Smells Like Green Spirit: Season 1, Episode 3 - Girls, Gossip, and Glitter (2024)

Futoshi Mishima, a high school student in a rural area, lives with his single mother and secretly enjoys cross-dressing by applying lipstick stolen from her dressing table each night.

At school, Mishima is relentlessly bullied by classmates for his long hair and effeminate appearance, with them calling him gay or girly.

A group of boys led by Makoto Kirino and Yumeno escalates the bullying by tying Mishima up with rope.

The bullies then cut off Mishima's long hair with scissors against his will.

They attempt to drown Mishima's head in a bucket of water, but he endures the abuse silently without fighting back.

Mishima returns home upset from the haircut but looks in the mirror and feels shocked at how cute he appears.

Later, Mishima loses his mother's lipstick and goes to the school rooftop alone to search for it.

On the rooftop, Mishima discovers Kirino holding the lost lipstick and secretly applying it to his own lips in the same way Mishima does.

Kirino admits he enjoys putting on makeup just like Mishima, apologizes for the bullying, and compares meeting Mishima to opening Pandora's box that unlocked his hidden self.

Mishima feels thrilled to find a like-minded friend and they bond immediately.

Kirino and his group stop bullying Mishima after they become friends.

Mishima and Kirino begin meeting regularly on the school rooftop during lunchtime, where they giggle about makeup and daydream about men, including the PE teacher.

Kirino opens up about his family struggles, revealing his father abandoned them for a mistress, leaving his conservative mother in pain, so he hides his sexuality to avoid hurting her further.

Mishima encourages Kirino to embrace his true self.

Kirino and Mishima discuss their future, agreeing they will settle down with women to fit societal expectations.

They talk about Yumeno, with Kirino suspecting Yumeno has a crush on Mishima.

They express uncertainty about the new teacher Yanagida, who shows unusual interest in Mishima.

Mishima and Kirino grow closer as friends, sharing dreams on the rooftop, with Kirino aspiring to go to Thailand as a gay haven.

Their neighbors notice their closeness and spread rumors accusing them of being gay.

Kirino's mother, enraged by the rumors and her callous control over him using his health as an excuse, confronts him about his hidden sexuality and fake life.

Frustrated and suffocated, Kirino decides to escape and asks Mishima to run away with him to Tokyo.

Kirino and Mishima flee to Tokyo together, leaving their rural lives behind.

In Tokyo, they encounter Yumeno, who initially makes flimsy excuses but reveals he intends to safeguard Mishima.

Yumeno hugs Mishima and they grow physically close, leading Yumeno to kiss Mishima.

Yumeno realizes Mishima looks feminine but is not what he expected, muddling his feelings.

Confused, Yumeno runs away from Mishima and avoids him for a while.

Nosy neighbors spread rumors about Yumeno and Mishima being involved, causing an uproar at Yumeno's house.

Meanwhile, Yanagida, the repressed teacher who was forced into a marriage he didn't love, transfers to the countryside and becomes enamored with Mishima.

Yanagida secretly observes the loner Mishima and uses the excuse of detention to get closer to him.

Yanagida's twisted personality emerges as a repressed pedophile, leading him to kidnap Mishima.

Yanagida attempts to assault and rape Mishima during the kidnapping.

Mishima escapes the assault somehow, as the marriage for Yanagida does not last long afterward.

Years later as adults, Mishima and Yumeno stick together, having fallen into an enemy-to-lovers relationship, with Yumeno accepting Mishima fully.

Mishima finds happiness and acceptance from family, living authentically.

Kirino faces a bittersweet reality, making choices shaped by life's constraints, separate from Mishima's path.

In the ending of episode 3, "Girls, Gossip, and Glitter," Mishima and Kirino share a tender moment of acceptance on the school rooftop, solidifying their bond as they apply makeup together and laugh about their dreams, while the gossip around them begins to swirl but doesn't break them yet.

Now, let me take you through the ending of this episode scene by scene, as the camera lingers on every brushstroke of lipstick and flicker of emotion in their eyes, building to a quiet triumph amid the glittering chaos of rumors.

