Oshi no Ko

[Kraco]

Yes, it does feel a bit cheap that it wasn't shown exactly how much of those wondrous effects actually were there. Although that's hardly the point of this series, but when this theater performance seems to be this whole season, and the special features of that particular theater were partially what convinced the mangaka to allow the project to proceed, it would have been fair to show that much. We saw the actors' struggle, the director's struggle, the script writers struggle, but the technical staff apparently performed miracles no sweat.

Aqua had quite an interesting approach, which combined indirect with a very sudden direct attack.

[MFauli]

And suddenly we get some plot, LOL. That twist was nice, expecting some interrogation of the director, when it suddenly turns to Himekawa.

Now unless things progress VERY fast, I see the following problem: The director just now told us Himekawa comes from an orphanage. So ... tought luck knowing about his father?

But wow, whoever IS the father basically slept around with several girls.

I still fear that once the father is revealed, it becomes some bs "oh, it's THAT guy. He's actually nice and he had good reasons and therefore all is forgiven" ending. Hope I'm wrong.

Akane continues to be best girl. God, Arima is so need and loud, literally the worst.

[DarthEnderX]

Akane is an empty doll. Arima is a real person.

[shinta|hikari]

this has been a popular twitter joke.

Why a joke? Sounds like a plan. Ruby even likes Aqua in their previous lives.

[Buffalobiian]

https://i.imgur.com/eLVcYEo.jpeg
https://i.imgur.com/foR8mlh.jpeg

That had me cackling.

As for the incest, well I guess there's a 1/4 chance of double-star, 1/2 chance of single star, and 1/4 chance of no-star.

With the half-sibling thing, this boots Akane out of the shipping race now if there was ever one at all.

[shinta|hikari]

Wait, Akane is related to Aqua?

[Kraco]

That had me cackling.


Aye, I also noticed that. It was quite funny and certainly consistent: Arima has never been happy about the whole Aqua+Akane "business" romance.

[MFauli]

Wait, Akane is related to Aqua?

No, not sure why anyone would think that.

[Buffalobiian]

Ah, I got that wrong. I thought they were listing "Kurokawa (Akane), you (Himekawa) and I.."

Alas the doomed ship still sails.

[Kraco]

Episode 21


- -- - -


This episode was ruined for me by Aqua believing that story so easily. He's chasing a man crafty enough to arrange Ai's death by using a lunatic otaku as a murder weapon, who even self-disposed of himself afterwards, ending the police investigation and sealing the case officially. How does that fit some half-assed actor, who wants to stick to better female actors to raise his own value? My first thought after this was that the real culprit is, in fact, a serial killer. That double suicide would then be just another murder meant to mask his presence further by creating a dead biological father scapegoat. It's exceedingly annoying that Aqua, who was only living for revenge (and to protect Ruby) is now depicted to be this shallow with the whole revenge business. His trauma was so severe it made him drop on his knees and vomit if he derived joy from acting (show business), yet this was all it took to convince him? So disappointing story writing.

In fact I'm not even willing to trust that Uehara dude so easily. He might have his own reasons to reveal only a certain kind of (fake) truth to Aqua. It's not like they would have much in common or would have known each other for that long. Being, supposedly, half-brothers is quite meaningless if there's nothing more than words on paper going for it. They both have their own lives and circumstances. We know little of Uehara's past.

[David75]

It's as you say. But maybe Aqua chose to believe for now because he needs a pause and get rid of the weight he's been carrying for so long, even if for a short time.
We know Aqua is smart and even if he tries to forget and move on, learning they plan a trip to Miyazaki right after that scene tells us the audience shit is going to hit the fan (maybe a pun in there hahaha)
And we even get several reminders of the sinister imoortance of that place, last scene included.

[DarthEnderX]

How was his body never found? He died not far from the hospital.

[David75]

How was his body never found? He died not far from the hospital.
Cheap writing:
His former body was used by his biological father for his false double suicide with Himeka's mother...

[Kraco]

People disappear all the time. Many are presumed dead, though no body is ever found. Sometimes a body is found many years later by pure coincidence or due to new information surfacing, even a murderer confessing near their natural death of old age. The Japanese police isn't exactly near the top in skills, procedures, or techniques, so I doubt there was much effort to find the corpse in the first place.

[MFauli]

That composer was just horny, come on :D Pregnant Ai-chan 2.0 in the making!!!

Anyway, not sure why you'd be disappointed in Aqua. He was sure the villain was his biological father. That father is confirmed dead. When he found out, all the tension suddenly fleed him. I understand that. Imagine you've been learning for an important test, only to find out the day before the test that everyone passes automatically due to some new rule. You'd lose all the built-up stress from one to the other moment.

That said, I don't believe it's that simple either. My first thought was that the half-brother himself is the evil guy or at least part of it. First of all, we don't know if he's even telling the truth. Secondly, he said he hated his father. That's a pretty severe thing to say for someone who just slept around with women and wasn't successful at his job. Considering that Himewaka has been portrayed as pretty smart, too, I can see him being the bad guy. Setting up the murder of Ai-chan who, in his eyes, caused his parents' double suicide. Or maybe he caused the double suicide, too, because his parents' relationship was made miserable by the dad's affair with Ai-chan and he did a tabula rasa on all of them.

Fucking hate the new, grey haired girl. Pls don't let her be a reincarnation of Ai-chan, sigh.

[Kraco]

Imagine you've been learning for an important test, only to find out the day before the test that everyone passes automatically due to some new rule. You'd lose all the built-up stress from one to the other moment.

I've never been a paranoid person, per se, but even back when I was in high school, I wouldn't have believed that unless I got the info from an official source. Even if my best friend had told me that, I wouldn't have believed it just like that. I wouldn't have thought the friend was lying, I'd have merely thought he fell victim to rumours. If it was some random person I had interacted with rather minimally, yeah, right, no chance. Forget about easily believing such a thing later in my life, which would be the case for Aqua, who's accumulating life experience from a second life already. And what's my life experience compared to Aqua's? The dude was first murdered and then he witnessed his (second) mother get brutally murdered.


That said, I don't believe it's that simple either. My first thought was that the half-brother himself is the evil guy or at least part of it. First of all, we don't know if he's even telling the truth. Secondly, he said he hated his father. That's a pretty severe thing to say for someone who just slept around with women and wasn't successful at his job. Considering that Himewaka has been portrayed as pretty smart, too, I can see him being the bad guy. Setting up the murder of Ai-chan who, in his eyes, caused his parents' double suicide. Or maybe he caused the double suicide, too, because his parents' relationship was made miserable by the dad's affair with Ai-chan and he did a tabula rasa on all of them.

He would have been less than ten years old when Ai died. In the most mellow scenario, I reckon he just doesn't care that much. Why would he? He's not looking for a murderer and he never liked his father. The supposed double suicide wouldn't have affected him overly much. In a more severe scenario he knows much more than he's telling, maybe to the point of if not knowing, at least suspecting it was not a double suicide but a murder. In the worst scenario he's actually cooperating with the murderer to some degree and also knows the man who died in the double suicide (murder) wasn't even his real father, just a sacrificial dummy. So, in the worst scenario he would be wilfully lying to Aqua and protecting the real father/murderer.

[Death BOO Z]

did not expect that!

also, i think it's the first time in a while they showed us the manager/agent, even if it was just a imagination of him.

[DarthEnderX]

That said, I don't believe it's that simple either.It seems pretty obvious that the guy who died in the double suicide wasn't their real father. Just some patsy probably set up by their real father.

[Buffalobiian]

The real father banged Ai and Himekawa's mum. Himekawa's mum and then-partner committed suicide potentially out of guilt or whatever over this affair. That's what I had in my mind. But either way, this ain't over. The real dad who is responsible for this is still out there.

