Forum - View topicEP. REVIEW: Oshi no Ko Season 2
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MFrontier
Posts: 14411 |
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I'm glad Raida stood up to Abiko and put everything on the line to let her give GOA a chance. Though it probably helped that Abiko saw one of his plays for herself and can't deny his talent.
Not every script problem between an author and screenwriter can be solved via an overnight zoom script session, but at the same time it goes to show how well Goa and Abiko gel and how much they both know the work that they're able to work so well together and are happy with the final product. Dare I say they seem actually shippable together now? The good news is the script is ready! The bad news is it's a super challenging scrip that only the most talented of actors can pull off. Of course 98% of the cast are pros who are actually game to do it (especially Akane who finally sees the character she studied for realized in the script), but Melt is probably at the biggest disadvantage. Will he pull it off? Aqua has never claimed to be a great actor, probably because he only knows how to mimic people he's seen, which really doesn't lend itself to portraying a fictional character and their true emotions here. It was probably inevitable that the claws would finally come out between Akane and Kana over Aqua and they did here, though Kana kind of self-sabotaging herself by playing the childhood friend card. Also, well-intentioned, but giving Aqua the exact worst acting advice she could have given him. Though it must be flattering that Kana dominated Aqua's happy memories, even the ones that included Ruby. Just not enough to get through his guilt and PTSD represented by Ai's death and the specter of Goro. Gotanda always one of the most reliable male figures in Aqua's life. Akane's insane level of deductive reasoning return to put two and two together...but what matters to her is making sure Aqua is okay. She may be his fake girlfriend, but she still genuinely loves him. |
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Covnam
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I guess she was just caught up in the moment of wanting to help Aqua, but you'd hope she'd know to be more careful about mentioning dead parents to someone she knows is adopted.
(I think) I've said it before, but Akane would make a great criminal investigator (or similar profession). Her channeling her Ai persona as shown by her eyes in that moment was a nice touch. |
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jdnation
Posts: 2142 |
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Does she actually know/think they are adopted, considering they've been posing as Miyako's kids the entire time? Nothing in the show suggests she thinks that. |
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tintor2
 Posts: 2215 |
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I really liked the episode like the reviewer. Although I was kind disappointed by the lack of acting in a series that oversees every type of work, Aqua's memories helped to reestablish his character in season 2, making the really gruesome beginning of the series integral for his character but without doing it for shock value.
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NeverConvex
 Subscriber Posts: 2603 |
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This is the thing, for me -- maybe it's different in the source material, but in the anime, I don't think the scene parses all that differently if his PTSD episode is centered around him as a normal non-reincarnated kid viewing his mother's murder, and struggling with feelings of helplessness/survivor's guilt/etc. The idea that his trauma is more intense because of his past as a doctor, or because he already knew about the murderer, is intriguing, and I could see that being effective in a way that wouldn't work without reincarnation, but I don't think the scene in the show communicated that difference. At least, not yet; maybe it changes in the future. EDIT: Mm, and maybe I shouldn't just focus on the scene in isolation here, either. What time, really, has the show spent investing into convincing the viewer that one of the protagonist's main motivations is "I was a doctor", or commitment to the hippocratic oath, or something along those lines? Aside from the original premiere, I don't think we've spent any real time with anything even distantly related to that, so to suggest it is a carefully planned theme of the show (and just the show; 0 familiarity with the source) at this point feels like it goes beyond reading between the lines and into active head-canon. Good head-canon, FWIW, but nonetheless. |
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Series5Ranger
Posts: 47 |
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Without realizing it, Kana really went for the jugular on Aqua, Didn't she?
