Mizuki Foreshadowing

Hi! I'm Renn, just a girl happy to feel seen in a game with such beautiful writing. Came for the canon trans rep in a character-driven visual novel, stayed because this game really is for everyone who feels like there aren't stories written about them! --- Sorry if the blog's a little hard to navigate; tagging as though I were a content creator was bad for my health. I mainly do fanfic these days, since this game gives us such thoroughly well-developed characters to play with. Here's what I got~! --- • the shizumafu fic which dominated my life for a year-and-a-half • • a significantly shorter shizumafu timeloop fic! (if 234k is too much) • • an artsy N25 Evangelion crossover • • a reimagining of the L/N MS if Ichika had formed Leo/need in Saki's memory • • an angsty Umamusume crossover featuring Saki and MMJ I'm really proud of • • a 2k fic of Shizuku taking a walk through the cottagecore dimension, with a sadistic twist • • and a cute 3k honamafu oneshot if you just want to get to know my writing style! • --- I also have an illustrations account poetry blog and like, a normal place I reblog things.

[mizuki-foreshadowing]

You know... It is sad. In the wake of doing a huge deep-dive into Happy Lovely Everyday, the exact same thing is happening in Airi's WL2.

Airi left QT because the idol industry considered her more popular as a comedian than an idol. And in Happy Lovely Everyday and in Airi's WL2 chapter, Airi discovers (painfully) that her fans like her better as a comedian than an idol.

[mizuki-foreshadowing]

The World Link 2 AU is apparently that Airi is Ena.

[mizuki-foreshadowing]

Saki gets together the 1-A Trio and Ichika and herself from Haruka's field trip to give Haruka and Minori a spontaneous and warm send-off now that they're becoming idols full-time in the credit-based course. It's a party for both of them, and Minori is having an Experience, but, Haruka? She's got that usual detachment from everything still; her joy is Minori's.

[mizuki-foreshadowing]

MMJ WL2 - Kiritani Haruka

Very very frequently in MMJ's storyline, the girls will run into a situation which not only seems hopeless but which actually had been hopeless when one of them dealt with something similar. When the three former-idols are ready to resign themselves because the good parts of being an idol have always come with unpleasant parts, Minori --who does not empirically know these things just aren't possible-- refuses to give up hope and pushes the girls to do something out of the box. In WL2, we see what the girls' lives look like without that force, while Minori is making the most of a fruitless year as an underground idol and actively keeping her groupmates from breaking.

Haruka's WL2 shows us who she is. Haruka knows better than Airi or Shizuku the ways that hope dies behind the scenes in the idol world because she's been an idol much longer than an any other girl could endure and has lost the girl she used to be. The HaruAn double date event has An reminisce about a Haruka who is unrecognizable, not only to Minori, but to us the readers. The elementary school Haruka that An knew was lost somewhere along the way, and in the same way that Haruka can't step outside of a rigid daily routine and a diet that she hates, Haruka doesn't have a True Self to return to.

The core of Haruka and Minori's dynamic, far beyond the Main Story, is that Haruka does not have hope, and that Minori supplies it to her. In her WL2 chapter without that surrogate source of hope, Haruka's lack of hope blinds her to the good that she does and has done in the past.

Now to get into her World Link 2.

The event opens with a flashback to Haruka and her classmates Ichika and Saki. Haruka's diligence can apply to schoolwork now, and Haruka is using that special trait of hers to help tutor Ichika and Saki, letting them devote more of themselves to their music.

Haruka is very materially spreading hope and doing good, but she is blind to it.

Haruka's mom wants to show her an article about Haruka's Idol, who was active when Haruka was in third grade and thus has long since retired into obscurity as is the fate of idols. Haruka's Idol still does good, still helps people, and still uses her charm and way with people to spread hope, on figurative stages now rather than literal ones.

Haruka's mom knows that being an idol is a difficult subject for Haruka, and when Haruka reflects on her own failure as an idol, Haruka's mom assures her it's okay if Haruka isn't able to read the article.

When Haruka says she can't face her, this is still plainly true; Haruka in this flashback is still devastated from having no choice but to quit ASRUN, her trauma from Mai still keeping Haruka from setting foot on a stage. Minori can't perform a miracle in this AU like in canon, so Haruka can't be an idol.

But, Haruka does resolve to be like Haruka's Idol. She sets out to do exactly how she does, and Haruka even finds a lot of personal fulfilment in being able to help people.