What they didn't cover is whether Aqua's acting got better or worse after he let go of all this. Presumably his whole "I am hurt because I can't like acting" thing just falls away.

[MFauli]

But why would Himekawa hate his "not real"-dad, but not the psycho-murder-instigator dad? Ok, maybe he never knew him.But then I wonder how Aqua will get any hint that that "not real"-dad is ... duh, not real. Only older person close enough to Aqua that might know something is the director that Aqua is friends with. "Ya know, kid, it was an industry secret, but that wasn't Himekawa's real father". Possibly even not his real mother, lol. A perfect mirror of Aqua's and Ruby's situation who also told the public that stranger people are their parents.

[Kraco]

Luckily we don't know how Aqua will figure it out. I just hope he will realise already in the next episode that simply believing what his half-brother said, a half-brother he doesn't really know to any degree at all, might not necessarily be true. I'd prefer that way to some grand scene where somebody else will say it to him, in any manner, opening his eyes. After all, it would be nice if he had his own wits, despite this momentary lapse. Though I suppose I could accept Aqua getting the general hint from a detective story. The Japanese police is infamous for being incompetent, but they must still have detective stories.

[MFauli]

Maybe someone hits on Ruby, sends her a sketchy letter, and that triggers Aqua to realize: The pig that keeps impregnating starlets is still out there and his new target is Ruby. Or something else, lol.

[DarthEnderX]

What they didn't cover is whether Aqua's acting got better or worse after he let go of all this.I wondered that too.

But Aqua is also great at mimicking performances. So maybe he could just copy his own.


But why would Himekawa hate his "not real"-dad, but not the psycho-murder-instigator dad?How the hell would he know his real dad is a psycho-murder-instigator? He probably doesn't even know "not real"-dad isn't his dad.

It's not like he goes arount DNA testing people like nutbar Aqua.

[Buffalobiian]

But why would Himekawa hate his "not real"-dad, but not the psycho-murder-instigator dad? Ok, maybe he never knew him.But then I wonder how Aqua will get any hint that that "not real"-dad is ... duh, not real.

By getting some old DNA material from the dad would have been my thought. Not something you'd commonly have lying around, but that would be the gold standard.

I was actually surprised given how "serious" Aqua is about this, that he didn't ask Himekawa about whether or not his dad left any hair or DNA behind etc to confirm if that dad was biologically Himekawa's father.

I suppose you could have some old family friend pop up and say "Actually your mother was already pregnant before she met your dad" to Himekawa.

I forgot to mention that I approve of Kana going out and buying a Herman Miller chair as soon as it was tax deductible. I respect that, even if the Aeron is actually not very comfortable for me.

[shinta|hikari]

The day has finally come. I have been mistaken for Mfauli.

[Buffalobiian]

lol. woops.

[MFauli]

The day has finally come. I have been mistaken for Mfauli.

Buff can't tell the perverts apart, not his fault tbh. ;>

[David75]

It's true that in Himekawa's shoes, I wonder how I would react if someone I work with on a project comes to me with DNA tests and tells me we are half siblings.
What he said and his reactions might not mean much at this point...

[MFauli]

And another thing to consider:

So Himekawa's parents died in some crazy double-suicide. I wouldn't be too surprised to find out that Himekawa is in pretty much the same situation as Aqua, maybe even reincarnated, and trying to solve the truth behind the double-suicide, assuming that he has reason to doubt it being a true suicide.

[DarthEnderX]

22

---

Aww yeah, that's the good shit.

They even deal with Kraco's complaint of Aqua not being suspicious enough by explaining that it's because he's LOOKING for an excuse to stop.

[Death BOO Z]

smart points for Akane, pouty points to Arima.

I'm mostly bugged that they say it's a packed place that you must have reservations for, but then the place is totally empty.

[Kraco]

They even deal with Kraco's complaint of Aqua not being suspicious enough by explaining that it's because he's LOOKING for an excuse to stop.

Nah, I'm not satisfied with this. It's too superficial. In my opinion an obsessed person doesn't give up so easily. In this episode we even heard he's been burning money like crazy in his obsession. Not to mention 100 appropriate, uncontaminated samples would also take a lot of effort. When you are hell-bent enough to ruin the rest of your life by committing to murder, you are more likely to be full of doubts, not full of relief, at least after a night or two's sleep. Aqua, however, doesn't seem to possess a single doubt (related to that). I'd have already forgiven the plot if, during this ep, Aqua had started to think about it again. It's not even in his personality to be a cheery fellow who quickly moves from one thing to the next.


smart points for Akane, pouty points to Arima.

Akane, with her psychoanalysis skills, was depicted as intelligent from the beginning, even if not entirely stable. Good consistency. Aqua and Arima's date was a good watch, since interestingly enough we don't really have that much intimate scenes between them, despite Arima having been in love with Aqua ever since they were both tiny child actors.

Other than that, that restaurant... Nothing but meat and sauce? As much as I like good meat, it would feel a bit weird to eat such a meal, with no plant matter on the side.

[MFauli]

1) Can we just make Akane the main character of this anime? Omg, her realization at the end gave me the chills, like ... she felt like a side character who's about to disappear from the anime once the breakup is final, but then BAMM, she's inmidst of the thickest mystery. Wow.

2) Can someone actually spell it out for me what the "obvious loophole" is? I feel like we've already talked about all the possibilities in our discussion about the previous episode, but the creepy animation in Akane's vision didn't really give me a clue as to what she means.

3) Dear god, Arima is both boring and needy. Plus her entire personality is so fake that even off-camera she feels like some persona. I really hope Aqua doesn't fall for her, she's a red flag all around.

4) If that blonde guy, who looks exactly like Aqua's age, is their father, he's got the best genes ever. Or simply a lazy mangaka who couldn't be arsed to draw a circa 35yo guy his age.

[Ryllharu]

2) Can someone actually spell it out for me what the "obvious loophole" is? I feel like we've already talked about all the possibilities in our discussion about the previous episode, but the creepy animation in Akane's vision didn't really give me a clue as to what she means.

Aqua/Ruby and Himekawa Taiki have the same father. Genetics test fact. Their mothers are different (duh). Aqua made the incorrect assumption on which father they share and assumed that the twin's father was the man married to Taiki's mother. As Akane deduced, that's not the only and very obvious possibility.

Now do some more math and figure out what the next horrible conclusion that draws from that happens to be.

[MFauli]

Aqua/Ruby and Himekawa Taiki have the same father. Genetics test fact. Their mothers are different (duh). Aqua made the incorrect assumption on which father they share and assumed that the twin's father was the man married to Taiki's mother. As Akane deduced, that's not the only and very obvious possibility.

Now do some more math and figure out what the next horrible conclusion that draws from that happens to be.

I don't get it. So their father is the blonde guy and Himekawa doesn't know that. But what's the "horrible conclusion"? I feel like I need a diagram showing everybody's relation, lol.

[Buffalobiian]

I find Arima enjoyable to watch and cute, but Akane still wins. Her perceptiveness overall and devotedness towards Aqua makes me fall for her. I felt bad for her during the entire break-up scene.


I don't get it. So their father is the blonde guy and Himekawa doesn't know that. But what's the "horrible conclusion"? I feel like I need a diagram showing everybody's relation, lol.

Murdering Ai makes no sense when the Himekawa's dad was going s lover's suicide. The motivation doesn't make any sense. We're also not actually given a timeline on which happened first. Lover's suicide usually occurs when a pair wish to be with each other, but some worldly circumstance forbids them.

The horrible thing is that Aqua's dad is somehow orchestrating murders for all the mothers of his children. He tried to get Ai killed when she was going to give birth to Aqua but that didn't work out. Once he knew the address later on, Ai died. Likewise Himekawa's parents were presumably manipulated into a dual suicide (assuming that it is indeed suicide).

