I gotta say, the last couple of eps have sucked most of the fun out of Ya Boy Kongming for me.  A P.A. Works show running out of narrative steam well before its conclusion would be anything but new, to be sure.  But most of those have been originals – the studio has occasionally done adaptations but they’re rare, and this is its first manga.  Thus it’s sort of funny that it’s following the usual PAW template – is it because they chose a manga that fits their pattern, or are they molding it to fit that pattern?  It’s kind of a chicken and the egg question, but the result is the same either way.

I do think that question is sort of important – I can’t help but wonder if the manga removed its essential character for this long at such a critical juncture.  The manga is ongoing of course so it wouldn’t be such a big mistake even if it had, but there’s no doubt that taking Koumei out of the picture makes this a far more conventional series.  It’s devolved into a pretty typical plucky cute girls trying to make it big story at this point.  There’s Kabetaijin of course, but at heart the series doesn’t really care about him and never did – it’s obvious in the perfunctory nature of his appearances after his initial introduction.

I do give the series credit for trying to show the grievous nature of the idol industry – which is basically what Azalea has been sucked into.    But some of the punch is lost by the sledgehammer-subtle way in which this development is presented.  I mean Karasawa is everything but a literal horror film ghoul (though hey, that’s not far off some idol producers, ROFL).  And what’s the deal with the other Azalea girls going through the dance training but Nanami being the only one losing her instrument and dancing on stage?  The whole thing has a very by-the-numbers feel to it.  This is a serious subject and kudos to Kongming for bringing it up, but this is not a serious treatment of it.

If nothing else is seems as if Koumei’s three-episode banishment from the plot is ending, so there’s a reason for hope.  Now, let’s get Eiko some new songs because even if they all sound pretty much the same, I’m pretty damn tired of the one she’s been recycling for four episodes.  Can anything of substance come from Kabetaijin’s integration into her act?  Maybe, if the series doesn’t half-ass it the way it has been.  Can the budding rivalry with Azalea yield positive dramatic results?  I’m skeptical, especially as it seems bloody obvious where it’s headed.

I long for some of the cheeky, carefree fun this show was when it was basically Koumei and Eiko against the world.  I’d love to see some sense of that return for the final few episodes but it seems to be taking itself a lot more seriously now than it was then.  Some series have the chops to pull that transition off but at this point I don’t really think Paripi Koumei is one of them.  Whether it comes from the manga or not, the anime has to stand on its own terms – something that’s never been a factor for P.A. Works before this series.  It’s going to be interesting to see how they handle that.