Episode 11 of Oshi no Ko serves as the season finale, and it does an excellent job of showcasing the new B-Komachi to the world while setting the stage for the future direction of the series. So, without further ado, here is my review of Oshi no Ko Episode 11!
Recap of Episode 10
In the last episode, Mem-Cho and Ruby convinced Kana to become the main girl in B-Komachi. The idol group started getting ready for their performance with some help from Pieyon. But then Kana found out that Aqua had been pretending to be the YouTuber who was training them. This made Kana sleep poorly and feel very nervous before the performance.
Summary of Oshi no Ko Episode 11
The episode wastes no time and showcases the backstage preparations for the performance. The group is choosing their light sticks. Ruby selects red, Mem-Cho chooses yellow, and finally, Kana is undecided but eventually settles on white after Ruby’s remarks. Before the performance, We witness a conversation between an old fan of B Komachi. The fan criticizes New B Komachi and comments how no one could come close to Ai, during the conversation the curtain finally rises on the New B Komachi.
During the performance, we hear the monologue of Kana Arima, and once again, we observe her low self-esteem, self-doubt, and self-blame behavior. Looking at Ruby, she almost refers to her as a prodigy, a performer who will undoubtedly rise up and someone who can reach the pinnacle of stardom. Amidst all this, Aqua appears as a fan, dancing with all the light sticks, especially the ‘white’ one. This causes Kana to once again fall for Aqua, and we finally get the much-awaited “I’ll be your star” moment, perfectly adapted.
The old fan finally notices the caliber of the New B Komachi and accepts the group as potential successors. On the way home, Kana finally reconciles to Aqua and Mem-Cho figures out the feelings of Kana towards Aqua and we see a discussion about the relationship between Akane and Aqua since dating show. Aqua reconfirms the relationship to be a work-only relationship which makes Kana more optimistic about her chances.
On the other side, we see Akane’s manager reaching out to her about the new stage play of a series called the Tokyo Blade. Back at Strawberry Agency, Kana asks Aqua why he had to wear the Piyeon outfit and thanks him for going to those lengths. Ruby and Mem-Cho watch the two and Ruby comments how Aqua behaves his older self to Kana.
Later on, we see Akane and Aqua on a date they agreed on earlier where they discuss about the characters they will be playing during the stage drama. Aqua sees this drama as an opportunity to get close to the drama company and his father.
Kana appears and warns Akane and Aqua not to post live on Instagram but to use post scheduling to prevent the risk of stalkers. Here Akane and Kana display their rivalry towards each other with which the episode finally comes to an end with Aqua reinstating his goals of finding out about his father.
Review of Episode 11 (And Sorta Season 1 Review)
The Season 1 is over and what a ride it was. Be it story telling, art, consistency or sound design. The animation by Studio Doga Kobo raised the bar for slice of life and idol anime. Episode 1 and Episode 7 are the highest points of this season both in terms of story telling and animation. These two episodes also show us how much dark and twisted the story of Oshi no Ko can be.
The author Akasaka Aka shows his capabilities as a writer and delivers well executed story beats couples with heartful and comedic moments and presents us with a story with likable cast, well developed characters and distinct personalities. These elements are further enhanced by the beautiful OST and art by the team of Director Daisuke Hiramaki delivered a Anime of the Year contender with ease.
Episode 11 featured fully animated dance sequence of the B Komachi with some of the most eye candy shot compositions and transitions I’ve seen in any recent idol anime. Over all, this is a great adaptation of a great story which does a great job of bringing life into Akasaka Aka’s great story.
Coming to the episode, I really like Kana’s character throughout the season, her low self esteem and tendency to look down on herself may be familiar to most of us. This episode finally shows her determination to lift herself back up with head held high. The scene “I want to turn all the lightsticks white” really made me fall in love with the character writing.
While the highlight of this episode was B Komachi’s debut as an idol group, this episode also sets up the stage for the next major arc of the series, the 2.5D Stage Play Arc.
Akane and Kana will share a stage which will definitely bring up a lot of feelings both girls hold towards each other and towards their mutual love interest, Aqua. It will be interesting to see the two react and interact together, I also hope that the new season brings in more reveal and more development to Ruby, which according to me, was somewhat lacking compared to the likes of Aqua, Kana and Akane.
The new season is also expected to reveal more of Ai’s past and her relationship with men. Who knows, maybe we get more solid evidence for the identity of the father of twins. Hopefully Doga Kobo keeps up with this quality and brings in another great season of Oshi no Ko! Meanwhile, check out the brand new announcement for season 2 of Oshi no ko.
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