Episode 6

Because It's Sentimental SAGA is the sixth episode of Zombieland Saga.

Synopsis
While searching for details about the "Saga Rock 2018" festival, Ai discovers that her former group, Iron Frill, will be part of the event. Later, when Franchouchou organizes a photo shoot with a small group of fans, Ai and Junko clash over their different concepts on how idols should interact with their fans. Sakura learns how much Junko worked hard to become an idol in life, only to die in a plane crash before her first tour. Feeling that her "old-fashioned" mentality about idols hampers the other girls, Junko contemplates leaving Franchouchou. Meanwhile, Saki She learns from Ai about how her death by lightning during an outdoor concert left her with a lightning phobia and a determination not to be overshadowed by her own death. The next day Kotaro announces that Franchouchou will debut in the 2018 Saga Rock, with Ai and Junko forming a duet, an announcement that causes discomfort for the girls.

Gossip journalists
This episode begins with journalists looking for franchouchou information on their website, it is seen that they have 666 fans, We see a scene with franchouchou practicing for a new concert that will have Ai and Junko as main singers, this one stops because they are slow in some parts, sakura has a flashback of Ai,

The bathroom and the spy
While Kotaro bathes, he realizes that he does not have a shampoo and asks for more of it, while Franchouchou uses his computer without his permission, to which Sakura says that they should not do this, Ai says that she has done this three times before, and she mentions that she doesn't want to see her website again, meanwhile Tae brings a limpid jug to Kotaro, because Ai surely asked Tae for the favor, While investigating franchouchou she looks for bigger concerts they can go to and Ai and Junko have a little clas of their ideologies, Ai wants the group to be more risky while Junko is more conservative.

Kotaro appears saying that franchouchou has fans and that they finally begin to shine, he also learns Sakura for wanting to teach him how to dance, Ai and Junko have another little generational touch, Kotaro tells them that he has something big prepared.

It is seen that people like Tae because of the commercial in which she crows, Okoba is seen in the background, then they make them take photos with their fans and sell products, Ai is shocked by the flashback of a camera, Junko refuses to participate saying that idols should shine only on stage.

Stupid zombies
Kotaro gets angry and scolds them when they arrive at the mansion, Ai and Junko discuss ideologies from different times which causes them both to leave the basement, Ai goes to the balcony and sees a flashback of her looking for information about herself, she argues with Saki and Yugiri making Lily cry because she says they are not friends.

"Shocking" deaths
Junko goes to the beach and talks to Sakura about how different things are, it is revealed that Junko died in a plane crash, she says that she will overcome everything and that she will get ahead despite everything because she wanted to be great in life but unfortunately died.

Ai is seen walking and has a panic attack by lightning, Saki finds her and tells her that everything will be fine, at night it is seen that the rain took off her makeup, Saki talks to Ai and she reveals that she died by lightning when it was her glory time in japan, the stadium in particular is located in Tosu.

We return to the mansion where Kotaro mentions that they will go to the Saga rock, which is an open-air concert, causing discomfort between Ai and Junko.

Appearances

 * Sakura Minamoto
 * Kōtarō Tatsumi
 * Saki Nikaidō
 * Ai Mizuno
 * Junko Konno
 * Yūgiri
 * Lily Hoshikawa
 * Tae Yamada
 * Romero
 * Shinta Okoba

Synopsis according to Kotaro's diary
"Fans came to Franchouchou, this is also a skill of producer Kotaro Tatsumi. 

''Let's have an interaction with a fan here, even if that heart hurts. Even if you make full use of digital, you shouldn't forget the strength of analog connections.''

If you really have fans in front of you, your teamwork will get stronger.

''Perfection ... It's time for the shower. "''

Trivia

 * The " Saga Rock " festival is a real-life musical event event held in Saga, Japan.
 * In this episode it is revealed to us how Junko and Ai died.


 * Although still tragic, Ai's death through a massive lightning strike in the middle of a concert is a truly epic way of dying.
 * Saki: (after hearing Ai's story) Shit, girl ... that's really legendary!


 * Ai and Junko's deaths were very horrible, but how can Ai remember being struck by lightning? In real life, lightning strikes don't usually kill instantly, and have been described as "100 shots from inside." Ai was still alive on that stage, all of her nerve endings screaming in sheer agony, until her charred body finally collapsed in front of her fans. She might even have lived long enough for paramedics to get there. To think how many were traumatized by life when seeing that live.


