[Oshi no Ko]

Upon making my first serious effort to approach this season and see what people were watching, and what was thereby worth reviewing, I was disappointed by how little shock I felt when seeing an idol show not only among the most popular anime of the season, but among the most highly rated anime currently listed on MAL. I was disappointed by how easily my mind filled in the blanks in my understanding as to how a series belonging to a genre hardly anyone takes seriously or seems to enjoy, at least last time I checked, found itself in the center of such limelight, because after all, I shouldn’t have had a clue. I should’ve been excited, thinking, “Oooo! I wander what makes this idol show different! I wander what makes people feel so comfortable putting all their eggs in such an ostensibly boring looking basket! Surely there must be something interesting and innovative to make this one really stand out and earn all this hype!” And at first it seemed like these questions would find themselves resolved with something resembling satisfactory answers. Claims endorsing Oshi no Ko’s alleged uniqueness, realism, and honesty, among other things, appeared to reflect the consensus view of the vast majority, with the only coherent dissenting opinions I could find reading like pre-written arguments one could feasibly fling in the direction of any anime daring to feature idols—which to me didn’t feel like serious argument. I mean, if the show was different enough to stand out like this, then the least its detractors could do would be to find something equally different to say against it, right? How sad I was, almost immediately, to have my brain, all too accustomed to this seasonal fever, remind me that no. The answers to all those previous (hypothetical) questions (I didn’t ever actually bother asking) would simply be “nothing.” Oshi no Ko just happens to be on everyone’s screen, as if by some sort of coincidence. The reception of Oshi no Ko reminds me a lot of Fumetsu no Anata e. Episode one of season one was pretty good, and it made a lot of people cry. Audiences then proceeded to overpraise it massively, but as the show went on and people started to detect and subsequently grow tired of its formula, and not to mention after its decent animation became not-so-decent, the hype died, with season two feeling to many like little more than the producers failing to get the memo. When people recommend Oshi no Ko, they often preface their praise with phrases like, “Don’t even read what I’m about to write. Avoid spoilers at all costs, and go watch episode one yourself before reading ANYTHING.” And as they do this, they implicitly suggest this first episode is some kind of bombshell which one has to see to believe, or at least an episode containing ideas and details difficult enough to offer comment on such that telling one’s reader to form their own opinion seems like an easier option than simply asserting their own. But this turns out to not be the case at all (and it assumes episode one isn’t followed by the rest of the show). If you kidnapped me, locked me in your dingy basement, tied me to a wooden chair, gagged and blindfolded me, and threatened to do to me whatever creepy stalker rapist murders do when they similarly capture their favorite idol if I didn’t give the premise of Oshi no Ko points for creativity, then fine. I give it points for creativity; it’s a show about two idol otaku who get reborn as the twin brother and sister of their favorite idol, who herself has secretly become a teen mom, and who grow up attempting to follow in their celebrity mother’s footsteps…which is admittedly creative, assuming you want to use more euphemistic words than “fucking weird” or “laughably bizarre.” However, this premise doesn’t change the immediate and continuous trajectory of the series—which is nowhere. The horribly overlong, eighty-two-minute behemoth that is episode one concludes by suggesting to the audience that the series would proceed in thrilling and unpredictable directions, with one of our lead characters devoting his reborn life to solving a grand mystery and hunting for revenge (for reasons I’ll leave unstated), but what follows is *literally* nothing more than the same dime-a-dozen, boring-as-fuck highschool anime dramedy which you and I both have seen a hundred million times each. Everything even slightly idiosyncratic about episode one, from its intelligent talking baby memes to its teen mom idol “I can’t believe the author is writing THIS story” wow-factor, instantly finds itself a more generic direct replacement within minutes of episode two’s beginning, and episode one itself is constantly screaming that—for what little I’ll admit it did differently—the story is written by the same type of person, for the same target audience, as every fucking piece of rancid roadkill every season of anime for some reason feels morally obligated to leave in its tracks. As I’ve explained, my new two-job, seven-day-work-week schedule has made it so I’m having to watch, think about, and write about every anime I’m attempting to review over night—a time of day when I should be getting through what little sleep I can—and holy fucking shit, trying desperately to stay awake while watching Oshi no Ko while already exhausted, chronically depressed, and sleep-deprived is a kind of torture I would not wish on any but my deepest, darkest, most personal enemies. Within minutes we’re being treated to lolicon humor and a character dynamic indistinguishable from Subaru and Ram’s from Re:Zero, and if this motherfucker wasn’t reincarnated as a baby, he’d have been the same self-deprecating, generic-looking, otaku self-insert we’d get from shitty light novel adaptations of that exact same unenviable ilk. Speaking of Re:Zero, Oshi no Ko boasts dialogue bad enough to make me go crosseyed when reading the subtitles, and almost bad enough to make me regret learning Japanese so I stopped having to. Imagine a Re:Zero-esque teen drama where overdramatic, immature, unlikable crybabies stand around talking about their feelings for entire seasons of made-for-TV entertainment, only instead of placing the characters in a fantasy world with somewhat interesting concepts, place them in the single blandest realization of a preforming arts highschool humanly possible. If merely having that idea in your head gives you a fucking brain aneurysm, I don’t blame you, but if it doesn’t and you can actually take a second to form such an image in your mind, then congratulations. You’ve successfully imagined Oshi no Ko, and you no longer have to subject yourself to the real thing. Dry, endless exposition; loud, unfunny humor; boring, overdone drama. The one and only consistent element of the series which does actually set itself apart from its contemporaries, but which something tells me has nothing to do with how highly its being praised and rated, is how eye-wateringly hypocritical it is. We’ve all seen the type of show that tries so hard to be the “serious” one, and Oshi no Ko is definitely that. “It’s about teenagers wanting to become idols, celebrities, and entertainers, sure—but oh, no!—this ain’t no Love Live! This show is DIFFERENT! This isn’t just your typical highschool anime. This one takes a hard, unflinching look at the industry, and we get to witness these characters transform as they sober up and face the REAL WORLD.” Then you watch the show and it’s as juvenile as ever? Yeah, it’s that, but Oshi no Ko goes a step further. Not only does it shout “look how adult I am” while appearing completely generic, but it also shouts “look how self-aware I am” while appearing completely corrupt. The actual reason I’d assume this show is so well-regarded by most people is how edgy it is. The selling point which is supposed to be oh-so ingenious is that the show looks like generic shit (and it is, but that’s not important). It’s supposed to look like generic shit with generic cute girls in generic school unif…

