REVIEW: ‘Oshi No Ko’ Episode 20 — “Dream”

With everyone stepping up to make their performances shine, it’s Aqua’s (Takeo Otsuka) turn to dig deep and deliver. Oshi No Ko Episode 20 “Dream” dives into Aqua’s mind as we see him discover a way to embrace who he is to deliver a performance Ai would be proud of. But even as the curtain is drawn, the show doesn’t end as Aqua learns a startling truth about his family.

In the past, the trauma Aqua carries over Ai’s (Rie Takahashi, Delicious in Dungeon) death has held him back from being able to embrace much of the joy in life. His misplaced guilt rears its ugly head, ruining any happiness he could possibly find in his acting. But as his character in the play mourns the loss of his Princess, Aqua finds a way to use his pain to enhance his work, rather than letting it hold him back.

Opening this episode is a previously unseen moment from Aqua’s childhood. Oshi No Ko Episode 20 takes the viewer back to before Ai’s death to visit with the then-happy family as they enjoy a movie. It is not just any movie, but the one Aqua starred in as a child when he first met Kana (Megumi Han, Vampire in the Garden). Seeing the happy mother praise her child’s debut performance reminds the viewer of the positive energy that Ai was always radiating. This element of the character is important to preserve as it reminds the viewer of why Ai’s loss is so difficult for Aqua to bear.

It’s also important to periodically showcase Ai “in the flesh” for the viewer’s personal feelings about the character. Without the occasional reminder of who Ai was, it would be easy for the viewer to associate her only with Aqua’s pain. Seeing her smiling and praising her child allows the viewer to keep the happiness the character represents fresh, unburied by the negativity of the present.

Once Oshi No Ko Episode 20 returns to the present, the narrative picks up right where it left off. On stage, Aqua throws himself into his role as he fights against his “opponent.” As Aqua rages, we get glimpses of his internal struggles. We see a shadow version of himself once more putting him down. While Aqua has acquiesced to the figure previously, this time he stands up to him. Acknowledging that he can’t feel joy in acting till he discovers the truth behind Ai’s death, he does decide that he can use his pain to fuel his performance instead. In that way, he does not feel like he is betraying his loss while growing in his craft.

This moment feels like growth for Aqua if only a half-step of it. While he still clings to loss and pain in an unhealthy way, the fact that he is willing to assert himself when dealing with his inner demons to any extent is a good thing. Both Aqua’s internal struggles as well as his on-stage performance are brought to life with brutal clarity. As Aqua relieves Ai’s death in his mind and plays his part on the stage, the camera work forces the audience into the middle of every emotional moment.

Once Aqua’s scene concludes, Tokyo Blade plays out its final moments. As the fallen Princess Saya is restored to life, Aqua remembers dreams he would have where Ai miraculously survived the brutal stabbing that took her from him. Seeing child Aqua getting to run back to his mom, crying tears of joy is almost more painful to watch than any other moment the episode presents.

Once backstage, Aqua, Kana, and Akane (Manaka  Iwami) each find themselves receiving praise for their powerful performances. Kana, however, feels undeserving of the praise she is shown, saying that she is barely hanging on. She cannot copy the power of Akane’s performance that not only delivered in and of itself but also inspired Aqua to go further in his acting.

After flitting between a few different conversations, Oshi No Ko Episode 20 jumps back to the play to showcase the actors taking their final bows. We get to see the spectacle of the stage one more time as each actor gets their moment in the spotlight till it culminates with Aqua carrying Akane in for the last bow. While it feels appropriate to make time for this last shot of the stage, it feels weird that it’s slotted in after the previous scene. Why the two sequences aren’t in chronological order isn’t clear.

The final stretch of Oshi No Ko Episode 20 sees the actors head out for a celebratory dinner after a later successful performance. When Aqua overhears that the director is going, he opts to attend. He hopes to learn about the man’s potential connection to Ai and whether or not he may be the man who caused her death.

When a past mistake is hinted at by his target, Aqua tries to lean on him to speak about it, but to no avail. He gets a second chance to learn the truth when Taiki Himekawa (Kôki Uchiyama, My Hero Academia) comes to his aid. As he also wonders about the director’s embarrassing secret, he leads the pair to a new location in the hopes that some liquor will loosen the older man’s lips.

While their efforts go awry, there is one important moment between Taiki and Aqua. Just as the episode draws to a close, Aqua reveals that a recent DNA test he had done reveals that the two of them are almost certainly brothers. Just before the credits appear, Aqua asks the obvious inquiring about who their father was.

Oshi No Ko Episode 20 closes the play arc with a final, powerful bang, even as it sets up the coming episode with an eye-catching cliffhanger. Hopefully, this ending tease will herald some forward progression for the core plot, the one thing this season has lacked so far.

Oshi No Ko Episode 20 is streaming now on HiDive.