_This review contains SPOILERS for [Oshi no Ko] 2nd Season_
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What a season, Summer 2024 was. As a romance enjoyer, I couldn't have been more happier to experience quality shows like Makeine and Roshidere, so the fact that we're ending it off with Oshi no Ko's banger of a finale brings joy to my nether regions ;)). Of course, the weekly watch of other shows were nice, but there's always that one anime you desparately wait for every night- that being [Oshi no Ko] 2nd Season. Welcome to peak.
Theater
Let's start the review by talking about the premise. Last season ended with the finale pointing towards a 'Tokyo Blade' live action theater play. The sequel immediately picks up from where it left off and introduces us to the fresh cast of individuals directly related to the play, as well as some quite interesting information about theater plays, acting and the entertainment industry as a whole. Script-writing, emotional acting, chain of communication amongst the staff were all knowledge given to us by the story and we were happy to be fed. Nothing too spectacular was presented, until the actual theater play began.
Each cast member clad in their new colorful designs were to act on a 2.5D rotating stage. The fact that we see the play from the audience's perspective, rotating and reforming, simply shows how much potential the premise had from the start. An exceedingly different type of directing which managed to continueously amaze the viewers both inside the anime and outside. The stage was set(pun absolutely intended) for the characters to act as they willed and undergo their own arcs, and so they did.
Melting people's hearts. (Episode 6)
Melt Narushima resonated within me. I honestly had a feeling I would end up liking him ever since the trailer for this season, but not this much. Melt was a star. He was deeply revered for his natural looks, his charms and his ability to achieve things without trying. He grew overconfident, and spent the rest of his teenage years thinking he's special. However, after witnessing Kana's breathtaking emotional acting and Aqua's skill in making use of his surroundings to receive results, Melt realized how pathetic he was. In reality, he wasn't good at acting and was quickly overshadowed by people who genuinely work hard for their goals. This crushed his ego down to a pulp and led him to begin his real acting journey.
Though, even after signing up for 'Tokyo Blade', he still wasn't good enough. The higher-ups constantly questioned his presence amongst the loaded cast and this made him feel completely inferior. Everybody else could absorb their parts so well, so easily, but Melt didn't have an inkling of how. As he was reading the source manga for the live adaptation, Melt found himself in the pages. The character he was playing was so much like him that emotional acting suddenly became possible. Naturally, Doga Kobo masterfully animated this crucial part and proved, once again, why the series is one of the best adaptations in the industry. Conclusion? Melt is underrated as shit.
Akane and Kana's closure (Episode 7)
Akane's backstory and why she came to dislike Kana was shown in the very next episode. Peak production after peak production. Akane idolised Kana. Actually, she was the reason Akane got into acting in the first place. The shy, timid, crybaby Akane was constantly blown away by Arima Kana's bright and charismatic acting, until she met her in person(never meet your idol irl kids). At that point in time, Kana had already started undergoing her struggles of desiring to be needed, so she lashed out at her enthusiastic fan. Granted, this was not the reason Akane came to hate her. She couldn't comprehend why Kana acted that way, so she studied up on human psychology to understand her idol, thus the crazy experience in investigating and imitating. See, her reason for hating Kana wasn't so childish, or simple. It was because, after Kana's dark days began, she didn't perform the art of acting like the bright Kana anymore. In order to be picked up by people in the industry, she began acting as a perfect supporting actor who elevated other cast members' performances. This disgusted Akane because she wanted to see her idol- the charming star Kana once more again.
After Aqua romantically declared that this time he would be the supporting actor and shined the spotlight on Kana, it convinced her to embrace her role. Arima Kana wasn't a star anymore, she was a solar
system. Her eyes brimming with sparkles and her fans(mostly Akane) screaming from pure joy.
Aqua's purpose (Episode 7)
Here's the last character arc for the theater play. Can you believe it? There's another character arc after this one. Oshi no Ko be piling them peak up. Anyways, here's the summary for Aqua's arc. Aqua was also unable to do emotional acting, but Kana helped him in discovering a very easy method(For most people). If Aqua wanted to express sadness, rage and the desparation of losing somebody, he had to visualize Ai's death. This instantly triggered his PTSD and made it impossible for him to express his emotions, while also enjoying acting. He had to despise hating, in order to express his hate. A very chilling performance from him right after Kana's showcase. Stacked episode.
Through multiple DNA tests, Aqua found out that Himekawa Taiki was his stepbrother. As you know his whole purpose in living as his reincarnated self is to identify his biological father and take revenge by murdering him. Himekawa informed Aqua that 'their father' had already died in a car crash and this freed Aqua from his shackles, erasing the star in his eye. It's really sad that he subconsciously negated the possibility of his dad not being the same person as Himekawa's dad, due to him wanting to be free.
Back to the plot, Ruby's arc begins
HELL YEAAAAAH. Twist after twist, suspense after suspense. We back to the main plot and we know season 3's gonna be fire. Aqua and Ruby's biological, charismatic dad presents himself after all the pain he's caused and has the audacity to place the same white flowers that Ryousuke was carrying, on Ai's grave.
Ruby, who wanted to meet her first love (sensei), who wanted to show him that she had made it as an idol, was met with tragedy as she found his corpse hidden in a small cave. As a result, her other eye now projects a star, as well, directing her towards a path of revenge. Her twisted demeanor and a complete 180 in attitude sent shivers down my spine. The changed ED version reminded me a bit of DDLC.
Conclusion
I don't even think I have to talk about the animation. Oshi no Ko delivered before and will stay delivering. It's crazy that a psychological drama has better animation sequences and more creative visuals than most action series. I don't know about y'all, but I don't think the OnK manga can compare the anime with the way its being handled and loved. Even the story-telling is enhanced due to the visuals, creating room for creativeness. Not to mention, the enjoyability factor is so high because of the colourful characters and their dynamics, as well as the great voice acting(particularly Melt and Aqua). Whenever Oshi no Ko airs, they're immediately a candidate for anime of the year, and you better remember that. An 8.5 to 9, pinnacle of modern anime and an absolute hype train.
~~I must say, nothing beats when a theory/prediction is right. Check out my posts back in July, if you're interested.~~
▶ Video (gets better the more you listen to it ong)✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺
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