Oshi no Ko episode 4 aired last Wednesday and while the anime has been solid in adapting the manga so far, it’s ironic and funny that showing the poor TV adaptation of “Sweet Today” has made me appreciate it more. After the previous episode ended with Aqua on the brink of putting the “show” in show business, we got a clear look at his acting skills in this one.
To no surprise, he was impressively superb, despite the fact that he has little experience and given that he was a doctor in his previous life. The way he uses his surroundings to his advantage, provoking the lead actor to let him embrace and act out real emotions was mind-blowing and epic. All that to let Kana Arima steal the show afterward with her own phenomenal performance.
The previous episode gave a glimpse of Kana’s maturity and how much she has grown as an actress, as she had been suppressing her acting abilities due to the lackluster performances of her co-stars. But thanks to Aqua, she finally can go all out and show the world that she hasn’t fallen off just yet. Her captivating performance not only impressed Aqua and the rest of the staff but also gave the author of Sweet Today a renewed sense of faith.
I don’t know how studio Doga Kobo and Kanna Hirayama (Oshi no Ko character designer) have managed to consistently make Kana Arima the embodiment of peak character design. The stunning portrayal of her emotions, vividly expressing her true feelings, particularly in the scene where she had to act as a person in love and asked if Aqua has a girlfriend, shows the immaculate passion of the staff behind the adaptation of this series. Kana fans are definitely and always will be in a treat if this keeps up. However, it wasn’t just Kana who got the center of attention as the second half focused more on Ruby’s school life and upcoming dilemma.
Ruby finally got to meet her classmates in this episode of Oshi no Ko and while she was anxious at first, she gained confidence after realizing that she inherited Ai’s stunning looks. We are then introduced to her newfound friend Minami Kotobuki who has a unique Kansai dialect, perfectly voiced by Hina Yomiya, also a native speaker of the region.
Another student introduced in the episode was Shiranui Frill, a calm and collected multi-talented performer. Her stacked credits list has already earned her a reputation in school and unknowingly caused Ruby’s dilemma when she recognized both Aqua and Minami, but not the aspiring idol. This leads Ruby to rush Miyako into forming the idol group but since Ai’s death and B-Komachi’s disbandment, it’s extremely challenging to acquire members. Fortunately, there is one person who fits the criteria all too well and this is something that will add even more intrigue to the series.
Despite losing its first-place spot in the charts this week, the production value of the show remained consistently excellent and did not decrease in the slightest. While episode 4 of Oshi no Ko focuses on giving the main characters more personality and introducing a new cast, we also got to witness quite a few things about the entertainment industry actually: the rise and fall of an actor, the impact that an actor’s performance can have on the creators, and even some prestigious high school life tidbits. Not to mention, these are all topped with stunning animation, well-crafted staging that balanced both serious and comical scenes, and other standout elements that continue to set this series apart from the rest of the season.
Images via HIDIVE
© Akasaka Aka x Mengo Yokoyari / Shueisha / Oshi no Ko Production Committee