*[Oshi no Ko]* is a series caught within a bizarre Catch-22 as an actual piece of entertainment. It wants to follow the comedic and dramatic conventions for storytelling that Akasaka has in mind, and also wants to unravel the disquieting undercurrent of the entertainment industry within its gaze. But to do so would involve having its cast be outsmarted or exploited by the teeth of the very beast that they seek to enterprise in, and by the nature of the show’s framing, it cannot have that. As a result, the show does not actually delve into the darkest contortions and disquieting undercurrents of the entertainment industry that Akasaka supposedly wants to discuss. It hints at the phantoms on the wall rather than confronts them. The whole reads more as someone who only just discovered what the entertainment industry is like, is repulsed by what they saw, and has a lot they want to say, but must make a contractual deal with the devil in order to get the story told, a provision of which is to not wholly besmirch his name in the process. Entertainment is, just as a general note, a strange entity. Stranger still though is the relationship we have with it. Even in the supposed “reality” of reality television, we all know and acknowledge on some level that everything in entertainment is manufactured or a conglomeration of lies to get a desired affect or impression. It’s engineered by hundreds of people we never know beyond the abstract to make something we think is worth the time and financial or emotional investment. We also know that the industry is not run by angels. Yet no matter how many times we get shocked by the reality that we see when the curtain gets pulled back, there’s always the next cultural object or talking point to swallow our attention even as the people within its own industry cry out to let their pleas for mercy be heard. The para-social relationship we have with the media we consume is sometimes not as simple as “I like this thing” with posters or casual merchandise; it can move beyond human ugliness or frailty and into the abyss of pure horror I emphasize this para-social quality between entertainment and consumer because it is the very lifeblood that *[Oshi no Ko]* uses to get its start, and stubbornly refuses to emphasize or embrace further as it goes along. As two idol-obsessed people watching Hoshino Ai, doctor Amamiya Gorou and hospital patient Tendouji Sarina have formed an obsessive bond with her and her almost-divine performance presence, capitulated further when she discreetly arrives at Gorou’s hospital pregnant with twins. The day of delivery is struck down by Gorou being murdered, and both he and Tendouji are reincarnated as Ai’s children with all their mental faculties in place, now named Aquamarine and Ruby respectively. Two people in the thick of idol fandom, one of whom is killed by someone in the thick of idol fandom, now finding themselves the objects of their idolized idol’s attention. The perverse relationship between entertainment and consumer comes back around again as Ai is killed in her own home by a crazed fan, angry at her for having children, and Aqua suspects they were sent by their real father. It is, after all, against the law for idols to do anything sexual, unless the agency or someone within is facilitating it. With the light of their life extinguished, they’re left to pick up the pieces of what remains. Ruby channels them into becoming like her mother and an idol herself, a depressing irony in that she naively has no clue what she’s getting into. Aqua channels them into joining the industry behind the scenes and finding their father-murderer that way, a journey of personal doom. The para-social sense of naïve optimism and slip into despair via the industry and their products never leaves the characterization (they’re always being fueled by Ai, even in death), but it does get reprioritized—if not shoved to the side outright—as the show’s scenarios begin manifesting. It chooses to focus its attention instead on how the industry functions and the people within it, functioning as a quasi-exposé. The result is *[Oshi no Ko]* effectively abandoning its original framing device for something vastly less interesting. The series wants to have its cake and eat it too, to be profoundly crushing on the emotional level while delivering its timeless message that the entertainment industry is a monolithic hydra of lies and politics that the cast nevertheless tries to succeed in. The irony is that, in Akasaka and series composer Tanaka Jin’s bid to do this, they cannot resist flexing their knowledge by having characters just spell out “the truth” of how the industry works, robbing the show of its opportunities to impose such things on the characters, barring some flashbacks. It is so on-the-nose that there is little to be discovered organically through the narrative. And Aqua’s positioning within *[Oshi no Ko]’s* structure drives this point home, especially. He became after Ai’s death a cold, calculating genius when it comes to the industry as a whole, in-part helped by having worked in it. Whether in front of the camera or from the production side, there is seemingly nothing he cannot adapt to. Such a characterization undercuts the looming danger of the industry itself because if anything bad happens, Aqua will always be able to salvage the situation or come up with some solution that makes sure everything and / or everyone is okay. It is difficult to be apprehensive of the shadows on the wall when a character keeps flicking on the lights, never truly getting caught off-guard. It is a given that not everyone who works in the entertainment industry is a terrible person, that many involved indeed are trying to create the best product possible, and they know that being nice to their actors is one of the ways to do so. But *[Oshi no Ko]* has its depiction of the industry be more abstractly monolithic in its malice as opposed to actually having people in it who are malicious. Because Aqua and Ruby are born into the business through being Ai’s children, they are constantly sheltered from its grimmer possibilities by being in a “good company” and “knowing the right people” who will oblige Aqua’s thirst for vengeance in exchange for a favor, either wittingly or unwittingly. The monologuing by the characters keeps talking about how the industry is rough, unfair, and “that’s how it is,” but any sense of unfairness is barely allowed, if at all, to directly interrupt finding Ai’s killer or pose a sincere obstacle to Ruby’s progress. Thus, there is a shorter draw distance with which *[Oshi no Ko]* can cast its muckraking net, leaving many of the emotional moments to fall strangely limply rather than fuel a brutal collision. But even so, there are rare times where the para-social relationship I hinted at before does return, and it occurs in the moments where the series shines at its brightest (or is it darkest? You decide). Aqua is hardly out of focus, but when he’s gone, the darker specters are finally allowed the chance to come out of the corner and consume the room. Left to their own devices, characters are forced to fight their way through new torments and problems—which does unfortunately paint just how reliant on Aqua they all are. Especially aided by the show’s aesthetic care and attention, apparent effort is poured into key animations and storyboarding that, when aligned with the material, elevate the punches into a sharp viscerality. Director Hiramaki Daisuke and the sizable number of animation directors understood that, particularly for a story pertaining to the entertainment industry, presentation matters. It’s a sign of just what the series is perfectly capable of doing, but ultimately decides to opt for something markedly less knotted. *[Oshi no Ko]* insists on the dangers of the entertainment industry and pulling back the curtain, but holds itself back too often by not letting it gets its claws into everyo…

This review contains spoilers. Oshino Ko used to have a VERY high score back then. I fail to understand it, as Oshi no Ko fails tremendously in dealing with its central themes. It is impressive how an anime from this very year is already outdated in comparison to an anime that deals with similar themes, such as Perfect Blue, which came out 25 YEARS AGO; this last work is written in a much more intelligent, mature and interesting way, it is a visionary, thought-provoking anime and a masterpiece in comparison to the concert of mediocrity that Oshi no Ko offers in every sense, an anime that is dedicated to absolute mediocrity and to criticize the consumerism that this same anime uses in its favor. It is ironic how the show that pretends to show the consumerism in the entertainment industry and the superficial falsehood of entertainers is at the same time a huge waifu collection with a flat as an ironing board personality and with a 2cute4you design destined to sell dakimakuras and produce merchandise; it is also a show that goes from pretending to deal with serious issues to being a melodramatic drama of teenagers soaked in embarrassing & poorly-timed humour with shock value added for morbid curiosity. This show assumes that the audience is stupid and it overexplains absolutely everything with idiotic platitudes; it is fragile, vapid and completely harmless. Oshi no Ko criticizes what Oshi no Ko itself does, this anime commits the same sins that it condemns in its plot and I believe that this hypocrisy cannot go unnoticed. Oshi no Ko tries to be self-aware, it aspires to be an anime that tells you about how fake the entertainment industry is and how their only objective is to make money when this anime does this very thing in a blatant way. It tries to be serious, cynical and provocative but falls short in any way. Not only does Oshi no Ko bastardize such a complex issue as abuse on the Idol and entertainment industry, it also fucks up bullying and harassment in a specific arc. I'll start with the famed episode one, which boasts the length of basically a movie and was the main reason this anime managed to claim the number one spot on this page. It begins with an off-key dialogue of a narrator exclaiming "This story is a fictional work; in fact, almost everything in this world is fiction. They fabricate, exaggerate and cover up every minute detail that does not fulfill their narrative. Therefore, fans love to be cleverly lied to. In this world, lies are weapons." at this moment, from the very first second, the anime is covered with a pretentious and insulting attitude; exclaiming things that are already common knowledge to everyone who consumes any kind of entertainment; it is not even said in a way that incites an interesting point of view or even becomes provocative, it is already obvious and not worth mentioning. Saying obvious facts and being tremendously bland and pretentious is a common theme of Oshi no Ko, it is an anime that aspires to tell you "fire burns" and it stands there, with a sly little smile, as if it had just unveiled a hidden truth in the industry to you, when the depravity and darkness of the entertainment industry is something well-known, something that has been continuously fought against and a degenerate sewer which goes much deeper than this anime presents; the attitude of this show and its attempts to be provocative are not only insulting, but it also fails miserably at being thought-provoking or rebellious. After this show of pretentiousness, they proceed to introduce our protagonist, Gorou Anemiya, a degenerate otaku doctor obsessed with underage girls (this is his comedy gag for the next 30 minutes and his only personality traits) and Hoshino Ai, who is the most notorious talent of the idol group called "B Komachi" and is clearly the main light of the stage; Hoshino Ai is also a character who offers no interesting insights into her occupation as such an acclaimed idol and sets out to make exposition dumps and regurgitate information that a viewer already knows or can deduce for themselves. Episode one, furthermore, has a terrible comedic tone, like when the nurse mocks Gotou by calling him a pedophile..., after the death of a girl from cancer, I don't think it's a good time to insert comedy. Anyways, the two of them (Gorou and the nurse) revive as Hoshino Ai's twins, Aquamarine and Ruby, and this is something I find funny; it's a supernatural element of resurrection suddenly inserted in an anime that pretends to represent the harsh reality, something supernatural that never comes back and just happens without reasonable explanation within what this anime is; also, are you going to tell me that in 16 years, where the two of them lived together, nothing ever came out about this in this regard? Not only this, Oshi no Ko as a whole suffers from tone problems and dissonance; its dark atmosphere pretends to uncover raw facts about the industry but it comes off as pretentious, clumsy, obvious, and the light humorous moments are embarrassing and mainly repeat the same comedy gags over and over again. The cast of characters in Oshi no Ko is tremendously bland and one-dimensional; none of them are relatable, they don't feel realistic and are absolute clichés. Each of them spits out the same platitudes about the entertainment industry constantly, without any interesting or thought-provoking additions to prompt the viewer to think or have a new point of view. From the edgelord gigachad 50000 IQ galaxy brain of Aquamarine Hoshino, who is surely the worst character in this anime (which is saying a lot) and who undertakes a ridiculous Walmart Death Note style cat and mouse story; while this is going on, every now and then Aqua turns to the camera, in edgelord 50000 IQ mode and tells the viewer for the fifth hundredth time "the entertainment industry is fake................ all of these people have a facade and they hide all the details that would ruin their narrative........" and the camera focuses on him as if he were the Albert Einstein of anime or the revolutionary of the industry, when the things he says are not only observable and deductible to the viewer by themselves, but, again, are OBVIOUS things that have already been repeated a million times over. Perhaps I am too cynical, but it is a fact that most famous people in entertainment hide dirt under their carpets and that there are probably still many degenerates to be uncovered, it is something already assumed, much deeper and known. They introduce Ruby Hoshino who is a classy cliché idol and essentially just Ai Hoshino, Kana Arima who is the talented actress and who, like Aquamarine, spews out expositions of information all the time about painfully obvious things and Akane Kurokawa, a girl who is SO tormented; everyone hates her and talks bad about her because she is SO talented and SO hardworking, everyone talks bad about her and of course the one who should help her is Aquamarine, there is no one else in her life who cares about her more than the protagonist. Anime as a medium often sins of treating bullying as a topic so extremely superficial that it hurts, and Oshi no Ko is no different from them; the bullying towards Akane is treated in an incredibly shallow and flat way, her mental health is also treated in an incredibly shallow way and I feel like this character is just made as a plot device to make Aquamarine into a hero and, of course, after he helped her she proceeds to fall in love; everyone knows the best way to romance the galaxy 50000 IQ brain gigachad is to pretend you're his mother, that's totally something a person would do. I didn't mention Mem-Cho because she is so flat that I can't consider her a character. Oshi no Ko is nothing more than a brick wall with pretty paint, it's pure style over substance and offers nothing new. It is the same stuff puked again on the table, it is a melodramatic and ridiculous teen drama with an immature revenge story pasted a…

