Carole & Tuesday Episode 12 Review: We've Only Just Begun

Episode 11 left us with the biggest cliffhanger: Tuesday has just been kidnapped, just as the finals for the Mars’ Brightest competition are set to begin! This week’s episode sees the girls having to pass over another obstacle on their journey to stardom, but at what cost? Will the time apart strengthen their bond or is this the end of the road for the dynamic duo?

Plot

Tuesday’s been kidnapped and taken home just before the Mars’ Brightest finals are set to start. Her mother confines her to her room, giving Tuesday a chance to reflect on her time in Alba City and the impact Carole has had on her life. However, it isn’t long before she gets a little help from an unexpected ally… Meanwhile, Carole, Gus, and Roddy stage their own escape plan for Tuesday. Will the girls finally be reunited? And what about Mars’ Brightest?

Episode Highlights

Princess in a Tower: Tuesday is brought back home and her mother is none too pleased about her activities in Alba City, earning our heroine a week-long stay in her room. Rather than drag out her captivity, we’re treated to a montage of memories featuring Carole.

Tao Gives Angela Some Freedom: The Mars’ Brightest competition has done wonders for my opinion of Angela, since these past few episodes have done a great job of fleshing out her character. In this week’s episode, Angela explains that she started singing in an attempt to get Dahlia to acknowledge her and she even goes so far as to ask Tao to let her choose her own song to sing in the finals.

The Girls Reconcile: After making their daring escape, Carole and Tuesday reconcile, apologizing for taking each other for granted. Carole finally gets the opportunity to give Tuesday her birthday present, and it’s a guitar pin, a replica of her Gibson.

Mars’ Brightest Finals: This competition has been full of great performance that really show off the impressive musical talents behind the show and this week’s episode is no exception! It’s down to just Carole & Tuesday and Angela and while the girls are technically disqualified, they’re still allowed to perform and just wow! Both performances were spot on! Angela delivered a very emotionally charged performance of her song ‘Light a Fire’, and the girls sang the first song they ever wrote together, ‘The Loneliest Girl’.

Themes and Trivia

We’ve Only Just Begun: Episode 12 borrows its title from the 1970s hit single by The Carpenters.

On Air Discography

Carole & Tuesday is a music anime, so it makes sense that they’d have a number of great tracks featured in each episode. So, rather than bogging down the other sections with all the new songs, here’s a section dedicated to just the tunes of Carole & Tuesday!

The Loneliest Girl: Performed by Carole and Tuesday (Nai Br.XX & Celeina Ann), this was the first song the girls ever composed and hearing it again after everything they’ve been through… absolute perfection!

Light A Fire: Performed by Angela (Alisa), this is a new song from the singer and one that is much more personal and heartfelt than her previous performances. This is her statement song and it absolutely blew me away!

Threads: This is the interlude song that is played during the montage sequence early in the episode. It’s a folksy song that reflects the emotional turmoil of the girls during their separation. The song was composed by Eirik Glambek Bøe (Kings of Convenience).

Comments

The whole kidnapping conflict wrapped up fairly quickly, which begs the question: Why was it even included in the series in the first place?! For extra conflict? To shake things up before the finale of the competition? To remind us that Tuesday’s mom is still a threat? Most likely, it was to give the girls a chance at winning, because after hearing Angela’s performances… let’s just say the girls are out of their league. Don’t get me wrong, I love their sound, there’s an organic beauty to their songs and lyrics, but when compared with Angela’s drive, stage presence, and all-around talent… the girls pale in comparison.

That said, I am glad that despite being disqualified, Carole and Tuesday were given a chance to not only perform, but to also get a record deal out of it too. They’ve really worked hard, and it’s nice to see them finally seeing some success. It was also quite fitting that their final performance of the competition was ‘The Loneliest Girl’ since it reflects their relationship with one another and their recent reconciliation. But, Angela’s song… was the real showstopper! ‘Light A Fire’ is her signature song, it is the embodiment of all her experience and the struggles she has overcome to make it to the Mars’ Brightest stage. Regardless of the intentions of Tao and Dahlia, Angela just wants to leave her mark on the world and prove that she has what it takes to win! And that’s something I can stand behind.

Reunited, and it feels so good!

The girls have finally managed to snag a win and things are finally starting to look up for them. But, with success comes even more obstacles and only time will tell whether the girls have what it takes to make it in the music world!

I’ll be back next week with another Carole & Tuesday review, but in the meantime, be sure to check out MANGA.TOKYO’s other amazing Spring 2019 reviews!!

NEXT TIME: Walk This Way