Ai x Blonde's relationship sounded consensual. Himekawa's mother x Blonde is unknown.

[DarthEnderX]

Nah, I'm not satisfied with this. It's too superficial. In my opinion an obsessed person doesn't give up so easily. In this episode we even heard he's been burning money like crazy in his obsession. Not to mention 100 appropriate, uncontaminated samples would also take a lot of effort. When you are hell-bent enough to ruin the rest of your life by committing to murder, you are more likely to be full of doubts, not full of relief, at least after a night or two's sleep. Aqua, however, doesn't seem to possess a single doubt (related to that). I'd have already forgiven the plot if, during this ep, Aqua had started to think about it again. It's not even in his personality to be a cheery fellow who quickly moves from one thing to the next.He's not doing it consciously.


I find Arima enjoyable to watch and cute, but Akane still wins. Her perceptiveness overall and devotedness towards Aqua makes me fall for her. I felt bad for her during the entire break-up scene.I'm not. Aqua even points out that she's not even actually in love with him. She's just disappearing into her persona.


Murdering Ai makes no sense when the Himekawa's dad was going s lover's suicide. The motivation doesn't make any sense. We're also not actually given a timeline on which happened first. Lover's suicide usually occurs when a pair wish to be with each other, but some worldly circumstance forbids them. Was it a Lover's Suicide? Because in this episode they called it a Murder Suicide. Which is a totally different thing.

[Kraco]

He's not doing it consciously.

That's the only saving grace. The audience and the other characters, mostly, can see there's something wrong about him. Like's his lacking vigor, is aimless, and generally just not himself. We, the audience, naturally see it all with the missing star from his eye. So, subconsciously Aqua does feel like this is not it, but for some bizarre reason he's forcing himself to believe the case is over.


I'm not. Aqua even points out that she's not even actually in love with him. She's just disappearing into her persona.

Can Akane even genuinely fall in love? This might be as much as she's capable of. Perhaps it's due to her personality that allows her to so deeply analyse others and get into their shoes. So, she's lacking something that would make her 100% her own person.


Was it a Lover's Suicide? Because in this episode they called it a Murder Suicide. Which is a totally different thing.

It's not totally different. In both cases the couple is dead and the murderer is also dead. So, it's case closed in both cases. Totally different is what we can presume really happened in this story: It was neither a genuine murder-suicide, nor lovers' suicide. Either they were both straightforwardly murdered or the real culprit (the serial killer) managed to instigate either a murder-suicide or lovers' suicide. I'd imagine the instigation is what happened, considering that's what happened to Ai as well. And it would make the culprit that much more nefarious.

[Buffalobiian]

Was it a Lover's Suicide? Because in this episode they called it a Murder Suicide. Which is a totally different thing.

https://i.imgur.com/4fVflQg.jpeg

As for Akane, she's not sure if she's in love, and she reasons that it's because she's never been in love before and the relationship's been weird because of the romcom show. That said, she does feel great appreciation for Aqua and I daresay she likes him a lot and is willing to do a lot for him. She doesn't have any self-centric heart-pounding scenes though. so in terms of that she's below Kana.

[shinta|hikari]

They used the term murishinjuu (無理心中) this episode, which means murder-suicide. The woman killed the man and herself. Aqua even mentions that the guy was killed, not that he killed himself.

[DarthEnderX]

So, subconsciously Aqua does feel like this is not it, but for some bizarre reason he's forcing himself to believe the case is over.It's not bizarre. His quest for vengeance has made him bitter, angry and miserable. His subconscious is trying to let him be happy by not allowing him to be suspicious of the resolution he's been handed.


It's not totally different. In both cases the couple is dead and the murderer is also dead.There's a huge difference between "Two people willingly committed suicide together." and "One person murdered the other, and then killed themself."

[MFauli]

Sorry, but I still don't know what the OBVIOUS "horrible" part is that Akane realized. I read your postings, but this still feels more like your own theory, not something that the anime clearly spelled out. So again, could someone tell me what the anime/Akane meant?

What I understand:
- Aqua thinks his real dad was the guy from ther double-suicide
- Now we know the real dad is the blonde guy
- from here, Akane realized something when she talked with Aqua
- if she realized that the killed dad isn't Aqua's real dad, HOW did Akane realize that? I mean, sure that's technically possible, but why would it be an "obvious loophole" to assume that Himekawa lied to Aqua? Why would that be "obvious"? Anyone can be lying about anything, but why would it be obvious to assume this in this case? That's the part I don't understand, because the way Akane reacted so seriously, it must have been something that's not just technically possible, but something that is HIGHLY likely. And that's where I'm lost.



Can Akane even genuinely fall in love? This might be as much as she's capable of. Perhaps it's due to her personality that allows her to so deeply analyse others and get into their shoes. So, she's lacking something that would make her 100% her own person.


As we heard, this is Akane's first relationship, her first time falling in love with someone. Saying "it isn't love" is unfair when it's her first time. Love comes in many ways, and she clearly likes Aqua a lot and even offered having sex with him, so she's not being a child about it or something juvenile like that. Seeing how she's willing to support him truly, even going as far as to NOT telling him something because she knows how he'd react, I think that makes it pretty obvious that she loves him.

Arima, on the other side, is a total child and fake. Her idea of "love" stems from watching soap operas and she's merely trying to re-enact those shows with Aqua. Nothing about her "feelings" for him feels genuine. I'd feel sorry for Aqua should he fall in her trap, because she'd dump him over the most mundane shit. Toxic relationship incoming.

[shinta|hikari]

What I understand:
- Aqua thinks his real dad was the guy from ther double-suicide
- Now we know the real dad is the blonde guy
- from here, Akane realized something when she talked with Aqua
- if she realized that the killed dad isn't Aqua's real dad, HOW did Akane realize that? I mean, sure that's technically possible, but why would it be an "obvious loophole" to assume that Himekawa lied to Aqua? Why would that be "obvious"? Anyone can be lying about anything, but why would it be obvious to assume this in this case? That's the part I don't understand, because the way Akane reacted so seriously, it must have been something that's not just technically possible, but something that is HIGHLY likely. And that's where I'm lost.

She didn't realize that the murder-suicide man is not the father, at least not for sure, but she did realize that Aqua is overlooking something obvious (which to her meant he was unconsciously trying to bail on his revenge quest). The obvious thing is that just because Himekawa had a dad who died, does not mean it was that same man who spermed him and Aqua into existence. This simply means blond dude was fucking both Ai and the murder-suicide girl. This is an obvious possibility that it makes no sense for someone smart like Aqua to miss it without another reason. The DNA test only proved Himekawa and Aqua are half-siblings, not that the dead man was their actual father.

Himekawa didn't lie to Aqua, at least as far as we and Akane know. He could very well truly believe he was fathered by the dead dude and not Gilgamesh.

[Kraco]

There's a huge difference between "Two people willingly committed suicide together." and "One person murdered the other, and then killed themself."

What exactly is the difference? In both cases Aqua would believe his father, that is, the real mastermind behind Ai's murder, is dead. I really don't see the difference, especially when Aqua doesn't really know any further details about the case. The main issue here is that Aqua seems to believe that the mastermind is dead and that's it. If he got back his wits and realised it might just be another scheme by the real culprit, then such details might play a role. But not right now.

[MFauli]

She didn't realize that the murder-suicide man is not the father, at least not for sure, but she did realize that Aqua is overlooking something obvious (which to her meant he was unconsciously trying to bail on his revenge quest). The obvious thing is that just because Himekawa had a dad who died, does not mean it was that same man who spermed him and Aqua into existence. This simply means blond dude was fucking both Ai and the murder-suicide girl. This is an obvious possibility that it makes no sense for someone smart like Aqua to miss it without another reason. The DNA test only proved Himekawa and Aqua are half-siblings, not that the dead man was their actual father.

