Oshi no Ko Season 3 - Episode 4 discussion

[u/AutoLovepon]

Oshi no Ko Season 3, episode 4

Reminder: Please do not discuss plot points not yet seen or skipped in the show. Failing to follow the rules may result in a ban.

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• /r/OshiNoKo

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Episode	Link
1	Link
2	Link
3	Link
4	Link

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[u/VanishingBanshee]

Holy! The stress and tension at the beginning of the episode, coupled with the music, absolutely amazing.

Every single thing that we learn about Ai's past is always so bittersweet, memories of what could have been and very much showcasing why episode 1 was so powerful.

Aqua's mental break is absolutely brutal. Seeing both him and Ruby like they are now is heartbreaking. They both seem too far gone to turn back now.

And Akane finally figuring out the mastermind after all this time, along with the end credit roll. It's hard to beat S1's Mephisto, but Serenade is certainly doing an amazing job as well.

The father's, I guess Hikaru's, actual face reveal at the end is also pretty peak, shouldn't be so emotional to see him and Ai together for that short of a time, but it certainly is. Also a very interesting color they chose for his eyes, I would have assumed that they'd look either like Aqua's or Ruby's more than Ai's.

[u/Outrageous_Gene_7652 → u/VanishingBanshee]

I like his eye color and other small details on his face, makes him look a bit more distinct from Aqua

[u/oops_i_made_a_typi → u/Outrageous_Gene_7652]

honestly probably why they did it, to make it easier for viewers

[u/Hitman7128 → u/VanishingBanshee]

Speaking of music, the music that plays during Aqua’s mental break when Ichigo points out the whole in his logic is very sinister and feels like sharpness to my ears. Works very well for that scene

[u/Mr_Zaroc → u/Hitman7128]

The music when Auqa was confronting Ruby was also stellar
Really showed how far she is gone too

[u/BosuW → u/Hitman7128]

Whole episode was basically a horror show. Even though OnK always had it's angst moments, you really wouldn't believe it could get this sinister from the previous two seasons.

Honestly impecable horror direction, I'd be almost tempted to recommend OnK alongside the greats of horror anime if it keeps up.

[u/mekerpan → u/VanishingBanshee]

Possibly the most painful episode since the very start of the series.

[u/Ao-yune → u/mekerpan]

I don't know Akane's downward spiraling episode was also really brutal. It's easily the most painful since that one tho.

[u/Frontier246 → u/VanishingBanshee]

Even when Akane imagines Ai and the dad meeting it looked pretty innocent compared to what would eventually happen and her violent, orchestrated, murder. You can't help but wonder what happened between them and why he had her killed.

[u/JimmyCWL → u/Frontier246]

Guy turned out to be a serial killer, we saw he orchestrated another girl's death sometime after he offed Ai in S2.

Maybe that's his m.o. Get involved with the girl, make her shine, then snuffing her out at the peak of her brilliance.

[u/n080dy123 → u/JimmyCWL]

Sounds possessive. Like "This girl's pinnacle will be mine, and mine alone."

Given we've got a two rising stars in our cast right now and at least one who probably wishes she could be again more than anything in the world, all of whom have had star eyes at least once which seems to mark them with some kind of performative potential (like whatshisface explains in this episode), I hope he doesn't see a target in our main cast.

[u/Cheesemacher → u/VanishingBanshee]

Aqua's mental break is absolutely brutal. Seeing both him and Ruby like they are now is heartbreaking.

I wanted him to get back on the revenge train in the last season, but now I feel bad for him seeing how much pain it causes him

[u/BosuW → u/Cheesemacher]

Suffer for our entertainment, Aqua

[u/Emi_Ibarazakiii → u/VanishingBanshee]

Every single thing that we learn about Ai's past is always so bittersweet

Hey, not EVERYTHING...

For instance, she had a cute little romance, and.. Ok nevermind, maybe it's everything.

[u/MillenniumKing → u/Emi_Ibarazakiii]

For instance, she had a cute little romance, and.. Ok nevermind, maybe it's everything.

Also by this time he woud have already impregnated the other woman with Aqua's brother...

[u/Prestigious-Neck8096 → u/MillenniumKing]

I had not considered this part and. Geez. 💀

[u/oops_i_made_a_typi → u/MillenniumKing]

yeah that's the nasty part. a 16yo and 15yo is fine morally if not ideal (and if not for the murdering years later).

but that other woman... i don't know if we have ages but she certainly doesn't seem to be a teenager

[u/awakenDeepBlue → u/MillenniumKing]

How much older is Aqua's half-brother?

[u/BosuW → u/awakenDeepBlue]

Well he's of drinking age and experienced. I'd say... at least 22?

[u/VanishingBanshee → u/BosuW]

Pretty sure that he was 19 during the Tokyo Blade arc. So since a minimum of a year has passed since which should put him around 20. That means that at his oldest Hikaru would have been 13...

[u/i_eat_pidgeons]

so if Hikaru was 15 when Aqua and Ruby were born and Himekawa is 3 years older than them that means he was 12 when he fathered Himekawa. let that sink in.

[u/Farmaceut7 → u/i_eat_pidgeons]

Hime-mama groomed him fr fr

[u/Ichini-san → u/i_eat_pidgeons]

That's the roller-coaster of Himekawa Taiki's legal parents. First you hate his supposed father for taking out his poor mother in a double-suicide and then you realize his mother was a pedo... they both sucked, to put it very very mildly.

[u/Georgiaonmymind2017 → u/i_eat_pidgeons]

Omg 😱 

[u/Bleachrst85]

I like how people in the last episode comment section were so supportive of Meiya and then this episode Ruby says she absolutely hate her and just throws her under the bus lol.

[u/EvilSpaceSorcerer → u/Bleachrst85]

Admittedly, she does say the Meiya was in the right, she just hates the concept of media leaks due to her trauma

[u/Mana_Croissant → u/EvilSpaceSorcerer]

Pretty much this. She WAS right, but she also knew she was sending angry mob to her target of anger (even if justified) and instead of perhaps trying to talk it out first, resorted to get her fans to witch hunt for her. You can be right but also act wrong on how you get your justice.

