The sixth episode of the Fuji TV Wednesday 10pm drama "If This World Were a Stage, Where Would the Dressing Room Be?" (Wednesdays at 10pm), written by Koki Mitani and starring Masaki Suda, aired on November 5th. The episode included a scene in which Rika (Nikaido Fumi), a dancer at WS Theatre, sternly confronts Juri (Hamabe Minami), a shrine maiden, after the opening performance, which sparked a stir on social media.
◇The following contains spoilers.
Episode 6 begins at the WS Theater, where Kube (Suda) has just finished the opening night of his version of A Midsummer Night's Dream. He is greeted by Japan's leading Shakespearean actor, Koreo Reizaburo (Asano Kazuyuki). Koreo is a veteran actor who has appeared in numerous plays directed by Yukio Ninagawa, whom Kube admires.
Kube is deeply moved when he meets Koreo. When Koreo expresses some appreciation for Kube's version of "A Midsummer Night's Dream," an overjoyed Kube takes Koreo to the after-party venue. There, he sees Juri with a note in her hand. Horai (Ryunosuke Kamiki), who has a crush on Juri, invites her to the after-party, but it seems that Juri only has eyes for Kube.
And at the launch venue, Rika was waiting, looking at Hisabe in a new light...
Later, Juri, who was invited to the after-party by Hisabe, sat at the same counter as Rika. There, Juri shared her thoughts on the play, saying, "It was really wonderful," to which Rika asked, "What did you like about it?" Juri replied, "The actors looked like they were having fun," to which Rika pressed, "What? Can you tell if it looked like fun or not?"
Rika then asked Juri, "So, what kind of plays are not fun for actors, for example?" Juri replied, "Sorry, I didn't watch that much," to which Rika pressed, "I didn't watch that much... so when was the last time you saw it?" Juri remained silent, smiling in response to the relentless questioning, and Rika continued, "You know, in those cases, you have to say you didn't watch it at all, not that you didn't watch it that much. That would be a lie." Rika continued to press Juri harshly, and finally told her to "study a little more."
The exchange between Rika and Juri became a hot topic on social media. Comments included, "They're on edge," "They're on edge," "Rika's scary," "The women's battle has begun," "The girls' on edge is the best!", "Rika completely beat him up with just her words, she's too strong," "A showdown of the Asadora heroines lol," and "The exchange between Rika and Juri is thrilling."
