Oshi no Ko

Episode 11

Call off the riot, everyone: It's now officially confirmed that Oshi no Ko is getting a second season. It's a good thing too, since “Idol” didn't feel like a conclusion at all; a blow that could only be softened by the announcement that it isn't one. Since this episode concludes one arc and kickstarts another, it mostly serves as a convincing ad for Season 2, rather than a satisfying episode within itself. As the B-Komachi performance ends and the curtain rises on Tokyo Blade, this next arc in the show's future is promising not only because of the developing story but because the anime's production thus far has shown how vocals and movement can elevate Oshi no Ko to a higher level of art. As a manga reader, I also appreciated certain nods to the darker and more supernatural elements of the plot yet to come. “Idol” would have been a perfect episode 7 or 8, but as a season finale, it leaves me wanting more.

Before Ruby, Kana, and Mem-Cho take the stage, Oshi no Ko first builds up the anticipation by whisking us backstage among a chattering idol group before dropping us into the crowd to follow along with a group of idol fans both young and old. This multi-dimensional view of the concert hasn't changed much from the manga's portrayal; what's vastly different is the performance itself. B-Komachi's music and dancing literally add a new dimension to Oshi no Ko in a way that flat storytelling alone can't accomplish. We can pinpoint the moment when the veteran idol fan becomes a Ruby stan. We can see the way the girls' training has paid off as they hold it together despite sweating and breathing hard. We can hear how loud Kana's inner voice has to be to resonate over the music and roar of the crowd. And when Aqua does his straight-faced lightstick dance—an impressive callback to his viral toddler performance—the contrast of lively movement and severe expression makes it funnier in the anime. All the while, the twinkling star that represents Ai shines over the performance, just one more way the disparate details of abstract and literal storytelling unite to make this scene special.

Ruby may have gained a lot of fans during the performance, but it was Kana who once again stole my heart in this episode. Even though I've gushed about her these last few weeks, I somehow always have more to say. I am always finding new parts of Kana to love, and this week her most charming attribute was her awfulness. She always has a foul mouth, but there's a world of difference between a hurt Kana lashing out, and a smug Kana playfully taunting, like a cat batting a favorite toy. She can use her words like armor or play with them like a game, and we see her employ both: the former with Akane and the latter with Aqua. The discovery that Kana and Akane have a history based on mutual competition should not be a huge surprise considering that Kana's entire life revolves around power struggles. Her complex relationship with Aqua was sparked by her perceived “loss” to him as a child actor. As a professional, Kana may be ruthless, but when she was speaking to herself during B-Komachi's concert the mask slipped, culminating in a full-on crisis of the self on the stage. Why does she want to win so badly? She's craving validation. Usually, I'd call this a praise kink, but Kana's case cuts so deep that it's more like a praise complex.

After Aqua and Kana make up in their own style of sharp banter, the rest of the episode is focused on setting up the next arc. In order to get closer to his revenge, Aqua is going to be working with actors from the Ai-connected Lala Lai theater troop on a stage play of Demon Slayer—er… Tokyo Blade. There's some dramatic irony at work, known only to the audience and the emotionally astute Mem-Cho, that Akane and Kana will be playing rivals in love both on stage and off. We aren't going to see the payoff of this arc for a while, and that makes it bittersweet. Thus far there's no indication of when the next season of Oshi no Ko will come out.

The end of the episode offers a nod to the darker elements of the show, reminding us that it's not only the entertainment industry that is ruthless; Ai's killer is still out there somewhere. The music drop at the end of the episode follows a short sequence with the Ai puppet from the music video for “Idol” and it represents her, too: putting on a show, getting tangled in strings that surround her, and then death. The puppet's black eyes echo the most gruesome, disturbing frame in this whole show: Ai's trademark starry eyes, completely devoid of life. A few final shots of our main cast looking badass and… well, that's it. We're in for a long wait and this non-finale doesn't make it any easier. That said, if this season weren't so consistently excellent at elevating the manga to the next level, I wouldn't be so disappointed that it's over.

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Oshi no Ko is currently streaming on HIDIVE.

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