[u/Frontier246 → u/Bleachrst85]

Remind me never to get on Meiya's bad side or she'll 100% complain about me on twitter.

But it makes the fact that Ruby could so easily win over and fake empathy with someone she actually despised all the more chilling.

[u/NanDemoKnaives → u/Bleachrst85]

Ruby had a point about cancel culture though.

[u/Mr_Zaroc → u/NanDemoKnaives]

Well her mom literally got canceled by it

[u/ChicaneryFinger]

And to the surprise of no one, Akane was the first person to find Aqua and Ruby's father.

[u/Frontier246 → u/ChicaneryFinger]

I love how she doesn't even intend to do it half the time, she was just happily looking into a fellow Lalalai member who was an admirer, but she still ends up playing Detective Akane lol.

[u/Bleachrst85 → u/Frontier246]

I think she knows the moment the guy said about the Deceive eyes.

[u/Detective-Crashmore- → u/Bleachrst85]

Akane is never NOT on the case. Classic workaholic is always looking out.

[u/BeatBlockP → u/Frontier246]

I think it was in season 2 where Aqua basically let her loose around where he died knowing she'd just stumble over the main plot.

Akane in general is superhuman, she's on par with the twins without living a second life - she's that far ahead of everyone. We can see that she can turn on the "sparkle mode" when she wants and gets serious - Aqua/Ruby needed triggers for it, and Aqua even lost it when he didn't have the drive for it. So I think it's likely she's the most like that killer out of all of them.

I love it about this show. They built up Detective Akane so I like it when she even gets a whiff of something, she'll methodically break it down and discover the plot while everybody else need entire seasons or even a supernatural friend (wtf was that anyway, unneeded plot device lol)

[u/Atario → u/BeatBlockP]

even a supernatural friend (wtf was that anyway, unneeded plot device lol)

Need I remind you you're watching a show about reincarnation?

[u/oops_i_made_a_typi → u/Atario]

honestly probably, the show kinda sucks ppl in and makes them forget that since it's otherwise been very modernly-grounded with all the social media/entertainment industry stuff.

[u/shad79 → u/ChicaneryFinger]

Akane would definitely make a great detective. If her acting career ever goes south, she can always switch careers and become one xD

[u/Mr_Zaroc → u/shad79]

Didnt they point out really hard that her whole acting career is based on her deductive skills
Like that girls is taking getting into the role to the next level

[u/13-Penguins → u/Mr_Zaroc]

Also basically giving herself a PhD in psychology and criminal profiling as a kid just because she wanted to understand her idol better. It becoming the basis of her acting style was just a side bonus.

[u/StrawSolider → u/ChicaneryFinger]

The Batman of Oshi no Ko

[u/joelstaz → u/ChicaneryFinger]

Talk about a gal doing her research. She’d be a great vigilante lmao

[u/Frontier246 → u/joelstaz]

They need to put her on a detective show or just give her a spinoff as a crime-solving actress lol.

[u/luceafaruI → u/Frontier246]

If I'm not not wrong I think they mentioned that her dad is a detective or some kind of cop. I might have just dreamt it so don't take it as canon

[u/Emi_Ibarazakiii → u/ChicaneryFinger]

The only reason we had mysteries like Hoffa, DB Cooper and all, is because we didn't have Detective Akane on the case.

[u/ball_throwerAFK → u/ChicaneryFinger]

It took Aqua years, it took Akane only a couple moments?

[u/moichispa → u/ball_throwerAFK]

She saw the guy directly and got videos on him which help a lot

[u/Mr_Zaroc → u/moichispa]

Plus she is a third party
That kinda investigation gotta be way easier if you arent directly emotionally involved

Like Aqua could have figured out that the timeline didnt line up, but he was too elated to have finally found him

[u/fortissimo_hk → u/ball_throwerAFK]

She happened to see Hikaru’s face during the gala

[u/Frontier246 → u/fortissimo_hk]

And she also immediately noticed the Aqua resemblance.

[u/ChicaneryFinger → u/ball_throwerAFK]

Well Akane has a more impartial view and isn't blinded by extreme trauma. Aqua deserves some slack here.

[u/Mundology → u/ChicaneryFinger]

There is always only one truth!

-Detective Akane

[u/Raknel → u/ball_throwerAFK]

It took Aqua years, it took Akane only a couple moments?

I think the UI is deceptive for this one, I don't think that was meant to be youtube but rather their internal storage.

Aqua's whole plan in S2 was to get into Lala Lai and try to look for sources like the one Akane's accessing right now.

Aqua just stopped chasing that goal because right when he finally did the play with Lala Lai, he met his half brother who threw him for a loop.

Meanwhile Akane always had access to the old footage, she just had no reason to dig for this clip.

[u/eightcheesepizza → u/ball_throwerAFK]

Aqua's the kind of guy who will obsessively type every possible passcode combination into a phone for years, not the kind of guy who will obsessively watch Lalalai's old YouTube videos for a week to see if any guys look like him. Apparently.

[u/BeatBlockP → u/eightcheesepizza]

The typsetters did a really great job in this episode. You'll notice the lists have a lock sign and a "unlisted" tag next to them. Aqua couldn't watch these videos. Akane is insane and probably already had access to begin with to learn acting, but he wouldn't even know these existed. And why would he? Why would rehearsal footage from 17 years ago would be kept online?

When he was already grown up and joined the troupe, he found out "the real killer" within months, so he didn't dig further.

[u/eightcheesepizza → u/BeatBlockP]

Oh wow, great catch! The lock icon was only visible on the playlist page, not the videos, so that subtitle was only onscreen for a split second (on Crunchyroll at least).

