Oshi no Ko

Episode 4

All the best lies have an element of truth and the same holds for acting. This week on Oshi no Ko, Aqua channels Ai's genius to save the show. By using all the tools at his disposal and seeking out and exploiting real emotions in himself and the actors around him, Aqua proves himself to be no average thespian. Even when the setting of the episode shifts to high school, "Actors" is about the true feelings that hide behind the lies the characters tell themselves, Aqua included.

If you haven't already, I highly recommend finding a subtitled version of "Idol," YOASOBI's full opening theme for Oshi no Ko. The lyrics pay tribute to Ai and underline some of the core tenets of her life as a performer, including her hope that her lies will someday become true. Ai understood that a truly convincing lie needed a grain of truth. Even if she didn't love all her fans, she hoped that one day, she would—and that made it feel real. "Sure enough, acting is all about leaning into your emotions," Aqua says on set, echoing what Ai surely knew. To play the stalker, he dredges up his darkness. When Melt can't act like the angry boyfriend the scene calls for, Aqua insults his looks to fill him with real-life rage. And after Aqua clears the way for Kana to do her thing, she can't help but look directly at him while she delivers the requested look of a young woman in love.

“I don't have the talent the way Ai did… I'll use all the tools at my disposal,” Aqua says, stepping into puddles he was told to avoid to convey an unsettling mood. It's hard to believe that somebody so immersed in the duplicitous world of show business doesn't realize that in this case, Aqua is lying to himself. By being so resourceful, he's acting very much like his mother! Ai may have had one-in-a-million charisma, but Aqua knew she was also a hard worker. Aqua's primary character flaw is that he puts Ai on a pedestal separate from himself when really, they're family and more similar than he dares to admit. Aqua's impossible role as Ai's son and her reborn fan may often be an asset, but here it is a blind spot. For all his ability to read and manipulate others, Aqua's still got some soul-searching to do when it comes to understanding himself.

In the same way that Aqua digs up the truth to improve the other actors' performances, Oshi no Ko author Aka Akasaka uses real-life experience on a meta scale to convey a sympathetic manga author character. Yoriko-sensei is the Sweet Today author who is finally impressed with the last episode of her middling live-action adaptation (a true story that happened to Akasaka with his other major work, Kaguya-sama: Love is War). So much of Oshi no Ko is meta. At the Oshi No Sushi afterparty (that's got to be a pun), Aqua comments on the crowd, and Kana tell him, "Lots of people's jobs are riding on our performances." It's a winking acknowledgment of the many behind-the-scenes staff on this very anime.

Yoriko-sensei is particularly moved by Kana's performance—who wouldn't be? In that way, Yoriko is just like the rest of us. Once again, I had to use a Kana face for this episode's screenshot, and believe me, it was difficult to pick just one! These moments are where Mengo Yokoyari's character designs come to life. We aren't just told Kana is an actor; we see it. She spent the whole episode honing her craft with the best reactions imaginable, from the beginning of the episode in which she narrates her backstory as a washed-up child actor and her determination to grasp at any possible straw, to her sweeping gesture welcoming Ruby and Aqua to school. I particularly loved her smooth moves when she casually asked Aqua if he had a girlfriend—not for personal reasons, but because of liability concerns!

School may not be a movie set, but Ruby still prepares for it with all the care of an actor walking on stage. (While she may be less obviously duplicitous than her twin, Ruby is not without her secrets behind a façade!) With actors, idols, and models all over campus, this school is Hot People Academy, a point that hits home hilariously when Ruby and her classmate Minami check each other out at the same time. I had assumed Minami was blonde from the manga, so it was neat to see her sweet pink hair. I also assumed Frill had black hair. But with green hair and greener eyes, she looks positively reptilian. Perhaps her name is meant to evoke a frilled lizard? Another meta moment: Frill might be the most famous person at the school, and her voice actor, Asami Seto, might be the most famous person in this anime. You might recognize her as Chihaya from Chihayafuru or Raphtalia from The Rising of The Shield Hero.

By the end of the episode, two major changes are set up for the story: Kana is joining Strawberry Productions, and Aqua is set to star in a reality dating show. Aqua is slowly getting pulled into the world of acting despite himself, and the story becomes more engrossing as he gets entangled further into the web.

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.