There’s a definitely whiff of “be careful what you wish for” with this bend in the road for Oshi no Ko. I’ve noted in the past that its “trashy pulp thriller” mode is actually a pretty good one. At the very least we’re not mired in industry apologism. But it certainly looks like the series is embracing trash-pulp hard care now, potentially to the point of excess. There was a definite sense that Aqua spilling the beans about Ai was a damn-breaking moment, and this episode certainly does nothing to dampen that impression.
One thing that bugs me is that once more, Kana seems to exist mainly as a plot-driver. Her crisis was the push that got Aqua to do what he did, but the act is what matters to the plot, not the reason. Kana is the best character in the cast (in my opinion) but always seems to get shuffled into the background when the really important stuff is happening. And that, for now, is Aqua embracing the revenge game unreservedly. Ruby is pissed at him, to the point where she says she’s disowning him as a brother (I’m skeptical). But Aqua brushes it off – his eyes are on the prize, Kamiki Hikaru.
On the plus side Gotanda-san is back, and he seems to be vital to the next phase of the story. I always liked Gotanda – probably the most likeable and certainly the most relatable adult in the show. He’s also the one person for whom Aqua has seemed to have an unreserved sense of respect and even admiration. You could almost have forgotten Gotanda existed, it’s been so long since he mattered. But he does now, because he was filming a documentary about B-Komachi (the real one) when Ai was murdered. And now Aqua has looped him in on a means to target her killer.
I don’t actually remember the “apologize to the director” moment – it’s been a long time. And I’m not sure just how much Aqua has told Gotanda about his real reason for suggesting they co-write the “15-Year Lie” script. They both feel like they’re doing this for Ai, but their motivations are obviously very different. Aqua tells Strawberry-san that this is all about punishing Kamiki in a way far worse than death, though he doesn’t go into details as to exactly what that entails. Between Aqua and Gotanda they draw Kaburagi in to produce, with promises that they can back up what they’ve written and head off the libel suits.
This closes with Kamiki murdering Katayose Yura, the hot actress Kaburagi had in mind to play Ai. I’m assuming he did so because he’d gotten wind of the planned project and not simply because he gets off on snuffing out bright young stars, though he obviously does. By making Kamiki such an outright psychopath Akasaka is (as usual) laying a nasty trap for himself. Are we to be sold the argument that Aqua is doing the right thing – that vigilantism and murder is fine as long as the victim is evil enough? That’s a tough sell any day of the week, never mind that it would invalidate about a season-and-a-half’s character development for Aqua. Akasaka has talent as an escape artist, but finessing this high-wire act is going to take every ounce of it.
Patchy
March 6, 2026 at 1:30 amTrashy it is.
As I have had my time to diggest the story since the manga ending (won’t spoil anything) I have come to give Akasaka Aka a little bit more of credit. I believe the story is more damning about the medium that it may seem at first glace and Kana, the easiest character to root for, is key to what he’s stumbling to say: if the things that have happened in the medium are “all’s well that ends well” then why even the characters furthest from the revenge-reincarnation story are so miserable.
Although your mileage will definitely vary about how well it is executed, but the subversion of the industry he paints is by depicting the pain of the victims that can’t know better since they have been trapped in that world since birth. He does pull his punches (and with the recent Kana arc I am glad he did in that particular regard). It does give the series a particular voyeuristic angle like watching a trainwreck, where it feels bad to watch but it gets your attention by way of morbid curiosity.
He does bite more than he can chew and his ideas are too big for his skill as a writer, to the point that he has released 2 whole novels to patch up the characterization of some characters that definiitely would have helped if it appeared in the manga, but the anime is doing great fixing some of the issues about intent (both autorial and that of the characters) and pacing. If this didn’t become the hit that it is I think the reception would have been better-ish(?) if it didn’t break outside of the “misery trainwrecks” niche familiar to Mengo Yokoyari, OnK artist, because there these developments would be to be expected and not taken as a betrayal.
Vance
March 6, 2026 at 6:22 amPersonally, I don’t think Akasaka is trying to portray vigilantism as a good thing. We’ve seen from Episode 28 how it portrayed how Aqua’s pursuit of revenge hurt those around him and even himself with Ruby (no longer being the pure girl she was after she realized why Aqua was in the entertainment industry after being adamant for years that he wanted nothing to do with acting) and then with him pushing away Kana when he was despairing over realizing Hikaru was still alive, and in this episode, neither Ruby nor Miyako consider him family anymore, so I believe that choosing to think that the story is trying to suggest that vigilantism and murder is okay as long as the victim is evil enough is a take only someone who wants to believe the worst of the story would arrive at.
On another note, Aqua said, “Now even after I’m gone, you’ll be able to get by in the world.” regarding Ruby, showing he may intend to a commit a murder-suicide by killing Hikaru and then committing suicide himself. I’ve been thinking the odds of Oshi no Ko having a dark ending increased after the turn in direction seen in Episodes 28 and 29 with Aqua murdering Hikaru after those episodes, but now, I believe that unless something drastic happens, the story will end with the protagonist, Aqua, dying. While I guess Aqua’s remark could technically mean he could get multiple life sentences, and he’s not committing suicide, that’s usually reserved for the harshest of crimes, and I’m not convinced Aqua will commit multiple murders to get multiple life sentences since he has uttered that what he wants to utterly destroy Hikaru, not just murder him.
Vance
March 6, 2026 at 6:52 amAnd I forgot to include that Aqua hasn’t mentioned that he has multiple targets.
Raikou
March 9, 2026 at 5:17 pmBy Aqua’s last line after Ruby left the room, seems like he’s prepared to end Kamiki’s life along with himself.
Aqua isn’t going to go scot-free in this story.