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Rei's manager tries to get some explanations out of Rei about her no-show at Eriko's concert, to Kosuke's happiness. Meanwhile Eriko is worried about Rei. Eriko appears in a program that plays pranks on idols and makes her believe there is a monster attacking her. When they go to the TV studios, Eriko notices Rei is having an actuation and tries to talk with her, but Rei runs away. When Eriko goes after her and good-heartedly tells her that she considers her an older sister it makes Rei snap and she slaps Eriko, after which Eriko gives up on Rei. This is watched by a couple of journalists, who remember about Eriko's father and Rei's mother affair rumors. Later on Ryoko sees an article on Rei and Eriko's fight and thinks that poor Rei is wrong, as her father is not Eriko's. NOTE: The monster that attacks Eriko has distinct similarities to certain other "monster" called Totoro... ^^;;;
It's the "89 New Face Grand Prix Nomination" prizes. After Hiroshi sings, it's Eriko's turn. While she sings, an american producer sees her on TV and seems impressed. Eriko wins, but she is still worried about Rei. Days afterwards, Eriko starts shooting a TV drama and the same producer watches her. Following day the shooting continues and he is evenmore impressed with her acting/singing. NOTE: It's very normal in Japan for famous idols to appear in TV dramas (soap operas/series with a continuing argument of 13 to 24 episodes of duration at most (with some exceptions)). The real Eriko Tamura herself made a successful career as a TV drama actress.
#31: Arashi no Naka no INTERMECIO.
The american producer, Howard, is starting a very important musical in Japan and he is looking for a lead. Between the chosen ones for the audition is Rei. She starts to train very hard for the part. But later on, Ijuuin has great news for Eriko, she has also been chosen for the audition! Rei is surprised and not too happy. On the audition day, Eriko goes to the audition place. The other girls are very cold to her. She and Rei confront each other before entering the audition room and each promises to fight for the part.
#32: Onaji no Kijounetsu no DANCE.
The girls are taken into a room where they line up and have to walk towards the other side of the room. This was the first part of the audition--even though they didn't know it--and Howard choose the ones that will continue. Yasuko takes Kazuki to the audition place. Inside, the girls are now dancing one by one. After Eriko dances, one of the foreign candidates laughes at her and tells her to watch her--to watch the way a Broadway dancer dances. She dances very well and the girls are very impressed. While the girls take a lunch rest, Howard's assistants look over the candidates and want to kick Eriko out because she doesn't dance very well, but he says she stays. The next stage in the audition is for the girls to start dancing and not stop until Howard says so. The music starts and goes on and on without any rest. The Broadway dancer is having no problem and laughes inwardly at the girls with no stamina. After 4 hours Eriko is doing so-so and other girls start to faint from exhaustion and have to be carried out as time passes. After 10 hours Eriko is about to fall, but she keeps on by pure will bent on not losing to Rei. But their bodies can only do so much and when Eriko is about to fall again, Rei suddenly does so, too. In that moment Howard calls it a stop and so, they pass the audition! The only one who doesn't fall to the floor is the Broadway dancer. Because only 5 girls can pass to the next phase, Howard chooses the Broadway dancer to go because unlike the others, she is all thecnic and no passion, and he wants passion. Each of the girls receives then a very thick script booklet of the musical, they are supposed to memorize all of it for the following audition--in only a couple of days!
At Tamura Productions, Rei is studing with an English teacher the thick booklet that she is supposed to memorize for the next audition; but she grows tired of it and leaves. Meanwhile, Eriko is trying to study it on her own, but she finds the English difficult. Back in home, Rei tries her hand at the booklet on her own as well. On the audition day the girls are taken in a zeppelin, but there are some problems and they end up crashing on a beach of an island. Rei shows concern for Eriko, but then reverts to her usual cold self. They all decide that the only way is to reach a radio station inside the island. At first one girl wants the captain to go alone, but Rei decides to go with him and then Eriko wants too, of course. Other 2 girls join them, and the other girl, though she wanted to stay and wait for help, she goes with them at the end, too. Night falls and they stop to make a camp. While Rei helps the captain to fish, Eriko gets wood for a fire. During the night, the captain disappears and the girls are forced to continue on their own. Even though they try to cheer each other up, at the end all girls but Eriko and Rei end up staying behind at some point. While Eriko tries to save Rei from falling through an old hanging bridge, they both fall over a security net and find out an exit... where Mr. Howard is waiting for them! The audition was the whole adventure and they both passed. The final audition will be in New York between Eriko and Rei. Note: Rei is wearing high heels during the whole ordeal without a problem... ^^;;;
Both Eriko and Rei train very hard and Minako starts to remember bits from the accident. One day she goes to take a nap and when she wakes up, she has her memory back! However, she acts like if the accident would have never happened and leaves for "her" house. Kosuke finds out and locks her up (if she has her memory back, all property from Eriko's father will revert to her and Kosuke will lose everything). Meanwhile everybody looks for her, even though Eriko is supposed to go to New York the following day!
Kosuke confronts Minako and tells her how he always was very envious of his brother (Eriko's father). He tries asking Ryoko for help, but she kicks him away. Uchida goes to the police to report the missing Minako while Yasuko keeps on looking for her. Kosuke's driver realices that he probably knows something about it but can't stop Kosuke from leaving for New York. Eriko goes to the Marine Dome and Kazuki finds her there, convincing her to go to New York. Uchida and Yasuko rescue Minako and take her to the airport just in time for Eriko to see her mother and know that her memory is back.