Lies. Who among us hasn't told a lie or two? Whether it's telling a white lie or presenting a false version of ourselves. Celebrities, actors, musicians, and artists must constantly maintain a public image, which may require telling a lie or two. As a famous idol, Ai Hoshino's life revolves around lying. "The lie becomes the truth" are words she lives by. She lies to her friends and fans, but no one can see through the facade beneath her starry eyes. Oshi no Ko's most provocative scene tragically occurs in its feature-length premiere. The tearjerker ending propelled the series into popularity, leading to disappointment when the rest proved to be an entirely different beast. Some viewers may build false expectations, but those who approach it open-mindedly will enjoy where it takes them. The premiere was a well-written story best left in the past. It initially evokes the untouchable masterpiece Perfect Blue, but aside from the final scene, the juvenile execution pales in comparison. The episodes after the premiere are more refreshing. Oshi no Ko's content is comparable to my all-time favorite anime, Kaleido Star, for its realistic approach to performing arts while maintaining an uplifting message. It never shies away from showing singers, dancers, and actors' struggles to preserve their image and criticize demanding audiences. Writer Aka Akasaka does not condemn consumers but provides a mirror to reflect on their behavior. Oshi no Ko honestly portrays the Japanese acting and idol industry. Seeing how child actors phase out, stunt casting, agency competitions, and differences between writers and studios add to the realism. There are many things they should have taken into account, such as numerous reshoots, scheduling, and post-production. They seemingly picked and chose the most exciting parts of show business to portray and ignored the less appealing but equally crucial aspects. Through Ai Hoshino's twin son and daughter, the series explores the ups and downs of acting and idol careers, respectively. Both children secretly lived past lives, in which they adored Ai. Her son, Aquamarine, was Ai's gynecologist, murdered by her stalker. Her daughter Ruby was only a young girl when she died of cancer. They take their reincarnations surprisingly well, but who wouldn't when you get around-the-clock attention from your favorite celebrity? Well, probably some people. The kids pursue futures that live up to their mother's legacy and do right by her. For Ruby, this means carrying on Ai's legacy as an idol and rebuilding her group B-Komachi from the ground up. For Aqua, it's rather intense; he dedicates his life to searching for their absent father, putting aside any personal goals. Aqua and Ruby attend Yoto High School, which offers a performing arts program only for students attached to a talent agency. Luckily for the kids, Ai's previous manager Miyako Saito adopted them and made them part of her company. A common critique of Oshi no Ko is that the reincarnation plot device is unnecessary. I disagree with that judgment because it's necessary to advance the plot. Aquamarine uses his skills of talking to seniors as a doctor in his past life to smooth talk a director, which gets his mother a film role. He uses his people skills to dig up clues to track down his lost father. Unlike many other high school geniuses in anime, Aqua behaves like an adult due to his reincarnation; it is better that the plot provides a reason other than the simple notion that he's a prodigy. Some viewers may find Aqua's infatuation with Ai overwhelming, and it is nearly an oedipal nightmare. Still, it rides the line carefully—quickly reminding us that his love for Ai is admiration, not romance. Ruby's past life provides an obstacle to overcome rather than skill. She struggles with dancing, a crucial skill as an idol, partly because having cancer made it difficult for her to dance, causing her to have difficulty with her mindset. Aqua and Ruby are deeply flawed, socially awkward, and very traumatized, like the other characters. The side characters stand out with vibrant personalities that leave a lasting impression without gimmicks. Each character possesses their own set of goals, struggles, flaws, and endearing qualities. Among them is Kana Arima, a former child prodigy in acting who now finds herself a mediocre teenage actor. With a theater kid persona, Kana exudes excessive confidence that can seem condescending. However, her knack for maneuvering within the industry helps her secure roles. Like others, her character development involves confronting inner demons caused by past trauma and present triggers. As a freelancer, she often gets trapped in undesirable parts. However, when she joins Ruby to form their idol group B-Komachi, Kana discovers self-respect. Together, they build their team from scratch, with relentless effort and determination. Another key supporting character is Akane, an up-and-coming actress who works alongside Aqua on a reality TV dating show. Through Akane's arc, the writer explores a theme touched on during the premiere. Social media: How it helps and harms performance artists. There's a focus on positive and negative responses to Aquamarine's TV shows, but it peaks with online hate and canceling Akane faces. Harassment's disastrous effects on her mental health are realistic and portrayed with uncommon sensitivity. Regardless of how the arc plays out, it is cathartic to see the people responsible for her turmoil condemned by the author. This includes the grossly misogynistic haters online and the scumbag producer of their reality TV show. Aside from the tearjerker premiere, Oshi no Ko manages a few other genuinely moving moments—a mental health crisis and a near breakdown before a major performance—but surrounding those is a bit of contrived drama. Aqua's slow quest to find his father loses steam quickly. However, future seasons can revive that subplot. Ruby must navigate rising as an idol, a path well-worn by music anime. Though they mostly avoid pedestrian school drama, there's romance stalled by misunderstandings. It's as if the anime keeps seeking narrative conflict when there is plenty to dig into with the characters' turmoils—especially Ruby and Aqua's rich history. Tell us more about how their past lives inform their present! And it would've been fascinating to learn more about their adoptive mother; surely, a chapter or two can be spared for her. Despite the story's slight drawbacks, it's consistently elevated by one of Doga Kobo's most impressive presentations alongside Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun. Although it is less well-directed than Akasaka's prior adaptation, Love is War, Daisuke Hiramaki handles the drama in Oshi no Ko excellently. The combination of orchestral background music and close-up shots creates a sense of immersion during the dramatic scenes. With soaring melodies and dynamic arrangements, orchestral compositions heighten the emotional intensity. As the music swells, it accentuates everything felt by the characters; anguish, joy, and depression, evoking an impactful response from the audience. Furthermore, the well-timed close-up shots sweeten the effect of these moments by capturing the characters' raw expressions. Oshi no Ko delves into the intricate world of lies and facades that permeate celebrities' and performers' lives. It explores the challenges and consequences of maintaining a public image while delving into its characters' personal trauma. While the tearjerker premiere may have set high expectations that the subsequent episodes couldn't fully meet, the series delivers refreshing and immersive portrayals of the performing arts. The reincarnation plot device, although debated, advances the storyline. The side characters shine with their distinctive personalities and genuine character development, with Kana and Akane standing out as memorable figures. Despite some contrived drama and missed opportunities for deeper explo…

