Oshi no Ko Season 3

Episode 10

This didn't feel like a penultimate episode and in its defense it wasn't one, not quite. With a one-hour special scheduled for the season's eleventh and final episode, Oshi no Ko's tenth episode is just a bit more setup before the really impactful stuff hits. “Private Audition” felt rushed in the way it dropped major plot points (like Ruby's casting and Kana's retirement) without fanfare, and at the same time painfully slow. All this, and even a post-credits scene, and the filming of The 15-Year Lie that defines this arc has yet to begin. The episode dropped some tantalizing suggestions about what comes next, just like episode nine did before it. It's all riding on the final episode to see if Oshi no Ko's complex machinations will culminate in a rewarding payoff, or if all this scheming will amount to nothing but smoke.

“Does acting count as lying?” Ruby asks herself before launching into the most honest portrayal of her true feelings that she has ever demonstrated. The sparkles in her eyes crackle like static as Ruby lets it all out, only to conclude with a “just kidding!” It's dramatic irony as Frill and Akane critique Ruby's audition, completely missing what the audience has known this whole time: the real performance is Hoshino Ruby's daily life. And Ruby has acted out that role so flawlessly all the while that Akane and Frill interpret Ruby's true self as a valiant, if amateurish, attempt. It wasn't until the end of the episode that I realized the true purpose of this scene: to remind everyone that Hoshino Ruby's original name was Tendouji Sarina. So when an advertising executive who is also named Tendouji shows up at the stinger, we remember to be shocked. It's clear that Ruby nee Sarina still holds a lot of resentment toward her busy parents who never visited her in the hospital. What's going to happen when they reunite at last?

It's nice to know that Akane and I are on the same page. Last week, I said Akane was the obvious shoe-in for this role because she relates to Ai the best, and Akane tells herself that almost word for word—that she can understand Ai better than her own daughter. Akane propels herself right into Ai-mode, and it's almost like she's acting as a medium for the real thing. There's no way Ruby would have a chance unless Akane nerfs herself, which is exactly what happens. The scene deflatedly concludes with Frill's hasty summarization that the trio decided amongst themselves to let Ruby have the role, so don't ask too many questions about it. The decision doesn't come down to acting chops. It's about one question: “Who can best portray Ai's will?” Depending on the actress, Ai might forgive her killer, or she might not. We're looking for a leading lady to act as a conduit, to serve absolution or ice-cold revenge at her own discretion. Ruby will stop at nothing to ensure that choice remains solely in her purview.

Kana's retirement is just as big a deal as Ruby's casting, but they're both sandwiched together in this episode. Kana devoted two years of her life to fulfilling Aqua's request, and that's not a surprise considering how she still acts when Aqua is even a little bit sweet to her. The panda metaphor is cute but strained in a way that makes me think I'm missing out on a Japanese language pun. Did anyone else hear something that sounded like the word “panda” when Gotanda said he needed Ruby to become a “real marquee attraction”? When Kana says she wants to become a “big time panda,” that might be the same pun in effect. Aqua should have stuck to panda facts, because when he started coming on to Kana and it was more than Kana could handle, it felt almost mean-spirited. After his breakup with Akane, Aqua said he was done with romance, so we knew he wasn't seriously pursuing Kana even before he mentally chided her not to take him at face value.

The way Aqua is making an enemy out of me, he should think twice before standing on a cliff overlooking the ocean. (Everyone in this series ought to avoid cliffs; there have been not only implications but overt cliff deaths multiple times.) It's here that Crow Girl corners him and taunts him with her sickly sweet voice, cloyingly perfect for this role in the way it drills into my brain. There's logic to the magical side of Oshi no Ko, Crow Girl insists, when she urges Aqua to consider why he was incarnated and Ai was not. Aqua is so certain that the reason is revenge, but is it? In your bog standard isekai, Ai herself would be the one reincarnated to enact her own revenge. As production finally begins (but not before one last aching scene as Ruby struggles to portray a moment in Ai's life that is close to Sarina's experiences), it's clear this is going to be one barnburner of a finale. What I'm hoping it gives us more than anything else? A hint about whether we're barreling toward the manga's disappointing epilogue, or veering off in a surprising new direction altogether.

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Oshi no Ko Season 3 is currently streaming on Crunchyroll and HIDIVE. Lauren is a freelance journalist with a focus on anime fandom.