Anime: "Oshi no Ko"

It's not a good idea to try to pin "Oshi no Ko" as just a show about one thing:

Sure, it wants to show us the dark side of (Japanese) showbusiness and takes great care to look under the cover that normal people usually see, BUT
it's also a psychological drama, as every one of its characters has more or less serious issues, either with themselves or with those around them, or both.
It's also a detective story featuring a battle of geniuses and a thin balance of being used but getting something out of it.
It can also be a slice-of-life show, and a pretty damn good one at that, because at that point, you like the characters so much that you want to see anything they do.
On many occasions, it's a comedy - many scenes with Piyeon or just Ruby being a handful made me scream in laughter.
Last but not least, it's a romance featuring one of the most balanced and hardest to decide love polygons of all times, as most of the girls revolving around Aqua are almost equally delightful.
Most importantly, it's something that's so exciting to watch that you don't want to miss a single second of it.

Art & Animation:
I'm no expert in this field, nor am I too demanding when it comes to animation, so don't expect any in-depth analysis, just let me say:
This is one of the most beautiful pieces of media I've ever seen!
Every character looks absolutely gorgeous, everything moves so smoothly and naturally, most of the backgrounds - especially nature - are breathtaking.
Body language, face expressions and lip movements are done to perfection here, which is rare, since from what I've heard and seen, Japan doesn't really care that much about these elements normally.
When something needs to shine, it really shines here. When something is supposed to be dark, it really comes off as such <- all thanks to the countless animation techniques used on it.
All that tremendously helps to express what the show wants to express and is an essential component to the overall flow of OnK.

Sound:
The OST itself is not among the very best I've heard, but in most situations, it does what it needs to do.
For such a short title, the quantity and variation of the background music is incredible and almost unprecedented.
For the serious parts, it is dramatic, heavy and suffocating; and for the lighthearted parts, it's fluffy and uplifting, just like it should be.
What brings the whole Sound part up are the amazing OP and ED, which are not only musical peak in general, but also greatly fit the overall tone of the show and emphasize some of its purposes.
Finally, the best parts are the insert songs. "Full Moon" is without any exaggeration one of the best songs in all of anime: Kana's unexpectedly godlike voice, her being slightly off-tone to fit her character arc, but at the same time absolutely nailing the song as a whole => it amounts to something unforgettable. Never before and probably never again you'll see me clapping and snapping my fingers at the first listening of something like with this song, much less laughing and crying at the same time during the second listening.

Story:
The whole episode 1 is super plot-heavy, which enables the next few episodes to take it easily and slowly with setting build-up and character introductions.
In the middle, we get to witness one of the most compelling character dramas ever, but I have to admit that the reactions and the aftermath of that were kind of underwhelming.
Otherwise, it's very apparent that OnK is character-driven. Therefore, the show is able to proceed very smoothly without necessarily having to move the main line too much, which is both a bad and a good thing.
Bad, because to many people it might seem that the show is not moving much at all. Good, because if you focus on the right aspects, you will see that it actually is moving a lot, and carefully preparing for much bigger things to come.
We see Aqua and Ruby coming to terms with what happened to Ai, and we see them carrying her legacy, each in their own very different way.
We can observe the dirt in the entertainment industry - pupeteering, favoritism, discrimination, lies, power of connections - but just slightly enough to not feel like it's being forced down our throats.
As stated before, this series doesn't necessarily want you to focus on just one aspect of it: you should enjoy all of them or just pick those that you enjoy the most, as there is really plenty to choose from.
Thankfully, the last episode doesn't even try to pretend like it's the end and just masterfully sets everything up for the continuation.

Character:
Undoubtedly the most important and the best element of Oshi no Ko!
Every single character is great. Every last one of them. Even the stalker who kills some of our main characters is written and portrayed in such detail that it's actually scary.
Not one of our main or secondary characters are overlooked. They all have their proper character arcs explaining who they are and why they act as they do. Sure, some of them were too short to fully grasp them so far, but we have to realize this was just 11 episodes, just a small fragment of the whole story, so I am sure we will learn more and more about them when it will be necessary.
They all feel so natural, so realistic, and so utterly human. I humbly believe this is one of the goals of OnK - to show us how human and fragile celebrities actually are under their usual guise, and it does so magnificently.
All of that contributes to most of their interactions being relatable and enjoyable, even if they are about the most trivial things.
I could spend hours going character by character and describing why I love each particular one, but I don't want to make this review even longer than it already will be in hope that someone will actually read it,
so let me just emphasize once again that there is not a single character I dislike, or even better said, there is not a single character I wish to be omitted, which is something I probably cannot say for any other show.

