may in fact be the instructor – but my initial thought was that it was Shin’s father who was the instructor. I don’t doubt that the old man is genuinely interested in Shin, who has a naturally commanding presence on the kabuki stage. But it’s clear that he knows Shin’s mother from way back, and if he were trying to reconcile Shin with his father, this would be a clever way to go about it.
Molly
June 3, 2017 at 3:26 amWould it be too farfetched for Jin’s grandfather to be Shin’s father? That’s kinda the vibe I’m getting from these last two episodes.
Zilla
June 3, 2017 at 8:15 amThat’s what I’ve been considering since last week as well.
Guardian Enzo
June 3, 2017 at 8:39 amYou just blew my mind. After Rakugo Shinjuu I guess anything’s possible…
I can’t see Jin saying “Uncle Shin” though…
Garga
June 4, 2017 at 10:26 amI was thinking more in the lines of Jin’s father, a Kabuki actor who quit. It would be quite something to see. Considering all the resentment he is starting to build againt Shin for his acting and for the name he didn’t get if he were to learn that guy is his half brother… Oh boy.
Maybe that’s why we don’t see Jin’s mother at all. Maybe she’s just not present in his life, maybe she died when he was little or maybe when she learned of the Affair and the resulting child she got a divorce. That would also explain why he is so angry with his father, or maybe he was just being a brat.
PS: You can tell I am involved in this show with all these stupid ideas I’m comming up =P
Akka
June 28, 2017 at 2:13 pmWould it be too farfetched for Jin’s FATHER to be Shin’s father, actually ?
That’s the vibe I’ve got since a few episodes. I don’t remember exactly if Shin’s father “died” or “left”, but it would feel rather fitting that the same father named his two sons with the “any role” and “leading role” names.
Guardian Enzo
June 28, 2017 at 2:39 pmI suppose that’s just possible – one of many that occurred to me. But unless somebody decided to translate the LNs, I suppose only Japanese speakers will ever know.
leongsh
June 3, 2017 at 6:19 amDon’t be so negative. There’s more than 2 watching =P That being said, it’s not a whole lot either. It’s a low flyer in Japan as well as it is rarely mentioned. So, unless the publiisher is feeling generous or the production committee felt it made some profit to try again, a 2nd season is unlikely.
When Shozo-san mentioned an instructor who is a “former kabuki actor who left the theater at a young age”, I could only think that it is probably going to be Shin’s father.
Z88
June 3, 2017 at 7:50 amSame father different mother?
Flower
June 3, 2017 at 4:58 pmo/
Still watching over here! And enjoying it still as well….
I wonder if the season will end with the Kabuki actor’s grandson finally getting off his high horse and accepting the efforts of theclub, even if he does not join them?
Zoro50
June 5, 2017 at 5:32 amWell I count at least 7 of us……. 😀
mweloo
June 5, 2017 at 7:24 amEight. Still watching, still loving it.
Guardian Enzo
June 5, 2017 at 7:47 amROFL. This happens every time I make a comment like that.
Earthlingzing
June 5, 2017 at 10:41 amNine if you’re counting, but generally there’s not much to talk about with this series…
say
June 6, 2017 at 3:43 amten. I prefer Jin an Shin being cousins…
Craig
June 11, 2017 at 9:35 amEleven and twelve. There are two of us watching together!