Himekawa didn't lie to Aqua, at least as far as we and Akane know. He could very well truly believe he was fathered by the dead dude and not Gilgamesh.

Thx, now I get it.

I guess the thing that should have made Aqua wary is: The dead "dad" isn't blonde, neither was Ai-chan, so where would his and Ruby's strikingly blonde hair come from?


What exactly is the difference?

Wat

In one case, I'm killing myself, choosing how to do it, probably trying to make it hurt as little as possible. In the other case, someone stabs me and I suffer terrible pain until my conscious vanishes. It couldn't be more different.

[Kraco]

In one case, I'm killing myself, choosing how to do it, probably trying to make it hurt as little as possible. In the other case, someone stabs me and I suffer terrible pain until my conscious vanishes. It couldn't be more different.

Uhhuh. And what does that matter to the guy who hates your guts and wants to find you, probably to murder you? In either case you are already dead and the guy's path of revenge is over.

It seems the confusion here is that I'm looking at this from the point of view of Aqua's plotline. Because that's what I've been talking about all along. None of us knows anything about those two nonames who died, so it really doesn't make much of a difference.

[Death BOO Z]

I'm assuming that "lovers suicide" is a nice way to say "husband murders wife over infidelity, then kills himself to avoid the stigma", and society sometimes accepts this as true.

[MFauli]

I'm assuming that "lovers suicide" is a nice way to say "husband murders wife over infidelity, then kills himself to avoid the stigma", and society sometimes accepts this as true.

That's not what I'd call a "lovers' suicide". To me, that is when two people love each other but the circumstances require them to kill themselves, because living apart is unimaginable for them. See Romeo and Juliet.

[Ryllharu]

I'm assuming that "lovers suicide" is a nice way to say "husband murders wife over infidelity, then kills himself to avoid the stigma", and society sometimes accepts this as true.


They used the term murishinjuu (無理心中) this episode, which means murder-suicide. The woman killed the man and herself. Aqua even mentions that the guy was killed, not that he killed himself.

Given the often lack of gendered pronouns in Japanese, it's not that clear. But Himekawa Airi (the mother) was murdered by her husband, who then killed himself.

@MFauli
Math hint time. Taiki Himekawa is 22. Aqua/Ruby are 16. Ai was 16 when she gave birth to them.

Taiki was 6 years old when Ai was 16/17.

There's only two conclusions to their father's circumstances that you can make from these facts. One of them is correct, but neither conclusion is great.

[MFauli]

Given the often lack of gendered pronouns in Japanese, it's not that clear. But Himekawa Airi (the mother) was murdered by her husband, who then killed himself.

@MFauli
Math hint time. Taiki Himekawa is 22. Aqua/Ruby are 16. Ai was 16 when she gave birth to them.

Taiki was 6 years old when Ai was 16/17.

There's only two conclusions to their father's circumstances that you can make from these facts. One of them is correct, but neither conclusion is great.

1. He left one affar for another
2. He two-tiimed with Ai

?

I feel really dumb, sorry.

[Ryllharu]

I feel really dumb, sorry.

Last hint because beyond this to confirm which conclusion is true would be spoiler territory: This is a math problem.

The details are all laid out because we already know the children's ages and Ai's.

[MFauli]

Last hint because beyond this to confirm which conclusion is true would be spoiler territory: This is a math problem.

The details are all laid out because we already know the children's ages and Ai's.


Ok, you're making me feel like a retard. I'll do all the possible numbers now to see if there's anything that is shocking:



Math hint time. Taiki Himekawa is 22. Aqua/Ruby are 16. Ai was 16 when she gave birth to them.

Taiki was 6 years old when Ai was 16/17.

Himekawa: 22
Himekawa: 6 at birth of AquaRuby
AquaRuby: 16
Ai: 16 at birth of AquaRuby
Ai: 10 at birth of Himekawa
Ai: 32 if alive in present

Conclusions? No idea.

[shinta|hikari]

Given the often lack of gendered pronouns in Japanese, it's not that clear. But Himekawa Airi (the mother) was murdered by her husband, who then killed himself.

I'm not sure what the truth is in the story, but this scene in particular is not consistent with that:
https://ibb.co/SdRP5yy

In Japanese, he said, "俺が追っていたくず男はとっくの昔に殺されていたていうつまらない落ち。”

That is exactly what the subtitle says. The verb used was "korosarateita", which means "have been killed." In Japanese, you don't say that when someone suicides. They would use many other terms like "jisatsu shita" or "jigai shita", but in this scene, Aqua was very specific in saying "The man had been killed." He was killed by another party.

[Ryllharu]

Ok, you're making me feel like a retard.
...
Conclusions? No idea.

I'll cut you a break. You plotted out the rest of them, but how old is Aqua/Ruby/Taiki's real father if Akane is right?

Do you suppose he was much older than Ai or the same age as Ai?

[MFauli]

I'll cut you a break. You plotted out the rest of them, but how old is Aqua/Ruby/Taiki's real father if Akane is right?

Do you suppose he was much older than Ai or the same age as Ai?

Ok, now I'm starting to see where this is going, but we can't know his age, can we?

The real father was of age X when impregnated Himekawa's mom. Ai was 10 yo when Himekawa was born, she birthed AquaRuby at age 16. That means the real started his relationship with Ai when she was somewhere from 10 to 15 years old.

So we're looking at anything from an early genius playboy who knocked up a woman when he was a teenager himself, then proceeded to Ai who might have been his own age, but then left, and somehow Ai had no ill feelings towards him, instead reacted with lots of understanding.

OR we're looking at someone who was a grown man when he knocked up Himekawa's mom, then went for Ai who might have been barely in puberty and knocked her up when she was 15.

Either way, I now assume that the "not his father" found out about Himekawa not being his real son, then killed his wife and then himself. Considering how dramatic this anime is, it's unclear whether he found out by chance or because the real father sent him a note or something that raised his suspicion.

HOWEVER, was saw in this last episode that the real father is very young looking still. So either he's blessed with amazing genes, or the anime producers suck, OR he might also be involved with some supernatural event in his life (eternal youth?).

In all of this, I'm trying to find a possibility of how he could NOT be a bad guy, because Ai showed now contempt toward the real father, and with how the real father was drawn in the scene we saw, he has that "Kirito-aura", like whatever happened, he's tOtAlLy not at fault. And anime in general shying away from giving us clear-cut villains, especially when they're attractive.

[David75]

Long fluffy hair, hat, sunglasses, short scene and anime. Hard to tell that a sub 40 guy feels very old in that context.
Impregnates Himeka's mum at 15 because he's a super genius manipulative very good looking guy with blond hair.
He's 20/21 when he impregnates Ai and Ruby/Aqua are born.
He's now around 36/37. You can even push to his 17 with Himekawa's mom, some males grow a lot more manly from 15 to 17.

[MFauli]

Long fluffy hair, hat, sunglasses, short scene and anime. Hard to tell that a sub 40 guy feels very old in that context.
Impregnates Himeka's mum at 15 because he's a super genius manipulative very good looking guy with blond hair.
He's 20/21 when he impregnates Ai and Ruby/Aqua are born.
He's now around 36/37. You can even push to his 17 with Himekawa's mom, some males grow a lot more manly from 15 to 17.


Ok, but then there's nothing horrible about any of this, other than him leaving Himekawa's mom and then also Ai.

[Ryllharu]

@MFauli

You still have a math fail in there, and something that's a red flag statement.

[DarthEnderX]

You still have a math fail in there, and something that's a red flag statement.If he was the same age as Himekawa's mom, he'd have been, like, 22, when Ai was 15/16.