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Covnam
Posts: 3874 |
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As far as I could quickly find before originally posting, it's not a secret that they're adopted (Akane even mentioned it this episode, which is what brought on that train of thought, though I can't say if that was her speculation or stating a fact). So presumably Kana knows as well, especially considering their previous and current relationship. Though, no, while I don't think (in the anime at least) it's been specifically shown or said that Kana knows this iirc, she is quite involved with Aqua, Ruby and Miyako. So I think it's fair to presume without it being specifically said. |
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Key
Moderator
 Posts: 18537 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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They don't have the same last names as the person who's legally their mother, so them being adopted wouldn't be a stretch to figure out even if it wasn't commonly-known among those close to them. That aside, I thought back during the first season that Akane's intuition was sharp to the point of being scary when she goes into profiling mode, and here it's again almost as scary as the true horror scenes. Love the irony of how what she thinks is just a fantasy in her head is so dangerously close to the actual truth. Rewatching episode 15 also reminded me of one key detail that I believe only previously came up in episode 1: that Ai's family name was never made public. Indeed, in looking back through a few other episodes where Ai's name was said by someone other than Aqua/Goro, the only person who used "Hoshino" in association with her was her and Goro's killer. Always nice to see a series maintain details like that even though they'd only be noticed if viewers are paying very careful attention. Still, completely burying a family or real name is very difficult for an entertainer to do. By retaining and using their original family names, Aqua and Ruby almost seem to be challenging someone to make the connection between them and Ai. |
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jdnation
Posts: 2142 |
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While Kana is talented and even considerate of those around her, her character is also proud and childishly self-centered to the point of being dense and jumping to wrong conclusions. So I could easily believe such details about Aqua would easily have been glossed over by her. She doesn't really pry into anyone else's business and is big on privacy. Even when crushing on him, she never pried into the nature of his relationship with Akane until Miyako took notice and got Aqua to talk. So that's why I'm uncertain about whether she knows, or she 'knows' elementary details - Aqua's and Miyako's names are different - but hasn't put 2 & 2 together to make 4. Or she assumes some other family complication that Miyako kept/reverted to her last name despite marriage, while Aqua and Ruby took their father's. Aqua and Ruby never mentioned to anyone about their mother being dead, nor mentioned that Miyako adopted them, and likely both of them have complicated feelings over who specifically Ai is to them considering the reincarnation angle. In fact this episode was the first time Ai being associated with 'mother' resonated so strongly with Aqua. Honestly, I'm not sure the director guy who raised Aqua knows either, but I suspect that he either long suspected or is piecing it together based on the folders on his desktop. Everyone kept quiet to avoid scandal on Ai's behalf in the face of the tragedy. |
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TJ_Kat
Posts: 427 Location: Saskatoon, Canada |
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I agree with @NeverConvex that the reincarnation sub-plot still does not seem hugely relevant, even after episode 15. I honestly didn't even make the connection at first because it's a plot point that been largely forgotten about by the story, and because this is still anime where 'because reasons' is a perfectly valid explanation for pretty much anything.
Regarding whether Kana (or anyone) knows Aqua and Ruby are adopted, wasn't Miyako pretending to be their mother pretty much right from the start? Then when Ai died they just quietly changed their family registry to officially adopted them? So when Kana first met Aqua, wasn't Miyako also there as his mother, so wouldn't their past relationship make it LESS likely for her to know he's adopted? I didn't go back to re-watch season 1 before season 2 started, so I'm fuzzy on the details. I don't think their differing last names holds a lot of weight either. In a world of idols and actors, I don't think it would be unreasonable for Aqua and Ruby to be using stage names. And considering they're attending school together and are quite open about being brother and sister, I don't think it would seem unusual to anyone else at school/in the industry for them to be using the same sage name. |
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jdnation
Posts: 2142 |
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The reincarnation aspect does contribute to Ruby and Aqua's motivations, but, yes, you could also write their current age characters the same way without it. It was highly relevant while they were young children, currently only Aqua exhibits tendencies of an older man which is also evident in his methods and thought process. Ruby is more fit for her age, and her positivity stems from her memories of being a dying child in a hospital.
I believe at some point that they learn each other's prior identities. For Aqua, it might be a big deal to learn she is Sarina, and that revelation will be a very big positive for him, as he did become very attached to her. Similarly, Sarina was attached to him to the point of a childhood crush, but might be horrified to learn he died, and because of the same guy who killed Ai. And being her brother, she'd be happy, but also awkward realizing that her crush, who she hoped would someday see her as an idol, is now her sibling. That's going to all be tragically comedic! Considering all the genres that the story likes to flirt with, I could see some incestuous panic breaking out on Ruby's part... 