Value:
Oshi no Ko feels like a big step in completely different direction than any other title.
Definitely not your typical idol anime—actually, it's quite the opposite of that, but it's not full fledged criticism either.
It wants to excite you about the showbusiness and its "pawns," but show you most of the horrific parts too - and this balance is something unique that will hopefully inspire more shows to come.

I have it on Blu-Ray and I have re-watched some parts of the episodes right after watching them, multiple times.
I have also re-watched a big portion of the show right after finishing the last episode, with especially the ends of most episodes being infinitely re-watchable imho.
That's how beautiful and impactful it was.

Enjoyment:
There is not much to add, since most of my enjoyment is apparent from the descriptions above, but let me repeat myself a bit:
There may be a few scenes that I haven't fully appreciated or thought for myself that this could have been done better/differently, for example some of the reactions (Aqua on Akance acting as Ai, the girls after they hear Kana sing for the first time), but that can be counted in mere seconds.
Otherwise, it's safe to say that for 99% of the show, I enjoyed every milisecond of it.

(I have read the manga and am up2date as of this date. I will not spoil anything from the manga, but my enjoyment of certain parts may be affected by me knowing what is being built towards)

Overview

Oshi no ko is a dirty story about how sweet the honey of the entertainment industry really is, and just how slimy and dirty its underbelly is. It pulls few punches in portraying the mental strain placed on those that would venture into such a sweet hell, be they idols/entertainment generalists, actors, musicians, streamers, or whathave you. This series depicts just how insanely messed up, as a society, we are for attempting to manufacture, build up and, most importantly, tear down stars from the night sky.

I would highly recommend stopping here, and watching the first episode to make up your own mind, as the happenings of the first episode needs to be discussed before I can proceed.

In less flowery language, Oshi no Ko (My Idol/Mi Idols Child), is a story following the life and legacy of Idol star Ai, from when she gives birth to twins (Aquamarine/Aqua and Ruby), and said twins life after the passing of Ai. The series main plot regards locating, and killing, the person responsible for Ais untimely death, and is seen primarily from Aquas point of view as he struggles with carrying the memories of an adult doctor as well as the trauma of having been present for the murder and last breath of his mother. Along the way we're made familiar with a variety of professionals in the industry, most of which are on the younger side.

Apart from the main story, which stands perfectly fine on its own, we're also made to understand the entertainers feelings under a variety of highly realistic scenarios, ranging from a dip in popularity, to twitter flame wars, to the thirst for youth that is prevalent in the entertainment industry. None of these topics are just brushed over, and it executes well on provoking strong emotions in the viewer with S-class buildup and excellent payoff.

Characters

The characters are realistic, though periodically over the top, mostly for comedic effect. Ai is a fascinating character, and her manner of coping with the issues of neglect and exploitation is worthy of study. Aquas and Rubys handling of Ais death shows how the different base personalities would handle such a stressful situation, and their divergent views on their mother and what she would've wanted for each of them.

The supporting cast is just as strong, with well justified personalities, standout here is Kana, with her abandonment issues and deep experience in the business. Akane also shows a depiction of a brilliant young lady with real skills and intelligence, while at the same time being a vulnerable young lady that is susceptible to the illusion of everything falling apart.

None of the characters in this series, save a few likely to appear towards the end of S2 or in S3, appear forced or unnatural.

Sound

As this is an entertainment industry anime, this show relies quite heavily on audio design, and for the most part it pulls it off quite well. The standout is during the twitter flame war arc and the first concert arc, where it's really hard to find fault with the audio design.

Animation

For the most part, the animation is on point. I am admittedly easily pleased on this point, but I am having trouble locking down any animation that jumped out at me as stale or unnatural. Some use of 3DCG was kinda jarring, especially during the first stage part, but so much else was happening there that it was hard to even catch that it was a bit jank.

Who is this for?

If you are interested in the hidden part of our entertainment industry, this is a must watch. Anyone that has previously enjoyed Perfect Blue absolutely needs to see this. Furthermore, if you're interested in Character based stories, that allow themselves time to delve deep into characters, this is for you.

Controversy

FFS, can we stop with this "But when he died he was x years old" bullshit? You clearly cannot get over anything involving reincarnation, so go away, this is clearly not for you. For the rest of the controversy, grow up. The world is dirty and full of filth, and the media reflects that. I'm sure you can find some shoujo or shounen series to enjoy where it never gets more complicated than "I must get stronger" or "I must be his girlfriend", or whatever clean plate you want.