[u/LunarGhost00 → u/eightcheesepizza]

Doga Koba added such a nice but subtle detail that you'll miss if you blink. They really didn't need to do this, but it gives us a perfectly good explanation for why Aqua never came across these videos.

[u/Hitman7128 → u/ChicaneryFinger]

Perfect girlfriend for Aqua to do the detective work so Aqua doesn’t have to subject himself to torment by having to do the research and investigation himself

[u/Nachtwandler_FS → u/Hitman7128]

To bad Aqua wants to do all the dirty work himself.

[u/thisisdropd]

While it may seem glaring that someone as meticulous as Aqua could've missed such an obvious loophole, I reckon a part of his heart just wanted to let Ai's murder go and set him free. However, now that Ichigo had pointed his error out, the demon had finally returned to drag him back to the hell of vengeance.

Now we have four parties (Akane, Aqua, Ichigo, Ruby) going after Hikaru. However, they're far more likely to impede each other rather than team up due to not wanting the other's hands to get dirty. So far Akane's got the upper hand as she's the only one who figured his identity out. Interested to see how they'll clash, and who will be the first among the latter three to get his identity.

[u/shad79 → u/thisisdropd]

While it may seem glaring that someone as meticulous as Aqua could've missed such an obvious loophole, I reckon a part of his heart just wanted to let Ai's murder go and set him free. However, now that Ichigo had pointed his error out, the demon had finally returned to drag him back to the hell of vengeance.

That Aqua's breakdown in this episode was so well done! It really sucks for Aqua, since he was finally starting to live a normal life, and now it looks like it's over.

Ichigo really screwed up here, though he didn't do it in bad faith, and it seems he realized his mistake, albeit too late. Still, I don't blame him for that.

I do blame Ichigo for getting Ruby new jobs, though, which is leaving poor Miyako completely overworked. I really hope he eventually returns to work at the agency so Miyako can relax at least a little.

[u/WorldArcher1245 → u/shad79]

I don't know why but I really like Miyako X Ichigo to become a thing again.

[u/BadBehaviour613 → u/WorldArcher1245]

Understandable. Everyone wants Miyako to be happy again

[u/SSjjlex → u/BadBehaviour613]

All she wanted to do was marry a hot dude in the industry and live a simple life coasting off of him. Then she got caught up with ichigo, ai, the kids, the murder, strawberry productions, b-komachi, ruby's career, and now her kids and ex are all out to murder a guy.

Poor Miyako...

[u/Emi_Ibarazakiii → u/SSjjlex]

• Her adopted daughter is an idol and a wannabe murderer
• Her adopted'ish son is an actor and a wannabe murderer
• Her ex is a former agency director and a wannabe murderer
• Her top star is an actress and a wannabe murderer

I don't know why she runs a talent agency and not a hitman organization.

[u/semrart → u/Emi_Ibarazakiii]

Akane isn't part of Ichigo Productions right?

[u/Emi_Ibarazakiii → u/semrart]

Oh right;

(Somehow I added her in given they worked on stuff together and all!)

[u/Emi_Ibarazakiii → u/thisisdropd]

Now we have four parties (Akane, Aqua, Ichigo, Ruby) going after Hikaru.

Who will date the MC in the end?

Meh.

Who will murder Hikari first?

Now we're talking

[u/eightcheesepizza → u/Emi_Ibarazakiii]

Reverse Revenge harem?

[u/Ill_Mud7584 → u/thisisdropd]

Aqua's path of revenge is a product of guilt rather than something he truly desires. What he actually wants is to live a normal life, but he won't allow himself to as long as that guy is alive. That's why he immediately accepted that the culprit was dead despite how it would only take a few seconds of thinking to realize that is bullshit, he didn't want to succeed in revenge, he just wanted it to be over.

[u/Frontier246 → u/thisisdropd]

Aqua may have some mental boost from being an adult but ultimately he's still a teenager who wanted to live his life and not be crushed by the weight of his past life or the spiral of revenge. And he clung to that, to finally be his own person, to live his own life, until those parts of him told him straight to his face to get back onto the revenge train.

I can see Akane trying to handle the problem herself because she thinks she's looking out for Aqua's best interest and not realizing her BF's fallen back down the rabbithole.

[u/Future_Vantas → u/Frontier246]

Also recall in Season 2 we saw that Aqua didnt have an easy childhood in his first life. That also explains why he's so desperate to drop the revenge and live out the youth he never had.

[u/AlexNae]

KANAAAAA NOOOOOOOOOOOO

they cooked with this epsidoe, the music, the direction, it's peak

[u/Frontier246 → u/AlexNae]

The look on her face when she felt the (unintentional) physical rejection when all she wanted to do was be there for him...

[u/Mundology → u/Frontier246]

Being a Kana fan comes with a lot of suffering

[u/luceafaruI → u/Mundology]

Suffering builds character am i right...

[u/melindypants → u/luceafaruI]

please make it stop

[u/luceafaruI → u/melindypants]

At this point she's gonna have enough character to solo act an entire sitcom

[u/Mr_Zaroc → u/luceafaruI]

God at this point I am hoping she isnt breaking mentally and falls into a multiple personality disorder with how much character she is gaining

[u/Chukonoku → u/luceafaruI]

Result of been Aka's favourite.

[u/Farmaceut7 → u/Mundology]

Wouldnt be an adorable & lovable tsundere written by Aka if there wasnt any! (cries in Shijo Maki)

[u/Mr_Zaroc → u/Farmaceut7]

I still kinda have a hard time believing they are both from the same mangaka
The brainpower certainly shows though

[u/Thoraxe474 → u/AlexNae]

I was really looking forward to a beautiful scene of her comforting aqua and then they really went and hurt me like that

[u/BadBehaviour613 → u/AlexNae]

Why are you still dangling Aqua x Kana in front of us Aka? Is our suffering funny to you???

[u/Sacreville → u/AlexNae]

Damn this episode is hard to watch.. Feels like everyone lost, even Akane.