Which returns us to the cold-open before the flashback. Our first impression of non-idol Haruka is somebody constantly trying to help others.

In part 2 of Haruka's worldlink, Minori tags along to a volunteer opportunity at a children's center that Haruka is leading. To be clear, Haruka is the one leading it, it reads as though she organized the trip.

We see Haruka applying her diligence, charm, and love of children, to helping the kids with math homeworkin very much the same way she spread hope this way tutoring Ichika and Saki.

Naturally, to Haruka, this too does not constitute spreading hope to her, and Haruka almost seems bored after helping the kids.

A girl, Miyuki is inconsolable after the kids in the gym kicked her out for being bad at sports. Minori cheers her up in Minori's capacity as an idol, something Haruka cannot do. Haruka reaches her in a greater way and achieves a greater result. 

Miyuki is materially better at dodgeball, but she's inspired to try hard in unrelated sports now too, and is excited at playing again. Haruka brought her hope.

It's unclear here whether Haruka is doing her usual thing of deflecting praise back to the person praising her or if Haruka values Minori's contribution as an idol to Miyuki more than Haruka's own contribution of spreading hope to Miyuki.

However, I believe it is the latter, because Minori talks about how Minori is an idol because of Haruka and only now does Haruka entertain the thought that she has spread hope to anybody. Haruka did not spread hope to Miyuki; only idols can do that.

Because only idols can spread hope, Haruka accepts that she has been given hope by Minori.

This contrasts sharply with an earlier scene in part 1 of Haruka's World Link 2. At a nursing home, one of the patients recently lost the use of her legs and became despondent, but Haruka identifies personally with her story; Haruka too became despondent after something bodily robbed her of her reason for living.

Haruka can't accept Nobuko telling Haruka that she has spread hope to her. Haruka cannot spread hope to anyone because, in Haruka's own words, what she did to Mai was unforgivable. 

('What she did to Mai' being Haruka not letting Mai give up but rather convincing her that if she only holds on to hope and tries harder, she'll find a better tomorrow, and Mai --at her bodily limits-- not only wasn't able to climb out of her slump but also broke herself; 'what Haruka did to Mai' is spread hope as an idol, which is the core of her World Link 2 chapter)

To close out her chapter, Haruka reveals that she still does not believe she spread any hope to Minori as an idol, despite spreading hope being something that Haruka still wishes she can do.

[mizuki-foreshadowing]

You know what? I like that the generic audience stand-in is Hoshino Ichika. We do not get enough everyman girls.

[mizuki-foreshadowing]

oh my god I love Haruka being an idol in WL2 without ever actually being an idol...

[mizuki-foreshadowing]

also the Haruka Mafuyu parallels have hit critical mass with this one

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oh my god I love Haruka being an idol in WL2 without ever actually being an idol...

[mizuki-foreshadowing]

I've been thinking about it, and Happy Lovely Everyday plays with a core theme of MMJ I haven't really been conscious is a core theme of MMJ until recently, where it's becoming the focus.

In some ways, MORE MORE JUMP! looks like an escape from the reality of being an idol; Airi suddenly has no ceiling she's pressed up against, Haruka's rigid discipline is no longer the bare minimum and she can start to relax, Shizuku gets to define herself and pick and choose which parts of being an idol she loves, and Minori gets to ignore the barrier keeping fans and idols separate.

But consistently the girls need to walk back into parts of their lives they hated to rescue something they still need. Minori's perspective as a fan is more valuable than her perspective as an idol, Haruka's pain saves Hasegawa Riho's life and she's learned too much from Hiiragi's managerial mettle to afford not to lead MMJ, Airi can't escape that becoming an inspirational idol means making good use of every un-idol-like skill she accumulated as a variety show comedian, and Shizuku is forced to address her pain from Cheerful * Days and integrate it into her new fans' perception of her, as well as to dredge back up her desperation from those days to stay relevant.

Happy Lovely Everyday and Chasing My Ideal Idol mirror My Color and At the End of the Unraveled Thread. First, Airi and Shizuku redefine their pain and take ownership of it in the name of becoming the idol they actually want to be. But that isn't the complete arc.

Shizuku's guilt chases her figuratively and literally; she did not honor the pain her groupmates endured for her and would hurt her with, favoring her modeling and advertising commissions over Cheerful * Days shows because her groupmates' pain splashes onto her. Arisa tries to strike down Shizuku's new haven, and Shizuku apologizes and admits to selfishness on live TV.

