Oshi no Ko Rewatch - Season 2, Episode 6 Discussion

**Longtime B-Komachi Fan!**

As much as I love what this arc does for Aqua's and Akane's character development, I just don't care about the actual Tokyo Blade play at all. When the story is focused on the drama between Aqua, Ruby, Kana and Akane, then I'm hooked. But honestly, I had trouble staying awake during their reenactment of this generic supernatural battle shounen.

[](#tiredaoi)

I did appreciate the added depth to Melt's character though. When I first read this arc, I never would have guessed that random guy from *Sweet Today* would show up again genuinely trying to improve his acting, so that was a nice surprise.

[](#justright)

It's also standing out more and more to me on a rewatch just how much Kaburagi is orchestrating the events that play out by getting these young actors into certain projects. I mean, he recruited Aqua for every major role he's had so far and also set up Ruby's first concert appearance. These arcs wouldn't have even happened without his involvement.

[](#missingpiece)

**Questions of the Day:**

1) Already answered above, which is what inspired this question. I'm watching with my family, and they had a similar reaction - saying that they're waiting for it to get more interesting like season 1, and naming Aqua's investigation as one of the plots they're most invested in.

2) Mixed feelings about this. It was a pretty cool sequence, but it also felt over exaggerated and symbolic - too much like a magical girl transformation scene.

**Semi-Rewatcher**

I can't believe this was the episode I stopped watching on back when this was airing. Well, not like it was at all the show's fault, I did that for almost every seasonal I was watching then, but still, being reminded of how strong some parts of this were has me rather excited to finally get back to being a first timer next episode!

[](#concealedexcitement)

Anyway, this episode feels like it has a pretty strong distinction between its halves, with the first one being quite a bit weaker, honestly, although there's definitely an intentional purpose behind that. Namely, it actually gives us a great look into what's supposed to make 2.5 stage plays so powerful and distinctive! I'm a bit mixed on just outright using the opening sequence again here, but back in the first episode I thought it did a really good job of really putting you into the perspective of an audience member in a stage play, instantly filling you with powerful anticipation for the theatrical focus of the season, and I still think the intro does much the same here in terms of being that last push to get you hyped for *finally* getting to see it in action! Especially after all the story difficulties and the severe lack of previous visualization for GOA's other plays.

On that note, not being able to see what's supposed to make these plays so special has been a recurring issue for me until now, and for what it's worth, I think this first half does it really well! I mean, we're not quite Ufotable with that 3D background animation, but it's still pretty good and more importantly, absolutely sells the very dynamic, elaborate, and more unique nature of the stage here! The same goes for how a lot of shots are framed through that same audience perspective as the intro, consistently giving you a good look into the changes in presentation the monitor curtains can offer, especially in terms of SFX. Plus, the nature of a stage play just innately creates pre-existing, natural, and easy-to-use lighting/positioning when it comes to great and impactful cinematography! In that sense, it feels professionally thought out both in-universe and for the actual viewer. [Add in some nice flourishes in character acting](https://imgur.com/a/vuzp1m1), and not only do you already get to see some good production in a (As I'll get to) very well-produced episode, but the strength of the format is definitely gotten across at last. And I'll admit I just also always love seeing theater depicted in anime anyway

(And this *is* all very meta in that way, I suppose, you're looking at this lengthy amusing chain of adaptations, and you're straight up seeing something that is visually only possible because this is an adaptation!)

Ultimately, the issue here is just that this feels pretty disconnected from everything. Yeah, it's all very technically important and exhilarating, and even beyond actually tech-demoing 2.5D plays for the sake of the narrative, I do get the need to at least get a slightly better idea of what the larger story of Tokyo Blade is about, but it's just, y'know... Tokyo Blade ain't exactly engrossing high art, and it's not quite like seeing, say, a play of *Wuthering Heights* in Aoi Hana lol. It's really powerful when we get to the parts of this that are very directly entwined and mirrored to our characters' actual emotional arcs, but these first 10 or so minutes are very much not that, and are mostly just a lightly entertaining action production showcase.