This review contains spoilers. Between the polarity of the reviews for Oshi no Ko and the unfathomably high rating on MAL during the writing of this piece, one inevitably ponders how this show really performs on the spectrum of today's anime cluster in terms of authenticity, imagination, and perhaps its primary marketing complement - a magnified, pragmatic articulation of the depraved Idol industry. My first interaction with it came in a discussion on Kaguya-sama, during which I noticed that the writer, Aka Akasaka, has a new manga inclined to be adapted. One thing that probably isn't immediately apparent for the beginner and intermediate anime audience is that Akasaka isn't someone recognized for their writing technicalities. The international commercial success of Kaguya stemmed from its constant restructuring on the gimmicky, petty, unorthodox premise that perpetually explores its connection with the interrelated, compatible ideas one would expect in a romance between two clumsy kids who happened to be immensely successful in other areas of life, and exempted from its repetitive and over-hyperbolic nature, the fundamentals are solid - I would describe the experience akin to scrolling through short videos on social media, that despite the general linearity of the presentation, its clever, addictive nature prevails. Well, at least until season 3. As the chemistry between the main casts grew to be more transparent, Akasaka could no longer play it off as accidents and hence retracted the series' chaotic, aforementioned fundamentals. Instead employing most of its emphasis on characterization, and contemporary relationship issues, yet retaining what perhaps hinders its stature most of all, the shameful, singular dimensional, unamusing jokes that usually go **Shock face: "She doesn't get it at all!!!" or **Chibi Chika: "He's so bad at this!!!" or **Kaguya turns around with a yandere face, proceeds: "Kawaii/That's so cute !?!?"... Although superb voice acting soothed the potential disaster every episode, anyone remotely acquainted with successful comedy would find that jaw-dropping, horrendous attempt at making you laugh to be pitifully untried. Ensues is a compact sequence of choreography devoid of its original intentions, commonly found in any third-rate romance anime where the main characters are imposed challenges to expose their true selves to their partner, pivoting on psychological drama over the light-hearted success that it's built around. Ensues again, is a behavioral phenomenon that whenever Akasaka strays off his intended setup, the composure falls to substandard instantly, as will be noticed in Oshi no Ko. Therefore, I found seasons 1 and 2 of Kaguya to undoubtedly be of superior quality to its sequels. "Why are you blabbering on about your clearly subjective perspective on Kaguya in a review about Oshi no Ko?" you might ask, and that is because Oshi no Ko uncaringly, unapologetically, unflinchingly absorbed all the downfalls of the Kaguya series, with more to add. The TLDR of my first paragraph came down to Akasaka's writer's block whenever he ventures into serious, deliberate storytelling, most conspicuously outside his comfort zone. Unfortunately, any first-person, un-sanitized, raw reflection of the darkness lurking within a particular industry could not carry a credible exposition without the usage of said serious, deliberate storytelling. Amongst the few exceptions worthy of clarification is Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryokou AKA Girl's Last Tour, where the fluffy daily adventures are but an ingenious façade contrasting the nihilistic, existential anguish echoing wildly about. However, even that which Tkmiz masterfully constructs is more of a mood, atmospheric fabrication rather than specific dealings with a chain of events. So, when I first learned about Oshi no Ko, I knew there were simply two plausible outcomes: an awkward, visibly artificial intertwining of thoughtfulness, ideas, and character design, or a simple train wrack possibly imitating the undoing of Kaguya and every other uninspiring trope present on the market. To disclaim, I'm not put off by the fetish reincarnation in the hour-long prequel, for countless high-level literature investigates humanity subjected by unforeseen, extreme circumstances, but what perplexes me is the un-capitalization on what possibly could be a convoluted scenario turned sociopath inspecting a discrepancy between one's physical and mental maturity, something similar to Mushoku Tensei except instead of another hikikomori recovery episode, Oshi no Ko could depict the ominous within men parallel to the very industry it closely reports. Consequently, I am even more perplexed in episode 1 once the protagonist is declared to be none other than Lelouch 2.0, or John Wick 2.0, or Kaneki Ken 2.0, or more accessible whatever self-indulgent, undistinguished, monotonously edgy lady killer you can find in the bulk, repetition upon repetition stories in adjacence that is called Isekai, or whatever sub-genre it stimulates. I mean surely Akasaka can do better than this, right?? Okay, Shirogane may bear a Shonen fan's wet dream, he's a Goku who got into Stanford and slayed the baddest bitch in the school, but his struggles and insistence on altruism are heartfelt. Aqua, on the other hand, refuses to cooperate or tone himself down about his unnatural existence. Occasionally he's the almost 50-year-old who is romantically upset in episode 9 when Kana treats him coldly, occasionally he's the snarky teenager who put a few other teenagers in their place, other times he's Ayanokoji from Classroom of the Elite. The various persona he manifests are not mutually exclusive, yet no sub-contexts are appended to suggest any transition in between. As soon as episode 4 ended where much of its basis hedges around Aqua wooing the beauty, I knew none of its promise was going to materialize. And I was already looking sluggish when Akane had her hair dropping down, eyes shaded in typical "I'm sad" otaku culture fashion, taking notes in front of the director in episode 7, because there is no alternative dispatch other than the imminent fate which awaits her to be salvaged by Aqua. It's a merely altered universe in which Raku from Nisekoi collects his harem. Frankly, Kana supplies the complexity of characterization in Oshi no Ko, which incorporates periodic humorless jests drawn from Kaguya and equivalently unambitious, indiscreet, Demon Slayer molded flashbacks of her suffocated by the surroundings. Forget connotation, equivocation, and subtleness, symbolic and dialogue-induced characterization, one would have to commit substantial rationale leaps to solely be in harmony with certain mortifying developments, specifically during a 3-minute span, the wife of the producer responsible for B Komachi, Miyako, underwent a questionable transformation from someone willing to ruin Ai's life because she's sick of taking care of Ai’s children to an affectionate, loving soul with no background provided, who also happens to inhabit feasibly one of the most text-book like elucidations on the subject at hand whenever she goes off on a tangent, text for text explaining the darkness of the Idol industry in a Siri-reading-Wikipedia manner. Speaking of extensions upon Oshi no Ko's plain, self-asserted undertone: "I am a very very deep show contemplating a manipulative, exploitative, capitalistic industry spiced with bleak narration". In effect, it divorced that commitment through its absence of any insightful, unobnoxious, unobvious takes. Upon finishing the show, I found myself unable to capture any novel relevance about the Idol life which normally a sensible, educated individual would not be aware of. Arrangements of online harassment, ferocious competition, prehensile acquisitive directors, style over substance displays which ironically personify this show, being as wide as the ocean and as shallow as a pond as it is - there is no unlearned knowledge to le…

The show has potential to become good show but it's don' have nothing has to discuss expect fighting over ships Another good show spoiled because of ships amd lack of direction Kana is very annoying and unlikable. I don't care about the struggles she went through, that's still no excuse to behave like a pretentious asshole and try to have your way all the time. But you know what's worse than an annoying character? A series where most, if not ALL of the cast are as interesting as watching paint dry. Aqua and Ruby are extremely boring and none of them have any interesting thing going on for them.

A dudebro anime, that's Oshi no ko. No depth, no premise, just a bunch of bug eyed teenage girls with no personality. Though the first episode was interesting, the rest was a free fall to garbage land. We were promised a story of revenge, a chase to uncover the truth, but all we got instead was superficial teenage melodrama. No offense to anyone who enjoys that, however it is decidedly not my cup of tea. The characters were super boring. Noting but generic and cliche sob stories narrated again and again with the hope that repetition would make them sympathetic. Not worth watching, I'd like to get back the few hours spent on this dumpster fire of an anime. Alas, lost time is never found again. If you're looking for a brainless eye candy anime then this is definitely for you, though that's all it amounts to.

For you and me, and everyone, Oshi no Ko has transcended beyond logic this season. You know, before I even added this show to the watchlist, this anime hit a lot of genres and ideas that stunned me in their promotional material. The preview video and theme songs in particular caused an Internet sensation. Plus, this franchise wasn't created by some nobody. It's made by the same author as Kaguya Love is War, the same series that had psychological elements tied with love and war. Watching Oshi no Ko is one of the most stunning experiences I had in recent years. I kid you not. The first episode extended to 70+ minutes may be one of the most mind-boggling, peculiar, or perhaps disturbing introduction for an anime you've seen in years. Do not let the colorful key visual deceive you. This is so much more than about cute idols doing cute things. The entertainment world is a complex realm of possibilities that tipify the very fabric of our emotions. Let me just say that Oshi no Ko has one of the most complex mixture of themes this season. Adapted into a 11 episodes season, it follows the manga story by the one and only Aka Akasaka. It's clear Oshi no Ko wanted to catch our attention with not just its strange premise, but also the full creativity of its first episode. Being a double length, this is essentially a mini-movie aimed at introducing the main story and some of the most important characters. We meet Goro Amamiya as he is murdered on the night of delivering idol singer Ai Hoshino's children. The twist comes as Goro is reincarnated as one of Ai's children and now goes by the name 'Aqua'. The rabbit hole goes deeper with the introduction of Ruby, his fraternal twin and this sets the foundation of the story. It sounds mind-boggling and you truly need to watch the first episode to experence it. Words alone cannot describe the amount of mind shattering direction of this show. But again, maybe you are used to seeing anime with reincarnation elements. It has been a dominating force in today's anime industry after all. Oshi no Ko does not contain the fantasy isekai elements but instead take place in an entertainment world. And as I mentioned before, the entertainment world is a complex realm of possibilities. Perhaps one of the most pivotal moments in the show is the death of Ai Hoshino. The anime is bold enough to kill off an important character because it's needed to develop the overall plot. For you see, love and revenge becomes a part of this anime's themes. Ai's experience with love hits its peak when she truly tells her children that she loves them. Similar to Akasaka's Kaguya Love is War, this anime has themes related to lies. But in those final moments, Ai was able to express herself truthfully in the most natural way possible. Meanwhile, the anime wants Aqua to avenge Ai's death. For him to discover the truth, the most important way is to enter the entertainment industry. Oshi no Ko touches on several themes and although love, lies, and revenge are among these, it doesn't stop there. For there's love, there's also hate and Aqua is one of the best representation of such feelings. Aqua is the easily the coldest character in the show with a single dedicated mind focused on finding out the truth. Willing to take any risks and go as far as a man can go, Aqua will stop at nothing in his goal and this season showcases some of his talents. You may question if Aqua is entitled to this because truth be told, everything he sets out to do is for revenge and we all know that revenge isn't going to bring back Ai. However, I want to say Aqua represents the very instincts of human nature. It's natural human instinct for us to feel angry when we lose a loved one. For Aqua, he makes it a personal journey to avenge his mother and find out the truth. Although this season doesn't have enough time to solve the eerie mystery, it does uncover Aqua's talents and enough for us to know his personality. Beyond the boundary of hate and revenge, we should also take a closer look at Ruby Hoshino and her presence this season. To put it simply, she represents a foil of Aqua, being outgoing with a bubbly personality and being easily able to make friends with others. Instead of seeking revenge, Aqua hopes to make a name for herself in the entertainment industry. Growing up in her previous life as a happy person, it would appear her personality didn't change much at all since Ai's death. While this seems to put odds against her brother Aqua, the show does make it clear that he cares about her greatly. Their relationship is described as peculiar because they contrast each other so much. But at its core, the two are a close family since the tragedy of their mother. The entertainment industry introduces us a rather colorful cast and among them is Akane Kurokawa. One particular episode showed not just her sensitive side but just how tough the entertainment industry can be and its high expectations. However, this anime wanted Akane to be a mirror image of Ai Hoshino. She may not be as talented but with a resourceful mind and rejuvenated determination, Akane draws us in as an inspirational role model. Watching Oshi no Ko showcases an element of surprise where we should always expect the unexpected. Akane's character turnaround is just one such example and if you don't believe me, just see for yourself. Ultimately, your decision to watch Oshi no Ko could be for its themes, character cast, story, or the overall tone of the series. It's not the usual showbiz type anime where characters compete for a spotlight and make a career. This is about controlling a path and following it through any obstacle. This isn't just a romance either so don't go into this show expecting a love story between the cast. As with Akasaka's style of writing, you should expect one with emotional drama combined with psychological attributes. It has some sensitive themes including death, suicide, and among other topics that can be deemd as controversial. Yet, Oshi no Ko is outlandishly entertaining for not being afraid to take risks. And to me, it's also why this anime is a must-watch. Adapted by studio Doga Kobo, the most noticable element for the character designs are the starry eyes that may go beyond just asethetics. Sure, the author wanted to give our characters unique looks with their radiant emotions. However, there's yet no definitive answer why we see those sparkling eyes. Perhaps they represent emotions and how humans behave. Or perhaps they really are designed to give the anime a colorful look. Nonetheless, Doga Kobo captured the esseence of the character designs at its finest straight from the manga. The theme songs also combine a balanced style of J-pop and dark tone when watched carefully. And thankfully, the animation quality throughout this anime remains concrete throughout. Whether you agree or disagree about Oshi no Ko's rating is a topic on its own. But I speak for everyone when I say that this anime and manga will be talked about for years. We now live in a social media age where anime like this can instantly spark debates. Controversy makes cash and there's no doubt Oshi no Ko is sitting on a gold mine.

