The following contains spoilers for Episode 7 of Oshi no Ko, "Buzz," now streaming on HiDive.
Episode 7 follows up on the harrowing events of the previous episode of Oshi no Ko, with Aqua just barely managing to stop Akane from jumping off of the bridge. With Akane safe and sound, now the only thing left is to deal with the legions of hateful comments that continue to batter Akane on a daily basis.
Thankfully, Aqua's got an idea for how to save Akane's ruined reputation. Still, it's an idea that'll require not only the help of his fellow LoveNow cast members, but also the luck of internet virality to work out. While this week's episode is hardly as tense as last week's, it's a perfect resolution to such a terrifying experience.
Recovery
As Aqua holds onto Akane, he explains that Mem-cho had been looking for her when she realized Akane hadn't come back from getting food, and got Aqua to help look for her. Soon after, the both are taken in by police and their families are called. The cast of LoveNow also show up to show their support to Akane, with Yuki herself wishing Akane had come to talk to her sooner. It's a warm moment that shows the bonds the cast have formed over the course of filming, despite the cutthroat nature of reality TV.
Aqua asks Akane if she still wants to stay on the show, as even though she is under contract, the staff are unlikely to hold her to it after such a situation has come to pass. Akane is still scarred by the internet backlash, but she doesn't want her hard work to go to waste and declares her intent to stay. Satisfied, Aqua starts moving to take revenge, both on the production staff for turning Akane into a villain and the internet trolls who slandered and pushed Akane into a corner.
The Real LoveNow
First, Aqua leaks the story of Akane's suicide attempt to the press. The news initially causes talk of Akane to die down, but the negative comments soon start up again. However, this is only the start of Aqua's plan, as he starts collecting as much footage as he can from the other cast members. Mem-cho quickly deduces his plan: to make a video showing how the cast members of LoveNow acted while off-screen and without the production staff's editing, proving that Akane's relationship with Yuki is friendly and that the things everyone has been saying about her were all lies.
The other cast members join in and contribute to the video, as they all want Akane to come back to the show without getting hate. Yuki reveals that her big make-up moment with Akane actually was filmed, but that the production staff clearly left it out because they wanted to paint Akane as a villain. Aqua goes to confront the director about this, and the director confirms that they intentionally didn't use the footage of Akane and Yuki making up to spice up the show. The director initially holds firm that they hold no blame, but Aqua appeals to the director's conscience and manages to get the footage from him.
After several grueling hours of editing, Aqua finally manages to put the finished video together. The group upload the video to Twitter, with Mem-cho remarking that if the post gets 100 retweets within the first minute, it has a good chance of going viral. The post easily makes the mark, and ultimately garners 74,000 retweets after 24 hours. While the video was unable to convince everyone to drop the hateful comments, it cooled it down enough for Akane to return to LoveNow triumphantly.
A New Persona
With the previous experience in mind, Mem-cho and Yuki recommend Akane put on a persona during filming so she does not go through that again. Akane agrees, but isn't sure what kind of character she should adopt. Mem-cho and Yuki ask Aqua what his ideal girl is, and after some badgering, Aqua describes a person that is quite similar to Ai. Mem-cho recognizes that, so Akane promises to get as close to Ai as she possibly can for Aqua. Aqua is doubtful, as he believes that no one could possibly replicate her.
Before filming begins again, Akane heads out to do some research on Ai, hoping to perform the role as accurately as possible. Her methods reveal a startlingly astute level of observation and inference, as she begins to make assertions about Ai's character that are surprisingly accurate. Back at Strawberry Productions, Kana mentions wanting Akane to slightly take a hit in terms of popularity, to Aqua's surprise. Kana explains to Aqua that while Akane Kurokawa is not a known screen actor, she is famous in the theater world.
Back on set, Akane makes a quick apology to the staff for all of the trouble. Once filming begins, Akane assumes the persona of Ai that she created, even managing to replicate the stars in her eyes. Akane's short scene acting as Ai is perfect proof of her acting skills, and even Aqua is left speechless.