A red flag for real life. But not so much for anime. That's like a Sailor Moon/Tuxedo Mask level age gap.

[Ryllharu]

If he was the same age as Himekawa's mom, he'd have been, like, 22, when Ai was 15/16.

A red flag for real life. But not so much for anime. That's like a Sailor Moon/Tuxedo Mask level age gap.
Ai was a very savvy teen, but that doesn't make it okay. The series goes out of its way to highlight abuses within the industry in a realistic way. Creeping on teen idols by older men is not okay.

And if the twins' father was the same age (or very close) to Ai? He wouldn't have been a teen, because Taiki was 6 when the twins were born.

[David75]

Very early 20s and 15. Not uncommon regardless of morals.

[MFauli]

16 is legal age of consent in Germany, and under certain circumstances I believe it goes as low as 14, but don't cite me when you're in front of the judge, lol. Anyway, my point: If 22yo real-father with 15yo Ai is supposed to be the "horrible oversight" of Aqua's, then you guys need to chill with your choice of words, lol.

If it was 22 and 12, then I'd raise an eyebrow.

[Ryllharu]

Anyway, my point: If 22yo real-father with 15yo Ai is supposed to be the "horrible oversight" of Aqua's, then you guys need to chill with your choice of words, lol.

Now you're mixing things up. The oversight is that Akane caught is that Aqua was only assuming that Taiki's legal father was also the twins. Akane pointed out that Aqua was overlooking that the twins' father was also Taiki's. Very different conclusion.

The "horrible conclusion" is the math involved, dependent on the age of the twins' father. Neither option in the potential range is good. One is a lot worse and you're downplaying it, unintentionally.

[Kraco]

If the biological father is a very young chap, it's quite frightful he still had the means, will, and attitude to facilitate murders.

[Death BOO Z]

Aqua defiantly suspects an older mam. the producer, the director, etc...

[MFauli]

If the biological father is a very young chap, it's quite frightful he still had the means, will, and attitude to facilitate murders.

Hence my theory that this guy is also involved with magic stuff, possibly also rebirthed. Think of someone like Rudy, except going further "into the darkness", making use of his new, attractive body >_>

Edit: The one big thing I still can't wrap my head around is: Why was Ai always so forgiving towards the guy that left her with two babies? Is she just that dumb of a bitch or is there another secret involved that gives it a good reason?

[shinta|hikari]

Edit: The one big thing I still can't wrap my head around is: Why was Ai always so forgiving towards the guy that left her with two babies? Is she just that dumb of a bitch or is there another secret involved that gives it a good reason?

Maybe he was younger than her? She didn't want to ruin a young up and coming talent by creating a scandal. Of course, that includes her own career.

[MFauli]

Maybe he was younger than her? She didn't want to ruin a young up and coming talent by creating a scandal. Of course, that includes her own career.

If the real dad was this young, lol. Then I guess the suicide-dad killed his wife because he found out she's a pedophile? oh my, this kinda sounds dumb :D

[shinta|hikari]

I still think based on the scene I referenced in an earlier post that the father was killed, and the wife suicided, just because he was "korosareteta." That, or Aqua did not understand what actually happened and described it incorrectly to Akane.

[MFauli]

I still think based on the scene I referenced in an earlier post that the father was killed, and the wife suicided, just because he was "korosareteta." That, or Aqua did not understand what actually happened and described it incorrectly to Akane.

So you think the wife killed her husband to stop him from telling anyone and she killed herself afterwards out of shame/guilt?

[shinta|hikari]

Possible, not really stating anything, just pointing out what was actually said in the show.

[Kraco]

Edit: The one big thing I still can't wrap my head around is: Why was Ai always so forgiving towards the guy that left her with two babies? Is she just that dumb of a bitch or is there another secret involved that gives it a good reason?

Maybe I should rewatch the beginning of the show, as my memories are getting dim, but I seem to recall Ai didn't understand love, despite her name, and wanted to experience it by having kids. So, the man would have been nothing but a stud for her. A walking sperm bank. So, nothing to forgive, really. Too bad she chose a psycho. Although there's always the possibility the man actually convinced Ai of the need to learn what love is and to do it by having kids. And then he had her killed. She wasn't unhappy to give birth to Aqua and Ruby, though, so regardless of how it began, it wasn't a bad decision.

[DarthEnderX]

23

---

Now that was a good episode.

Soon as she followed the crow I knew she'd find the body.

I guess our killer hid it.

[MFauli]

Oh wow. Totally did NOT expect that when they walked into the cave.

What amused me so much during the entire episode: Both Aqua and Ruby keep telling Akane stuff and showing her around, and I'm like "yeah, you two, keep telling Batman all those details, he'll run it through his computer and figure everything out!" :D

And really, can we talk how great of a person Akane simply is? She's not pushing herself to the front. She's immediately offering Aqua medicine. She's nice and caring. And when she walked with Ruby, she really gave off these "big sister" vibes, like she'd fight with her life to protect Ruby in case something happens. That was especially clear when she was all serious "stay back, Ruby" at the end in the cave. I don't know if she's given up already - did her and Aqua truly beak up last episode? I'm not sure. And Arima really is a "look at me!"-attention whore.

Now, the elephant in the room: Who TF was that silver-haired loli girl?! And did Aqua not see her? Are we going full-magic in season 3?

Also, with Ruby talking about age gap all sudden, it makes our recent discussion about the "real father" more relevant. Although I still don't know what age he was. But if more magic elements appear, then a lot of stuff is possible. I mean, heck, the murderer of Ai died ... maybe HE is the silver hairded girl reborn? lol

[Kraco]

I have to admit Akane is growing on me as a character by every episode. Not that I'd have ever disliked her, but I'm the kind of reader/watcher that when I see a certain potential couple form, I will consider it the canon and it's hard for me change my opinion. Since we know the real background devil is still out there, Akane's flaw of supporting Aqua in anything and everything isn't irrelevant yet. Not that it would ever be, since even without chasing murderers, there are still lots of troubles in most people's lives. I could see Arima kicking Aqua's ass to make him get over stuff, but Akane would only keep supporting his current direction, even if it was directly down. If he got over it, fine, if he didn't, Akane would just take the fall with him, all happily. Aqua might look like a strong person, but in fact he's the weakest of them all.

The crow part was nice. The bigger corvids are blood intelligent even in RL, so something like this could actually happen in reality! Or could have if it hadn't been 15 years. I reckon that might be a bit too much even if the crow happened to live so long. Otherwise if the doctor had been helping a crow, and the bird had got attached to him, the crow might very well try to guide people to his remains. What wasn't nice, though, was Ruby's star dying. I have no idea what's going to happen next to her, her career, and everything. Though truthfully I didn't realise she was so attached to the doctor even in her second life. I'd have rather only expected nostalgia, viewing it as something that's important but not anymore part of her active life. Naturally the exceedingly easy way out of this would be for the twins to realise who the other one is. That would fix Ruby's trauma, shock, sadness, and everything in a single second. Even if she needed to let go of her romantic feelings.

Who knows about the little girl. Maybe she's connected to the goddess of performers that was mentioned.

[Death BOO Z]

- was that lady at the hospital supposed to be the same one as in his flashback? she didn't seem 15 years older, but why would they be dressed the same (nurses uniform?)
- very picturesque
- ooh, an abandoned house, probably dirt cheap or even free. maybe even featured on the news in the US. it's all circles, like a ring.
- that legend about unrequited lovers being reborn as twins firs here.
- is creepy kid that god of performance?
- the three of them wearing long black coats make them seem like Akatuski parodies. or whatever those things in kingdom heart are called.
- tsundere Akane. then silent angry.
- I like that they showed them dancing in the background, it gave a dialog heavy scene some visual action.
- what's the gap between ruby and the doctor? 33 years? he would have been about 50 now.
- that's some ending
- I don't mention enough how much I love the ED this season. really good at delivering Ruby.