This is a disaster. It's a series where the subtext was hardly a secret; it told us it was going to be the big criticism of the idol and general entertainment industry, yet it failed to do that every step of the way. As the series’ drama is derived from the characters and their experiences, let’s examine them to figure out what’s going on. Aqua is our main character, Dr. Gorou reincarnated, and he is instantly where the problems start. From the get-go the author gets it wrong with the Doctor's field, he's a gynecologist yet he seems to look after patients who are not women or are at the hospital for non-reproductive organ-related matters and he shouldn't even be the doctor presiding over Ai Hoshino's pregnancy; those types of doctors aren't hired for that. Then after he is murdered he wakes up as Ai's son and instantly loses all interest in being a doctor? Seriously, becoming a doctor is a very time-consuming endeavor, you have to go through years of education just to reach residency where you practice what you learned and that takes two years. So all that work and dedication to help women and he gives that up. Wow, what a (not) great start, already misconstruing a real-life profession. As Aquamarine Hoshino the problems continue further. He's not a great vessel through which to view world of Oshi no Ko's supposed dark industries because he is such a detached, unemotional character; clearly they're trying to make the next Kiyotaka Ayanokoji (of "Classroom of the Elite") but this was never going to work. Characters like Ayanokoji work because the narrative never dives deep into their real thoughts and motivations and backstory are left largely as a mystery. Or perhaps they’re an unreliable narrator, so when the mask does come off the reader/viewer is shocked yet intrigued upon learning the MC’s true nature, recontextualizing prior scenes. Aqua lacks all of this because he constantly monologues his intentions and is never wrong. His lack of charisma as a person also makes his scenes hard to get invested in, it makes the viewer wonder how he's even an actor in the first place if his communicating is so unnatural. Even the way he's drawn and animated is uninspiring, the series looks great but they do the most generic edgy-jacket-with-the-hood-on aesthetic way too often, it looks cringey and laughable. He's mentally a grown man, yet he's portrayed as a sulky, closed-minded teen, which would've worked if he was one. Aqua also never has any movement or any emoting in scenes where he's having a conversation; he literally just stands there stoically as if he's a propped up cadaver (ironic). This is especially troublesome in scenes that are related to his revenge plot as the lack of any attention to basic human movement frames those scenes almost as if the series never wants you to take his revenge seriously, or is just so disinterested in it; the end results feel very manufactured. His intelligence too seems to fluctuate for individual scenes rather than being a consistent aspect. In a scene related to his revenge plot, he's talking with someone after he's done a favor for them that will get him the input he desires. The scene is already let down by it feeling very lifeless in writing and animation but then after being told the info, Aqua has the gall to ask, "Why are you telling me this?" My brother, you asked for this information! The better question is whether or not he did anything off camera to really get these peoples' time of day; all he does is ask blunt questions. Then there's Ai the sucker punch main character. She is terrible, both as a person in-universe and as a fictional one. A liar through and through, how is anyone supporting someone who at 16 got pregnant and deliberately chose to hide the identity of the Father for no reason and she never shows any grief at having seemingly lost his love for her or vice versa. She's so happy to lie and deceive, literally applying it even to her personal life where it never feels like she trusts her adopted parents or cares for her kids. Honestly? The first episode feels engineered in a way that makes Ai's death at the hands of a fanatic fan as totally deserved. Now a young woman who had an adolescent pregnancy whilst being an idol is morally questionable both on the individual and her caretakers, but it's not worthy of murder. Here the series could've really shown some fangs, showed Ai as a loving Mother who'd yell for her kids to stay back, to beg the killer to not hurt them, yell for medics, anything normal; yet no. Instead, Ai chose her potential last breaths to be about actually loving her fan enough to remember his name despite having been stabbed by him. So bolstering the parasocial relationships of violent incel fans and their heroes/heroines was really the point here. I...don't think I need to explain further why this is bad. How this catches anyone off guard I'll never know. With a first episode the length of four, it should be obvious that the story is going to do some kind of twist. Credit where credit's due, the shock of her death did stick with me for a whole week at the time of airing but alas, it was short lived. Even after death the series treats it so oddly, it never has anyone acknowledge her brutal end. Nothing mentioned about increasing security for idols, nothing. Hell, people in-universe say she died when she was killed/murdered, two totally separate things! Utterly tone deaf. Ruby. I- pfft... Is there anything to really say, she was hardly in the season! What is there is very bland and tone deaf. So lemme get this straight: a young girl with a terminal condition is given a reason smile because of a idol her age turning her into an otaku, got reincarnated as that idol's daughter, watched that Mother die and somehow she's just okay with that and even wants to become a idol despite the obvious dangers. It doesn't matter if Ruby eventually shows that she's been conscious of Ai's murder the whole time, the fact that it's not an aspect right out of the gate is questionable enough. Frankly why she, the fan who died prematurely only to get a second chance as her daughter, isn't the one swinging for revenge first is odd. What else is shown about her is naivety, insensitivity (looking up an amateur model's cup size in front of her just when you meet is such a "class act"...), a bad temper, a brother complex, and while she is said to have the charisma to be an idol, choosing to suddenly light up her eyes is all bark and no bite. Since all three Hoshinos have now been covered I can say that the whole stars in the eyes thing is stupid. It's a corny visual gimmick. So many other anime can communicate emotions through regular eyes just by doing some fancy lighting animation or dulling the colors. The star thing is excessively gimmicky, it feels like it was just there to make the main characters seem quirky but was a real pointless addition. All the other characters fare no better. Take Akane for instance. We're meant to see her as this amateur actor, yet like Aqua the series plays her intelligence for a scene without any consistency whatsoever. She primarily specializes as a character actor but in a reality show she, despite asking the director for tips on how to stand out multiple times, is completely unable to. Now this is real enough, not all character actors have the kind of natural personality that stands on its own, Peter Davison of Doctor Who in the 1980s is an example. All of that, however, has a caveat, because none of it applies here! Immediately after, we’re then meant to believe that Akane has an incredible knack for acting and filling in gaps; she imitates the late Ai Hoshino perfectly somehow just by listening to a few interviews and watching her movements. So how Akane’s been more like early Peter Davison and not skillful, to interesting even without a script Patrick Troughton is a total mystery. How she can come up with ideas for someone else but not for herself is beyond …

Take some idols, a handful of unlikeable characters, mid animation, a lot of oedipus and sister complex, a light yagami wannabe, weird love triangles and romance, throw it all in a blender and the result will be Oshi No Ko: a confused anime going through an identity crisis. I wouldn't say it's ALL bad, the concept was interesting and the intro is pretty catchy, but it's just not enough to make up for all of its faults. It's a mystery/idol anime, but it feels more like a slice of life if anything, rushed and slow-paced at the same time, a frustrating experience to say the least. Needless to say if you're here to watch a decent thriller anime, you're in the wrong place. I really tried to get into it, but the extreme unlikeability of the characters didn't help at all, not to talk about the awkward interactions. Overall: i wish i could get these 5 hours of my life back.

