Oshi no Ko Season 2, Episode 6 Review: Melt’s Genuine Underdog Story is Exactly What the Anime Needed
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Oshi no Ko Season 2 spent much of the Summer 2024 anime season focusing on the stage production of the in-universe manga Tokyo Blade. This arc is explored mostly through the eyes of Aqua Hoshino and his two love interests, Kana Arima and Akane Kurokawa, who also happen to be acting rivals. The season is strongest when it focuses on this love triangle. That said, as Episode 6 shows, Oshi no Ko can afford to spare one episode on a side character to deepen the arc’s emotional resonance and that of the anime as a whole.
This comes at a bit of a cost. After all, the anime moves rather slowly if it doesn’t focus on the Hoshino twins or other main characters like Kana, Akane, and Mem-Cho. Still, Episode 6’s fresh perspective is an essential one that creates a more rounded view of the overall entertainment industry, since it’s far bigger than just B-Komachi and Aqua. As long as Season 2 limits this to just Episode 6’s contents, then the season is in good shape with its diverse viewpoints. In particular, that of Melt Narushima, the underdog star of Episode 6. Not only is this a new angle to explore, but his subplot is the anime’s most genuine that Oshi no Ko fans have seen so far.
There isn’t a single, definitive “right” way to handle an anime episode, especially when it comes to episodes that focus on one topic or those that juggle several plot threads. Depending on the phase of the storyline, either model may work, and there are upsides and downsides to each. The best anime tend to mix these up, and for a character drama like Oshi no Ko, focused episodes must appear every now and then to properly deepen one of the cast members. That’s what makes Episode 6 so strong, even if the character in question isn’t a headliner like the Hoshinos or the popular tsundere Kana Arima. Not every character calls for such a deep dive. In the long run and truth be told, Melt isn’t that compelling. But for this brief window in time, Melt’s character study is a welcome change of pace. The key is to not do this too often so the pacing can remain largely intact.
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