The scene opens on the school rooftop at dusk, the rural sky painted in soft pinks and oranges, wind rustling the edges of Mishima's school uniform as he pulls a small mirror from his bag. Mishima, played with wide-eyed vulnerability by Araki Towa, sits cross-legged, his fingers trembling slightly as he uncaps his mother's lost lipstick--the same one Kirino had secretly used before. His face, usually pinched with the weight of classroom taunts, softens into focus, lips parting as he applies a careful layer of pink gloss, the color blooming vivid against his pale skin. He exhales, a mix of thrill and relief washing over him, his shoulders dropping as if shedding the day's bullying for this stolen ritual.

Kirino enters from the stairwell door, his steps hesitant at first, uniform disheveled from PE class, hair tousled by the breeze. Sono Shunta's portrayal captures Kirino's internal storm--eyes darting, jaw tight from the guilt of past torments he's inflicted on Mishima, yet drawn back by the pull of his hidden self. He freezes seeing Mishima, then approaches slowly, kneeling beside him without a word. Mishima glances up, no accusation in his gaze, just an invitation; he holds out the lipstick. Kirino takes it, his hand brushing Mishima's, a spark of electricity in the touch that makes both pause, breaths syncing in the golden light.

Kirino applies the lipstick himself, mirror in one hand, the tube in the other, his reflection showing lips transforming from plain to shimmering pink. A small smile cracks his tough facade, eyes lighting with the same joy Mishima knows so well. They sit shoulder to shoulder now, passing the mirror back and forth, giggling softly at first--then louder--as Mishima dabs glitter from a hidden compact onto Kirino's cheeks, the sparkles catching the fading sun like tiny stars. Kirino retaliates, smudging a streak across Mishima's nose, their laughter echoing freely, bodies leaning closer, knees touching, the rooftop their private world away from prying eyes.

Down below, the camera cuts to the schoolyard where classmates cluster, whispers turning to gossip: Yumeno, with Fujimoto Kodai's earnest energy, overhears fragments about "those two up there, acting all girly," his face creasing in confusion and protectiveness, but he doesn't join the murmurs. Yanagida lurks at the edge, Abe Alan's intense stare hinting at his repressed shadows, but he turns away without acting, the rumors buzzing like glitter in the air yet not reaching the rooftop.

Back atop, Mishima and Kirino lie back on the concrete, staring at the emerging stars, makeup still fresh on their faces. Mishima confesses in a whisper how this feels like finally breathing, Kirino nodding, admitting the bullying was his own cage, not Mishima's fault. They clasp hands briefly, pinkies linking in a childish promise, eyes shining with unspoken dreams of escape--Thailand mentioned in a dreamy sigh. The camera pulls back as the sun dips fully, leaving them silhouetted, bonded, unbroken.

As the episode fades, each main character's fate in this ending crystallizes: Mishima finds his first true ally in Kirino, his cross-dressing secret now shared, lifting his isolation and fueling his courage to embrace his desires openly in their hideaway; Kirino sheds his bully mask, his makeup passion validated, steering him toward authenticity despite the guilt of his past actions; Yumeno remains a watchful friend below, positioned to support without fully entering their world yet; Yanagida withdraws into his own darkness, his menacing presence checked for now but unresolved.

No, there is no post-credits scene in "Smells Like Green Spirit," Season 1, Episode 3, "Girls, Gossip, and Glitter" (2024). Video transcripts and reviews of the episode do not mention any content after the final credits.

No, "Smells Like Green Spirit," Season 1 Episode 3 "Girls, Gossip, and Glitter" (2024) is not family-friendly for children or sensitive viewers due to its strong LGBTQ+ themes, bullying, and emotional intensity.

Potentially objectionable or upsetting aspects include: - Depictions of school bullying and verbal harassment related to perceived sexuality. - Over-the-top portrayals of abuse and trauma. - Scenes involving cross-dressing and makeup experimentation among teen boys. - Emotional family confrontations over sexuality, including rejection or tension. - References to societal pressures and non-acceptance in a 1990s rural setting.