Oshi no Ko Season 2

Episodes 12-14

Re-reading my reviews of Oshi no Ko's first season last year, Oshi no Ko Season 2 is a whole different ball game (and not just because we probably won't see Aqua and Kana play catch this time). Now that the show has shown more of its hand, it's no longer a tough sell to be met with skepticism. Now, we have a pretty good idea of what we are getting into: a revenge story set against the ruthless backdrop of Japan's entertainment industry. As this season launches directly into a storyline about adapting manga to the stage, it's about to get very, very meta.

Anime-onlies: who was surprised to see Yoriko-sensei return to play such a big role in this arc? The Sweet Today live-action adaptation may be long over, but it still delivers repercussions to the world of Oshi no Ko. The Tokyo Blade mangaka, Abiko-sensei, saw what happened when Yoriko left her work to the pros; now, she's determined to do everything herself. They're two sides of the same coin: Yoriko is too yielding, and Abiko is too aggressive. The correct path writer Aka Akasaka seems to be implying here is somewhere in the middle. As both characters voice their opinions on adapting manga, it's difficult not to see Akasaka himself discussing his own experiences. The Kaguya-sama: Love is War creator saw his work transformed into a critically acclaimed anime and a not-so-great live-action, so his real-life experiences echo these fictional creators. And when Yoriko bluntly tells the crew, "weekly manga is not a job suited to humans," it's hard not to think about how Oshi no Ko is a two-person effort (beautifully drawn by Mengo Yokoyari). However, Akasaka's previous manga was a solo job. If this arc feels emotionally true to life, that's because it probably is.

It's a record-scratch moment in episode one when Abiko-sensei requests a total rewrite. Episode two justifies her seemingly unjust request and offers sympathy to creators navigating a telephone game of indirect communication with a screenwriter. Then, in the third episode, it becomes clear that GOA, the screenwriter, didn't deserve what episode two dished out. Like most of the previous arcs of Oshi no Ko, the lesson seems to be that everyone in the entertainment industry is just trying their best. There are no bad guys here, only conflicting motivations. (Except when it comes to Ai's killer… we must presume.) Abiko may be an endearing weirdo genius, but she's not perfect. She's slowly killing herself on two hours of sleep a night because she can't hand over control to even a manga assistant. Yoriko rolls up her sleeves to help Abiko meet a tight deadline, and the two artists (one drunk, one inhibited from lack of sleep) tear into each other, expertly targeting each others' weak points in the way only the oldest and closest of friends can do. The voice acting in this scene was remarkable, threading the needle well between outright aggression and affectionate banter.

But the real mastermind of the episode is Aqua, who downright Columbo'd Yoriko with just one more thing to hand Abiko: a ticket to another of GOA's plays. Only Aqua can know if his plan-within-a-plan is going to work because we, the audience, were not actually treated to any scenes from the Prince of Tennis Smash Heaven play. We only know it's any good because Aqua said so after he watched it: a disappointing use of telling instead of showing. After watching episode 3, I looked up 2.5D plays, more often referred to under the brand StageAround. Since they can only be performed at theaters with specific tech, there aren't many in the world. There's one in France (this TikTok video shows what it looks like), one in Holland, and one in Tokyo (of course). American viewers will have to wait for the still-in-progress StageAround theater to be built in Las Vegas.

This is my one disappointment with an otherwise strong start to a new season of Oshi no Ko. This is an arc about adapting manga, which has me on high alert for how the anime elevates the source material. My favorite change so far has been in episode one, when the anime added bold splashes of color to the rehearsal scenes to show each actor's unique energy. A close second is in episode three, in which the two manga creators' voice actors perfectly captured the tone of their back-and-forth. Elsewhere, I see missed opportunities. There's still a chance for the anime to show us more of a 2.5D play than the manga did, and I hope it takes it.

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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.