[Ryllharu]

Naturally the exceedingly easy way out of this would be for the twins to realise who the other one is. That would fix Ruby's trauma, shock, sadness, and everything in a single second. Even if she needed to let go of her romantic feelings.Cursed memes of Ai being reborn have entered the chat.

[MFauli]

Really not a fan of the little silver-haired girl. We have a magical premise, sure, but if you want to make the entire anime about magical stuff, don't wait two seasons until revealing that. I gotta say, if that silver-haird girl is magical, then I'm 100% convinced the "real dad" is also magical in some way. Maybe eternal youth or something.


Naturally the exceedingly easy way out of this would be for the twins to realise who the other one is. That would fix Ruby's trauma, shock, sadness, and everything in a single second. Even if she needed to let go of her romantic feelings.

Why would she need to let go of her feelings? Aqua and Ruby aren't really brother and sister, they are both established persons from their past lives that they fully remember. Dunno if you have a wife, Kraco, but if your mind was transferred into your wife's brother's body, would you stop loving your wife? And that isn't a fair comparison anyway, because Aqua and Ruby BOTH are basically strangers to their new bodies, whereas your wife would, ofc, be weirded out at the prospect of doing sexy stuff with her brother's body. That wouldn't be the case for Aqua and Ruby.

I mean, next episode WILL have another cliffhanger. Could have been this episode's revelation, but it isn't. So I think the cliffhanger will be Akane figuring out that Amamiya Gorou is the dead doctor, that Aqua also has some relation with him, and that leads to Ruby finding out that Aqua is the reborn doctor. THE END - Wait forever until Season 3.

[DarthEnderX]

Also, with Ruby talking about age gap all sudden, it makes our recent discussion about the "real father" more relevant. Even if he was only mid-20s before, he'd have been, like, 40 when she was hoping he'd find her.


Now, the elephant in the room: Who TF was that silver-haired loli girl?!Maybe one of the local gods they mentioned. Possibly the one that reincarnated them.


Naturally the exceedingly easy way out of this would be for the twins to realise who the other one is.That moment of realization is one of the things I'm most anticipating in this show.


So I think the cliffhanger will be Akane figuring out that Amamiya Gorou is the dead doctor,Lol, why would she need to figure that out? As soon as they report the body to the authorities, he'll be identified.

[Kraco]

When Akane learns the corpse is Gorou, which ought to happen due to Ruby knowing it immediately, she will be left baffled by the timeline: If Gorou disppeared 15 years ago, because he was dead and forgotten in that cave, how can he matter so much to Aqua and Ruby who were one year old at that point? How does Aqua know so much about him and why would Ruby love him so much? With Akane's considerable wits, she will also realise it was no pet dog Aqua was talking about earlier. The greatest mystery she will ever face! I doubt reincarnation with intact memories will be her first guess. Maybe she will assume the twins heard endless praise from their mother, who must have been the doctor's staunch friend. But then again, it is Akane, so she might believe anything as long as it's about Aqua.


Why would she need to let go of her feelings?

Sure, she doesn't need to let go of them, but she will need to let go of the hope of ever realising them in practice. Japan might be okay with cousin marriages, but siblings marrying is too much even for Japan. On the other hand, Aqua loves Ruby as a sister, but that's it. He never loved Sarina (who Ruby used to be) as a woman. She was a really important patient who also taught a lot to Gorou, but that's it. Now he's taking as good care of Ruby as a sister as he can, within reason, due to being a responsible adult inside. He's no siscon, by far, in the traditional manga/anime sense. Ruby treats him exactly like a sister would, with full signs of the psychological mechanism that makes falling in love with siblings impossible, whatever it was called. So, no, I can't see anything much happening even if she learned the truth. You can't simply overwrite the past 16 years.

[Ryllharu]

He's no siscon, by far, in the traditional manga/anime sense.
Eh...I'm glad you qualified that, because he spoils and dotes on her well beyond the norm. Aqua definitely sees Sarina in Ruby and has indulged her through that filter from the start, even though he hasn't made the actual connection.

[Kraco]

Eh...I'm glad you qualified that, because he spoils and dotes on her well beyond the norm. Aqua definitely sees Sarina in Ruby and has indulged her through that filter from the start, even though he hasn't made the actual connection.

Sure. He certainly doesn't behave like a normal guy of that age would. But it's still a far cry from manga/anime where being a siscon (or in reverse a brocon) is the actual character trait.

[MFauli]

When Akane learns the corpse is Gorou, which ought to happen due to Ruby knowing it immediately, she will be left baffled by the timeline: If Gorou disppeared 15 years ago, because he was dead and forgotten in that cave, how can he matter so much to Aqua and Ruby who were one year old at that point? How does Aqua know so much about him and why would Ruby love him so much? With Akane's considerable wits, she will also realise it was no pet dog Aqua was talking about earlier. The greatest mystery she will ever face! I doubt reincarnation with intact memories will be her first guess. Maybe she will assume the twins heard endless praise from their mother, who must have been the doctor's staunch friend. But then again, it is Akane, so she might believe anything as long as it's about Aqua.

There actually was a short scene that kinda prepared the viewers to accept Akane's willingness to believe in the supernatural, when she asked Aqua something and he surprisingly answers that there might by some truth to legends, which positively amused Akane.



Sure, she doesn't need to let go of them, but she will need to let go of the hope of ever realising them in practice. Japan might be okay with cousin marriages, but siblings marrying is too much even for Japan. On the other hand, Aqua loves Ruby as a sister, but that's it. He never loved Sarina (who Ruby used to be) as a woman. She was a really important patient who also taught a lot to Gorou, but that's it. Now he's taking as good care of Ruby as a sister as he can, within reason, due to being a responsible adult inside. He's no siscon, by far, in the traditional manga/anime sense. Ruby treats him exactly like a sister would, with full signs of the psychological mechanism that makes falling in love with siblings impossible, whatever it was called. So, no, I can't see anything much happening even if she learned the truth. You can't simply overwrite the past 16 years.

They don't need to marry to be a happy couple, ya know ;D Biggest problem would be the people around them, because no matter how good of a friend you are, accepting siblings to be romantically involved? Eh, weird ;D
THEN AGAIN: Here comes Akane! Pretending to be Aqua's gf forever to obfuscate his relationship with Ruby. And as he learnt this episode, he couldn't have a publically known relationship with an idol anyway or her life would be at risk!

[Buffalobiian]

Even if he was only mid-20s before, he'd have been, like, 40 when she was hoping he'd find her.



He badge said he was the Obstetrics resident. Assuming he got into med school immediately after highschool then trained as a doctor, I'd say that mid 20s would be about right.

Akane gets points again this episode.
During the previous episode I felt bad when they covered Aqua/Akane breaking up.
During this episode when Kana was feeling bad, I felt a little bad for Kana - but I was just mostly amused at her reactions.

Both twins have seemingly lost their raison d'etre now. I'm now quite curious to see how they get over this.

[Buffalobiian]

S2 finale is delayed till the weekend.

[MFauli]

Season 2 Episode 13 - Finale:

Now THAT was a great episode!

- Akane WON, yes! Dear god, that scene could have gone so wrong and it would have in most other anime. Real glad Aqua realized how much he means to her and then stopped her from breaking up for good.

- I love the role reversal, now Ruby is the murder-psycho-detective, lol :D Her creepy black star eyes, nice.

- Akane being officially the master detective/Batman of this show is both hilarious and awesome.