 * While Ai's death was painful both physically and mentally, Junko's death was probably even more painful, especially when it comes to her zombie mentality and personality. Considering that Junko was trapped in a plane crashing directly to the ground, she was forced to hear the painful screams of many, many passengers who succumbed to a sudden death alongside Junko. While Junko was much more confident when she was human, the entire death experience she went through literally broke her mind. This explains why Junko is the most cowardly, shyest, and quietest of the group. Because she never got over her traumatic death.

Funny information

 * When Lily asks if the gang has a home page, Ai confirms that it does, but refuses to show it: " Because it's so unfortunate that you want to die. Even if we are already zombies ."
 * We've seen her home page during the opening scene with reporters, and it's exactly as boring as she describes.
 * Both Yugiri and Junko show amazement at the strange box called a computer. Yugiri even hits the monitor with her kiseru, at which point Ai tells him to be careful or she will break it.
 * Tae is tasked with distracting Kotaro, who is busy taking a bath. The process is quite simple: you run out of shampoo and Tae has to replace it. She gives him a bottle of soap to wash clothes first, and then she tries the soy sauce.
 * Ai casually mentions that this is the third time her time has been stolen from the computer, implying that she asked Tae to do this earlier and that it somehow worked. However, in the next episode, it turns out that Kotaro knew this and apparently decides not to stop them from using the computer.


 * Kotaro once again has the girls lined up for a crazy conference, this time with him acting like a kabuki actor. The only one who shows interest is Tae, who is trying to imitate the movements.
 * The dubbed version has Kotaro's 'kabuki' impression which is much more falsetto, which is much more fun to listen to.
 * Kotaro manages to lure Sakura one more time by pretending not to know how the dance works. Sakura, always the helpful soul, tries to show him gently.
 * Junko expresses confusion about the concept of a photo shoot, with digital cameras compared to Polaroids. Yugiri, on the other hand, casually explains that she is just confused.
 * Yugiri's posture of "Confusion" becomes more fun when you consider the fact that she is often seen pulling drags out of her kiseru, which was historically used not only for tobacco but also for opium.


 * The concert and photo shoot have tons of fun:
 * After a concert, Tae once again does the cock-a-doodle-doo, winning fans in the process. The other girls just look at her, not believing her fame enough.
 * Franchouchou towels have pictures of Rosemary in cute Sanrio art style printed on them. When they see this, the girls are very puzzled.
 * Tae's photos from the photo shoot make her try to pose ... and, well, she can't. Yugiri, on the other hand, has poses straight out of paintings from her home era, and from people who look on with some surprise and confusion.


 * One of the commercial bumpers shows Tae drooling immensely on a plate with lots of cookies while Yugiri has a look on her face that says "Really?".
 * Sakura tries to catch Junko's hat after she rips it off her head. She falls facing the ocean.
 * While it happens during a serious conversation, Sakura reacts with confusion when Junko calls a TV a "tube" like a person who grew up before flat-screen TVs would.
 * Saki's reaction when Ai tells her that she was killed by lightning while acting and her burned corpse stopped in her final pose, cementing her as a famous idol, is funny and moving:
 * Saki: Holy shit, that's really legendary.

Comforting

 * Lily takes a moment to make sure Yugiri is up to date with all the modern tech chats. It is small, but it shows that she recognizes the difficulties that Yugiri must be having and the bond that they have been making deep down.
 * Yugiri returns the concern later, comforts Lily after Ai escapes, and makes sure Saki goes after the ancient idol. There's a reason they call her Big Sis, and it's not just her age.
 * Ai and Junko, independently of each other, remember their previous careers. Apparently, despite their tragic endings, they were both very happy entertaining the masses. And to tell everyone, they were adored by their admirers; Ai's death in particular made people cry for a long time.
 * Sakura chases Junko, even risking her makeup (and therefore security) to catch the girl's sun hat. Their conversation on the beach causes Sakura to hide her openly undead face underneath said hat, but does not leave Junko alone.
 * Junko concludes that she has to leave Franchouchou, for the good of the group. It is very tragic, but makes it clear that she is doing it for others since her time has come and gone.
 * Who is after Ai? Saki, it is true, Japanese criminal Saki, not only chases the girl but helps her to take refuge from the rain. She doesn't even mock Ai's fear of lightning, she only expresses a slight surprise and hugs her while explaining how she died suddenly.
 * Sakura and Saki meet in the middle of the night, both expressing concern for the group. Saki admits that if this were her old group, she would line them up and yell at them, but she also admits that she is not her old group and that is not going to work. All you have are your guts and your crew ...