There is no doubt that Oshi no Ko was one of the most popular anime this season, and it’s easy to see why. There is some realistic commentary of the idol and entertainment industries, especially the dark side, which made for an interesting watch. Through all the mystery and dark subject matter, there was also a bit of comedy mixed in, which I will admit was hit or miss at times, but it all boded well for me in the end, perhaps due to the high production standards of this anime. Now, I know the reincarnation subplot has some people up in arms, and I do understand that can be the weak link of the show, but anime in the end is a medium that has a lot of goofy ideas in it, and this was one of them. I would also agree to some extent it wasn’t a particularly strong way to start the show, but that didn’t really hamper my enjoyment too much. Like I mentioned earlier, the real hook of the series is the commentary on the entertainment industry. Streamers, vtubers, actors, models, idols, and many other people in the online sphere face a lot of the issues that this anime talks about. The idea that the entertainer has to be “pure”, especially if they are a female, can bring about a lot of online hate once said entertainer is found to have a relationship. Viewers feel betrayed and hurt, so they try to cancel them, threaten them, and that can cause major ramifications to the entertainer’s mental state. If there’s one thing to take away from this anime, even if you don’t like it, is to be wary on the Internet, and to simply be a kind person, to not be so desperate for the one moment of Internet clout. Unfortunately, cyberbullying due to these events is very common, and to be honest, unlikely to ever go away, but does that mean we should stop trying to stop the behaviour? Definitely not, but in this day and age, one also has to have thick skin to handle such toxic words. People, just remove likes/retweets on replies to tweets or Youtube videos, not the dislike button entirely. I did appreciate the comments on the industry a lot, and it’s clearly issues that the author, Aka Akasaka is trying to point out to people, but I do think there wasn’t really enough of that throughout the series, as the series shifted its priorities quite often, with other themes like the mystery and idol performances taking over. Not to say that wasn’t a good thing, as the other parts of the anime have their own respective charms, but I did enjoy the industry talk the most. The characters offer a variety of personalities, and I think it’s fair to say that many viewers may find themselves relating or resonating with a certain character, and for everyone, that might be a different one. The cast is solid overall, and it was clear to me how much the production staff love Kana Arima, the famous child actress that struggled as she grew up. I found myself resonating with her character the most, and having fun watching her interactions with the rest of the cast. She has a foul mouth with snappy comments, but in the end, she cares about the people around her a lot, and wants them to succeed, to not face failures like she did after her child actress days were behind her. A lot of the time, I felt she was the voice of the main message of what the author, Aka Akasaka wanted to convey, with the information around the industry and how people have to act. For many, I’m sure that Akane Kurokawa, the actress who had her fair share of struggles in this series to say the least, will be their favourite character. While her character moments led to much discourse among viewers, I feel her arc was resolved a bit quickly, though it was still very impactful. Mem-cho, the Vtuber/Youtuber had some humorous moments as well, and had some relatable things to say. The supposed two main characters in Ruby and Aqua felt like the weakest in the show, especially Ruby, who didn’t have much to do after the first episode, though her positivity and naiveness about being an idol had me a little scared, and Aqua just didn’t feel like a very strong protagonist, as his traits are being manipulative, and having the mind of an adult, not much else. I get that you’re not really supposed to think he’s a good guy or anything, but he didn’t really give me anything to cling on to or relate to. I hope that improves with future seasons. The production behind this show is definitely something to be admired, with splendid directing, compositing, and beautiful scenes throughout. Props to all the staff behind this, as I could tell this was quite the passion project, with some bias toward Kana, which I have absolutely zero complaints about since she’s my favourite character in the show. The darker moments were handled well to really emphasize how eerie and uncomfortable it felt, especially in Episode 6, while the lighter moments had their charm to it as well. The soundtrack was fine, though mostly highlighted by the popularity of the OP and ED, and especially YOASOBI’s music video on the opening, Idol, which topped the Billboard charts outside the United States. There were various records that this anime broke, and it is just so overwhelmingly popular, and when I went to Japan for a vacation a couple months ago, I saw and heard a lot of things related to Oshi No Ko everywhere, including merch, and the music. Overall, this show provides a solid, and perhaps relatable look at the entertainment industry, while mixing in themes of mystery, and more light hearted moments as well. If you’re curious and want to watch this show, you’ll know if you like it after the 90 minute premiere, which sets the stage very well. Not everything was perfect, as I did want a deeper look at the industry, but what we got was still an excellent product that will resonate with a lot of anime fans, and also myself, for some time to come. Remember to be kind to others, especially online. It’s not that difficult to do.

So I checked the this anime recently over top on my animelist so I sit down and watched this show to the end I mean watching it like a owl in the night but after I feel ashamed what I watched a grown ass otakus reincarnated into a 16 old girls sons the plot makes no. So many plot holes in this anime how the director accepts the aqua to host a actor in the show without parents signature or guardians signature to let their child act but no,oh my god the waifus is so sexy man kana🎂mim cho🍨Ruby🍺oh wow what a pair of boobs and tits shit🤦 I think this is going to be an interesting murder mystery because the first episode was not good but ok but the rest of the are free fall to garbage girls falling for the main character as usualy for silly reasons. Every girl is so sexy dude oh my god this idiots take their tissues ready before watching this. I mean the main character is so edgy and unrelatable I tried to relate but I can't the side characters are trash all one dimensional garbage why these girls have no personality other than embarrassing and simp for main character why every girls in this show used for simp the main character man their goals are confusing. It becames a waifu war highschool drama who gonna be with aqua themain character oh my god it's super fun. It's confusing this show is trying to show positive or negative traits of the entertainment industry because every character has always sad and it's so annoying bro. You are a actor and actress why are you depressed you know what you are doing in your life to get money and cheat people with your sexy boobs and body but why do I have to care about you. You are doing this for money right every people in ordinary life has struggles than this actors you are payed off a huge amount of money even you acted a one movie but an ordinary person struggles everyday and we get less profit from that why should we care about this girls doing this for money and they can't stop doing it👎🤦 Drama is worst nothing worked even I don't cried when ai hoshino died because the anime lacks and dramatalogy they where talking talking enough.🥱😢 Not a single scene is emotional or relatable think about this for a example if a anime fails any dramatalogy how many hours can a anime hold you kana please don't simp for aqua do something protective. Characters are boring these lack depth I mean the character kana the anime forced me to like her but it did not work for me every character has cliche sob backstory how are we going to care about them bro why don't you give a full episode to explore a character's feeling without a cliche that would be perfect I think but every backstorys cut and another cut stop it ok. Music is average the ost the op end ending is pedophile. The anime was popular for pedophile content for Ai hosino dropping her big tits into a baby's mouth and the baby happily sucks her breast and I checked the reaction to people reacting to this it's just disgusting man the people's reaction to this scene is what in the world are we in there is no protection for girls🌍 The characters motivations are one dimensional you tried to make kana sympathetic repeating her cliched backstorys again and again but it doesn't add up dog. The final episode was a rivalry between akane and kana who pair up with aqua I thought I was watching a drama for emotional connect between characters but what we ordered but what we got a tons of cute and sexy waifus with big tits. Why there's no other male character has depth why was only one main character in this show presented because he's the protagonist like mother fuckers this show is full of waifus how am I supposed to relate to a waifus why can't you add a additional male character like kaguya sama why bro please add a one best male character other than aqua please. Overall I think this show is pretty dump I don't ever wait for the season 2 and watch this trash boring,one dimensional characters,I hate kana and aqua annoying as shit I can't stand their loving back an fourth anymore💩👎thank you for reading comment🌍😘

Oshi no Ko is one of the best introspective critiques of the Japanese entertainment industry ever. It handles topics like the toxicity of the industry in a way that we haven’t seen before and is a must watch. Often, foreigners have conflated perceptions of Japan, due in large part to the success of anime as a cultural export. They see Japan as this ideal haven full of advanced technology and waifus. The reality of the matter is that like all countries, Japan has its issues. One of the biggest, being the virulent nature of the entertainment industry. Whether it be obsessed fans or abusive talent agencies, there’s a lot of issues here. Despite the bright character designs and cheery visuals, Oshi no Ko gives us an unprecedented view of the struggles of actors, idols, content creators and the dark underbelly of the industry. It takes us through situations inspired by real life events and deals with topics like cyber bullying, stalking, depression, suicide, anxiety, insecurity and others in a very realistic and tasteful manner. While some things are played up for the sake of entertainment, these are very real issues that affect many people on a day to day basis and I’m happy with the job Doga Kobo did bringing it to life and even surpassing the manga in many instances. While it may have gained its initial popularity from Aka Akasaka’s reputation, Oshi no Ko has charted its own course and carved out its own legacy thanks in large part to its phenomenal story, great characters and relevant subject matter. This isn’t just riding on Kaguya’s coattails. It’s genuinely a master class in its own right. From voice acting to art direction, this is truly Doga Kobo’s finest work. It has to be stated, this is not an idol show. Despite how much you may see people going around talking about it being a subversion or reinvention of the idol genre, they’re wrong. This is a drama focused on the Japanese entertainment industry and it’s truly one of a kind. I’d argue this is a must watch, not just for the artistic merits of the show, but for the message. The advent of the internet brought with it many great things. But, it also created opportunities for harassment and bullying, and seeing how that affects people is really important to ensuring you don’t fall into that category of person. As I touched on earlier, the art direction is stellar in this adaptation. As a manga reader, I already knew all the big twists and plot points coming into the season. So my biggest point of evaluation was the quality of the adaptation and how the studio would handle the big emotional set pieces. As expected of DG, they did an awesome job. Admittedly even better than I could’ve hoped. In many situations, the cinematography amplifies scenes allowing viewers to truly feel the weight of the moment more than a manga ever could do. The voice acting from both industry stalwarts like Han Megumi(Kana) and newcomers like Igoma Yurie(Ruby) is incredible. Love the more muted and subtle voice acting style for the main characters. Adds a level of immersion to keep you focused on the subject at hand. Art style of course is great too. Great work all around. You don’t get a number 1 song on billboard 100 without having a fervent fanbase behind you. The Oshi no Ko fanbase is extremely passionate about this series and for good reason. It’s got some of the most loveable characters/waifus in animanga, a gripping story, pertinent topics and emotional moments that hit you like a truck. Not only is it one of the best anime of the season, it’s one of the best anime in recent memory and it deserves all the hype. Oshi no Ko gets 10 stars, out of 10.

