It’s not a super hard shooter, just gotta memorize the tricky parts like the Showgirl or the moving tree (stage 4) etc. I would’ve had the clear on that last score but didn’t realize the doors close just before last boss. I was on my last life and didn’t make it through the doors in time.
Keeping your bell streak going is the critical part for score. Even when you get to 10k bell they are actually worth more after that even though they only say 10k. I think they give you 25k each after 10. You lose the streak by death or missing a bell, getting a colored bell won’t cost your streak but if you don’t need it it’s better to get the 25k.