Airi being able to break down a skillset she needs and fast track being able to pull it off sabotages her; despite wanting to be an inspirational idol, her unconscious insecurity that she isn't beautiful meant that the kind of stage idol she is, is still the cute/fun/spunky kind and she doesn't have any idea how to correct this and get the skillset she wants, herself being the barrier to being the idol she dreams of. She starts from scratch in that area and doesn't let the other skills she has supplement her growth or lack of aptitude in it.

Shizuku needed to acknowledge she did hurt others, and Airi needed to acknowledge that she too sabotaged herself.

[mizuki-foreshadowing]

I came across this comment you made comparing MORE MORE JUMP! and Nightcord at 25:00’s stories, and what you said here is super interesting to me. I always thought that MMJ’s story was only really on the same level as Niigo’s during the Main Story specifically, but I do want to know how you think they’re similar in the ongoing plot since you’re probably right and I just fell for the attempts at downplaying it from MMJ’s end. And because I like seeing people actually talk about MORE MORE JUMP!’s story and this seemed like a good opportunity to maybe talk about that with someone. Since they’re my other favorite group alongside Niigo, and all

(And I do agree that the general themes are similar, even if MMJ is farther along on the “hope” scale currently. There’s actually a pretty good video comparing them out there if you’re interested!)

Alright so let's take Airi2. This event looks really lame, right? I absolutely thought it looked lame. I remember being like Well, this is necessary filler to be able to properly appreciate the Shizuku moments (I was getting into MMJ because Shizuku was helping Mafuyu in a type of way N25 had nothing on, and I was researching her to write a Shizumafu fic)

The event name is silly, and the image is Airi doing idol things. If you tap the (i), the synopsis is "MORE MORE JUMP! are delighted to receive a request to perform at an elementary school. With experience performing in children's variety shows under her belt, Airi enthusiastically starts planning for the event." Snoozefest. This does not look like an event in which anything meaningful happens. But that's not true. This event is Airi's Insatiable Pale Color. If you want to write her killing herself in a canon-adjacent AU, you set it here. (I've done it twice actually). If any one part of this event happened any differently this is where Airi loses it. This is not a problem of Colopal not knowing how to market MORE MORE JUMP! events. This is Colopal choosing not to market MMJ like how they do N25, because otherwise the two units are too similar, because MMJ also opens with a cast of broken people (and Minori specifically).

Now then, let's get into the event.

So MMJ get a really big offer immediately and it looks like a dream come true, but it's not. Nobody has their eyes on MORE MORE JUMP!, this is only Momoi Airi's current mailing address, and nobody even knew that much until kids who follow Nanamin watched the collab with a bunch of nobodies plus Happy Everyday. The elementary school wants to get variety show comedian Happy Everyday to do a show for some kids and because she's not signed to any agencies they can get her extra cheap (the elementary school is having to shut down soon and presumably can't afford real idols)

Shizuku and Minori deliver the emotional stakes; the children at this school are facing something really sad and scary right now. Airi gets a fire lit in her; this is her big chance to do the kind of idol work she originally became an idol for, as opposed to the un-idol-like comedy work her agency decided she was only good for. The core of this event is Airi being unable to run from her past and that MMJ is not and could never have been a clean slate.

MMJ accept the offer immediately; it feels way too perfect. The school has even given them permission to livestream the event. (it's ambiguously because the school can't really pay them) MMJ brainstorm activities that could make the appearance extra special for the kids and there's still a happy degree of separation between this and a variety show for Airi, who's happy she has experience with programs that include a lot of different activities for kids. To Airi at this point in the event, this is a step forward; she's using skills and experience she happens to have in order to spread hope as an inspirational idol, as opposed to the kind of 'idol' she was used as before.

So remember how the event has a stupid name? Airi refers to her [inspirational] idol self as Lovely Airi. (it comes from her catchphrase from her brief time with Shizuku on Cheerful * Days where she's the Lovely! Fairy! Momoi…Airi!) Her variety show comedian persona is named Happy Everyday. The core of the event is that Airi has been thinking of MMJ as herself finally getting to leave behind Happy Everyday and take what skills those experiences taught her into the future as Airi the idol.

(Airi's draw-up of the event is exceptionally well-put-together because another of her un-idol-like traits is having a mind for organization, but this is part of trans-Airi theory which is not where this post is at) The event Airi's put together has two parts, with a third part handled online afterward (each student sending a photo of a fun school memory which will be compiled to a 'digital yearbook') The first part is "Let's Play With MORE MORE JUMP!" and Airi has ideas for activities each girl could lead and the kids could freely move between them. After is an idol performance.