DO NOT JUDGE OSHI NO KO BY MY REVIEW. I AM NOT THE TARGET AUDIENCE. Oshi no Ko is a show that everyone freaked out about when it was first released. It was lauded with praise and placed near the top of many "best anime of this year so far" lists. And this show is one of the most boring, uneventful slogs that I've ever sat through. The first episode is a movie. I watched it at my college's anime club. Two otakus die and get reincarnated as their favorite idol's twin babies. There's some...weird (read: illegal) overtones, but the ending of the movie was great. idol gets stabbed, and the male twin, Aquamarine, vows to go and kill the killer's rat, who could be no other than Aqua's own father. A setup for what could've been a fantastic show, a toddler detective with the brain of a 40y/o and a thirst for blood. (I need to watch Conan.) And then that whole plotline gets dropped almost entirely. The real meat of the show is Aqua growing up and becoming an actor while his twin sister, Ruby, becomes a pop idol like their mom. The whole "kill my dad" thing is kind-of there with Aqua largely being in the acting business so he can make connections, but it's nowhere near as important as I was hoping. Instead, you get five or so episodes of Aqua being a part of a reality dating show. Yes, a reality dating show, the kind that JonTron made two videos trashing on. What a great way to spend half the show. As for Ruby's side...well, I don't really care for idol culture all too much. I prefer hard, rough, and gritty music over cutesy, obnoxious garbage, and my type of woman is more of a tsundere with a dark sense of humor, a misanthropic worldview, and a variety of mental problems. Ironically, the type of woman Ai (Aqua and Ruby's mom) used to be, and the exact kind of woman that the show says is unattractive. So, yeah, that, coupled with the fact that I had already seen a far better and funnier idol-based show in the form of Gokudols, means I didn't get much out of Ruby. So, Ruby's story is inconsequential and Aqua's story is a disappointment. That's the easiest do-not-recommend I've ever given out. But, I think the problems with this show run deeper than just that. I had noticed a few things that were...off-putting. The show was overall fairly romance-centered. Most male characters were androgynous. The high-schools outfits were overly-designed. But it was at around the midpoint of the show that I realized what the problem was. A minor character from the reality dating show was slapped and got a small scratch, and then the whole show came to a screeching halt. That was when I realized that this show wasn't made for me. It's a shoujo. Now, everything makes sense. The embarrasingly-slow pace and complete disregard for the established story didn't matter. The show was made so that the Japanese equivelant of Tumblrites could smash any two characters together and make them kiss. This show was made for women, and a woman is something that I most certainly am not. That means I can't give it a do-not-recommend, because people who actually watch this kind of stuff might actually find enjoyment in this. Hell, I probably shouldn't have even written this review trashing something that I wasn't even supposed to care about in the first place. Whatever, let's just get to the final rankings. Art and animation: 8/10 Music and SFX: 5/10 Story: 0/10 Characters: 2/10 Enjoyment: 2/10 Overall: 3/10

Let’s get one thing straight: Episode 1 of Oshi no Ko is a banger. It had shock value, emotional weight, and a storyline that grabbed you by the throat. For 90 minutes, I thought I was about to witness something truly great. Then the rest of the season happened—and it was an absolute trainwreck. Everything after the premiere is a frustrating mess. The characters are hollow shells, written with all the depth of a kiddie pool. Aqua turns into a brooding edge-lord with zero charisma or consistency. Ruby’s entire existence in the plot feels like filler, and the side characters—Kana, Akane, the entire supporting cast—range from forgettable to downright annoying. The story nosedives into a dull idol industry soap opera, packed with melodrama and cringe-inducing attempts at “dark” themes that end up feeling more like high school fanfiction. Whatever tension or intrigue Episode 1 created is completely thrown out the window in favor of half-baked love triangles, exposition dumps, and hollow social commentary. The pacing is glacial, the tone is all over the place, and by the time the season wraps up, it feels like you just wasted hours watching a show that tricked you with a good pilot and then laughed in your face. Oshi no Ko is the textbook definition of wasted potential. If the rest of the show had even half the quality of the first episode, this could’ve been something special. Instead, it’s just a pretty-looking dumpster fire.

Like every anime that I watch, I tell the person to watch it and form their own opinion. When I look at some reactions to this anime, it’s like I’m seeing herd behavior because I can’t see anything that people are saying in the anime. For example, if you want something mysterious about a murder investigation, this anime is horrible. Do you want content about the idol or actor industries? This anime has nothing more than a shallow approach to the subject. Amazing character development? Nothing to see here either, my friend. Unfortunately, it’s 11 episodes of nothing happening and the same short red-haired girl in the same loop. I was really waiting for an amazing story and incredible animation, but this anime was a disaster in everything it tried to talk about. For me, it’s a shame since I believed that this work could become something bigger in its final episodes, but that’s not what happened

Imagine your friend tells you this: "Look, watch this anime; it's an action anime with great animation and some of the best character development in just 12 episodes." You listen to your friend and watch it, then you realize—it's a slice-of-life, harem, ecchi, romance anime with almost zero character development. You feel betrayed and baited. In Oshi No Ko season 1's case, the first episode sets the dark revenge plot very well, so you think this will be a dark mystery revenge anime, right? After episode 1, everything falls apart. This anime randomly becomes a weird slice-of-life/drama/romance, which is also not done well. This anime has one of the worst, maybe the worst protagonist, Aqua, who, instead of making progress in his revenge, gets stuck in a love triangle and does random unnecessary things, which most people, including you, cannot see, but I can. He goes on reality dating shows and does weird things. This anime did the very same thing as my example at the start. First of all, I am not the only one saying episode 1 is good and all other episodes are bad. Many people who watched Oshi No Ko season 1 said the same thing. However, I'll tell a different story similar to that, which will somewhat change your opinion of Oshi No Ko, I guess. I know it's a slow-burn dark mystery revenge, and the show tries to show you the dark side of the entertainment industry, not a fast-paced thriller dark revenge, but this anime hides its bad things in its god-level episode 1. I have to show you the bad things. Now, I am saying its slice-of-life/drama/romance is the worst; in fact, I am not a big fan of slice-of-life, but Orange is one of my favorite anime, a friendship slice-of-life/drama with some romance. I wanted to tell you that if the first episode had less dark mystery revenge setup and more slice-of-life/drama/romance setup, then it would feel better. You would feel, "Oh, it's slice-of-life/drama, not revenge; I should drop this anime." Even if you didn't drop it and continued, it wouldn't feel that horrible to watch those slice-of-life/drama moments because you knew they were coming and you decided to stick with it, even when the anime told you. Now, what did episode 1 do? It baited you into thinking it would be a revenge anime, and even if you get bored watching those slice-of-life/drama moments, you keep watching further and further because you hope the dark mystery revenge story, or at least the episode 1 feeling, will come back—but it won't! This same thing happened to me. Maybe you've forgotten my friend's example: my friend lied to me; Oshi No Ko also lied in episode 1. This anime tried to do something similar to Sword Art Online and some other similar anime. I've watched some of them, but I don't feel betrayed or baited in the way Oshi No Ko makes me feel. I call Oshi No Ko season 1 "Baiter No Ko" now, most of the time. This is almost indefensible because there is no counterargument! Why? Because the dark mystery revenge was just used as a plot device so we'd get hooked and keep watching, and so Aqua could get into the dark side of the industry. Now, you can easily say Oshi No Ko lied for this reason or that reason, but I can say they did it just to get high episode 1 ratings and hype. There is no such thing as an objectively bad anime, and there never will be. However, if anyone asks me what the most objectively bad anime is, I will definitely tell them Oshi No Ko season 1. It doesn't mean Oshi No Ko season 1 is 100% objectively bad. No anime is. But it is the closest thing I have ever seen. Like people say Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is the most objectively perfect anime, even though no anime is objectively perfect, I would say the same for Oshi No Ko season 1, but in the opposite way. The betrayal and bait are for real this time, unlike Sword Art Online and other similar anime. Oshi No Ko's bait wasn't just a simple bait; it was a lie. Everyone's most popular defenses—"subjective," "this anime is not for you," and mainly, "why don't you enjoy it instead of complaining" (or something like that). When a person starts to lose an argument about how they like or dislike an anime against another person, they simply say: "This is subjective," "This anime is not for you," etc. However, lying is not subjective. I know there is a thing called a "white lie," a harmless or trivial untruth told to avoid hurting someone's feelings, maintain politeness, or avoid minor conflict. But why would you need a lie in episode 1? To make the payoff feel satisfying in the end? To bait everyone into watching it? Was it a mistake? Or something else? I think the second reason makes the most sense. In the end, I want to say that this anime can be a masterpiece for others who love the worst slice-of-life/drama/industry anime, but for those who want to see revenge, this is a bait. I can confidently say that if episode 1 had focused more on slice-of-life, romance, drama instead of a fast-paced thriller revenge story, Oshi No Ko would be more popular because there would be no review like the one I'm making. I have an idea that respects both the writer and viewer value: instead of a 90-minute episode 1, split it into multiple episodes (3–4) and add extra scenes of slice-of-life, romance, drama, and in the last of those episodes, show the dark mystery revenge. Now you may say, "What does that solve?" I say it solves most things. If viewers watch 2–3 episodes and feel bored because of the slice-of-life/romance/drama, they would leave because they think this isn't their type of anime. However, a person who watches up to episodes 3–4 would say, "I'll keep watching because I want to see revenge," or even if they don't get revenge, they're still enjoying the slice-of-life, romance, drama, or something like that! They watch because they already know from the starting episodes that this show is a slow burn, a long-term anime. The problem is 90 minutes is too fast, but 3–4 episodes aren't! So, with this, I agree with both perspectives. This episode format gives the anime loyal fans who actually love its worst slice-of-life/romance/drama parts, but not people like me who wanted to see revenge or at least decent slice-of-life/romance/drama. Some people say Aqua actually progressed in his revenge and I didn't see it. My skill at finding small clues is high. If there were any such scenes, I should have seen them, but I didn't. I mean, I saw some, but it didn't feel like enough for what episode 1 pushed for. Also, because of the bad slice-of-life/drama/romance and bad pacing, you'll miss them, like I did, easily. Again, if you like this show's worst romance/drama/slice-of-life, then you should watch it if you want. But for me, it's bait, and I will never recommend this anime to those who want to see dark mystery revenge, or even to those who like romance/drama/slice-of-life; you'll end up just like me. After Oshi No Ko episode 1, episodes 2, 3, and 4 were good; not as good as episode 1, but good; they had great character development for Kana and somewhat for Ruby. Episode 5 was average and confusing, but episodes 6, 7, 8, and 9 were very bad. In episodes 2, 3, and 4, we clearly saw Aqua's revenge progressing, but in episodes 6, 7, 8, and 9, we saw little about his revenge, and even then, because of the bad pacing, I might have missed some. Also, there was no character development for Aqua beyond just revenge. In episodes 2, 3, and 4, we saw some character development for Ruby, but in episodes 6, 7, 8, and 9, we didn't see her character development at all. In episodes 10 and 11 things start to get better. There was also more Ruby character development, and the ending was somewhat funny too. This season made me hesitate to watch season 2. This anime wasn't for me, and I'm confused why I even watched season 2. Now, I will mainly talk about the problems in the slice-of-life/drama/romance between episodes 6, 7, 8, and 9. There will be spoilers from now on, so if you don't want …

