[Oshi No Ko]

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 therest 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 exploration, Oshi no Ko is consistently elevated by Doga Kobo's strong presentation. Ultimately, the anime provides a cathartic experience, while taking the coming-of-age genre from a fresh angle.

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 thatis 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 as a stamp on top and I'm convinced it's one of the most overrated anime to come out lately; it's immature in its execution and treatment of its core themes. What did I like about Oshi no Ko? The animation looks decent.., there really isn't much else, it's all style over substance, there's nothing here for the taking that's anything fresh. Oshi no Ko does what Oshi no Ko criticizes, it's a rebellious pretense that goes nowhere and is a vomit of common knowledge about the ceptic pit that is the celebrity world, Oshi no Ko's criticism of the idol and entertainment industry comes off as lukewarm and fragile; there is nothing of real value, this show is steeped in superficiality, pretentiousness and immaturity. For a show that deals with Oshi no Ko's core themes in a better way there is Perfect Blue, which is a million times better in every way; more mature, better directed, better written, better atmosphere, improved in every way, and that came out in 1998, Oshi no Ko could only DREAM of still staying relevant 25 years later. It feels like a show with no soul or essence behind it, it's something without substance and completely bland in nature. It's a show that deals with its themes in an immature way and which fails in all its attempts to provoke the viewer, which turns into a melodramatic anime of teenagers in a high school with extremely one-dimensional characters with super ridiculous revenge story stamps, which at the same time pretends that the viewer is left amazed; but in reality it is nothing more than a compilation of mediocrity, edgyness and obvious platitudes. Not only this, it is also a crude way to make money at the expense of a real problem using marketable character designs and dumb, easily digestible episodes and plot, do not let Aka Akasaka cook.

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. Thefirst 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.

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 dounderstand 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.