This is metatextual, but Happy Lovely Everyday is where the boy idol Len appears in stage SEKAI, whereas before it was all girls (Miku, Rin, Luka). This naturally is also part of trans-Airi theory but more surface level it's Airi's un-idol-like side being let in to MORE MORE JUMP!'s vision. Len appears in the wake of Airi using her comedian experience to compile an inspirational idol event for children.

After meeting Len, the conversation sets the tone of the event. The girls have mutually exclusive skillsets. This is important, because this is the backdrop for Airi's pain, which is about to be delivered in the next scene when Airi checks the MMJ email later.

(Minori forgot they came to SEKAI for feedback on Airi's event sketch)

Haruka starts drafting the email of what MMJ's event will be so the school can plan and accommodate, and MMJ's email is flooded with excited messages from the students. This clip is how episode 2 closes, with Airi's devastated reaction, to learning that she isn't Airi, she isn't an idol, she is still a comedian.

Episode 3 opens with the text of the letter.

Here is where we begin walking the razor's edge. Airi tries to bury this, but Haruka knows this is a crisis. Shizuku is much closer to Airi than Haruka is so she asks her for help, but knows the topic is too delicate to risk broaching to Airi.

After practice, Shizuku decides to talk to Airi privately. Haruka trusted Shizuku to have a better idea of how to handle this and Shizuku does so directly. Airi rejects Shizuku's concern. I had to use the video clip for the ending of episode 2, but Airi's sprite goes through a few sequences revealing that she lies as she says this.

Shizuku calls Haruka after, and the context is Haruka wanted an update after Shizuku spoke with Airi; this is important to Haruka.

Airi reflects privately on her career; this is transparently not idol work.

We enter a flashback, starting with Airi in QT, which she transferred to after resenting Cheerful * Days only using her on variety show appearances at the expense of idol shows. We see a microcosm of the event so far; Airi uses her skills from her variety show appearances to whip up a crowd into being interested in a no-name idol group. It closes with her getting noticed by a comedy exec.

Airi gets requested for a variety show appearance in primetime. At this point Airi still trusts QT, regarding being willing to let Airi be an idol first and anything else second.

Airi's quick wit and quick thinking get an excellent impression at the show, which is exactly what she wanted, but she did too good of a job, which was her problem in Cheerful * Days too; she's exceptional at comedy and it's all anyone wants to use her for.

She gets invited to appear at the two big-name variety show programs we'll hear namedropped occasionally, Morning Kids Station and The Wide World of Laughs. The context of this flashback sequence is that Airi is retracing her steps to how exactly she become only known for being Happy Everyday, that persona sparking during a funny mishap during a scavenger hunt in a sports festival themed event. Airi sees these big-name appearances as a stepping stone still to what she really wants, to be a more famous idol.

We get a scene where Airi realizes in real time that she is not doing idol work. We also get to see the birth of Happy Everyday's various combat moves. (episode 7 features Haruka being dumbfounded as Minori provides context that Happy Everyday does battle occasionally with enemy idols)

It's revealed right after that Airi was assigned to this TV appearance instead of performing as an idol. The exact same thing she fled to QT to escape is happening to her again here.

The last nail is passersby recognizing her, but recognizing her as Happy Everyday. This isn't a fan meeting an idol. It isn't even a fan meeting a celebrity. Importantly, we've learned that Airi has studied up on comedy skits and that her quick wit is an active talent, but here, the ownership of it is being stripped from her and given to the comedians or talk show hosts she reacts to. There are comedians these passersby do want autographs from, but of course it isn't Airi.

Airi does a fan meet-and-greet with the other members of QT, but all of the people who want to talk to Airi talk about her variety show appearances. You can see here, Airi realizing that she really isn't an idol anymore.

It even opens with a fan Airi remembered the name of, who, after being shocked Airi remembered her name, mentioned some hilarious things she enjoyed Airi doing. It followed the format of a good idol greeting but undercut it with not even that girl thinking of Airi as an idol anymore.

We exit the flashback. MMJ have completed all their preparations for the elementary school appearance, including learning choreography and making props for games. But when Shizuku wants to celebrate a job well done, Airi ducks out, and it's laid out explicitly that Airi doesn't actually have an excuse but that Airi does not feel like celebrating.

Here, Minori learns about Airi's pain and feels ashamed that she found Airi funny in her variety show appearances.