I was reluctant to watch it and started believing it wouldn't be worth anything, but I ended the season knowing it was one of the best works ever created by mankind. I guarantee strong emotions and lessons on how to make a good anime. This is one of the hardest reviews I've ever written. Since it is easy and good to talk about the mistakes, the difficult thing is to communicate the successes and to criticize an almost perfect anime is a challenge. Therefore, I will focus on what I consider the strongest points of this anime, which make it so loved and recognized, which is precisely being able to convey a lot of emotion and content. Most critics try not to talk about emotions, because it is something subjective and stigmatized by society, but the truth is that this is the soul of this industry. What makes someone offer the most valuable thing that human beings have, which is time? Above all, this is what entertainment is based on. It doesn't matter a high complexity, something outlandish, something innovative, something extremely realistic. Absolutely having all these things means nothing if they can't convey emotion, because that's what the directors want and what the public wants. Like critical, artistic and cultural values, they are secondary, often temporal and, despite not being labeled as such, have greater degrees of subjectivity than things that transmit emotions. One of the trademarks of this work is that in all episodes, or almost all, they close with a climax, leaving a suspense that captivates the interest for the continuation. Some will say that this hook technique is old and that's true, but it works and few works managed to perform as well in as many episodes as this one. It is also something that, because it is no longer so usual, and not done correctly in anime, seems innovative. It was obviously a great job by the director of series composition who knew how to divide the material of the episodes well. Merit not only from this director of composition, but from the whole team, because I read the manga and these scenes would not have the same weight without the right choice of music, framing, rhythm, colors, shadows and incrementing more frames . Animated art enables greater sensory sensations, therefore it has more possibilities to provoke emotions. However, I got to know the plot before watching most of the episodes and the story is addictive in itself. As much as the anime team has many merits and great achievements, I must recognize that the author of the source material and the manga artist had the greatest contribution. The characters in this story make us empathize with them, to the point that we have their desires, their anxieties, their anger and their sadness. One of the biggest marks for us to know if the characters are good is when the work manages to put us in them and feel with them. These characters also have full arcs, but they're good essentially because they move us. The most impactful scenes in order are: All the scenes in the final part of the 1st episode are spectacular and that's what sells the work the most. I just need to comment that there was something missing from the manga during the death of a character and that if it had been shown in the anime it would have avoided some silly criticism. The scene at the end of the 7th episode, without any exaggeration, I watched it again at least a hundred times because it was so good and so emotional. Interesting that it's not that different in the manga, but the little they've changed improves it tremendously. They made a simple scene look grandiose with just a camera movement, shadows and a very accurate soundtrack. It may not be the most impactful, but it's my favorite. After that scene, I couldn't help but recognize that this anime was a masterpiece. The scenes at the end of the 10th episode, improved absurdly compared to the manga. Well, it was extended, the dialogues were deeper, the scenery was changed, they made new framings, put shading that didn't exist, gave spectacular colors and put a fantastic soundtrack. If the scene in episode seven made me recognize that this anime is a masterpiece, the one in episode ten made me place this anime in the top ten of all time. This scene was so deep and moved me so much that I cried from beginning to end, it gave me satisfaction and a constant smile. Furthermore, if I could retouch the Mona Lisa I would just put more layers with more detail in this beautiful photograph. The scene at the end of the 8th episode was also improved in the anime due to framing and the use of camera movement. Naturally, the plot would make this scene empathetic, with a somewhat sad tone followed by one of satisfaction, but the work made it more dramatic with the character's great facial expressions. At the end of the 9th episode there was an addition of a clip with an entire song, which in the manga this was only represented by a comic. It certainly enriches the work, but as much as I see value in it, what really impacts me is Kana's part. So maybe it turned out better in the manga, because without that clip in the middle of the scene they contrasted better. The scene at the end of the 6th episode has something very heavy, it couldn't not be impactful, but I preferred it much more in the manga because they left the character hysterical and also the soundtrack was not the best choice. A curiosity is that I saw a youtuber who hates the work comment that this episode was unreal, artificial. Only for him to break down soon after, when the manifestations of a mother criticizing the work for accomplishing something very similar to the real case of her daughter came to light. The scenes at the end of the 5th episode, I think it goes without saying that Pieyon's music video went viral, many people sharing, many people doing a live-action version, even Ruby's Japanese interpreter participated in one of these versions. Overall I enjoyed this scene, but the anime didn't use the same framing as the manga and the clip was a little weird. Thoughts in the form of speech also messed up the scene in the anime. The one with the manga writer getting emotional in the 4th episode, it's the kind of scene with content, with a critical value, but what's more important is how it's conveyed. The character conveys the emotion of watching an adaptation of her manga and we cry watching her cry. It was great! The scene at the end of the 3rd episode was great, because it gave the protagonist stage presence, made him imposing and generated suspense for the continuation of it that would come at the beginning of the next episode. For me this was the part that turned the key on that it would not be just a prologue and that I needed to raise the grade of the work. I also saw a youtuber complaining that the ending scene of episode three should have been a little further on. The problem is that it wouldn't generate a cliffhanger for a continuation and this scene later on is the one at the beginning of episode four that wasn't as good as it could have been. The fact is that they wanted to increase things that took away from the great grandeur that the scene of the fourth episode has in the manga. In this scene in the manga, the protagonist conveys much more the idea that he is doing a very talented performance, being in fact a star. Nor is it just a matter of passing on the idea, it is about doing it with the assurance that you will do something brilliant. This is extraordinary! The concert scene of the 11th episode, again the anime expanded, put on a song, gave choreographies, conveyed emotion, in short, it had an excellent complement. That whole arc from the beginning to the lead-up to the show had me moved the entire time with tears and laughter. However, I have to be annoying, because the visual part of this scene of the show fell short of what I expected, what could be and what should have been, especially in a few moments that focused on the public and in terms o…

I'll keep this review short. You can't make a show criticizing the entertainment industry yet have every aspect of the show pander to it and the anime industry. It's like you took all of the surefire hit trends in the anime community and slapped in with a song that's just asking to trend on TikTok. Why is there a harem? Just why?????? Did we really need a love triangle? Why is there pandering to mommy kinks? I feel like every positive aspect of this show is just nullified by the fact that I just can't immerse myself in the ethos/pathos of the story when it feels it is constantly contradicting itself for the sake of commercial success. Also, the portrayal of suicide in the show left a really bad taste in my mouth. Just everything from how lazily it was set up to how Akane requires a man to redeem her self-worth. Just disgusting.

I feel like this anime completely misdirected the audience. I'll try to keep it spoiler-free. Let's start with the trailer, the trailer makes it seem like a physcological thriller in the idol industry. The idea is pretty unique and you would think that it's true after the reception received after episode 1. Episode 1 was phenomenal, considering the twist at the end. The first half of the episode makes it look like a slice-of-life anime but it steers into a completely different genre in the end. This, along with Ai, was what made the reception great. Combine this with the animation quality [The stars in the eyes, basically] and the author's popularity and you have high expectations on this anime but what you recieve is a massive disappointment. People were overhyping it or rather- the anime went downhill from here. Episode 2 went back to a generic highschool anime with romance and drama. It has no hint of thriller other than the occasional scenes where Aqua, Ai's son, finds clues about the mystery (for lack of better terms to keep it spoiler free). The next few episodes did not mention Ai whatso. Also, the characters didn't really feel fleshed out, to be honest. Aqua is just a smart emo kid. Ruby is the very apparent comic relief [They don't even try to hide it] who aspires to pursue her mom. Kana is just the tsundere who's in love with Aqua. Just your basic cookie-cutter characters The anime focused too much on Ai, they used her as the selling point. But after Episode 1, the story drifted away from Ai to Aqua and Ruby [Ai's children]. I think it would have turned out fine if they didn't market Episode 1 only.