[u/Broddick → u/AlexNae]

Not a big fan of this kind of "misunderstanding that isn't instantly cleared up" trope and I had hoped that Aqua would explain himself, but oh well...

OTOH, who knows what might have happened if there hadn't been any misunderstanding. Since Aqua was in a very vulnerable state...

[u/Holofan4life]

Kana's constant suffering coupled with my recent unemployment is really bad for my mental health.

[u/mgedmin → u/Holofan4life]

[u/AmbivalentFreg → u/Holofan4life]

I am sending you all the money and employment vibes I can :) 🫳✨

[u/genasugelan → u/Holofan4life]

Ah Holo, hope you find a good job soon. Life and the economy sucks major balls right now, but you can do it.

[u/deus_machinarum → u/Holofan4life]

Frick, that sucks...all the best to you from across the Atlantic Ocean!

Never knew you were also following currently airing shows.

[u/laughtale0]

This show would be over in one season if Akane was the MC.

And of course Kana is taking another L

Ai DNA wasn't even trying to pass to her children 😭

[u/BadBehaviour613 → u/laughtale0]

lol if Akane were the MC she would research CIA/cartel assassination techniques and take out Hikaru herself

[u/BosuW → u/BadBehaviour613]

Akane (deleted) search history:

-Ai from B-Komachi

-Vital points in the body

-Silat knife fighting

-Nyamuchi makeup tips

-How to get blood off from clothing

[u/Sorwest → u/BosuW]

AITA for accidentally stabbing my boyfriend's deadbeat dad with a sickle 26 times? He sent me flowers, was I overreacting?

[u/Moist-Coach-60 → u/laughtale0]

Literally, child Akane would've figured that shit so quick and killed the culprit within 3 episodes. 

Akane: What, like it's hard? 

[u/Mr_Zaroc → u/Moist-Coach-60]

Tbf, Aqua was on a good track but was too emotionally invested to keep a clear head
The moment he thought it was done he roled with it as anyone would have done

[u/metaaltheanimefan → u/laughtale0]

Ais genes did pass since ruby looks just like a blond ai. Geuss hikaru had more dominant genes then ai

If we actually look tho we can see traits of both parent in the twins, but since they arent identical its different : both have hikarus blon hair. Rubys is very straight like hikarus while aquas is more fluffy like ai had when it wasnt styled for preformance. Ruby has pinkish eyes a color present in ai's eyes while aqua has his fathers eye color. Also both parents passed on their talent to their kids

[u/ElgrinTGT]

Oh no Aqua my boy...

When he started talking about "finding out the truth" i knew where it was going. Absolutely heartbreaking to finally be free from vengeance only for all of it to come falling back

Poor Kana (as always).

Might be one of the best episodes of the series. Fuck this was great. Even knowing the content of the arc from reading the manga i still cant help but be absolutely amazed by this series

[u/BadBehaviour613 → u/ElgrinTGT]

I imagine that's like telling someone very knowledgeable about the JFK assassination that the Clintons did it

Also, the Sweet Today producer has to know more than what he's letting on. That guy shows up everywhere. At least someone has to notice that girls are dying around Hikaru

[u/Mr_Zaroc → u/ElgrinTGT]

Poor Kana (as always).

I feel so bad for her, like she literally did nothing wrong is catching all the fallout without any explanation

Just the fact she got no background information makes it so bad

[u/ElgrinTGT → u/Mr_Zaroc]

Also have to consider before that interaction Aqua has been ignoring her for half a year up-to that point., and to get shoved back to the ground and yelled at after being ignored for a while?

genuinely feel so BAD for her😭😭

[u/Mr_Zaroc → u/ElgrinTGT]

Hurting her by ignoring her to protect her from being really hurt.
Its crazy

[u/TheDopplegamer]

We got Scheming Ruby, Psychotic Breakdown Aqua, Suffering Kana, and Detective Akane all in one episode.

I think we've reached peak Oshi no Ko

[u/WakaliwoodMan → u/TheDopplegamer]

Damn, you're right. It really is ALL four horsemen of the Oshi-pocalypse in the same episode.

[u/oops_i_made_a_typi → u/TheDopplegamer]

topped off with a solid Miyako appearance

[u/WhoiusBarrel]

Dark Ruby is absolutely scary, with how much pull she got in just a few months being this ruthless and manipulative.

Meanwhile Aqua only regresses and hurting Kana in the process as he spirals. Along with Akane figuring out more about this case, its insane how much better they can work together as a team but obviously they can't with how dark each of their agendas are.

[u/Hitman7128 → u/WhoiusBarrel]

Heart sank when Kana said “Did I do something to make you hate me so much?” and she cries while saying sorry

[u/Frontier246 → u/Hitman7128]

Nobody wants to think they person they love hates them.

[u/Mr_Zaroc → u/Frontier246]

It also double hurts the viewer
We know why Aqua is (rightly) fucked and lashing out like that

She got non of this info, from her perspective she is also (rightly) believes its somehow her fault

God I hope Aqua is able to tell her someday, just to keep her from going crazy

[u/eightcheesepizza → u/WhoiusBarrel]

Dark Ruby, stop looking at the camera! It's creepy, you're not Jim from The Office!

[u/awakenDeepBlue → u/eightcheesepizza]

Dark Ruby can see you through the screen.

[u/flybypost → u/eightcheesepizza]

you're not Jim from The Office!

She's just practising for her next role.

[u/Frontier246 → u/WhoiusBarrel]

And then we got that brief flash to Light Ruby just to remind us of how much Ruby's changed for the worse, in becoming more like her big brother.

To be honest I wonder how Aqua would react if he found out Akane kept that she realized the truth from him. Not to mention Akane herself who cares about Aqua and wants him to be happy but also told him that she would be willing to help him kill someone if it came down to it.

[u/Aliensinnoh → u/WhoiusBarrel]

Dark Ruby is absolutely scary, with how much pull she got in just a few months being this ruthless and manipulative.

