Oshi No Ko – Season 1 Episode 6 Recap & Review

Egosurfing

Episode 6 of Oshi No Ko begins with Yuki wanting to quit the dating show due to people teasing her. However, it all appears to be a part of the show as two girls comment about the events. Meanwhile, Yuki tells the others that she does get teased at school and wants to quit. However, her contract won’t allow it.

Aqua and his cast members head somewhere to eat. Ruby gives Aqua a stern talking-to at home since he’s no longer eating dinner with her on Sundays. Aqua’s happy that the dating show is letting them prioritize their schoolwork and letting them live their lives. Ruby asks Aqua if people ‘truly’ fall in love on dating shows, and Aqua says it depends on the person. After the crew filmed more of the show, Aqua informs the audience that Yuki and Nobuyuki became a couple and Kengo an onlooker, giving the show a love triangle to entice viewers to continue watching.

While Kengo, Nobuyuki, and Yuki sleep, MEM-Cho asks Aqua why he isn’t participating in the romantic quarrel between the trio. Although it would help get his name out there, Aqua says he’d rather play things safe until the show ends. MEM-Cho says she’s sticking with her airheaded comforting persona since her goal is to drive viewers to her YouTube channel. MEM-Cho worries about Akane as we receive short clips depicting what life is like for her.

She walks in on her company’s president, yelling at her manager for not getting Akane more screen time on the dating show. Akane feels spineless, looks at her notepad, and promises to work hard and leave her mark. Kana yells at Ruby for trying to post about terrible soda online. She warns Ruby why it’s dangerous to tweet out branded goods online. Kana swipes Ruby’s phone because she accuses Ruby of ‘egosurfing.’

Kana says they live in a society where online marketing is important and tells Ruby that many idols like to look themselves up online. At the same time, we see Akane egosurfing and learning many people don’t have an opinion on her character like Yuki’s. Aqua stumbles upon MEM-Cho and Kengo filming a video for the show’s official TikTok and Twitter. Akane approaches Yuki and Nobuyuki and asks Nobuyuki to follow her. As they chat, we receive multiple tweets criticizing Akane’s role in the show. Akane plans to act as Yuki’s rival to gain viewers’ attention.

Akane tells Yuki later in the day that she wants to leave her mark before the show concludes. Yuki tells her she won’t allow Akane to steal the spotlight from her. Akane spots Yuki trying to steal Kengo from her, so she stands up to Yuki and calls her out for her stunts. Not only does Akane accidentally cut Yuki’s face with her nails, but it appears they were filming. Akane’s flustered by the events, but Yuki comforts her and says it’s okay. Yuki tells Akane that’s she a hard worker and promises she’s speaking from the heart.

Unfortunately, the fans believe Akane is a menace for her actions based on several tweets online. Akane posts an apology on Twitter, but the fanbase isn’t warming up to her. Akane recalls MEM-Cho’s advice on handling online criticism, and Akane finds it difficult to cope with it. Akane’s manager tells her not to post anything online since it’ll only add more fuel to the fire. We receive a flashback of Akane’s hard-working life while hearing several folks talk badly about her. After hearing a long-time supporter drop support for Akane due to her actions, Akane heads outside in the rain. The episode closes with Aqua saving Akane from suicide.

The Episode Review

This episode gave viewers another dark take on the entertainment industry and internet culture. It shows how one simple mistake can lead a whole mob of people to attack you and drive you to the brink of death. The anime continues to build upon its side cast, giving them many likeable traits and backstories that will make them feel memorable.

Many viewers will cherish Akane for her hard-working persona and will grow to despise the audience who treated her poorly online. Seeing Akane undergo her depression phase throughout this episode was hard to sit through. Anyone who has experienced harsh criticism and crude comments online will understand where’s she coming from and will root for her to persevere.

Giving the viewers a look into her childhood to where she is currently was a neat touch and adds more emotional weight to the chilling imagery we receive near the episode’s conclusion. Fortunately, Aqua saved Akane from her gruesome fate. Overall, this was a spectacular episode full of relatable scenarios and gut-wrenching themes. It gives viewers a reason to root for Akane to overcome her internal and external hurdles. Hopefully, the anime can give its other characters similar treatment.