REVIEW: ‘Oshi no Ko,’ Episode 9 – “B Komachi”

With the dating show done, Mem-Cho joins Ruby and Kana in their idol group, B Komachi. But while the excitement over gaining a third member is big for the group, this signals the beginning of a lot of work as the group must now prepare to perform in Oshi no Ko Episode 9.

There is a lot of work that goes into being a performer. Learning dance routines and song lyrics, as well as sculpting a front-facing persona for a group, are just some of the endless tasks that performers must go through to prepare to step out before a public that is ravenous for entertainment and more than willing to roast anyone who fails to provide what they seek. It’s a lot of pressure, even under the best of circumstances. But when your mind is distracted by personal issues like Kana’s, the pressure can quickly become overwhelming.

While the general focus of the episode is on B Komachi’s official announcement and the beginning of the girl’s training to perform, Oshi no Ko Episode 9 utilizes this event to focus on Kana and explore who she is, how she got to today, as well as her feelings towards Aqua. The elements of Kana’s character introduced here are presented in the gentlest of lights. Her struggle adapting from the loss of her child actor status and significant self-confidence issues are investigated in a way that always makes these struggles feel real and relatable. I appreciate that the show merely introduces these struggles without trying to seek any sort of resolution to them. Kana feels like she has a big part to play in the series moving forward, so letting her issues play out over time promises far more payoff than simply doing a Kana episode and being done with her.

While this episode never dives into anything too deep with Kana, the visuals bring the young performers’ feelings to the viewer. Her inability to accept her skills and her struggles with her feelings are handled in an impactful but not exaggerated way. Such feelings are ones that the majority of us can relate to, so blowing them out of portions would do more harm to their impact than help.

While most Oshi no Ko Episode 9 focuses on B Komachi, the episode doesn’t completely forget about Aqua. With the dating show finally done, Aqua has his discussion with the producer concerning Ai and what the man knows about his mother’s love life. The information passed into Aqua gives him, and the narrative, a new direction to explore. While the information Aqua receives is solid enough to build future plots, the better part of this sequence comes when Aqua inquires about why the producer is doing so much to help him. The reasons given allow the episode to dive more into how show biz works while also fleshing out the producer’s character. The revealed reasons explain his willingness to help, making the character feel like a realistically motivated person rather than a convenient plot instrument.

Oshi no Ko Episode 9 delivers narrative, character exploration, and set up for future stories. Its look into Kana is the highlight, as it builds up yet another of its recurring can’t members into someone real.

Oshi no Ko Episode 9 is streaming now on HIDIVE.