Oshi no Ko

Episode 10

It's just about time for Kana, Ruby, and Mem-Cho to have their make-or-break moment. There are only a few days until the new B-Komachi debuts at JIF, and they could all use a boot camp to get them in tip-top idol shape. But while strengthening their bodies is as straightforward as following a training regimen, addressing their mental hangups about performing will be trickier. The penultimate episode of Oshi no Ko is titled "Pressure" because everyone's feeling it. As we ramp up to the season finale, Kana, Aqua, and Ruby each must get out of their way—or risk B-Komachi's revival resulting in a major flop.

With her impressive vocal capabilities, Kana is the obvious choice for B-Komachi's center. The only person who's not on board is Kana herself. In my review last week, I discussed how Kana's life in the spotlight has affected her self-image, stating, "Since she sees herself as a product, she only views herself based on how that product sells." Having grown up in showbiz, she understands that talk is cheap and executives only care about sales numbers. That's why she reprimands Mem-Cho and Ruby for trying to sway her with compliments and later tells Pieyon, "Everyone just throws out praise... despite knowing nothing about me." Armed with the "evidence" of her music career's lack of commercial success, she remains resistant to anyone's attempts to convince her of her talent. Kana is acutely aware of her flaws, acknowledging herself as "an easily-swayed pushover of a girl" and struggling to express compliments to others, noting, "Why do I always end up saying the opposite of how I feel?" While Kana can be perceptive about her shortcomings, it is precisely this vulnerability that makes her a likable and relatable character. Who hasn't felt like Kana at some point? It compels me to try and convince her of her greatness.

Knowing that Kana has a resistant and contrary personality is what compels Aqua to pull off a particularly over-the-top deception on the idol group. Somehow, he manages to fool these three women, who know him quite well—one is his sister!—into believing he is the bodybuilder YouTuber Pieyon. I previously mentioned that Pieyon's falsetto was irritating, but now I see just how important it was for making this plotline possible. There's no other way that Aqua's act could be so convincing that it fools the audience. I read the manga first, but I'd like to know when you realized something was strange about Pieyon. I think the trick unravels about nine minutes in when we get the big hint that Pieyon has the same build as Aqua, according to the surprisingly observant Mem-Cho. After that, clues in the audience, we get the visual payoff of Aqua's plan. Last week, when Kana refused a water bottle Aqua handed out to her. This time, when Aqua (concealed in his mask) hands Kana a bottle of water, she accepts it with her most dazzling smile. The show goes mask-off (pun intended) with Kana's excessive praise: "He's so darn nice! Nothing like that Aqua guy." Since it worked so well, it's hard to say Aqua was wrong to go to these lengths to hide his identity!

As the girls practice, we learn that Pieyon is part of the scheme, offering Aqua training tips from afar. (My lingering question: Does Miyako even know that Aqua is pulling off these shenanigans? Does she have any knowledge of her top performer being on vacation, at least?) As they chat, Pieyon compliments Aqua, suggesting he doesn't believe an average actor could pull off this impersonation—especially considering their noticeable difference in musculature! But Aqua immediately brushes it off, as he always does. Even when presented with clear evidence that he's an extraordinary actor, he refuses to acknowledge it. In that way, he's a lot like Kana. However, while Kana doesn't take compliments seriously because she sees her value only based on how much she sells, Aqua's mental hangups are a bit more challenging to pin down. Part of it is his self-comparison to Ai and the pedestal he has placed her on. To suggest that he has talent would somehow diminish hers, perhaps. Another angle: Who is this person? Does he see himself as Aqua, Dr. Goro, or a mix of both? Where does his role end and his self begin? And if he doesn't know who he is, how can he accurately appraise himself?

Ruby is also feeling the pressure. The night before the girls were set to perform at JIF, she was all starry-eyed determination, pouring out her heart to Kana and even revealing her "shut-in days," as Kana interpreted it. But as the sun sets gorgeously through the unrealistically panoramic dressing-room windows and their performance looms nearer, Ruby finally confesses to Kana that she's nervous. But rather than trying to comfort Ruby, Kana opens up her heart to her fellow idol, sharing her concerns that the show's going to flop because of her and that she's going to bring Ruby and Mem down with her. I don't think Kana is being anything but sincere, but this turned out to be the perfect approach because it compelled Ruby to pivot from a nervous junior in need of reassurance to a bold optimist who increasingly believes her own brave words the more she speaks. Ruby may be the most naive and inexperienced character in the show, but her speech to Kana shows that this isn't a bad thing; her determination is exactly what these more experienced, jaded characters need to remember why they're still in show business in the first place. Like with the Pieyon balcony scene, the color story and glittering imagery of the episode's final moments imbue them with even more emotional depth.

The episode cuts off right before the girls go on stage. While I'm bummed that this first season is only going to be 11 episodes, I'm thrilled to watch the finale, which will no doubt be complete with the new B-Komachi performance. The Oshi no Ko anime has brought the manga's story to life with multiple new songs, from Pieyon's boot camp to Kana's Full Moon music video, and of course, the explosive opening song, which has reached #1 on Apple's Music Top 100: Global chart. (Uh, that's huge, right? It's beating songs from Taylor Swift and Harry Styles and everything.) That's just one of the ways this anime has exceeded my expectations, so I'm hyped to see how they cap it off next week—and if it doesn't conclude with an announcement for a second season, I'm going to be very disappointed.

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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.