I’m thinking about Siegfeld jhs’s existence as future stage girls, and especially, as being prophesied for extinction.
Revue Starlight is incredibly optimistic about what a stage girl can do, and I think in that sense I might’ve overlooked some of what that ‘doomed to extinction’ entails.
I just haven’t been able to escape the detail about faculty being referenced in Remains, and specifically Romana’s seeming lack of it.
Without any larger spoilers for the plot of Remains, Siegfeld jhs go through a l o t. Especially coming off of the heels of Rebellion in which they also went through a l o t. It is truly a treacherous path that they are walking.
And for what purpose? To be confronted with their inevitable doom? The life of a stage girl is oh so fleeting, and to become one they must truly be willing to lay down their lives for the stage.
But that’s wrong isn’t it? These are the youngest members of the entire cast. They are middle schoolers. They are 14!! To have to face this, just to stand on stage?
Being a stage girl is a harsh existence, but should they be forced to endure so much? Surely it can’t be right to be abandoned by the adults who are meant to guide them amidst a blood thirsty balancing act like Romana.
Stella’s past in Germany… the weight of being a Siegfeld is too heavy for her to bear.
The more I think about the way Romana and Siegfeld jhs are forced to face the same pressures, both Mikoto and Stella being demanded to be perfect, the more it seems apparent that ultimately the greatest harm is the attitude that they need to be treated like this in order to be stage girls.
Just like the top star and the auditions.
This is wrong.
I think there’s a lot of significance to Stella who cares so deeply about friendship and bonds, despite her tragic past being at the center of Siegfeld jhs. Even through everything that she faces she cares for everyone most of all. It’s that kindness that carries all of them forward.
It is the ones who decided they were doomed for extinction that are wrong. You can never write off someone’s potential like that. If they all continue to want to live then surely they can.
[ID: Takachiho Stella on a pan flag colorpicked from her. She's in her revue outfit, and she holds a rapier pointing upwards. Her other hand rests on her hip and she smiles brightly. 2nd image is the colorpicked flag without her. /End ID]
Pan flag colorpicked from Takachiho Stella (Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight: Re LIVE)