REVIEW: ‘Oshi No Ko’ Episode 16 — “The Curtain Rises”

With a new script settled on, the production is closing in on opening night. All focus should be on the show, but personal clashes and deeper worries occupy the actors’ minds in Oshi No Ko Episode 16, “The Curtain Rises.” While Oshi No Ko presents its core narrative centering around Aqua’s (Takeo Otsuka) search for revenge, this is rarely the central focus of any given episode. Since the dramatic conclusion of its opening episode, the series has spent the vast majority of time exploring the cruelty and hardship endured by those who choose to work in the entertainment industry.

From unreasonable deadlines to obsessive fans and internet critique/hate, the series has never shied away from showing how the world abuses those who step onto a stage to perform. With so much pressure, abuse, and hate leveled against them, it’s almost to be expected that those same individuals would start picking up a few negative personality traits. While these individual failings have never been the center of attention in prior episodes, we get to learn about them firsthand here.

Before Oshi No Ko Episode 16 dives into the many failings of its cast, it opens with a sweet scene around the dinner table. We see Akane (Manaka  Iwami) preparing a meal for Aqua and Taishi Gotanda (Yasuki Kase, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners), and Akane receives praise for her cooking skills. While Aqua is as cold as ever, Akane gives him a playful nudge and inwardly reaffirms that she’ll do what she can to support him. This sets up Akane as a sweet, supportive presence. However, the sweetness doesn’t last long.

After this, the trio adjourns Gotanda’s workspace. Akane learns that Aqua worked with Gotanda when he was young and asks to see some of his early work. Surprising Gotanda, Aqua consents to the request. It’s revealed that Aqua has not been so generous in the past, causing Gotanda to wonder what has changed.

After indulging in the Gotanda’s videos, Oshi No Ko Episode 16 follows Akane as she joins Aqua on the balcony off of Gotanda’s office. Here, she asks Aqua a simple question: Why do you act? At least, it would be simple for most. After a moment to ponder his answer, Aqua tells her the truth as a hypothetical counter-question. He posits that his motivation is to find someone and kill them. He then asks Akane what she would do if that was the case. With little hesitation, she responds that she would help him.

Usually, interpersonal moments are made memorable thanks to striking emotional displays. Anger, sorrow, or shock capture the viewers’ attention, leaving a mark on their memories. Here, Oshi No Ko Episode 16 does the exact opposite. Everything about Akane’s response and the explanation she follows it up with is so effortlessly neutral that it feels terrifying. There is no hint of humor to imply she believes he’s joking. Her body language is so casual, and Iwami’s voice work is so level that you can’t help but believe Akane is telling the truth. Or at the very least, she believes she is. It leaves the character in a different light than the one she found herself in moments before.

Diverting from this dark topic, Akane informs Aqua that just as she would help him with his goals, she expects him to fulfill his duties as her boyfriend and help her. Not wanting to be one-upped in the coming play by Kana (Megumi Han, Vampire in the Garden), she implores Aqua to help her shine, ending her plea with the declaration that if she doesn’t, she’ll likely die. Acknowledging that it is a boyfriend’s job to keep his girlfriend from dying, he agrees to do what he can.

From here, Oshi No Ko Episode 16 spends the bulk of its time exploring the crueler side of the play’s cast. From verbal abuse to publicly humiliating others, we learn there is a lot of darkness hiding behind the characters’ pleasant smiles. This exploration culminates in a confrontation between Akane and Kana.

Learning of an early interview Akane did, Kana went out of her way to acquire the old story for a bit of cruel amusement. In the interview, Akane states that one of her big inspirations is Kana. While one may expect Kana to be flattered by such praise, she does not indicate such. Rather, Kana sees the moment as nothing but a source of ridicule for her rival. As she cruelly mocks her in front of everyone, Kana shows herself to be apprehensible. There was no prompting for this behavior. Akane did nothing to her. Kana is simply being cruel for her own amusement.

Once the pair is separated, we learn a bit more about the motivations behind the previous scene. While Kana has reasons for behaving the way she did, none of them come close to excusing her blatantly cruel behavior or the savor with which she brags about it. Many of her feelings aren’t even Akane’s fault but stem from the duo being compared to each other.

As Kana explains herself to some of her fellow actors, it comes time for her to take the stage for their rehearsal. Drawing a sword and striding out onto the stage opposite Akane, the moment absorbs all the drama of the previous scene, distilling it into this brief rehearsal. With her prop sword at Akane’s throat, the acting takes on a darker energy than it otherwise would, thanks to the previous scene. There is a true hostility at the moment, as Akane’s wide eyes imply a slight unsureness about how much of the sword at her throat is acting.

All of this unsettling energy and cruel behavior leaves the viewer in a strange spot. While characters like Akane were previously presented as rather sympathetic, that illusion is largely shattered here. In fact, there is virtually no one in the play’s cast who feels like a character they should be rooting for. This lack of a positive personality could be a hindrance to the audience’s ability to engage with the narrative and characters if it persists.

As Oshi No Ko Episode 16 draws to a close, we see the play preparing to open. As family, friends, and coworkers arrive, everything is set for the curtain to finally be drawn back on the play. But with so much tension built through this episode, it feels certain that more than what’s expected will be delivered.

Oshi No Ko Episode 16 is streaming now on HiDive.