So I watched the next highest voted anime on MAL, before it dropped in ratings a few weeks later and FMAB went back to no1 as it always does. If you are one of those people who think no1 means anything, FMAB will forever be no1, so you can give up on trying to excuse quality through rankings.

That aside, for a supposed masterpiece it bored me out of my mind. I was stopping every 10 minutes to go watch something retro instead. And I am talking about the movie-length pilot here; not about every episode after that which is white noise as far as I care. And I will admit that I am not part of the target audience, since I don’t care about pop idols or high schools, but it’s also the laughable view most in the community have about the show that makes it worse. Yes, it’s the most popular show of Spring 2023, but that means nothing by the time the season is over and everyone will find something else to support, just because it’s the next current thing. It happened with Bleach, it happened with any other show that was once above FMAB, and it will continue to happen with anything else that becomes no1 next season for a couple of weeks. If you don’t believe me, look how much they were hyping Chainsawman and then it was proven very few liked it. The community loves to support the current thing, not because they like it but because there is an unhealthy amount of hype addiction. People these days love the idea of being part of something popular, rather than the quality of the product they consume.

And, as always, what comes along with popularity are the usual claims that desperately try to justify seasonal hype as some sort of universal quality that transcends time and space, and which for some reason will forever be embedded in the collective memory of mankind as some subversive masterpiece, worthy of its own white marble pedestal. And each time it’s proven… it’s just seasonal hype. It comes and goes, nobody cares and life goes on. It’s no different this time for whoever yells about subversions and deconstructions and shit we haven’t seen before, only to be proven we have and in a far better form than this boredom. Did everyone forget Perfect Blue (1998) which was the exact same thing only better? What, it’s too old for anyone to remember it? Okay, what about the subversion and deconstruction of pop idols called Looking for the Full Moon (2003). The same year a critique on the entertainment industry came out, titled Kaleido Star (2003). Still too old? What about the subversion and deconstruction of pop idols called Skip Beat (2009). Still too old? Revue Starlight (2018) was also about the exact same thing. Are we going to pretend everything that is older than a year is erased from existence?

And can we please stop overlooking the bullshit in whatever is popular right now, just so we can pretend it deserves to be so overhyped? Oshi no Ko has its share of bullshit, don’t pretend it doesn’t, especially when it comes to exposition. There’s a notorious scene in Neon Genesis (1995) where two characters are standing still inside an elevator for a whole minute. Nothing is happening, it’s just them standing still, not talking to each other. Most people nowadays think that scene sucks because nothing was happening and they were just panning the episode with filler. Turns out that scene was actually showing how incapable the characters were at having a simple discussion. And they did that by not talking for a whole minute. If that scene was done in the likes of Oshi no Ko, it would be a minute of them repeating “There is nothing to talk about, oh yes I feel very awkward, I have communication problems because of social anxiety and my favorite color is blue!”

In Oshi no Ko they explain everything with talking, like you are 5 years old. The plot is almost entirely dialogue-driven, so there’s nothing going on on-screen. Or to put it more bluntly, it treats you like a moron who is incapable to get the slightest thing without telling you what you are supposed to think. “Oh your favorite color is blue, thanks for telling me about it, I wouldn’t have guessed it by the way you like to dress!” If you understand the language you don’t have to ever look at the screen, you can be doing anything else and you can still get what is happening, since they say exactly what they do and feel all the freaking time. What’s the point of having a tv series when there is nothing worth looking at the screen? The artwork ends up not meaning something, it’s just useless extra. Demon Slayer that airs along with it may be a generic action show that lives and dies by its animation, but at least it gives you a reason to look at the screen, since it has action. With Oshi no ko, you can have an audio version and you will miss nothing.

Oh, wait, I forgot, it’s full of sexy and cute looking UNDERAGE girls with big starry eyes. Yum-yum, look at all those jailbaits that make you horny. Turns out there is a very good reason to look at the screen. UNDERAGE girls with big starry eyes. I constantly find tweets with all sorts of twisted stuff about this show, and they get thousands of likes. The first was about a breastfeeding scene, the latest one was about one of the girls stretching her legs and showing her feet. There are thousands out there acting like this is better than sex. I don’t know about you but this is not the hill I want to die on, defending from criticism.