I do think that later arcs will make the reincarnation more relevant. For now, the series is good on the detective mystery and industry insights, and the relationship angles. The supporting cast also get their arcs and development. So it's fine. |
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minamikaze
Posts: 258 |
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Hmm, I'm a bit confused about the timeline.
When attempting to piece together Aqua's circumstances, Akane said that Ai died 14 years ago (in the original Japanese too, not just the subs). Aqua and Ruby are 16 years old, so 14 years ago they would have only been 2 years old, which seems younger than they were presented in the first season. Ruby and Aqua were going to nursery school and Ruby was in a dance presentation at the school. You don't do dance presentations with a bunch of 2 year olds.  I would imagine that it would be fairly difficult with 3 year olds too.
Also, Ai was killed right around her 20th birthday (when Ichigo offered Ai a drink when celebrating Ai's new apartment the week before she was killed, Miyako stopped him and said that Ai wouldn't turn 20 until the following week). Considering that Ai had the twins when she was 16, that would seem to suggest that it had been at least more than 3 if not quite 4 years since they were born. Both those circumstances gave me the impression that they had to be at a minimum of 3 years old (but probably more like 3 1/2) when Ai was killed, which with the twins' current ages made me think that Ai would have had to have been killed around 12 or 13 years ago but not 14. Am I misinterpreting something? Are Ai's and the twin's birthdays ever mentioned in the manga? |
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Key
Moderator
Posts: 18537 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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Ai was 20 weeks along and already 16 when she first saw Goro. Given that Akane pointed out her behavior changing at age 15, she probably got pregnant while still 15 and so wasn't far into 16 when she meets Goro. 20 more weeks would be a bit shy of 5 months, so she would have been around 16½ or not much past that when she gave birth. Since she died just as she turned 20 (that's the age the news broadcast listed her at), the twins are pretty firmly 3½ (or close to it) at that point. At the start of episode 2, the twins are 16, so 13 years have passed at that point. Akane saying 14 years in episode 15 actually isn't a stretch if you consider that most of a year has probably passed between episodes 2 and 15. (Sweet Today's filming and airing took at least 2-3 months, Love Now was at least as long or longer, and the girls trained and prepared for the concert for a couple of months after that.) |
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minamikaze
Posts: 258 |
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I could see that, but knowing their birthdays or at least birth months would make it easier to match up the timelines. After Ai's death, I think there was an "early" snowstorm which Aqua mentioned pushed her death out of the headlines, and it also seemed to be cold when Goro and Ai were talking on the roof of the hospital. That would seem to suggest that both Ai and the twins were born in the winter (sometime in Dec-Feb). So perhaps if Ai died in December, I could see how it could be seen as 14 years since her death, just looking at the year that it occurred. |
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Shay Guy
 Posts: 2377 |
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Having spent a lot of time obsessing over the Oshi no Ko timeline (I wrote a 1700-word Reddit post about it a year and a half ago)… unfortunately, it doesn't work out. I think "14 years" has to be conceded as a straight-up inconsistency, and not the last regarding that particular timespan. Ai's birthday probably is in December, but the twins weren't winter babies. By law, Japanese students start high school at the age of 15, and in episode 6, we saw Aqua's age given as 16. I don't know how long a season of a typical reality dating show like that would last, but from clues we have (the typhoon, the Tokyo Idol Festival knock-off in the next arc), that was maybe a month or three after the school year started. So I think the twins have to have been born between April and June, and yes, right now it should be just under 13 years since Ai's murder. There's other inconsistencies, too -- way back in episode 2/chapter 11 when Ruby applied to Not AKB48, the manga showed her age on the form as 14, when she should've turned 15 several months before. I'm also not sure Akasaka thought through how young Kana must've been when we met her in episode 1, given that the twins are stated to be one year old at that point and she's one grade ahead of them in the main story. There's also some more calendar info we'll get at the end of this arc that doesn't add up with the clues about how much time passes in the arc and Ruby's monologue at the start about how long it's been since the idol festival. More inconsistencies pop up later in the manga too, some even bigger, but of course those are more spoilery. |
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