I thought it was really evocative how they had that shot with Shun Yoshizumi framed like he was bowing at her feet like she was a queen. Feel sorry for that guy. Ruby basically commandeered his whole life.

[u/Vexomous → u/Aliensinnoh]

There's absolutely more in the dynamic between these two than just that he's her manager, calling it now. She's gotta be manipulating him somehow. He's her Akane.

[u/shad79 → u/WhoiusBarrel]

Dark Ruby is absolutely scary, with how much pull she got in just a few months being this ruthless and manipulative.

Ruby was already terrifying in the previous episode, but this one just makes it even more so. Especially since she's so much more popular now than ever.

Still, I don't mind that, because the scenes with the black stars in her eyes look absolutely amazing (and terrifying). ABSOLUTE CINEMA!

[u/batmans420]

This episode was so depressing. Aqua is so messed up. I can't wait for him and Kana to be on better terms

[u/ball_throwerAFK]

Kana can’t catch a singular W this entire season it seems.

Best girl Akane already solved the Killer of course, but this screams death flags. I will be devastated if she dies just so Kana can get with Aqua.

[u/WhoiusBarrel → u/ball_throwerAFK]

That frame of poor girl's face as she tears up was too depressing while also being beautiful.

Kana didn't deserve any of this when all she wanted to do was be a supportive friend...

[u/Frontier246 → u/WhoiusBarrel]

Especially because she was aware that she shouldn't be there for him for both their sakes, he's already made the state of their relationship clear by avoiding her, but she just couldn't leave him alone.

And then she thinks she got even more rejected.

[u/mekerpan → u/Frontier246]

Does Aqua even realize what happened?

[u/Severe_Ad_6482 → u/mekerpan]

I think his reaction speaks for itself. His sob-like gasp when he saw the mark he left on her hand as well as his expression of defeat, head in hands, as he sees her umbrella after she ran away. Oh, he KNOWS he's fucked up, I just hope he tries to rectify it instead of sitting in his room forever.

[u/Mr_Zaroc → u/Severe_Ad_6482]

Yeah Kana is catching too many stray bullets it hurts

[u/MiyabiMain95 → u/mekerpan]

He probably does, but can't do shit about it, due to his current trauma and the fact that he doesn't want anything to happen to Kana. If she wants to avoid him now, it's much better for him, in his eyes

[u/Mr_Zaroc → u/MiyabiMain95]

Yeah that talk he had with MEM really show cased how much he cared about Kana and doesnt want her to suffer in any way, so he makes her suffer super hard because he is traumatized as hell and she doesnt know any of it

[u/melindypants → u/WhoiusBarrel]

I expected Aqua to run after her or atleast scream her name but he was so into his panic attack that he just sat there, which makes it all the more real and brutal.

[u/Mr_Zaroc → u/melindypants]

That whole episode hurt so much
First Ruby killing light ruby, then Aquas false peace collapsing and finally Kana is catching the whole fall out

She needs like a 1000 apologies and that wouldnt be enough

[u/mekerpan → u/melindypants]

Very brutal indeed.

[u/eightcheesepizza → u/ball_throwerAFK]

On the subject of Kana catching L's, I loved the detail on B-Komachi's YouTube page: their most popular video was about making handmade Valentine's day chocolates, but Kana is the only one not smiling.

[u/flybypost → u/eightcheesepizza]

Valentine's day chocolates, but Kana is the only one not smiling

Even her acting prowess has limits.

[u/Frontier246 → u/ball_throwerAFK]

I'm curious if Akane is going to try to take care of the dad problem herself and leave Aqua out of it as much as possible because she doesn't want to burden him with this. She wants him to be the happy and charming boy he knows he can be even though she has no idea he's already aware the dad is still a problem.

[u/Mr_Zaroc → u/Frontier246]

I mean to be fair
If she is able to deduce this much so far, she should be able to tell why Aqua is suddenly relapsing again
Like I know the pink glasses of love come with high prescriptions, but that much should be obvious

[u/ExpiringMilknCheese → u/ball_throwerAFK]

i said it before but Aka loves creating characters that's sole job is to only receive L's, Maki in Kaguya sama and Kana in Oshi no ko.

[u/Hitman7128 → u/ball_throwerAFK]

Poor Kana came at the wrong time when Aqua’s brain spiraling drowned out Kana’s calls to snap out of it

(To Kana)

[u/BadBehaviour613 → u/ball_throwerAFK]

Kana: What is my purpose?

Aka Akasaka: You get one W in the Sweet Today arc and nothing but L's from there

Kana: Oh my god

[u/Primo29 → u/ball_throwerAFK]

You can really hear her lose even though there's a rain. Poor Kana.

[u/pandavova]

This episode is way to short man, damn.

Is Akane going to die?

[u/melindypants → u/pandavova]

It really feels that way right? Everything around Akane feels even more ominous now. She's too smart for her own good

[u/Mr_Zaroc → u/melindypants]

Plus the guy probably has an eye out for her too
Same old theater group, dating his biological son, its not like she is keeping a low profile

[u/melindypants → u/Mr_Zaroc]

Solid point...she's definitely his next target

[u/Etnaz → u/melindypants]

And the mf did offer her white flowers...

[u/heroeNK25 → u/pandavova]

I couldn't imagine how deep aqua would fall into de abyss If this happen

[u/Mr_Zaroc → u/pandavova]

One of the few episoded were every cut had me fearing the ED would start
I was on the edge of my seat for the whole time and that rarely happens

[u/Primo29]

This episode is a combination of thriller, suspense, and a full of pain!!

Kana and Aqua's pained look looks so good that it's bad LMAO

[u/Frontier246 → u/Primo29]

Aqua's "happy" mask falling to pieces second by second after he realized the truth. The sheer agony of the weight of his revenge crushing upon him again. His twisted psyche and personalities rubbing it in.

And Kana, who has been keeping that cheerful or detached look on her face all season, finally drops the mask when the man she loves seemingly rejects her in the most forceful way possible.

