The future of Remi Shirahana
With Yuuhi stepping down at the end of this year, it's likely that Teru will be the next top. It's not lost on me that Teru making top is my Remi's last chance to be top. She's already unusually old for a top musumeyaku, though not overly: Asuka, Mihoko, Fuu-chan, and Marimo Eri were roughly the same ken when they went top; Rui, Hibiki Mito, and Nagisa Aki were older. I'd say her chances are up in the air.
Of course I'd love Remi to be top, especially with Teru. She's an incredible actress, a wonderful dancer, and her singing improves with every performance. She and Teru, already great by themselves, are magic together. They broke my heart in Lilac Walls.
But as someone who loves Remi, (and Lord, do I love her) above all I want her to be happy. Too many musumeyaku have had amazing careers without being top (Alice, Ai, Sakian, Tacchin, Ami-san, Kyami, Minami, Nacchan, Taki-san, Kaori...) for me to think top is the only way to "win" in Zuka. And Remi looks so, so happy now. She and Beni obviously adore each other, and she's gotten NO boring roles. Her Paula made me think she was so delicate and broken a strong breeze would blow her away; her Nurse was a clumsy old lady stumbling around the stage and grumbling about young people; her Lynette was a cynical, angry woman out for number one. I cannot wait to see her be an insane, obsessed lunatic as Lucia and a ridiculous, besotted servant as Lisette. She's killed every role I've seen her in, right from the beginning in Young Bloods! as an airhead having a fight with her boyfriend, and since she's never played a similar role twice as far as I can tell, that's...amazing.
She's amazing. As long as Zuka lets her be amazing, as long as Remi is happy inside it, then I'm happy too.