Rating: B+
Oshi no Ko has never been a series that pulls its punches when it comes to commentating on the entertainment industry, and boy, this episodes hold nothing back, either, as it delves deeper into matters concerning manga-ka and the process of transferring established work into other media. It’s so pointedly unflattering that much of what we see here has to be personal to the creators of the source manga and at least some of it is probably self-referential, too.
The centerpiece of the episode’s events is the two contrasting manga-ka: Sweet Today‘s Yoriko and Tokyo Blade‘s Abiko. The former is a more laid-back personality by nature, one who has a much-less-demanding monthly schedule and quite a bit more experience behind her. And while she claims she’s an introvert, she doesn’t act like one. The other is an inexperienced, socially awkward, and intensely-focused perfectionist who is on an inhumanly-tight (Yoriko’s words) weekly schedule. She has impressive vision but no ability to work with anyone else on it, hence leaving her to not trust assistants and do a work load herself that would normally require a whole team. And because she’s risen so far so fast, no one but her former boss/mentor Yuriko can get through to her at all when she’s convinced of the righteousness of her cause – no matter that her self-imposed loner work ethic is far from healthy.
Seeing Yoriko have an expanded role here is a pleasant surprise, as I was certain her season 1 appearances were going to be just one-shot deals. And the “two hours of sleep a night” thing when on deadline that Abiko mentions probably isn’t much of an exaggeration; in an essay, Hayao Miyazaki once mentioned an anime editor he knew who would only sleep four hours a night on deadlines, and that was 45 years ago. I also find Abiko’s lament about how all the best assistants get sent to “big shots” to be bitingly ironic; does she not consider herself one, especially since she emphasizes how many copies she has in print? The back-and-forth between the two when Yoriko goes to visit Abiko is easily the highlight of the episode, as both let all their feelings and frustrations hang out there in one impressively snappy exchange. Kudos to voice actresses Shizuka Ito (the voice of Sailor Venus) and Ayane Sakura (MHA’s Ochaco, Attack on Titan‘s Gabi) for how skillfully they escalate that exchange.
The other main point of the episode is something I expected in last episode’s review: that Abiko really has no idea what she has gotten herself into with the script writing. That point is impressed hard on Aqua when Akan taking him to a 2.5D musical (at a theater which actually exists in Tokyo) winds up with him being bowled over by what can be done with the format. How could someone literally raised on film editing not be profoundly impacted by something like that (even if us viewers only get the barest taste of it ourselves)? In his typically-analytical nature, he can instantly see why someone not familiar with the format could never successfully take advantage of the format, and that just further backs up how raw a deal scriptwriter GAO was getting served last episode. Given that, his secret weapon to break the writing impasse being to get Abiko to see the same 2.5D show herself is a completely logical move.
It was also nice to get a reminder that Ruby and MEM-cho still exist in the story, even if their scenes were just to remind us that that part of the story is in a holding pattern until the play part ends. Akane also looks better with her hair longer in these episodes. The little touches of humor there and in Yoriko’s reactions to Melt add in the series’ regular light-hearted touch, too.
Overall, this may not be one of the series’ most impactful episodes, and the rough edges on the artistry show a bit more, but it still does its job well at delivering its core points.
USA Anime 