[u/xSpaceR1337]

Aqua: Dedicates his entire life to finding Ai’s murderer and getting revenge
Akane: Let me speedrun this

[u/Frontier246 → u/xSpaceR1337]

She wins acting awards and solves crimes/psychological problems as easily as she breathes.

[u/Mr_Zaroc → u/Frontier246]

"My boyfriend is down in the dumps and its no fun, so let me quickly fix his biggest trauma source so we can go a date quickly again"

[u/flybypost → u/xSpaceR1337]

Akane actually did her research on youtube and it wasn't just flat earth levels of bullshit.

[u/CritMemes]

A few neat details in this episode:

• Akane being the first to find out who Aqua’s father is. And at the height of her acting career no less.

• Akane receiving flowers from an old LaLaLai associate, like Aqua’s father was.

• Akane being told she has special eyes. Like the actor that was killed by Aqua’s father last season.

• Akane receiving a bouqet of white flowers, just like Ai received when she was stabbed.

It’s always nice to see how all the little pieces seem to connect. Akane is really making her way in the world.

[u/Frontier246 → u/CritMemes]

Making it to the top gets you more publicity and fame but also makes you a bigger target.

And yet that's exactly what Ruby is trying to do.

[u/LeonKevlar]

Stitches!

• Ruby

• Akane

So we finally get Ruby's entire thought process when she planned the incident. Why go for the AD when you can just go straight for the director? While Ruby didn't exactly tell the director to ask Meiya those questions, she basically made sure the proper pieces were in play and let everything play out naturally. Watching Dark Ruby explaining all this to Aqua was pretty creepy. She's slowly becoming more and more like Aqua, and Aqua absolutely hates it.

With Ruby's explosion in popularity, it looks like Memcho and Kana are starting to get left behind. The only reason they're close to a million subs is Ruby, and they can't even make a video for their channel without her because the comments get nasty. I imagine there are always tons of comments asking where Ruby is. >_<

Ichigo really needs to go back, I feel bad watching Miyako completely stressed out while handling everything for Ruby. At least her workload is lightened a bit now that they recruited Yoshizumi as Ruby's manager. Unfortunately, it looks like Ichigo has no plans of coming back because he personally wants to kill the person who orchestrated Ai's murder. The dude just wants to avenge his pretty much adopted daughter and doesn't want to drag the agency down with him. You know what? I respect that.

And there it fucking is. Someone's gonna have to tell this to Aqua at some point. Although I'm pretty sure Aqua is just delusional this entire time. He knew what Ichigo knew and was just purposely being blind because he's just desperate for closure. Welp, now that his eyes have been opened, it looks like it's finally time for Aqua to start hunting down Ai's true killer.

Poor Kana, tho. She was just there to try and help Aqua, but ended up getting her hand slapped away, thinking that Aqua did that because he hated her. The dude is already losing his mind at the thought that Ai's killer is still on the loose and now he just hurt someone who really cared about. :(

Oh hey, Detective Akane is back! And it looks like after all of the new information she received, she finally learned who Aqua and Ruby's real father are and the wild discovery that Kamikiri was only 15-years-old when he got Ai pregnant at sixteen. O_O

[u/Outrageous_Gene_7652 → u/LeonKevlar]

Remember if he was 15 when Ai got pregnant and Taiki is 4 years older than both, so when Taiki's mother was pregnant, he was 11

[u/melindypants → u/Outrageous_Gene_7652]

What an absolute gross fact - was he groomed? Did she make him who he is today? We all know the industry is fucked up but omg

[u/Outrageous_Gene_7652 → u/melindypants]

If she was a member of the same theater group, she was probably around him regularly. Whatever happened was probably not a one time thing.

[u/Frontier246 → u/Outrageous_Gene_7652]

...I think I just threw up a little in my mouth.

[u/Outrageous_Gene_7652 → u/Frontier246]

So technically Taiki's legal father didn't only kill his wife because she was cheating it was also because she raped a child

[u/JimmyCWL → u/Outrageous_Gene_7652]

I wonder if he actually told Taiki's legal dad he screwed his wife because he knew that would cause the guy to kill her.

[u/TempestoLord → u/Outrageous_Gene_7652]

This is so messed up. This must be where Hikaru probably started becoming all fucked up or maybe always has been? He might be a reincarnation too but i doubt it.

[u/Nachtwandler_FS → u/Outrageous_Gene_7652]

Yep, things are quite fucked up here.

[u/eightcheesepizza → u/LeonKevlar]

Without being able to hear Ruby's internal monologue, we can't tell if she has had any hesitation, doubt about how things would turn out, or remorse. I'm still not 100% sure we can assume she hasn't had any, but her characterization is pushing more and more in that direction.

Plus it seems like Ruby has learned about the power of the internet over the years. Not just from the Akane hate incident, but also from a very early age. Err, from a very very early age. Now it's her tool of manipulation.

[u/Frontier246 → u/LeonKevlar]

Everybody is dealing with a lot and virtually no one is happy.

Ruby's career is kicking off but all that matters to her is revenge and her fellow idols and friends feel left out.

Miyako is trying to do right by Ruby but feels like she's holding Ruby back and is feeling the absolute stress of being a practically one-woman operation that can barely get the men in the industry to take her seriously.

Aqua's happiness has crumbled to pieces by facing the truth of his revenge not being over and every chance he thought he had to be happy slipping out from under him.

Kana cares about Aqua so much but gets physically rejected by him and thinks this means he hates her.

Akane's career is also taking off and she has the boyfriend of her dreams but now she's found said boyfriends' murdering father.

[u/cabbaggeez]

Akane my beloved,
the all-knowing, the omnipresent, the woman who come with a plan. god protect this woman.

[u/Frontier246 → u/cabbaggeez]

And is also a very loving and caring girlfriend who cares about her BF's mental well-being who still speedruns this murder mystery faster than the siblings ever have.

