REVIEW: ‘Oshi No Ko’ Episode 15 — “Emotional Acting”

After seeing his first modern play, Samejima finds she has a change of heart concerning the script for Tokyo Blade. But there is still much work to be done, only two weeks before the show opens. The work will be hard for everyone but even more challenging for some, as Aqua (Takeo Otsuka) discovers when the traumatic moment from his past comes back to haunt him in Oshi No Ko Episode 15, “Emotional Acting.”

The opening beat for this episode comes as Samejima leaves the theatre. While watching the show, he is recognized, and his presence is known to the producer. Since he is the same man producing Tokyo Blade, Samejima is quickly invited to his office after the performance to discuss the show. As expected, the discourse soon shifts to the problems facing Samejima’s upcoming play rewrite.

This opening narrative moment addresses many problems with the unfolding situation, even though it feels like a leap for the producer’s character. As the producer confronts Samejima about the realities of his writing a stage play with no prior experience, the audience is left wondering where this sudden strength of personality comes from. While it’s indicated in the scene that his recent interaction with Aqua pushes him to speak up, it doesn’t feel like enough. Up to this point, the producer has been shown as being essentially spineless, kowtowing to others in the hopes of appeasing them. That Oshi No Ko Episode 15 sees him suddenly acting forcefully enough to even curse at Samejima to get his point across feels jarringly sudden.

But the conversation bears fruit, and Samejima agrees not to write the play from scratch as long as he can discuss the trouble spots with the writer in-depth, reviewing them and reworking some of the scenes. While these changes will still burden the cast and crew, they are infinitely better than the alternative. Via video chat, Samejima and the playwright, Gau, go over the play in detail, pulling an all-nighter as they hash out the changes to the script.

How well Gau and Samejima collaborate reinforces the communication failure of the previous episodes. Once the two can engage, their creative abilities fuse, causing the pair to make great strides in their work and quickly begin to enjoy the writing process with each other. This moment of fun and creative passion is a bright spot for Oshi No Ko Episode 15 before it takes a somewhat dark turn.

With a new script and little time, the cast is called back in to work overtime, learning their lines and adapting to the new tone of the production. Aqua soon falls behind when a scene with Akane (Manaka  Iwami) requires him to dig deep to project joy. When Kana suggests he draw on past moments in his real life to summon emotion, she makes a critical error. As an example, she mentions remembering the loss of a mother if you need to cry. This takes Aqua back to the terrifying night Ai died holding him.

The return of this moment triggers a painful fit of PTSD and survivor’s guilt for Aqua. Blaming himself for not saving Ai, despite occupying the body of a young child at the time, Aqua soon collapses. Helped by Akane, he is left to recover from his episode.

Oshi No Ko Episode 15 does a fantastic job of delivering the emotional impact of Aqua’s attack. His panic and pain come through the animation and voice acting equally. Akane’s genuine concern for him throughout the moment also lands wonderfully.

While Aqua rests, talking with a friend of the director from Aqua’s childhood gives Akane some hints about the tragedy that unfolded all those years ago. Even though she isn’t given any intricate details, she learns that Aqua is bearing some deep-seated anguish that has never been appropriately addressed. This lack of resolution stems largely from Aqua’s not wanting to worry others, so he puts on a solid front to alleviate their concern.

As she watches over Aqua, she hears him mutter Ai’s name. As she ponders why he would mention her in his current state, she puts the pieces together about his and Ruby’s relationship with the long-dead idol. While she initially dismisses it as too far-fetched to be correct, it’s clear that her assumptions have hit the mark. Coupled with the vague details she learned earlier, too many dots seem to connect. When Aqua finally comes, Akane reaches out to him, hugs him, and tells him that she will always be on his side.

Oshi No Ko Episode 15 delivers what the series has always been best at: powerful emotions. Aqua’s struggles with his past and the revelations the episode provides concerning the aftermath of Ai’s death bring new dimensions to the character.

Oshi No Ko Episode 15 is streaming now on HiDive.