Yes yes it's about praise 🙃

It's comforting to see John and Shaun trying their best to help Kate out especially John, since he has a crush on Kate. I hope they'll find enough clues to narrow down who's the culprit behind the phantom incident, so Kate can catch him and stand a higher chance of becoming a star Bearer

The Shadows being influenced by their living dolls reminds me of a similar concept from Xenoblade Chronicles 2. If you played that game, you should know what I mean.