[](#papithumbsup)

The heart of the episode is obviously in Melt's half, then, and ironically, my thoughts on it somewhat align with Melt's role within it. Essentially, there's a fairly solid and endearing emotional arc here, but it gets massively pulled up above the average by the amount of heart that goes just into Melt's crowning moment of effort, which makes it all just click.

In terms of the actual story element, I do think there's a tad too much of that classic OnK problem of too much dialogue explaining, not enough showing (Specifically in regards to the supposed quality of Melt and Sakuya's respective acting), something that again rather ironically given the point of the episode, stands out when you get to the genuinely phenomenal showing parts. Still, that aside, I do think Melt's is a compelling arc! You've gotta love an underdog story, and likewise for genuine character development, so seeing the fruits of this mix of both we've put a good amount of time into already exploring as genuine change is pretty charming to watch. The moment of Melt coming to fully relate to the weakness of the character he plays is particularly touching! And it also touches on something I mentioned last episode, as well as the larger theme of emotional acting in how the battles and characters in this feel far more impactful when there's something real behind them! Melt really is angrily fighting from the bottom of his heart here, and once more, that's felt both as a viewer and in-universe. The touch of realism in saying Melt can't just massively improve in *every* aspect, but needs a strong singular moment, is also nicely appreciated.

So on the face of it, definitely good and thematically relevant stuff, and a solid cap-off, reintegration, and hugely added depth to a side character that could have just as easily been a minor one-off otherwise. But I think what really sets this episode apart, pulls it all together, and makes this as strong as it actually ends up being, is the production. There's a lot of that aforementioned character acting and generally good-looking animation/cinematography for one, even before *the* big moment, although the amazingly intricate work that's put into literally everything Melt in his shining moment is the most notable highlight. You also have really fantastic little stylistic flairs like [the super intense depiction of Sakuya's view of Melt](https://imgur.com/a/uJLGiCj), [losing the color and detail for Melt acknowledging he'd been terrible](https://imgur.com/a/63UgYco), and [Melt reflecting in Aqua's star as he essentially tells him what his to that star is](https://imgur.com/a/jI280zo).

But frankly, for me, it's mostly about [this one, nearly minute-long, truly *breathtaking* cut of animation from Shun Takeda](https://www.sakugabooru.com/data/668240bbcb4c6efbcbf7acbf92ffdf3d.mp4). And might as well also mention this episode's director and storyboarder, as well as one the of assistant directors for the season, in Ciao Nekotomi as a deserved extra credit for that ([Especially seeing as some of her other work with Takeda has that same explosive style](https://www.sakugabooru.com/data/d1ad8f7a28649fd6fe5455aae265e9bc.mp4)) So, like, I'll be real, that one cut kind of rocked me and has been hard burned into my brain for the last year lol. I find that with discussion of anime, there's often this weird inclination for people to separate storytelling and animation, and while I do *generally* get where that comes from (Good looking shows can be bad, bad looking shows can be good, "Animation" as a term also tends to be way too all-encompassing, etc.), I think that cut almost perfectly showcases how tied the two can often be. Rarely do I think you get something like this that so succinctly and powerfully shows coneys such purely visual storytelling through animation. It feels so standout in that regard.

Starting with a colorfully explosion of passion right from his eye, you get this phenomenal display of Melt's life, going from his "Winging it" days, lovingly displayed by the intentionally cartoony and simplistic styling, getting scrapped by the gorgeous painted and *raw* depiction of him emotionally realizing what real talent looks via Aqua's star, desperately trying to chase that star, that talent, through hard work, literally and figuratively remaking himself through blood, sweat, and tears, as you see his body contentiously dissolving and reforming, until he's fully embodying his character with burning passion in this one critical moment. And while the sequence, as does the play, ends with that passion from his character being washed away by the tide, said tide also reveals a new and very satisfied Melt. Kizami might have "Lost" the battle, but beyond what that means for the character, in every form depicting that loss is a giant win for Melt as a person. No dialogue until the end, just a pure expression of Melt's character that could have entirely conveyed it and his backstory by itself, even if the show hadn't already done so before.

