Oshi no Ko season 2 episode 8: Kana showcases her true acting skills as Aqua finds a new way to act

Modified Aug 22, 2024 05:39 GMT

Oshi no Ko season 2 episode 8: Kana showcases her true acting skills as Aqua finds a new way to act — Aqua Hoshino and Kana Arima as seen in Oshi no Ko season 2 episode 8 (Image via Doga Kobo)

With the release of Oshi no Ko season 2 episode 8, the anime finally showcased Kana Arima acting to the best of her abilities. While Kana was reluctant, Aqua and Taiki's plan saw her finally give in to the desire. Additionally, the episode also delved into Aqua's emotional triggers and his attempt at bypassing them to stand out in the stage play.

The previous episode saw the start of Akane Kurokawa's showdown with Kana Arima. While Akane wanted Kana to act to the best of her abilities, Kana's past did not allow her to make that step. Hence, Aqua and Akane teamed up to force Kana to act the way she wanted.

Oshi no Ko season 2 episode 8: Aqua pushes Kana to dazzle like the sun

Kana Arima as seen in Oshi no Ko season 2 episode 8 (Image via Doga Kobo)

Oshi no Ko season 2 episode 8, titled 'Trigger,' opened with Kana Arima accepting her role in the play as someone had to mediate others' acting. Even Taiki Himekawa asked her about it, but Kana remained adamant. Right after, Taiki informed Kana about some improvisations he wished to make in a future scene. While Kana wished that Taiki would inform him sooner about such changes, hearing that he trusted her acting, she was happy to comply.

Moments later, the stage play finally focused on Aqua and Taiki's scene together. While Taiki relied on emotional acting, Aqua relied on emotionless acting, forming a good contrast between the characters of Blade and Touki. Nevertheless, Taiki's skills far surpassed Aqua's. Just then, Kana Arima joined them on the stage, which was the cue for the improvised scene.

Akane Kurokawa as seen in Oshi no Ko season 2 episode 8 (Image via Doga Kobo)

While Taiki had claimed that he was set to improvise a scene, the scene was actually meant for Kana as he pushed her toward Aqua. Aqua Hoshino used this opportunity to trigger Kana's emotions, asking her to act the way she wanted without thinking of cooperating with others.

This triggered a flashback of Kana Arima as the anime revealed how she began her acting career due to her mother. Her mother never got to enter the entertainment world, hence she used her daughter to interact with the same. Slowly as Kana started losing popularity, her mother started acting erratic, often bothering the production staff. Such behavior also saw Kana's father leave the family to be with his mistress.

Thus, to keep her mother happy and have a place in the entertainment industry, Kana took Gotanda's advice and started cooperating with others. While she was satisfied with the role, Aqua's persistence saw her break out of it and showcase her true acting skills, dazzling not just the audience but also her fellow cast members, especially Akane Kurokawa.

After that, Oshi no Ko season 2 episode 8 started focusing on Aqua Hoshino. While he wished to see Kana act the way she wanted, he also wanted to surpass everyone and stand out amongst his peers. Therefore, he adopted a new acting technique, one filled with pain.

Taishi Gotanda as seen in Oshi no Ko season 2 episode 8 (Image via Doga Kobo)

It was actually Taishi Gotanda who suggested this to him. Aqua Hoshino's panic attack trigger was his guilt from having fun while acting. Hence, Gotanda had asked him to take a break from acting and get help. But due to Aqua's persistence to stay in the entertainment field, Gotanda suggested to him that he stop enjoying acting.