(Tumblr's autoscreening doesn't like some of the text in this image, so pretend this is a screencap) Minori: ... Haruka: Airi hardly ever talks about her own past, so it's easy for us to believe that she isn't bothered by it anymore. But I guess it still does in some small ways... Haruka: When she was on all those variety shows, losing her identity as a proper idol just kept weighing down on her. Minori: Right... It'd be hard not to forget something like that... Shizuku: It's true that people didn't necessarily want to see Airi as an idol...

I ran out of images for this post, but the next scene is Rin and Len getting Airi's help with the talk-portion of their show, and Airi gives some good insights on making use of chemistry and how to avoid clashing in how they want to appear; her advice is comedy-oriented but it's unambiguously helpful for real idols. The twins thank her and ask where she gets all these great ideas, and Airi gets down on herself saying that she's been doing this for a while. She ends up telling them why she's feeling down. Len asks her directly if she regrets her choices and wished she hadn't agreed to all those appearances, but Airi is reluctant to say that she does, but goes on to admit that she fully lost touch with inspiring hope in anybody. Rin insists that variety show idols are also idols (an angle Saki also stands by), but Airi privately denies her in her internal monologue. Len suggests an angle Airi is more receptive to, that her time in those variety shows gave her skills she can apply now to inspiring hope as a real idol. Airi leaves SEKAI feeling better.

Before the announcement to MORE MORE JUMP!'s fans that they'll be appearing at the elementary school and streaming it all, Haruka pulls Airi aside and asks her a deceptively simple question. "Do you want people to see you as you are right now? Do you want everyone to see Airi Momoi of MORE MORE JUMP! who puts everything she can into her singing, dancing and MC'ing?" Airi asks Haruka to clarify but Haruka denies her, and tells her to answer the question. Airi answers, "Of course I do! Idols can't inspire hope in anyone if nobody's there to see them!" During the livestream, Haruka goes behind Airi's back and excitedly announces a third stage of MORE MORE JUMP!'s elementary school appearance. After MORE MORE JUMP!'s idol performance, Airi performs an additional show alone. Haruka's stated justification was that Airi received the most fanmail from the students and they'd like to see her, but truly, Haruka is making certain that the kids will see Airi, herself, all on her own, as a proper idol. Haruka did not give Airi the freedom to refuse this, and when Airi asks Shizuku if she put Haruka up to this, she tells Airi that this was all Haruka, but Shizuku does say, "I really hope these students get a chance to see the girl behind The Masked Variety Idol, Happy Everyday they love so much. Mask or no mask, you have a talent for inspiring hope in others. You're an inspiration to them…" Airi gives Haruka a hard time about springing this on her and Haruka apologizes, but it reads as a thank you, and Airi closes the episode being really excited for the event.

Airi opens the event giving the kids everything they want, being their funny variety show personality and even putting on the mask and showing off some of Happy Everyday's snappy attacks, which she's only able to do with her full chest because she knows that they'll remember Airi the idol too. Airi had no good ways out, and the event story made sure that we knew that, before Haruka's gambit created one.

[mizuki-foreshadowing]

Airi can't deflect praise if it's Haruka it's coming from!

[mizuki-foreshadowing]

Doing a rewatch of Happy Lovely Everyday, and I was thinking about why this was Shizuku's idea. But what is a principal but a leader or figurehead people forget is also a person

[mizuki-foreshadowing]

Photos taken maybe five minutes before disaster

Me, who has read the Japanese Idol wikipedia page too many times: no Minori don't! you're deliberately kept in the dark about your schedule more than a few days in advance to keep you perpetually available and strip your ability to advocate for yourself! you can't commit to this!

[mizuki-foreshadowing]

Offscreen I have been recreationally breaking the Minorinrin in a Madoka AU, but

I have to say, it is a little bit of a relief to learn that she really is breakable. I keep feeling like it's out of character for her doubts to seep in.

[mizuki-foreshadowing]

Not depicted, the Minorinrin's face lights up as she counts the third fan for her

[mizuki-foreshadowing]

OH

THERE ARE ONLY THREE TOTAL

[mizuki-foreshadowing]

Not depicted, the Minorinrin's face lights up as she counts the third fan for her

[mizuki-foreshadowing]

Okay this is actually Everything, I'm in love with this AU

Struggling idol Minori never giving up! Also, funniest possible flashback sequence,

[mizuki-foreshadowing]

This area convo has no business being this funny. Ena, that is in fact Mizuki's wildest most impossible fantasies.