- someone PLS tell me: Was that Akane in the post-credit scene? I'm so not sure. She looks like her, but her hair looked ... gray? If they kill off Akane in season 3, then just kill me, too >_>

- so I'm 100% sure the real father also has some magic powers. Not necessarily reincarnation, but as I mentioned before, maybe eternal youth or something. And he looks just like Aqua, lol.


Season 3 announced btw

Edit: The one thing I didn't like: And then suddenly half a year passes, with no progress at all apparently. I understand that as a writer you want such time progression, but it's always cheap to accept that now half a year nobody tries to further the case. Oh well. It's not something big and I can get over it. Just wished it was solved differently.

[Ryllharu]

- someone PLS tell me: Was that Akane in the post-credit scene? I'm so not sure. She looks like her, but her hair looked ... gray? If they kill off Akane in season 3, then just kill me, too >_>

- so I'm 100% sure the real father also has some magic powers. Not necessarily reincarnation, but as I mentioned before, maybe eternal youth or something. And he looks just like Aqua, lol.

The post credit scene is contemporary. That is another actress.

As for the father having supernatural powers...he's just relatively young. This is what Akane figured out by deducing that it was more likely that the twins official father wasn't Taiki's father on paper and the others were ignoring that possibility. The conclusion from the math you weren't getting before is that Taiki's mother was a child molester. Ruby and Aqua (and Taiki's) father was about the same age as Ai, so their father was between 10 and 12 when Taiki was conceived and 15-17 when Aqua and Ruby were. I know his exact age, but that's a very minor spoiler that is confirmed later.

The supernatural stuff is the silver haired crow-girl who knows everything despite her age, and honestly, it is very jarring with the overall tone of the series despite the initial supernatural reincarnation premise.

Kana is still best girl, hands down. Consummate professional with a sharp tongue.

I guess I'll watch s3 because the acts I don't like are finally done. Well, maybe. Depends on how the manga ends in a few months.

[Death BOO Z]

the MV was really good. could have been an OP.
dude from post credits really looks like Aqua.

not that I'm dislike the rest of the manga, but the later arcs didn't do it for me like the ones so far.

[DarthEnderX]

Okay, yeah. Awesome. Was not expecting Ruby to inherit Aqua's obsession. Very cool development.


- Akane WON, yes! Lol, yes. Because that's how anime works. The protagonist ends up with the final girl halfway through the story.

You poor deluded fool. The fact that they've come together now has likely signed Akane's death warrant.


And then suddenly half a year passes, with no progress at all apparently.What progress can you have with Aqua no longer actively pursuing the killer?

Even Ruby, who also wants the killer dead, has left it up to Aqua. Not realizing that he's already given up.

Nothing is going to happen until something triggers Aqua to start looking again.

[Kraco]

Indeed pretty cool development. What comes to Akane, though, I don't believe, at all, that Aqua actually loves her. He's so full of guilt due to "using" Akane's Sherlock skills that it's probably out of obligation he's, still, going out with her. Now he's just not expecting anything from her, due to having shut down his brain. It's pretty ironic that he started using her to make progress, yet he never really did, at the end of the day. It was thanks to the laborous and meticulous DNA testing that he found his (fake) culprit. He didn't run it through Akane in any significant detail because he was merely reporting to her, not trying to analyse the results with her, in an interactive manner. So, while Akane recognised a weakness, like Ryll has pointed out many times, Aqua just wasn't interested anymore.

The crow girl makes me think Aqua and Ruby actually were reincarnated on purpose to fulfill a purpose (the killer hunts all folks with those star eyes? I doubt it's that simplistic.). Maybe she approached Ruby because she knows Aqua has given up in the middle of the chase. If that's the case, then obviously she's a meaningful character and this is far more fantasy than just the reincarnation. Nevertheless, finding the serial killer is still up to Aqua & Ruby (and Akane?), since the Japanese police couldn't find a football hiding among tennis balls, unless one of the tennis balls confessed voluntarily.

I didn't like the music video, but it's not the music video's fault. I imagine it was exactly like an idol music video has to be. It's just not the kind of music I'd ever listen to. I guess that's why I usually skip anime OPs, yet watch/listen to the EDs. Of course not every single anime in history has has that exact distinction between the OP and ED, but surprisingly often they do.

[MFauli]

Indeed pretty cool development. What comes to Akane, though, I don't believe, at all, that Aqua actually loves her. He's so full of guilt due to "using" Akane's Sherlock skills that it's probably out of obligation he's, still, going out with her. Now he's just not expecting anything from her, due to having shut down his brain. It's pretty ironic that he started using her to make progress, yet he never really did, at the end of the day. It was thanks to the laborous and meticulous DNA testing that he found his (fake) culprit. He didn't run it through Akane in any significant detail because he was merely reporting to her, not trying to analyse the results with her, in an interactive manner. So, while Akane recognised a weakness, like Ryll has pointed out many times, Aqua just wasn't interested anymore.

While I also don't think Aqua is heads over heel for Akane, I must say: When DOES someone love another? Do you think Aqua LOVES Arima? I don't think so. Love, actual love, is something that builds over time. Otherwise it's vanity or a one-sided crush, but true love? So whether Aqua LOVES Akane or not, this is now the starting line where true love COULD bloom.


I didn't like the music video, but it's not the music video's fault. I imagine it was exactly like an idol music video has to be. It's just not the kind of music I'd ever listen to. I guess that's why I usually skip anime OPs, yet watch/listen to the EDs. Of course not every single anime in history has has that exact distinction between the OP and ED, but surprisingly often they do.

I didn't like it as their debut song, their first own song. This is the kind of song you do when you already have a truly great signature song. But this one is not the kind of song you want to scream to the world "B KOMACHI IS BACK, EVERYONE!". It's too generic for that. Also, I'm pretty sure I played to a very similar song in one of the PS Vita-Hatsune Miku games ;>

[Kraco]

While I also don't think Aqua is heads over heel for Akane, I must say: When DOES someone love another? Do you think Aqua LOVES Arima? I don't think so. Love, actual love, is something that builds over time. Otherwise it's vanity or a one-sided crush, but true love? So whether Aqua LOVES Akane or not, this is now the starting line where true love COULD bloom.

Probably not, but he's somewhat fascinated by Arima. Like she affects him emotionally. Akane shook him emotionally due to copying Ai's behavior, but that quickly passed and he was just convinced she could help him find the killer. Now he feels incredibly bad about using a teenager in such a manner. Considering Aqua is a person who, at some level, believes he shoudn't be alive anymore and his only reason to be was to find the killer, I'm not sure he's capable of building love over time like you mentioned. Though I don't expect it to happen, but in theory he might be a good husband for Akane. I don't think Akane is an overly emotional person, so she might be happy enough that the man she loves is there for her. Arima is quite different, I reckon. Arima actively suppresses a lot of her own personality to make it in the industry, but it's still all there, especially when there's no camera and no business talk. If her boyfriend/husband didnt love her, I don't believe the relationship would last.

Btw, the quote tags are broken in your comment.

[Buffalobiian]

- Akane WON, yes!
https://i.imgur.com/hluIPZb.png

I wasn't expecting that, and I'm all for it. Fuck yeah.


I also love that despite Akane's coverup, Ruby knew Aqua was:
-smarter than her
-not at all into trendy things
-thus was looking for the killer long before she got on board.

I would not have been surprised if she connected the dots about the timing of their deaths and the reincarnation (and thus that Aqua was reincarnated just like her), but I guess that'll be for the future.

The MV was alright. I did notice that various scenes had Ruby exhibiting both one and two stars in her eyes. It would fit the story regardless of whether it's an animation error or was intentional.

Thematically, black stars signify murderous intent here so their psycho killer dad having them makes sense. Ai has the bright stars to signify her charm. That said, Aqua shouldn't lose his default single bright star simply because he thinks his vengeance is sated.

