English Dub Review: Heroines Run the Show: The Unpopular Girl and the Secret Task “Scandal”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

Just when things are going great for Hiyori and LIPxLIP, someone posts stealth photos of them talking to each other. Even though there’s nothing scandalous happening in the photos, talking to any girl alone is scandalous when you’re a male pop idol!

Our Take:   

There’s no doubt that celebrities would eventually get caught in a scandal that’ll jeopardize their careers. This latest episode of Heroines Run the Show showcases that LIPxLIP is no different from the rest. If there’s one thing that’s more scandalous than the scandal itself, it’s how this episode portrays one of the celebrities’ greatest fears.

“Scandal” starts with Hiyori competing in a hurdles event while LIPxLIP practices their dance routine for a recording session. Hiyori managed to place third and earn a spot in the finals, and LIPxLIP delivered a successful commercial for So-Kai. I wonder what that stuff tastes like. Their commercial resulted in Aizo and Yujiro finally getting into the countdown live event to perform with Full Throttle4. Unfortunately, their victory was short-lived when a mysterious person took pictures of them together and shared them with the rest of the world, including the students at Sakuragaoka High.

The episode put plenty of effort into making this situation dire as these photos put Hiyori’s secret manager-in-training job at risk of exposure. What’s even worse is that the pictures have been trending worldwide, with people wondering if Hiyori is Aizo’s girlfriend or Yujiro’s. That’s almost as stressful as a love triangle from a young adult novel.

More importantly, “Scandal” did a splendid job representing the subtle yet realistic concerns of getting caught in a scandal. You have people jumping to conclusions based on the photos shared, which reminisced the female students and the comments on social media. There’s also a matter of how the victims are affected by the scandal, with people spreading lies about Hiyori gaining money from LIPxLIP. Then you also have people concerned about whom Hiyori belongs, which puts her in an awkward yet nerve-racking position.

Unfortunately, we won’t know which piece of trash shared those photos and what Hiyori and LIPxLIP will do next until next week since it ended on a cliffhanger. However, that didn’t stop me from appreciating “Scandal” for how it effectively portrays the scenario and provides some high stakes for Hiyori’s secret job. This is the scandal that’s worth paying attention to instead of the one involving these characters.