Oshi no Ko

Episode 3

Here's the thing about a show that purports to be a dark look at the entertainment industry: it doesn't need to veer too far from reality. As we learn this week on Oshi no Ko, the industry's current state is already plenty dark as it is. “Manga-Based TV Drama” is an episode about making an episode, a recursive deep dive into how your TV entertainment sausage gets made, and not all of it is pretty. This world-building episode relies on heavy dialogue to introduce us to the life of an actor, on and off a TV set. But if you can get through TV 101, some tantalizing bits of drama reminds me why I'm interested in this story in the first place.

Hey Kana, do your shoulders hurt? From carrying this episode? Our former genius child actor carries the entire production of "Sweet Today" and the lion's share of this week's exposition. Oshi no Ko is (correctly) operating off the idea that most of its viewers are consumers, not creators, of TV entertainment and need a primer to understand the world that Aqua, Ruby, and Kana are now a part of. It's a bit meta as well, since Kana sees herself as a load-bearing actor in the show within the show, and she's also this episode's single most important source of information for the viewer. Fortunately, Kana, with her foul mouth, transparent neediness, and refreshing self-awareness of both of the above, is a relatable and likable character. I don't get sick of her, so I can forgive her sudden plot takeover. With her expressive voice acting, visual slapstick, and eyes that can go from twin galaxies to flat with judgment in a blink, she makes the constant exposition the show requires of her interesting.

After Kana barrels her way back into Aqua's life with her repeated pestering to hang out, it's not long before he's back on a film set. It turns out that Kana is working on I'll Go With Sweet Today, a live-action adaptation of a fictional manga that is one big Kaguya-sama: Love is War Easter egg. Intrepid viewers may remember the rom-com manga from Kaguya-sama season two, episode seven, in which the student council collectively bursts into tears over its bittersweet twists and turns. However, the TV adaptation has been so altered and tortured by its untalented cast that "Sweet Today" fans Ruby and Aqua barely even recognize it. This, too, is very likely an Easter egg, considering that the Kaguya-sama live-action film was polarizing and received criticism about the quality of its acting. This whole arc may be Aka Akasaka writing obliquely about his frustration with adaptations as an original manga creator.

Aqua's single-minded quest for revenge makes a powerful and intelligible motivator—we can see the moment the wheels start to turn in his head during Kana's casting proposal. This is the first time we learn about Ai's burner phone, but I already recognized the password from reading the headlines on ANN. Last week, Akasaka revealed on his Twitter account that he had written a new short story titled “45510.” It's in Japanese, and I can't read it, but perhaps it's got clues for Japanese speakers about the mysteries Ai held so close to her chest.

However, I HAVE been reading: I read the entirety of the Oshi no Ko manga (free and legal on Shueisha's MANGA Plus app). As a result, my reaction to this episode is more favorable than it would have been otherwise. In the manga, a few panels tell us about the stiff performance from the ironically named Melt Narushima and Co. But with unmoderated vocals and stilted choreography, the anime quickly brings that trainwreck to life. These so-bad-they're-funny scenes from "Sweet Today" help break up Kana's many explanatory speeches. And, lest you thought this was just a darker version of Skip Beat! (thanks to Lynzee for reminding me of this comparison), Aqua surfaces to add a much-needed dose of drama. He can't help but eavesdrop on the director's smoke break, where he's lurking to collect cigarette butts for DNA samples. He hears the director really laying into the cast—including poor Kana as if we needed another reason to like her. The black gleam in Aqua's eye makes it clear that Kana doesn't have a total monopoly on changing the show's whole mood with a glance.

I think Oshi no Ko was made to be a TV show. It's so recursive I can almost visualize the staff of Oshi no Ko sharing a sensible chuckle while Kana explains how the background staff work on "Sweet Today." Bogged down by its need to bring the viewer up to speed on the world of TV production, this isn't the strongest or most dramatic episode of TV. But the cliffhanger at the end suggests that it's about to go down next week.

Rating:

Oshi no Ko is currently streaming on HIDIVE.

Lauren writes about model kits at Gunpla 101. She spends her days teaching her two small Newtypes to bring peace to the space colonies.