Contains discussions of Depression, Bullying, and Suicide
Contains spoilers for Oshi no Ko Episode 6The hit anime Oshi no Ko is confronting important issues like cyberbullying and depression by basing its darkest moment off a real-world tragedy that rocked Japan three years ago. The anime produced by Studio Doga Kobo and based on the manga of the same name by Aka Akasaka and Mengo Yokoyari, has already stood out from the crowd this season by presenting an unromantic perspective of the Japanese entertainment industry. But its latest episode goes even further by offering a dark look at how shows can fail to protect their stars from harassment after filming is done.
Episode 6 of Oshi no Ko continues the Dating Reality Show arc, focusing on one of the participants, Akane. Akane struggles to make her presence known among the much more charismatic personalities around her. Facing pressure from her agency and seemingly running out of options, she desperately confronts the most popular star on the show and accidentally cuts her face in a moment of frustration. Off camera, the two quickly make up, but the show’s audience is outraged by the incident and many begin badmouthing Akane online. Some even go so far as to harass her and outright tell her to die. The episode gradually shows Akane slip into depression as the comments deeply affect her and eventually ends with her attempting to jump off a bridge into oncoming traffic. Luckily Aqua is there to save her, but unfortunately, the real life version of this episode ended much more tragically.
Akane’s Arc in Oshi no Ko Mirrors a Real Tragedy
In the fifth season of the Japanese reality show Terrace House, a contestant named Hana Kimura seemed to get angry at another contestant for shrinking her laundry. She knocked off his hat, told him to be more considerate in the future, and then stormed off. Later it was revealed that this was staged by the producers who wanted to generate conflict, and there was no bad blood between the people involved. However, after that incident, Hana was relentlessly cyberbullied by numerous fans, which eventually led to her death by suicide. It was a terrible tragedy that Oshi no Ko replicated with Akane’s descent into darkness. This is why its latest episode is so important.
Even after Hana’s death, the issue of cyberbullying still persists across the world, causing a great deal of mental health issues, especially among young people. By giving a personal and raw portrayal of how deeply these comments can affect people, Oshi no Ko is hopefully dissuading potential cyberbullies from harassing people and causing more real-life tragedies. If this episode hadn’t been based on real events, it wouldn’t have nearly as much impact and an important message could have been ignored as mere fiction.
Oshi no Ko‘s Handling of These Issues Makes it Essential Viewing
Episode 6 is incredibly dark but also vitally important in our modern world. The amount of care that went into doing Hana’s story justice shows that Oshi no Ko isn’t merely just the best anime of the season like Oshi no Ko’s brief dethroning of Fullmetal Alchemist implied. It is truly essential viewing, not just for anime fans but for the public as well. Hopefully, Oshi no Ko‘s version of these events will help prevent more deaths like Hana’s from occurring in the future.
Oshi no Ko Episode 6 is available to watch on HiDive.
