Rating: B+
Looks like the trip to Miyazaki is being put off for one more episode because there are still some relationship issues to clear up (or muddy up further, depending on which girl we’re talking about). But a series like this one could never let a whole episode ride doing things as mundane as Aqua having what dates with both his wannabe-love interests. The darkness is never far away with this series, and hoo boy, does it pop up in a big way at the end of this episode!
Kana was my Best Girl at the end of the series’ first season (in fact, she was effectively my pick for Best Supporting Character in 2023), but she has been largely outshone by Akane this season. That doesn’t change as this episode progresses, as Aqua’s interactions with Akane in this episode are definitely more interesting and impactful than his interactions with Kana. Despite that, the shopping date Kana scores with Aqua is still cute and meaningful. Since they have reunited as teenagers, the series has hardly ever let us see what Aqua currently thinks of Kana; nearly every scene between them is either from her perspective or that of other observers. However, there’s always been a sense that Aqua is comfortable with her. They may snipe at each other at times, but as Ruby once pointed out, he acknowledges that she’s worth talking to, and he’s put no small effort into supporting her on various occasions. How far he goes with treating her to dinner steps beyond just being a thank-you for help shopping for a rolling suitcase, and I’m not so sure that Kana’s just in her headspace when she wonders if it’s a coincidence that his color choice is the same one her fans use for B Komachi performances.
Aqua’s dynamic with Akane is very different. They are both, to a certain extent, using each other for their convenience. Aqua’s more open about it to himself, enough so that the very intuitive Akane doesn’t fail to notice, but Akane is also using Aqua to sample what it means to be in a relationship (even if she won’t necessarily admit that even to herself). She’s deeply grateful to Aqua, and certainly empathizes with him, but she can’t firmly say she’s in love when Aqua confronts her about it point-blank. For anybody else, this could just be symptomatic of a teen girl trying to understand what love is, but Akane is both a consummate actor and a skilled profiler. The possibility that she’s just been working out a new role all this time can’t be discounted, even if she may not understand that herself.
But unlike Ruby and (to a lesser extent) Kana, Akane does fully understand the change in Aqua and what it means. She’s also quick to recognize what even Aqua himself hasn’t: the hole in Aqua’s understanding of the situation with Taiki’s parents. The abstract visual here of Akane reasoning that out is a neat, well-handled touch in the same spirit as certain scenes seen during the play, especially the ominous overtones that the scene ends with as Akane realizes that, for Aqua, truth and freedom may be inherently incompatible. Akane’s sense of the lurking monster in Aqua’s soul is especially effective.
Of course, this wouldn’t be Oshi no Ko without all of the accompanying light touches. Akane’s pouty face when Aqua admits that yes, he does actually have a sex drive is positively adorable. And of course Kana’s always great when she goes into full-blown Cute Mode, contemplates what to wear for the date, or freaks out over how far ahead of her Aqua’s been thinking and how out of control of the situation she is. Really, she just can’t get on top of the situation where Aqua is concerned.
And all of that serves to completely throw off the audience from being prepared for the episode’s real bombshell. Ruby has stood before Ai’s grave before this season in order to get in little snippets of screen time – or at least that’s what seemed to be going on. In retrospect, that was all a set-up for this scene, where we see that Ruby isn’t the only one who’s been visiting Ai’s grave. Even before he outright admitted it, that this other visitor was the true Big Boss was evident from the moment he appeared on the screen; if the music or meta structure of how these scenes play out hadn’t given it away, how uncannily even the side view of his head resembles Aqua’s, or how his hair color resembles both Aqua’s and Ruby’s (they certainly didn’t get that entirely from their mother!) would have. That he’s finally appeared at all almost overshadows the significance of him visiting her grave with a full bouquet of flowers in hand, as if she were still dear to him; after all, he did arrange to have her killed. But the attitude he displays is exactly what I’d expect for a person who could do that.
Likely Aqua and Ruby’s true father making a cameo is just a tease for now rather than the start of a plot point, though. And if the story doesn’t come back to that anytime soon, that’s perfectly fine. Just knowing that a monster like that is out there lurking around in broad daylight aligns quite well with the underlying tension of the series. Besides, the series has only two episodes left this season to deal with the visit to Miyazaki. (Although at this point I’m expecting the season to end on some kind of cliffhanger in Miyazaki.)
USA Anime 