Fittingly in the wake of the podcast “Kaijuu” episode, Oshi no Ko launches into its third season. And it is a kaijuu, no question – it’s on the wall for sure. Not one of the true Godzillas out there, but huge enough to qualify. From my perspective, it may be the best of the current decade’s block of them (not Kusuriya if you include that, but it’s been around since the 10’s in all but anime form). Some I don’t follow at all, and those I do generally aren’t exactly favorites. But even if the bar isn’t exactly touching the ceiling, it counts for something for OnK to be at the head of the pack.

I liked the second season probably more than I expected, it’s fair to say. Better than the first, which despite starting off with easily the franchise’s best material was very close to the drop by the end. S2 never matched those early highs but it kept me consistently engaged from start to finish. Of course, while I’m totally unspoiled (somehow) as to the “why” I know the manga is absolutely legendary for jumping the shark in the eyes of most readers (I mean, you’d have to be living under a hell of a rock not to). That’s seems like a good prompt to stress this – do not spoil in the comments. Not directly, not indirectly. I’ll make up my own mind if the haters are right, and I’ve hung around long enough to want to have the opportunity to do so with a clean slate.

I’m not sure if we’ll get to the part that royally pissed people off this season – it’s only 11 episodes so I suspect not. So it’s one ep at a time, and Oshi no Ko eases into its third act with a pretty low-key re-introduction. This series has a sort of meandering flow to it, where it focuses on different characters for a while and moves on. Aqua is usually involved in some capacity – he’s the common bond between the others – but even he waxes and wanes in spotlight time. There are four main girls that weave in and out of focus, and Mem is definitely the least-focused on, but she takes the lead in this premiere (even narrating it).

B-Komachi is taking off, with the video whose production took up almost half of Season 2 doing its intended work. Mem-cho also steps up and uses her encyclopedic knowledge of social marketing and SEO to build the group’s profile (that’s honestly her main contribution, more than actually performing). And as we know, Aqua has officially started dating Akane. The upshot of that of course is that the KanAqua train is fully derailed. And he takes it to an extreme, completely avoiding her in social and even business situations. Which understandably has her down in the dumps.

I’m not a fan of the whole idol thing, which you’d have to be under that rock to not know if you’re reading this. I don’t much like the music and everything else is just creepy and gross. As such the B-Komachi stuff is limited in its appeal for me. I do like Kana though, and Akane is quite of a snooze and still a bit scary in my eyes, so this turn isn’t my favorite either. In practical terms it’s a problem for B-Ko, as Kana isn’t exactly doing a flawless job in hiding her malaise from the prying eyes of the fandom. Mem sticking her nose into this may legitimately be in part because she’s trying to help a friend but make no mistake – she’s also protecting her investment.

Mem’s intervention with Aqua is interesting. He’s not wrong in pointing out the irony in her lecturing him about leading Kana on (nor is she wrong in doing so) when she’s taken him back to her apartment. I don’t feel 100% certain I know what’s in Mem’s mind here, but I want to take her at face value. As for Aqua, I see no reason to doubt his sincerity when he says he’s avoiding Kana for the sake of her career. And from the effects of PTSD. Mem doesn’t know all the details and she certainly doesn’t know she’s being patronizing towards an inexperienced boy that’s actually way older than she is.

Is is wishful thinking on my part to say that Aqua’s behavior here reveals that it’s Kana he actually loves, not Akane? Maybe, but I think the series has been pretty consistent – Aqua considers Akane a safe partner because he doesn’t care all that much if he hurts her, and she’s useful to him. He doesn’t want to get Kana caught up in the darkness he’s pursuing, but he’s fine with Akane being entangled. As for Ruby, she seems to be letting her dark side show on her face too – and she’s secretly meeting with Ichigo Saitou, Miyako’s AWOL husband and the former head of Ichigo Productions. Ruby was emerging as the de facto main character by the end of S2, and it wouldn’t shock me to see that continue here.