I normally wouldn't feel like whipping out the play-by-play for something that speaks so well for itself, but I don't know, I like it *that much*. And landing this one moment so well, to me at least, means everything else ends up just perfectly falling into place! It's hard not to strongly feel for a character that's never put effort into anything in his life beforehand, when the moment of him putting every bit of his soul into a singular scene that wows me this much! It feels intensely gratifying after I got such a strong emotional expression of him! And really pays off earlier subtle moments, like seeing [the handle of his blade worn down from practicing](https://imgur.com/a/P5usDq3) or the recurring motif of his hands in relation to his effort, [first clean, then bruised and bleeding, and eventually *really* hurt](https://imgchest.com/p/agyvnpg5w48), but in turn, Melt's effort is reflected in how he feels as well, going from tears of frustration in that clean one, [to a smile of happiness by the end](https://imgur.com/a/9XghZoB)! I think nailing this one encapsulating moment *this spectacularly well* takes that good base of Melt's arc and makes it so much more moving in every aspect, and this episode that much more memorable, even with the stumbles.

[](#cinema)

**Rewatcher/Manga Reader**

* Honestly I can't believe I slept on this arc twice (Once while S2 was airing the other while reading the manga)

Questions

* QOTD 1 - Despite not being a Battle Shonen enjoyer this arc was nice for characterization
* QOTD 2 - I personally like it but then again I'm am a sucker for Magical Girl/Boy-esque Transformations

**First Timer, Subbed**

I'm really glad they showed us the intro bit of the play in episode 1, so we could visualize some of the final product before this episode. It would've been jarring to see it for the first time now and have to adjust whatever we thought it would look like.

That being said, I wasn't expecting wirework! Perhaps Sakuya has prior experience if it's normal for 2.5D plays, but I'm suspending (hah) my disbelief that Kana can train for it in under a month.

Getting a view into Melt's motivations (and a little bit of Sakuya's) was also cool this episode. And as expected, the Melt vs Sakuya shounen battle paralleled the conflict between the actors. It was cute how Melt won the conflict to prove himself as an actor, just as his character lost the fight.

[Like in *Sweet Today*](https://i.imgur.com/JPeKjE2.jpeg), Melt acts best when he directly identifies with a character's emotion, so he was really set up for success here. Though, the irony is that, even though Melt looks up to Aqua's acting and takes Aqua's advice, Aqua shits on his own acting because he can't do what Melt does.

Aside: it's kind of funny that Taiki's Blade character is the blandest hero MC, considering that he's the one with all those awards.

QOTD:

1. I'm really enjoying this arc! I mean, I don't really care for battle shounen, but I don't think we're being asked to care about the play's plot, so we can focus on all the real world plotlines. Exploring this world of theater and adaptations is really interesting for me, just as the previous arcs' industries were. And the whole game-of-telephone conflict hit close to home for me, since it's kinda part of my job to prevent that from happening in the first place. My only sadness is not getting enough Ruby and Memcho.

2. ["For this one minute, I won't lose to anybody!"](https://i.imgur.com/Mji81Wm.jpeg) And true to his word, the stylish montage was approximately a minute. I thought it was great, and I thought the style was different because it was depicting Melt's inner views on acting, or chasing that star, or something.

**Rewatcher**

Let us begin with the play adaptation of a manga inside the anime adaptation of a manga.

The introduction of the play from the audience's perspective is pretty cool, giving us an idea of the [strengths and considerations of a 2.5D stage](https://imgchest.com/p/6eyrnkedk7p).

I think there is metanarrative comparision between Melt and his character Kizami even before the ending. Kizami was a supposed big-shot, leading an underground faction in Shinjuku, only to be humbled by Blade - which is similar to Melt getting humbled for the first time by Aqua. And now, Kizami finds himself in a battle where he slowly realizes he is utterly outclassed, similar to how Melt feels in real life against the vastly more experienced Sakuya.

Melt for this reason also struggles with the portrayal of Kizami in this first half of the fight, as Kizami at this point is supposed to have strength and bluster of a confident fighter, while Melt is already at a place where he has been humbled and doesn't feel confident enough to bring it out in his body language, and the [audience notices it](https://imgchest.com/p/xny86naqp4b). Sakuya on the other hand, ([as Melt notes, quite opposite to his real life personality](https://imgchest.com/p/n87wnpae37x)) skillfully and naturally portrays a timid, underdog, reluctant fighter in Monme.