#36: Makenrou ni hibiku CANTATA.
Eriko and Rei arrive to New York. Kosuke calls Ryoko and tells her about his plans to buy Howard. Next morning, Eriko and Rei find Shogo in New York, but Rei doesn't look happy to see him there. He says he is there to record an album. The girls go to see Howard, who puts them in a theater stage and tells them to improvise. Eriko sings about all the love she has had from her family and friends. Her song is stronger than Rei's about all the years she spent without parental love.
#37: Ai to yasashiki no POLIPHONY.
It's night time and Rei's manager goes to Eriko's room asking for Rei. Meanwhile, Rei is walking around the city alone and wondering about the day's event when she is attacked by a gang and saved by her manager. Ryoko arrives to New York. Rei and Eriko go to the final audition in the middle of park (Central Park?). Kosuke tries to buy Howard off, but doesn't succed. The audition starts and Eriko and Rei confront each other until Rei ends up slapping Eriko and insults her. However to her surprise, Eriko slpas her back and starts to sing. Howard comments that Eriko is like a warm wind while Rei is a cold one... but he needs somebody that can be both. Rei repeats the slap and Eriko gives her the other cheek. Rei laughes at her and rushes into the park between the trees as she sings her bitter song. Unfortunately the gang is there waiting for her and catch her up... Kosuke saves her, screaming, "Don't touch my daughter!" Before her can say anything else, he is shot by one of the gang members so they can steal his money. Ryoko goes to him as he falls inconscient and confirms that Kosuke is Rei's father. Rei calms down as they take Kosuke into the ambulance and away, and sings a warm song, prompting Howard to tell her manager that he will do anything possible for Rei and her career--she has won the role. Eriko has a life actuation from New York for the TV music charts program. Rei and Shogo appear as well to her surprise and Rei makes amends with Eriko.
It's almost Xmas and after the audition, Eriko returns to Japan. In her radio show, she announces that no.1 sale is Hiroshi's single. She is surprised that he became so popular while she was in New York. Eriko and Minako move to their old house. As days pass, the press keeps on putting Eriko and Hiroshi as "the" confrontation of the year, especially for the upcoming "Best Novel Artist of the Year" prize. Eriko gets a new dress for the competition and life is wonderful, she even gets a card from Rei, who is training very hard for her role (or victimized, depending on your point of view ;). Eriko meets Hiroshi and tells him about their first meeting, when hearing him gave her strength to continue as an idol. Things start to get bad for Eriko when the day of the party presenting the contest, she wakes up unable to speak! The doctor says that it's nothing physical, probably stress from the audition and all that. At the party, Ryoko overhears them talking about Eriko's voice, and when Eriko goes onto the stage and makes playback, Ryoko crashes the party. However an old man crashes Ryoko's. Still, Eriko feels lost.
Everybody tries to cheer up Eriko. The day before the competition the old man visits Eriko with a healer. The woman touches Eriko's throat and tells them that the following morning Eriko will have her voice back. After they leave Eriko's house, it turns out the healer is fake and they just tried to make her believe that she is healed. Ryoko is with Hiroshi and laughes about being able to defeat Minako. Meanwhile Rei gets the good news that her father is doing better in the hospital. Next morning Eriko has her voice back. At the concert Ryoko is disturbed that she got her voice back, but Hiroshi is happy. As Rei sings right after the New Year, Eriko sings in the competition. Eriko sings with all the warmth from her heart, thanking all her friends and everybody who helped her, and wins.
#40: Sasayaka na SYMPHONIC SUIT.
Rei has her own appartment in New York, and Minako is now the president of Tamura Productions. Shogo visits Rei and they hung around together. Ryoko writes Rei that she and Hiroshi are now in Kenya, and even though she doesn't love Kosuke, she does love Rei. Kosuke finally wakes up from his coma thanks to his memories of Rei. NOTE: This is the episode in which the "second part" of Eriko starts. It has new songs.
Eriko and Ijuuin go to a ski resort (Eriko can't ski for her life... ^^; ). In one of Eriko's falls, she hurts her ankle and a guy helps her. Next day she recognizes him as a worker in the place where they are staying. During the night, Eriko enters a ski competition with other idols who don't seem to have ever seen snow as well. After that, she sings one of her new songs. Meanwhile a man approaches the guy who helped Eriko (Kei) and they fight. Eriko sees this and hears Kei telling the man he is not going back. Eriko learns that Kei, real name, Tetsuya, is an action star who left the business. Eriko talks with him and he explains that he left because he felt like a simple robot. That night Eriko goes to a big hotel and while escaping the press, an explosion happens and she gets stuck in one of the elevators. Tetsuya enters the bulding and helps the other people in the elevator escape. However Eriko and he end up having to jump... He decides to go back to the movie business after this.
#42: Koi ni Koishite PASTORAL.
One day after school, Eriko meets Asami. Asami tells Eriko that she has fallen in love with a guy she always sees in the train--but has never actually spoken to him. During school, Eriko discusses with the classmate who is fan of Rei and dislikes her. Eriko looks around and wonders about all the "normal everyday" stuff she is missing. After a concert, Eriko finds Asami waiting for her; it turns out she saw the guy with another girl! Eriko convinces Asami to confess her feelings to the guy, but she is gently rejected.
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