Oshi no Ko Season 2

Episode 24

Last week I was grateful Oshi no Ko didn't conclude the season on that devastating cliffhanger. Now I'm wondering if this week's culmination was even meaner. Although we found out what happened to Goro-sensei's body after all this time so he could finally be laid to rest, the discovery provoked more questions than it answered. Aqua may be content with the mistaken belief that his dad is dead, but now Ruby has two good reasons (Ai and Goro) to take up the mantle, represented by a malevolent black starburst in each eye. After so many banger episodes filled with nonstop character drama and unsettling supernatural phenomena alike, I have become accustomed to Oshi no Ko firing on all cylinders and I wasn't disappointed today. A deepening mystery that never lets up, combined with the world's creepiest idol music video, ensured that “Wish” ended the season on a strong note.

Siblings Just Talk to Each Other Challenge 2024: Impossible. While it's reasonable to expect a pair of twins who have experienced a deep trauma together to not want to discuss it and extend the pain, it really piles on the dramatic irony to know that both Aqua and Ruby hold different clues to the mystery of Ai's death—if only they'd share them with one another. Instead, they both talk to Akane about their suspicions. Combined with her well-documented brains, she's the character with the clearest view of the big picture. If only her hormones didn't get in the way! When Aqua tells Akane he credits her with finding Goro's body, she takes the repeated acknowledgment that Aqua is using her as the prelude to a breakup. But he kisses her instead, so now this fake-dating pair is going to try romance for real. Good for them, but the kiss has a way of erasing Akane's mind. In the bath, she's on the verge of connecting all the dots before she gets distracted by thoughts of kissing Aqua. “I get the feeling I was thinking about something important…” Yes, you were! Try a little harder to remember, please!

If my “good for them” doesn't feel entirely sincere, it's because I have made no secret about rooting for Kana. Poor Kana! Not only does she not have a chance, but she has to live with that knowledge after Akane, who is usually great at reading the room, absentmindedly reveals it to her while half of her brain is still pondering the twins' mystery. I am still mad about two weeks ago, when Aqua dated both Kana and Akane, and somebody told me (correctly!) that Aqua speaks with Akane like an intellectual equal, but treats Kana like a child. Kana's not dumb; Aqua just doesn't see her charm yet! The rest of the world is about to, though. During the POP IN 2 filming, Anemone notices right away how Kana's drive makes her an appealing idol. Meanwhile, Anemone thinks that Ruby is “boring" to film, at least at first. After Ruby inherits the revenge drive, her haunting black starburst eyes unnerve the otherwise cutesy music video. It's my favorite type of horror—psychological—where a feeling of unease permeates an otherwise normal setting.

As for the person(?) responsible for Ruby's transformation, Crow Girl finally has a name in the credits! Instead of “? ? ?” she is now “Tsukiyomi,” which happens to be the name of the moon god in Japanese mythology. Is she literally a fickle god who comes down to earth to mess around? We don't know that yet, but thanks to Tsukiyomi's intervention, Ruby now knows a lot more.

Tsukiyomi dropped a vital clue about Dad's age. Read them again: those subtitles did not say “middle-aged,” they said “middle school-aged.” In other words, Pops was orchestrating the murder of his kids' mom before he was even in high school. I was imagining an Anakin and Padme age gap here, but since Ai gave birth at 16 and middle school goes up to age 15, they were probably canoodling as 15-year-olds. Not that it makes this situation any less messed up.

This episode was a rich text, and I spent a lot of time rewinding to check things because every moment felt imbued with vital clues. When Ruby shed an inky tear into the water, the scene was so significant that I rewound to see if it was in the shape of a crow (I was overthinking it at that time). Later at the shrine, I heard the prayer mallet hit the wood 7 times, but there were only 6 travelers—could the 7th be a prayer for Ai? Then there was the ending sequence overlaid with glitch imagery. Could it be another detail meant to unsettle, like Ruby's vengeful eyes in the otherwise innocent music video, or a sign that everything is about to change?

Since Oshi no Ko reveals its supernatural elements sparingly, they hit like a punch when they impact the story. But what really jolted my senses was that final, bloody scene featuring an unknown woman with stars in her eyes and a much older-than-middle school Dad. Not only is he still out there, he's still killing! Who was this woman and why did she have to die? Knowing he's still active raises the already high stakes even more. It's a small blessing that Season 3 has been officially announced, but with an ending teaser like this, it's going to feel like a very long wait.

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Oshi no Ko Season 2 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.