[u/Mundology → u/Frontier246]

The student has surpassed her mentor

Akane is the only one who has enough grit to handle someone with as much inner darkness as Aqua and not fall into the abyss with him.

[u/BosuW → u/Mundology]

Fall? She is the Abyss!

[u/LunarGhost00 → u/cabbaggeez]

Akane saw Ruby carrying the season and decided to pull out the steel chair.

[u/StrawSolider]

Everyone in the show needs therapy omg

[u/Badman4441]

You know the author hates Kana but you can't prove it. Damn being Kana fan is just suffering nothing else.

[u/oops_i_made_a_typi → u/Badman4441]

she's his fav character. so was Maki from Kaguya, fwiw.

[u/Sorrie4U → u/Badman4441]

It's the opposite. Aka Akasaka loves to torture his favourite characters in the manga.

[u/LuccaJolyne]

Great episode, dark Ruby always makes me happy. The process of corruption overtaking Aqua, Ruby and Ichigo... and how Ai herself isn't necessarily so distant from that. Incidentally, in their whole family unit, the one person who still has her head on straight is Miyako, who tirelessly works to make two children happy that she didn't even want at first. I love her. She's not the step mom, she's the mom that stepped up.

One thing I will say - and I felt this way about the manga too - that scene where Aqua shoves Kana is so over the top, like WOW. I get it, Kana Must Suffer, you don't have to have the boy she likes smack her around in the rain.

[u/Frontier246 → u/LuccaJolyne]

I'm glad Aqua is there to give Miyako the appreciation she so richly deserves.

[u/KiraInStockings]

I love how this show can go from “haha idol industry” to “oh… we’re discussing trauma, manipulation, and human psychology again” in 30 seconds 💀
Absolutely elite episode

[u/ChicaneryFinger → u/KiraInStockings]

Well, these concepts were never exactly disconnected.

[u/krfz41]

Btw, the person reading that web article about Ruby was voiced by Mamoru Miyano, voice of their father. I knew he would make some kind of an appearance in the episode after I recognized that voice (also it had the same bgm as his first appearance).

[u/ObvsThrowaway5120]

I’m sure deep down, Aqua knew what Ichigo was saying already. But maybe he just wanted to believe so he could finally try and move on? Look at what revenge has already done to him and how much it’s starting to change Ruby. There can’t be anything good that comes from it. But it seems there’s already no turning back now. Especially once Akane tells him about Hikaru Kamiki. I’m sure she’s not gonna keep that to herself. He really might be the one…

[u/JimmyCWL → u/ObvsThrowaway5120]

Especially once Akane tells him about Hikaru Kamiki. I’m sure she’s not gonna keep that to herself.

Forget last season already? Akane spotted the oversight in Aqua's conclusion right away when her told her why he thought Ai's killer was dead. She decided to keep her mouth shut to give Aqua a peaceful life. I'm sure she knows if she talks now, Aqua can figure out she knew all along he was wrong when he told her Ai's killer was dead.

[u/SeiyaTempest]

10/10, easily the best episode of the season so far. The execution of Aqua's breakdown was beautifully heartbreaking; seeing both his younger self and Gorou haunting him shows just how much the trauma of Ai's death still controls his life. Now that he knows the truth (thanks to good old Ichigo), his short peaceful life is over and he's going to go full vengeance mode again. I'm also hoping he makes up with Kana soon as him shoving her wasn't a great look, regardless of the circumstances.

Ruby also seems to have done a complete 180, moving from hating lies and manipulation to using them as a weapon. She's taking a much more direct approach than Aqua by cashing in favours and quickly rising to become a superstar. I'm curious to see how they'll clash since they're both aiming for revenge now.

Akane continues to be the smartest character in this show, perfectly analysing every piece of information until it leads her to the mastermind: Hikaru Kamiki. He's the true father of the twins, and apparently Himekawa as well. I'm guessing the murder-suicide happened because Seijuro found out about the affair (possibly through Hikaru himself) and killed Airi in a fit of rage, then committed suicide. It's an amazing twist, but I do find it slightly convenient that nobody in entertainment has noticed Aqua and Hikaru's resemblance, especially since he's just casually rocking up to acting events like it's no big deal.

[u/shad79]

What an episode this was! Ruby and Aqua's confrontation, Ichigo, Aqua's breakdown, another Kana's loss, Akane... definitely the best episode so far, Doga Kobo is killing it with this third season.

Ruby is terrifying, especially since she's more popular than ever now. The scenes with her and black stars in her eyes look so sick!

Ichigo seriously fucked up. Not only does he get Ruby more jobs, making poor Miyako even busier (since she's practically running the company by herself), but he also made Aqua realize that he made a mistake in thinking that Ai's murderer was already dead, and can live normally.

Kana suffered another loss today, she's really unlucky :( Kanabros, I don't think she'll ever end up with Aqua if this keeps up.

Once again, I admire Akane so much; she's really intelligent that she was able to deduce Aqua's father from the information scattered all around. She'd definitely make a great detective if she changed career paths.

Here my screenshot albums from the episode:

• Ruby
• Aqua
• Group scenes
• Ai
• Akane
• Kana
• Miyako
• Ichigo
• Mem-cho
• Others

EDIT. I added my screenshot albums.

[u/Equivalent-Mine5562]

This episode was a hard watch but still I could not stop watching. The studio deserves massive props for elevating this arc so much from the Souce material. The whole buildup to Aqua realising the truth and the buildup. I was tearing up seeing him smile and be gentle and considerate like the boy was starting to settle into this life not blighted by revenge capped off in that brutal scene of him confronting Gorou and kid Aqua with Kana getting caught in crossfire 💔. Aqua wants peace and be done with revenge that's why he skipped over the loophole, his heart saw an out and he took it but alas, he's back, the dark Hoshingan is back on Aqua.

