Oshi No Ko” is known for its intense and dark themes, so it’s not so surprising if some of the episodes can be really traumatic. In this episode, we had a glimpse of this traumatic theme. This episode is a complete rollercoaster of emotions. At some point, they are cute and wholesome but also really traumatic.
The episode starts with Abiko watching a 4D stage play. Raidan approached her and asked if she enjoyed it, and she admitted she did. Later, Raidan said that the play was written by Goa, trying to emphasize Goa’s professionalism and suggesting that Abiko wouldn’t be able to match that level of skill all by herself.
She agreed to trust his work, but only if Goa would listen to her suggestions and work with her to fix any issues in the script. Surprisingly, they got along well and had fun working on the script together. Abiko’s expressions were especially cute.
Once the script was finished, some people were thrilled with it, while others were disappointed because their acting skills didn’t measure up. Aqua had a scene with Akane that required him to show strong emotions, but he was struggling with it because he couldn’t act emotionally. Arima went up to Aqua and pointed out some harsh truths, bragging about how she’d known him since they were kids. Akane felt a bit jealous of their interaction. Aqua then asked Arima for advice on how to convey emotions in his acting. Arima told him to think about how he would react if his mother were to die. It brought back his traumatic memories of Ai. Arima told him that thinking about his happy memories could help him to bring out his true emotions.
However, when Aqua tried, his trauma took over, reminding him that he couldn’t be happy because he failed to save Ai from being murdered. After that, Aqua collapsed. Arima asked if she should call any of his family. He asked her not to call his sister, as she’d be too worried, and to reach out to his uncle at Gotanda Studio instead. When they arrived, Aqua explained to Akane that he gets flashbacks whenever he tries to remember his traumatic experiences. He asked Akane to sit next to him as he had some work to do. As she sat beside him, she heard him calling out for Ai while he was asleep. Everything began to make sense to her, and she started to cry as she thought about what he’d been through.
Aqua and Akane’s interaction deeply touched me. Seeing Akane crying and her emotional response to Aqua deeply moved me. It was a very emotional and overwhelming scene that made my eyes tear up. This episode got the viewers emotional. Akane even said that she would stick by Aqua’s side no matter what. Her promise to stick by him during his tough times made the episode really special. It showed just how much feelings she has for him.
In this episode, I felt a mix of emotions all at once. I was happy seeing Abiko and Goa working together, and Aqua’s breakdown made me really upset. Overalls, the whole episode is impressive and I loved it.