?Oshi No Ko?: Rewriting Show Only
July 17, 2024 10:49 PM - Season 2, Episode 3 - Subscribe
Akane takes Aqua to see his first 2.5D stage play, and to his surprise he leaves very impressed with the sophistication and entertainment value of the show. After realizing how difficult it would be for a mangaka with no script writing experience to come up with a good script for this kind of project, Aqua hatches a plan to get Abiko to back down from her stance of completely rewriting everything.
We actually start off with a scene with Ruby at school! She's bragging about B Komachi's recent feature in the weekly entertainment magazine Playboy (completely unrelated to the American magazine) with her two classmates. She brags about finally feeling like she deserves her place in this school of entertainers, but is quickly eclipsed when her two classmates chat about a popular young actor who's been sliding into their DMs.
This transitions into a brief scene where we get an update on B Komachi at Ichigo Productions, the group is on pause at the moment because Kana is too busy with her Tokyo Blade work, though she steps into the studio to update everyone on how rehearsals have freed up now that they are redoing the script.
We cut to Akane and Aqua going to see a 2.5D Play of something called Smash Heaven, which looks like a ping pong version of Prince of Tennis. Aqua goes in with low expectations, but leaves impressed with the sophistication and level of immersion that the play achieves using different kinds of technology. As they chat about the play afterwards at a nearby pop-up cafe, producer Raida walks up to them and starts chatting. It turns out he likes to watch people leave his plays in order to get some real-time visual feedback on how the audience is receiving his work. He remarks that Smash Heaven has been a great success, and in part it's due to Goa's script. Aqua acknowledges that adapting a manga to this format would be incredibly difficult, and that Goa did an excellent job in creating an entertaining final product here.
Aqua set in motion a plan to try and get Abiko to compromise. Knowing that they won't be able to reach Abiko directly, he organizes a mini Sweet Today reunion with Yoriko, bringing Akane along with previous Sweet Today cast members Kana and Melt. They have a conversation about Abiko, and even Yoriko admits that she thinks that rewriting the script for Tokyo Blade is a mistake but doesn't think she'll be able to get Abiko to come around on the idea. The actors leave, but Aqua has one final Hail Mary that he passes to Yoriko in a brown envelope, asking her to pass it along to her former apprentice.
Yoriko goes directly to Abiko's house to find her apartment in a state of disorder. She's behind on one of her deadlines, and has fired all of her assistants as she did not think their work was up to par. Yoriko rolls up her sleeves and gets to work helping out her former protege, while bickering back and forth about their respective careers. Abiko brags about how well Tokyo Blade has sold, Yoriko criticizes her for tropey plots and capitulating to shippers. Yoriko helps Abiko meet her deadline, and Abiko finally confesses that the reason she is being so obstinate about the Tokyo Blade play was because she loved the Sweet Today manga and was very disappointed in the live action adaptation. Mentor and protege reconcile, and Yoriko hands over Aqua's envelope which contains a ticket to the Smash Heaven 2.5D play. We see Abiko walk up to the theater, and cut to credits.
We actually start off with a scene with Ruby at school! She's bragging about B Komachi's recent feature in the weekly entertainment magazine Playboy (completely unrelated to the American magazine) with her two classmates. She brags about finally feeling like she deserves her place in this school of entertainers, but is quickly eclipsed when her two classmates chat about a popular young actor who's been sliding into their DMs.
This transitions into a brief scene where we get an update on B Komachi at Ichigo Productions, the group is on pause at the moment because Kana is too busy with her Tokyo Blade work, though she steps into the studio to update everyone on how rehearsals have freed up now that they are redoing the script.
We cut to Akane and Aqua going to see a 2.5D Play of something called Smash Heaven, which looks like a ping pong version of Prince of Tennis. Aqua goes in with low expectations, but leaves impressed with the sophistication and level of immersion that the play achieves using different kinds of technology. As they chat about the play afterwards at a nearby pop-up cafe, producer Raida walks up to them and starts chatting. It turns out he likes to watch people leave his plays in order to get some real-time visual feedback on how the audience is receiving his work. He remarks that Smash Heaven has been a great success, and in part it's due to Goa's script. Aqua acknowledges that adapting a manga to this format would be incredibly difficult, and that Goa did an excellent job in creating an entertaining final product here.
Aqua set in motion a plan to try and get Abiko to compromise. Knowing that they won't be able to reach Abiko directly, he organizes a mini Sweet Today reunion with Yoriko, bringing Akane along with previous Sweet Today cast members Kana and Melt. They have a conversation about Abiko, and even Yoriko admits that she thinks that rewriting the script for Tokyo Blade is a mistake but doesn't think she'll be able to get Abiko to come around on the idea. The actors leave, but Aqua has one final Hail Mary that he passes to Yoriko in a brown envelope, asking her to pass it along to her former apprentice.
Yoriko goes directly to Abiko's house to find her apartment in a state of disorder. She's behind on one of her deadlines, and has fired all of her assistants as she did not think their work was up to par. Yoriko rolls up her sleeves and gets to work helping out her former protege, while bickering back and forth about their respective careers. Abiko brags about how well Tokyo Blade has sold, Yoriko criticizes her for tropey plots and capitulating to shippers. Yoriko helps Abiko meet her deadline, and Abiko finally confesses that the reason she is being so obstinate about the Tokyo Blade play was because she loved the Sweet Today manga and was very disappointed in the live action adaptation. Mentor and protege reconcile, and Yoriko hands over Aqua's envelope which contains a ticket to the Smash Heaven 2.5D play. We see Abiko walk up to the theater, and cut to credits.
Good news: IHI Stage Around Tokyo (the theater with the 360° rotating stage where Smash Heaven is being performed) is a real place!
Bad news: It's closed forever and it's going to be torn down! Gah!
I hope we get more detective work from Aqua in the next episode. I hope they have a plan for the main story instead of dragging it out forever like Detective Conan. (Funnily, the second job of an editor being to not let an author finish a popular manga was called out by Yoriko.)
I think the plot about a manga author's frustration with an adaptation parallels the real-life Sexy Tanaka scandal.
posted by The genius who rejected Anno's budget proposal. at 5:24 AM on July 23
Bad news: It's closed forever and it's going to be torn down! Gah!
I hope we get more detective work from Aqua in the next episode. I hope they have a plan for the main story instead of dragging it out forever like Detective Conan. (Funnily, the second job of an editor being to not let an author finish a popular manga was called out by Yoriko.)
I think the plot about a manga author's frustration with an adaptation parallels the real-life Sexy Tanaka scandal.
posted by The genius who rejected Anno's budget proposal. at 5:24 AM on July 23
I am enjoying the focus on dissecting the Japanese media industry but the progress on the murder mystery front has been disappointing. This isn't quite like Spy x Family where progress on Operation Strix doesn't really matter.
posted by C^3 at 7:50 PM on July 23
posted by C^3 at 7:50 PM on July 23
You are not logged in, either login or create an account to post comments
The argument between Abiko and Yoriko is a highlight of the season so far, with both of them lobbing legitimate barbs at each other while still maintaining a strong undercurrent of affection and friendship.
posted by C^3 at 2:46 AM on July 18