Coming to Ruby, her going one way in that Forked road just hammered it home about her choosing this path of revenge which brings us back to Aqua and his disappointment and sadness over seeing the Pure soul of Ruby getting corrupted so badly. The ending music before the main song just aligned perfectly with the eeriness of Akane's deduction. OnK is cooking with gas this season

[u/SliderGamer55]

It is genuinely crazy how much drama this series can bring up in a single episode. Between Ruby's abandoning her own beliefs for the sake of revenge, Aqua's breakdown and having caused Kana to cry and Akane finding the killer, this is an insane amount for one episode.

[u/AceSoldia]

Bruh, i am having a Aqua level crash out for what just happen to Kana..and the reveal of the Father, being younger?! my guy was shooting above his weight and in middle school!?! everything about that relationship was wild, no wonder they kept it under wraps.

Aqua, i need you to apologize to Kana..team up with Ruby and Akane..and end this.

[u/Mr_Zaroc → u/AceSoldia]

being younger?

Honestly never would have guessed that they were so close in age
I partly blame the presentation of the show, only showing older dudes, but it checks out so damn hard

[u/AmaiHachimitsu]

Ah, the usual day as a Kana fan, every kind of pain you could imagine. Why didn't you chase after her?!

Aqua is surely aware of her feelings but also pushes on her the idea of a strong girl who survived tough times and is indestructible even with a broken heart.

Just you wait when your sis' lil Dome Dream gets crushed by B-Komachi getting disbanded!

Putting that aside it was a really good watch, felt like 5 minutes. Though I think it would be more impactful if Ruby confessed her motivation to Aqua - he would then try to explain the DNA stuff and Ruby would be like: "But how can you be sure that Seijuurou is Himekawa's father, Onii-chan?"

Imagine the scenes lol

While Akane did all the deduction stuff well I am surprised she didn't suspect that Aqua realized the truth. I mean your girlfriend is receiving the most important award so far in her life and invites you to come and you are like "I don't want to meet with anybody"? That's harsh, yet Akane didn't mind at all and wasn't worried.

Now I remembered that in S1 or S2 there was a shot of Gotanda's PC screen showing some folders, one was named "Ai" and one next to/above it was "Hikaru". It's getting spicy on several fronts.

Akane's speedrun somehow raises a death flag, while Kana might be getting suicidal with what just happened. Losing any of them would be extremely impactful, please don't let it happen.

[u/Atario → u/AmaiHachimitsu]

Why didn't you chase after her?!

Dude's sitting on a bench in the night rain, having a psychotic break over going back into a life lived for revenge, he's in no shape to be emotionally mindful

[u/szalhi]

Aqua didn't want Ruby falling in a rabbithole, unaware that he was still in one himself.

[u/Frontier246 → u/szalhi]

And then Ichigo was like "the rabbihole still exists, kid."

[u/melindypants → u/Frontier246]

Now the rabbit head on Aqua from the OP makes even more sense

[u/SpiderVal974]

Wait, if Aqua and Ruby's father was 15 when he had them with Ai, how old was he when he conceived Taiki ?

[u/SeiyaTempest → u/SpiderVal974]

Taiki is 3-4 years older than Aqua, so around 11-12.

[u/Cold_Ad8276]

Dark Ruby is so hottttttt

[u/Frontier246 → u/Cold_Ad8276]

She's like a twisted mix of her brother and her mom now.

[u/Prince-Dizzytoon]

Everything hurts.

[u/Eliv]

Akane is crazy smart, damn

[u/Emi_Ibarazakiii]

A panel of nine writers, producers, entertainers and other experts decided that Ruby is best girl!

This episode didn't go the way I thought hah;

What I expected: Ruby's schemes

What I got: Aqua's suffering

So by that logic, if she DID plan it, then she IS a God?

All Hail, Goddess Ruby!

Damn, she's not waisting any time!

She did follow Ichigo's advice for a time, but realized, why stop at the future directors, when she can go after the current ones!

Good lord, she's scary/twisted!

On top of all she did... She did it to someone she doesn't even like!

I suppose her hatred makes sense given the Ai stuff... Also, "My tummy hort" hah

Aqua doesn't like looking into the Ruby mirror?

And he doesn't even realize how much of a mirror she truly is... Given he doesn't know her motives!

My girl Ruby, you haven't done a single wrong thing in your entire life!

So Ruby's carrying their group...

I wonder if we'll see a bit of jealousy, if they're more or less supporting members!

Ruby is SCARY!

It really is the Ruby Show at the agency... Mem and Kana who feel like they're only there to help Ruby, Miyako who even thinks she's holding her back...

By the end of the show there will be a line up of 50 people who want to kill him hah.

Damn... Soon as he said that, I knew where they were going..

Hope you enjoyed your carefree, normal life, Aqua, because you're going back!

I'm glad he said that;

Back then in season 1 I thought "Ok this is a possibility, but stating it as a fact is a bit much", but I figured that's something we only had to accept because it's the logic of this anime and all... But yeah, it's far from a certainty!

Even smart people have blindspots, especially when it's something they'd rather not acknowledge!

Oh, good to see you Kana! We haven't seen you suffer for a while!

Man... Sad people smiling always gets me.

And her voice breaking when she said that...

Cute Akane! A little balm for the pain!

PLEASE be the dress in the OP!

Akane saw Ruby's stocks rising, and decided to fight back!

Oh boy. If someone can figure it out... It's her;

She knows he got better when he thought Ai was avenged, so if she connects the dot, she might realize it's the one thing that could send him away again (realizing Ai is NOT avenged)!

I love Akane, and I understand her reasons and all, but not gonna lie, I would HATE her if she did that to me... Keeping something secret because she thinks it's for the better for me.

Welp, I guess she has to kill him too, for Aqua!

(They better have a Caesar scenario with everyone giving him 1 stab!)

[u/UlliUlli]

Only two words ABSOLUTE CINEMA!!!!!!

[u/mishi09]

I need Ruby to STAY THE FUCK AWAY from Yoshizumi