I'm keen for more. I'm still weary since Kana has been set up as Aqua's partner from the beginning, but hey they surprised me once, I dare them to surprise me until the end and have Akane win. :)

Given that this is fiction, I'm okay with poly if it's consensual.

[shinta|hikari]

Akane will split with Aqua sooner or later. She is the Kuroneko of the story.

I'm an Akane shipper too, so this makes me sad, but Kana is nice as well.

[Kraco]

I wouldn't consider it impossible if Akane actually got killed. Unless the serial killer absolutely wants the girls to first have a romantic relationship with him. Then it shoudn't work with Akane, most likely, even if she and Aqua had earlier broken up.

[MFauli]

I wouldn't consider it impossible if Akane actually got killed. Unless the serial killer absolutely wants the girls to first have a romantic relationship with him. Then it shoudn't work with Akane, most likely, even if she and Aqua had earlier broken up.

Funny you'd post this, because I was about to post how I actually can see Arima becoming the killer's target now. An uprising, ultra-cute idol-actress without any romantic preoccupiances. Arima is basically the next Ai-chan, aka the "real father"'s favorite treat.

The only threat for Akane would be if she gets to close to the sun and the killer notices her info-digging..

[DarthEnderX]

Like I said earlier, the fact that they put Akane together with Aqua halfway through the story is basically a huge death flag.

This is, ultimately, a story about hunting down a serial killer. Characters we know are going to die, otherwise there won't be any sense of stakes.

[Kraco]

Funny you'd post this, because I was about to post how I actually can see Arima becoming the killer's target now. An uprising, ultra-cute idol-actress without any romantic preoccupiances. Arima is basically the next Ai-chan, aka the "real father"'s favorite treat.

The only threat for Akane would be if she gets to close to the sun and the killer notices her info-digging..

There are a thousand such girls in Japan. Arima is just one of them. She's blissfully ignorant of everything. Akane knows/suspects more than Aqua has guessed, plus Akane can even summon the star eyes. The killer no doubt has some preference with his targets, but he's not above killing "random" people if it suits his needs. I don't believe Arima what he's looking for. Maybe it's cruel to say it, but Arima is a washed out face in the entertainment industry. Ai was a phenomenon that rose from nothingness straight into stardom. Akane is a hard worker type, so it's possible that's not what the killer is looking for, either. Who knows. But she's in much bigger danger simply due to seeing too much, even if she wasn't the killer's type.

[MFauli]

There are a thousand such girls in Japan. Arima is just one of them. She's blissfully ignorant of everything. Akane knows/suspects more than Aqua has guessed, plus Akane can even summon the star eyes. The killer no doubt has some preference with his targets, but he's not above killing "random" people if it suits his needs. I don't believe Arima what he's looking for. Maybe it's cruel to say it, but Arima is a washed out face in the entertainment industry. Ai was a phenomenon that rose from nothingness straight into stardom. Akane is a hard worker type, so it's possible that's not what the killer is looking for, either. Who knows. But she's in much bigger danger simply due to seeing too much, even if she wasn't the killer's type.

Arima is the lead-singer of the new B Komachi, the group that Ai-chan lead in the past.

[Kraco]

Arima is the lead-singer of the new B Komachi, the group that Ai-chan lead in the past.

Isn't that a negative thing? If you are a fan of a disbanded band, it's next to meaningless to have new people establish a new band carrying the same name. Sometimes just the lead singer changing makes you feel like it's not worth it anymore. It seems to me for the killer who arranged Ai's death, the original B Komachi's star's, it would be utterly pointless to do the same for a second time with a mere copy group. But of course I can't really understand the thoughts of a serial killer. Although the author of this series might not either.

[DarthEnderX]

But of course I can't really understand the thoughts of a serial killer.Probably something like "I already closed the book on B Komachi. How dare someone else think they can just write a new chapter."

[Buffalobiian]

We've had two girls die, and both gave birth to the killer's child. We don't know about the third girl in the post-credits, but to me this raises the idea that perhaps he kills them when they've become pregnant with his kid.

[Kraco]

Probably something like "I already closed the book on B Komachi. How dare someone else think they can just write a new chapter."

He knows it's his own daughter writing the new chapter, though. He might find it too morbidly funny to want to do anything about it, after having destroyed the original B Komachi himself. Seeing how Aqua and Ruby are still alive, it's possible the killer doesn't want them dead anymore.

[David75]

We know nothing of the life and motivations of Ruby/Aqua's father. We've had 3/4 scenes and a similar amount of lines. Hard to tell anything. We know something more: black star eyes and still able to kill.
But no idea what he has in store for the characters we know so far.

[Ryllharu]

We know nothing of the life and motivations of Ruby/Aqua's father. We've had 3/4 scenes and a similar amount of lines. Hard to tell anything. We know something more: black star eyes and still able to kill.
We do know one more thing that gets forgotten in the theater arc but was mentioned in the arc before it.

The twin's father has a connection to, or used to be a part of, the theater troupe where Akane is the current genius lead actress.


not that I'm dislike the rest of the manga, but the later arcs didn't do it for me like the ones so far.

The next arc is one of my favorites, but the series degrades a good amount after that in my opinion.

I mostly just really hate the theater arc because it drags on so long and I really hate the manga author of the play. You're supposed to initially, but they redeemed her way too easily. It felt cheap, instead of being a refreshing reversal from the usual author-insert pattern where they get a bomb of an adaptation because they didn't speak up enough. An overbearing villain of an IP owner (a very specific problem allowed by Japan's unique laws) was a good change of pace and then she's just "good" again.

[Ryllharu]

Just dropping in to say:

If you enjoy this series, the manga has now ended at chapter 166. Good luck avoiding any spoilers.

...because they are going to be everywhere.

[shinta|hikari]

Thanks for the heads up. How far along the manga are we with 2 cours?

[Buffalobiian]

My facebook feed has been full of spoilers in general (not for this show... yet) for a year or so now. It's fucking bullshit. The algorithm figured out I read a lot of anime posts so it decides to feed me more manga spoilers.

[Death BOO Z]

facebook somehow has a mini-industry of spoilers. I don't know what's the goal of those pages and how they make money of it, but it's there. and it doesn't matter how much I block pages, they keep popping up in my feed with new names.

so yes, manga over.

I hate that half my feed is slop I never subscribed to and can't get rid of. Spotify even removed the option to block specific songs and hides away the option to block artists. enshitification everywhere.

[Ryllharu]

Thanks for the heads up. How far along the manga are we with 2 cours?

About halfway, chapter 80.

[MFauli]

Haven't seen any hint of spoilers so, but now you jinxed it!!!1

[Buffalobiian]

About halfway, chapter 80.

Oh, that's quite far along already. I was expecting to be in the first fifth/quarter of the story.

@MFauli - I don't know if it's because I've also liked anime merchandise facebook pages. It was how I tried to keep on top of releases (especially Bandai releases) before scalpers swept all the preorders.

[Kraco]

My facebook feed has been full of spoilers in general (not for this show... yet) for a year or so now. It's fucking bullshit. The algorithm figured out I read a lot of anime posts so it decides to feed me more manga spoilers.


facebook somehow has a mini-industry of spoilers. I don't know what's the goal of those pages and how they make money of it, but it's there. and it doesn't matter how much I block pages, they keep popping up in my feed with new names.


When I look at Mark Zuckerberg's face in photos, I get a feeling he's doing it on purpose. Fortunately I don't use Facebook. Maybe I should filter out this series on the image site, though. It has spoiled me before a couple of times over the years. Even if I browse it much less these days, you never know.

[shinta|hikari]

I can wait for 2 more cours. Thanks for warning about spoilers. I will avoid any discussion about Oshi no Ko from now on.