REVIEW: ‘Oshi No Ko’ Season 3 Episode 7 — “Breakdown”

Oshi No Ko Season 3 Episode 7, “Breakdown,” sees Aqua (Takeo Otsouka, The Apohtecary Diaries) take action to protect Kana (Megumi Han, Digimon Beatbreak) from the public’s judgment over the recent photos of her.  He’ll also make a decisive choice about what path he will tread, leading to a dramatic change in his and Akane’s (Manaka Iwami, Tougen Anki) relationship. 

Oshi No Ko Season 3 Episode 7 opens with Miyako (Lynn, Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury) holding a meeting of B Komachi to prepare for the coming onslaught of public opinion when the news about Kana breaks. While the last episode showcased Kana’s resolve to face the judgment of the masses, her awareness of how this will affect her fellow idols takes center stage here. She desperately tries to apologize to both Mem-cho (Rumi Okubo, Engage Kiss) and Ruby (Yurie Igoma, Shikimori’s Not Just A Cutie). 

Kana’s emotional explanation and apology are only outdone by Mem’s willing acceptance of both. The older woman takes her young partner in her arms and gently reminds her that it’s okay she made a mistake. That she is allowed to lose sight of things now and then when she’s dealing with her own emotional problems. No matter what the public wants to project on them, they are all only human and allowed to fail. This warm acceptance reduces Kana to a sobbing mess. 

Kana reaches new levels of emotion in Oshi No Ko Season 3 Episode 7.

This open acceptance of Kana’s emotions feels like a rare sight in anime. Despite them both being in the same group, we haven’t seen many deep moments between Kana and Mem. The fact that Mem steps up to fully embrace her junior in Oshi No Ko Season 3 Episode 7 speaks to the level of pain she knows Kana is going through.

Mem has been in the public eye for years and has probably seen more than a few problems march by her. She knows what a tremendous burden it is, particularly if your stumble threatens to bring others down with you. Accepting Kana so fully is a beautiful moment of support and kindness.

When Oshi No Ko Season 3 Episode 7 moves on from its opening, the narrative shifts to Aqua as he implements a plan to save Kana from the undesired spotlight. After making sure Ruby would be willing to face blowback if it meant helping Kana, Aqua seeks out the paparazzo who took the picture to offer him a deal: drop the story about Kana and get a juicer one – get the details about Ai’s secret twin children. 

Aqua steps in to help Kana in surprising ways, but neglects one person who will be impacted.

Aqua is often a tough character to read. How much he does or doesn’t care can get lost behind his glacial mask, leaving uncertainty in his wake. However, that he would reveal this tightly guarded secret for Kana’s sake puts to rest any possibility that his feelings towards her are not genuine. 

The one big problem with the implementation of Aqua’s plan is Ruby. Despite him getting “permission” from her, he didn’t spell out exactly how she might suffer for helping Kana. There’s being willing to suffer for a friend, and then there’s being willing to have your childhood trauma marched out in front of the public for a friend. He probably should’ve been clearer there. 

The need for clarity on Aqua’s part is evident when Ruby discovers what her brother has done. Walking past a random televised billboard, she sees her personal history being showcased in real time, and without warning. She doesn’t take it well. How hard the news hits her is driven home as her body shakes and the stars in her eyes take on a disturbing edge to them. 

A celebrity’s life is never private, and sometimes, to avoid scandal, another must be created.

This is not the only visual moment in this sequence that makes Oshi No Ko Season 3 Episode 7 shine. The first time we are shown the news breaking is with Kana. Uneager to get out of bed, presuming her face will be everywhere, she hesitates to engage with the new day. However, she eventually does, grasping her TV remote, and after a brief pause, turns on the device to discover she’s not the star of the day. 

Kana’s reluctance to face the news, despite her proclamations to the contrary, creates a splendidly human moment. How the animation delivers her fits of both courage and fear fully flesh out the emotional conflict the woman struggles with. 

Aqua’s decision also pushes Akane to set a plan in motion. Seeing this as a sign that Aqua has chosen vengeance as his path, Akane sets out to take action before Aqua can do anything further. However, she runs into Aqua on her way.

Oshi No Ko Season 3 Episode 7 ultimately hits every single mark perfectly.

While this initially feels like an incredible coincidence, especially since Aqua appears just in time to save Akane from a bad fall, it turns out neither luck nor fate has had anything to do with it. Aqua bugged Akane, believing she would try to intervene in his quest for vengeance. 

The emotional confrontation in Oshi No Ko Season 3 Episode 7 between the couple crafts a darkly heartfelt moment. Much like their phone conversation two episodes back, the emotion of the moment hits your feelings hard, even as the choices made feel intrinsically wrong. This twisting of classic presentations of love makes complete sense if you have taken the journey with Akane and Aqua have.

How they could say the things they do, and have their feelings land as genuine, even as Aqua defends planting trackers on Akane, and she defends plotting to kill someone so he wouldn’t, is a situational moment that only works with an extreme dedication to consistency with characters and narrative tone. Not to mention powerfully delivered voice work by both Otsuka and Iwami.

Oshi No Ko Season 3 Episode 7 is an emotional rollercoaster that lands every beat it drops. It’s joy and sorrow craft an exemplary entry, possibly the best the series has yet to produce. 

Oshi No Ko Season 3 Episode 7 is streaming on Crunchyroll.

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