Of course, there would be no issue for Melt if he felt nothing for acting. By his own admission, things went well for him quite almost automatically, but this role of a pretty-boy shallow personality, [basking in anonymous internet praise](https://imgchest.com/p/xny86na3p4b) or [female attention](https://imgchest.com/p/9249kn6vvyn), [dissatisfied him](https://imgchest.com/p/vj4jmpl9548), and acting and entertainment is something he realizes is [genuinely fun and motivating](https://imgchest.com/p/ej7mepd9byd), something he wants to earn and keep. So on Aqua's shrewd advice, Melt makes up for his lack of skill with a moment of spectacle, turning the eyes of the audience on him and doing his part to maintain the quality of the play.

Coincidentally, from this point, his and Kizami's feelings actually align, as they realize they are actually the underdogs of the world, find their skills inadequate and find newfound insecurities creep up as they get desperate to prove their place. Melt, [having made this connection](https://imgchest.com/p/9249kn6w2yn), and riding on the confidence given by nailing his special move, is able to strongly and confidently project out this feeling of frustration and shame, impressing Sakuya, Abiko, Yoriko, the rest of the audience, and most importantly, [himself](https://imgchest.com/p/dl7pnp3e6yo)

1. I quite enjoy watching a play adaptation of a manga inside the anime adaptation of a manga. This arc probably has the most meat with regards to indirect character exposition, using the play and the roles within it as a device, and also had the most work to be put in to adapt it, as the anime basically had to showcase the whole goddamn play (or atleast keep abreast of it loosely).

2. And Doga Kobo put the work in and then some, creatively depicting Melt's ego death and rebirth and filling it with tons of details and gorgeous hand-painted oil pastel animation. They clearly love the source material, and I love their interpretation of it.

Some things to note-

- [TW: SA] There is a parallel here to Melt's sexual encounter with his senpai with the bigger story of his life. He does use the words ["taken advantage of"](https://imgchest.com/p/lqyelkxg34d) (in all translations I've seen atleast), and he was *really young* ("first year of middle school" - which puts him at age 11-12). One of the more common struggles with male SA survivors is how a common reaction to what happened to them is that it was "a good/desirable/lucky thing", even though within remains a feeling of violation and dissatisfaction. This, as I noted above, is also how he views life, with a disassociation even though most of the things happening on the surface are desirable.

- Details in Melt's sequence, shows his world/image of self [collapsing](https://imgchest.com/p/vj4jmplg248), finding [genuine purpose in his craft](https://imgchest.com/p/9ryd29k6w4k), chasing it - giving it his [own blood and sweat](https://imgchest.com/p/xny86namo4b), and [forging his new self in the fire](https://imgchest.com/p/o24a695j3yl) of this play. Fire is also [Kizami's power](https://imgchest.com/p/agyvnp5r948), and in the narrative of the play we see it [getting defeated by Monme's water-ice](https://imgchest.com/p/vj4jmpl8248). However, with the final shot, we see his face as Melt, [refreshed and satisfied at turning in that performance](https://imgchest.com/p/bp45ovgm275). The imagery this evokes for me is someone taking a dip in a body of holy water, and coming out cleansed/reborn. Of course, like Melt says, the sequence also [lasts exactly one minute](https://imgchest.com/p/9p4nzorvz4n)

- Melt's performance really [moves Yoriko](https://imgchest.com/p/na7kkpjaq78). While the obvious reason is that she recognizes how much Melt has put into his acting, I also wonder if she shares a similiar feeling of frustration of being surpassed (in her case, by Abiko), and thus Melt's performance hits close to home.

- Aqua once again, while advising Melt, comes from a [place of love for the acting craft](https://imgchest.com/p/pg73oaeoj7r).

And so the play begins.

Oh right this is the episode that like half the episode is just spent on the play.

Cool that we can see and hear the wires used to suspend Kana.

So, a bit of commentary from them.

Huh. Who's that? Oh wait that's the author of Sweet Today isn't it?

So, here's his backstory.

So, that's when he decided to do better.

He went to train with Kana?

And so time for him to lock in.

And so, with all that practice and inspiration, he finally unlocked his true potential.

Questions:

1. I really liked how half of this episode was the play.
2. Very sakuga.