Recap / Skip Beat Volume 15

Demons aren't meant to be knights in shining armor!

This volume contains the chapters:

• Act 85. "Suddenly, a Love Story- Section B, Part 3" ^note Vie Ghoul frontman Reino doesn't hesitate to make a move on Kyoko when he, the rest of Vie Ghoul, and Sho all cross paths outside the hotel baths. Kyoko has an unexpected reaction.
• Act 86. "Suddenly, a Love Story- Section B, Part 4" ^note Kyoko and Ren have a phone conversation where plenty of things are left unsaid. Sho decides it's up to him to protect Kyoko from Reino, but she doesn't want him around. Kyoko, Sho, Shoko, Itsumi, and Ren all worry... and with good reasons.
• Act 87. "Suddenly, a Love Story- Refrain, Part 1" ^note Reino shows up at the Dark Moon filming location, and Kyoko runs for her life as he uses his psychic abilities to hunt and trap her. Both Sho and Director Ogata set out to save Kyoko.
• Act 88. "Suddenly, a Love Story- Refrain, Part 2" ^note The race is on to find Kyoko and Reino. Sho and Director Ogata continue their search while Kyoko temporarily breaks free from Reino's psychic hold on her. But Reino refuses to give up that easily.
• Act 89. "Suddenly, a Love Story- Refrain, Part 3" ^note Director Ogata and Sho have caught up to Reino and Kyoko, and Sho is just about ready to kill Reino for threatening Kyoko. But Reino manages to twist the situation in his favor when he threatens to ruin Kyoko's reputation and "tarnish" the role of Mio that she's created. Kyoko decides she'd rather keep quiet than have Reino go to the tabloids and destroy her Mio. Sho tracks Reino down afterwards and beats him senseless for daring to go after Kyoko.
• Act 90. "Suddenly, a Love Story- *Repeat" ^note A cover story is given to the Dark Moon cast and crew about what happened to Kyoko, which leaves Reino out of the picture completely. Ren secretly arrives early and is reunited with Kyoko in his hotel room, but their reunion is interrupted by Sho Fuwa.

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Chapters in this volume provide examples of:

• Embarrassing Rescue: Kyoko hates the fact that Sho Fuwa was the one to rescue her from Reino.
• Fairytale Motifs:
  • The title page for chapter 86 features Kyoko as Little Red Riding Hood in a costume similar to the one she wore on the cover of volume 14. She's depicted asleep on the ground, clutching a wreath of flowers as the shadow of a wolf hovers over her.
  • The title page for chapter 88 depicts Sho as a knight/ gentleman holding a dazed Kyoko in his arms. Kyoko appears to have a vampire bite on her neck, while a spooky castle underneath a large crescent moon can be seen in the background.
• Flower Motifs: It's a shoujo managa after all. Most chapters have a few instances of panel backgrounds filling with unexplained flowers.
• I See Dead People: Reino claims to be able to see and interact with spirits, even those of people who are still alive. This is why Kyoko's grudge demons fascinate him.
• In Love with Your Carnage: Reino falls head over heels for Kyoko's dark side when a surge of her hatred-fueled grudge powers allows her to break free of his psychic restraint.
• Jerkass: Reino overtakes Sho Fuwa for the spot of #1 jerkass in the series when he stalks and attempts to assault Kyoko, for no other reason than to "steal her away" from Sho Fuwa. When Director Ogata and Sho arrive to rescue Kyoko and tell her to report Reino to the police, he encourages her to do so, saying he'll go to the tabloids and tell them that he assaulted Kyoko. He knows he's a bigger celebrity than she is, so the headlines will all read "Dark Moon's Mio Assaulted by Vie Ghoul Frontman in Broad Daylight." He knows the gossip will boost his career image as a bad boy, but Kyoko's reputation will be ruined - she'll only ever be known as the girl he assaulted, and audiences will never be able to see Mio as the powerful & independent character Kyoko created.
• Like an Old Married Couple: Sho and Kyoko again. They start arguing with such familiarity that the members of Vie Ghoul think the two must be dating, which Kyoko and Sho vehemently deny.
• The Only One Allowed to Defeat You: Kyoko is able to temporarily break free from Reino's psychic static because of her rage... towards Sho. She's angry at Sho because he was driven from the #1 spot on the charts by a handful of plagiarizing hacks. According to Kyoko, Sho must remain on top because the first person to make him feel defeat and despair in the realm of show business has to be her. She even refers to Sho as "exclusively her prey."
• Noodle People: Most characters in the series are drawn with excessively long arms and legs, but especially the prettyboys like Ren, Sho, and Reino who are supposed to be models/ actors/ pop idols.
• Poke in the Third Eye: Reino's psychic abilities extend to completely shutting down Kyoko's grudge demon defenses and psychically immobilizing/ restraining her when he finds her in the woods.
• Public Bathhouse Scene: The hotel the Dark Moon cast and crew is staying in has a traditional bath. When Kyoko goes to use it, she runs into Sho's manager Shoko. Kyoko is a little embarrassed to be stuck in the baths with Shoko, who Kyoko has previously referred to as having a "sexy dynamite" figure.
• Psychic Powers: Reino's are of the I See Dead People flavor - he also has the ability to interact with Kyoko's grudge demons, which are technically "spirits." On top of that, he seems to be able to track Kyoko without having to see her, as evidenced when he chased her through the Dark Moon filming location and surrounding woods - perhaps the result of Psychic Radar.
• Show Within a Show: Dark Moon is a type 1 example, where "characters are involved in the production of the show." The events of this volume take place as the cast and crew have traveled to Karuizawa to film on location.
• Stalker with a Crush: Initially, Reino's attention is focused on Kyoko because he believes that hurting her will be the best way to get to Sho. But once she reveals her scary side, he's equally motivated by his interest in her dark psychic abilities and the desire for Kyoko to direct her hatred at him.
• Visual Kei: Vie Ghoul seems to dress like they're about to go on stage even when they're just hanging out at the recording studio. Sho Fuwa is also a visual kei artist, but his "civilian" clothes are a lot more casual.

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