Source of nightmares

 * Now we learn about the events surrounding the deaths of Ai and Junko:
 * Junko was heading to Saga until the plane she was traveling in crashed. I can't imagine what it was like to have to witness yourself falling from an extreme height, trapped inside a death trap as hundreds of people screamed for their lives before dying. Its impact on Junko's shy and fearful attitude is understandable.
 * Ai was struck by lightning during a performance and burned like coal where she was, in front of thousands of people and probably on live television. Ai's friends and audience were so completely devastated that even after ten years, they are still recovering from that traumatic event. She herself is now terrified of thunderstorms and acting outdoors.
 * Given her current states, it is implied that the immediate aftermath of her death were horrifying matters that left the remains of the idols shattered, with Ai charred to a point where her body was irreparably healed and disfigured beyond recognition except for the area of her eyes and hair apparently requiring her to be blindfolded when she was resurrected, while the plane crash likely cut Junko to pieces at the time of impact, thus looking stitched.
 * Both of them also show signs of post traumatic stress disorder when faced with things related to her death, Junko is afraid of heights, while Ai is afraid of storms and freezes when she hears lightning and thunder, implying that they did not die by instant

You will cry?

 * Ai and Junko's discussion of Idol styles in the sixth episode is heartbreaking, given the respect they had for each other before, and how much it tears the group apart by watching them fight. It is not even properly resolved at the end of the episode.
 * Junko's inability to interact with her fans stems from the belief that idols should be perfect, an ideal that worked for her entire life. She cannot understand how someone would follow a celebrity who was not an absolute ideal, and she believes that her inability to adapt means that she must leave the group for her own good.
 * If you really think about it, Junko's fears regarding getting up and approaching fans and wanting clear limits are completely justified. Today, Japanese idols market themselves, objectify, sexualize, and become something that fans feel they can own. Idols are not expected to actually have agency or humanity, and they are prohibited from doing things like entering into romantic relationships for the sake of being pure and maintaining an illusion of purity. Just watch all the news where idols are harassed by fans for daring to do things that normal people do, like getting a boyfriend. Today's idol industry tends to exploit young women for profit to project an image of holiness and satisfy an abstract demand to be available to all.
 * When Sakura finds Junko on the beach and asks if she belongs to a previous generation of idols, Junko replies that she should already be "an old woman". It's a little detail that takes home that all zombie idols died very young, and makes you wonder what kind of life they would have had if they had lived.
 * Ai's death was this in the universe. Seeing a beloved idol being suddenly shot down on stage in the middle of a concert was so traumatic that it is still sadly remembered by fans and her former group ten years later. It's even sadder to see Ai's reaction to the news when she realizes that the joy she brought to her fans in life, the one thing she wanted to be remembered for, was overshadowed by her sudden and brutal death.
 * Saki: Shit, girl ... [Your death was] really legendary.
 * Ai: That's not the kind of legend I wanted.


 * It gets much worse if you mechanically resolve the details of her death to avoid relying on the Artistic - Physical License. One of the articles posted online indicated that she did not die instantly on stage, but on her way to the hospital. Rays can reach temperatures five times higher than the sun's surface, but they can still survive and may even be lower depending on the period and route of exposure. Ai appears to have been hit by "high current rays", also known as "hot rays"; a sustained arc actually known for being able to completely carbonize large objects. Given the degree of exposure she suffered, even if she wasn't killed directly, she would certainly do so, they were instantly unconscious at a speed that she could not have perceived and, consequently, would not have had the presence of mind to develop her reflexive phobia; she would not have known. The only way could have gotten it is if the poor girl, instantly knocked out and almost charred, somehow clung to life enough to regain consciousness in the ambulance, where she would have been powerless in absolutely unthinkable agony as she watched the paramedics simply go through the motions for any length of time it took her to finally let go, knowing she couldn't be saved. So far on the show, all of the other girls appear to have had at least quick and relatively painless deaths, but Ai would have suffered horribly.
 * Ai is caught in a storm, and her perfectly justified fear of lightning has curled her up and unable to move in the middle of a highway. Even after Saki finds her and shoves her into a gaming team, she is still visibly terrified.

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Because It's Sentimental SAGA