Also, it’s a dramedy about pop idols. Every attempt it makes to shed some light on the dark side of the industry, will be ruined with a stupid otaku joke. HAHA THE DOCTOR WANTS TO HAVE SEX WITH UNDERAGE GIRLS! HAHA HIS UNDERAGE PATIENT WANTS TO MARRY HIM! HAHA THE NURSE CALLS HIM A LOLICON! LAUGH, PEOPLE, LAUGH WITH THE OTAKU COMEDY! And yes, I get it, it’s a dramedy, it’s supposed to do that, it’s not supposed to be serious and that is why it has pop idol otakus getting reincarnated into talking babies for silly comedy moments. It undermines its own themes by doing that, not to mention it promotes the very thing it’s criticizing. It’s like anime shills who use a lot of self-deprecating humor so they can sell you merchandise. “This is a terrible isekai, I know it’s bad, but I joke about it, so buy the related products I am sponsored to sell you, although I just told you they are bad, but I make jokes about them so it’s fine.” HAHA! SO FUNNY, TAKE MY MONEY AND GIVE ME DEGENERATE DAKIMAKURAS!

Nothing makes the show special or interesting by using self-deprecating comedy, it just becomes another dramedy aimed at otakus. I’ve seen enough in my anime-watching life to be completely desensitized at this point. By the way, my anime-watching life is longer than most current anime-watchers, which is why I know of Perfect Blue, Full Moon, and thousands of other shows current anime-watchers don’t even know they exist. I know my shit, I am a guru.

Does this mean I wouldn’t like Oshi no Ko, no matter what? No, it had 2 points where it could have convinced me it’s actually good, and it failed in both. There are 2 murder scenes in the movie-length pilot episode and both are treated horribly. The doctor gets killed and the pop idol forgets about him, like he was nobody important. Then the pop idol dies and you are supposed to feel sad about it. But you can’t because she’s not really dead. Based on what happened to the doctor we can very easily believe she’ll just reincarnate into a talking baby and we will have a lot more silly otaku comedy full of self-deprecating humor of the likes: “I AM A DISGUSTING LOLICON, HAHA, BUY MY LOLICON MERCHANDISE BECAUSE I JOKE ABOUT IT!” And don’t pretend nobody wants that to happen. I found lots of theories where the very fans of the manga wish it will be so.

Comedy aside, the reincarnation bit completely destroys the drama aspect, since it gives you nothing to be sad about. Death is just a minor inconvenience in this show; it doesn’t have the gravity of the real world. In fact, like in any reincarnation isekai, it even gives you a headstart in life. You keep all the knowledge of your previous life to the next and you instantly become a child prodigy just because you know more than any other baby. Not just that, a child prodigy of the pop idol you just happened to be a great fan of. It’s the stuff self-insert fan fiction is made of. “I’m Ultragay, the hidden son of Superman, only I’m black and gay and better at everything! Peak fiction!”

So what’s so sad about dying? Getting murdered was the best thing that could have happened to the people in the show. There are no dire consequences and the twins go as far as not giving a shit about their previous lives. They care about a dead person in their current life but not about all the relatives they left behind them, who are still alive and grieving their deaths. It’s as if they don’t matter just because they aren’t pop idols. And no, saying their previous lives don’t matter anymore is a lie, since their pop idol fascination carried over from there. What doesn’t seem to carry over (when it should) is the boy’s medical knowledge. Why is he not saying or doing doctor stuff and instead turns into a Machiavellian mastermind? Where is the connection?

So yeah, as a whole I was bored out of my mind with it and felt my IQ dropping because it was treating me like a moron who is supposed to laugh with cringy otaku jokes about talking babies salivating all over underage girls, and to cry at deaths which end up being the best possible thing that could have happened to those people. And what a great moral message as well. Hoping to get murdered so you can hit the jackpot in your next life. Imagine any watcher’s thoughts if he happens to have depression and is watching anime for escapism. It will fill his mind with all the wrong messages. “Time to get isekaied! It will be so fun! I might even become a self-insert fan fiction talking otaku baby, salivating all over UNDERAGE GIRLS. And I won’t have to care about all my relatives and friends who grieve over my passing! Ultragay, here I cum!”

My boredom changed to anger midway through the season where one of the UNDERAGE GIRLS gets harassed online and they make a really big fuss about it, leading to almost suicide. It’s supposed to be a super amazing scene that shows the dark side of the industry, but all I was seeing was nothingsauce. Like, really, you don’t know people get harassed online? You needed an anime to tell you that? And I get that it’s a problem which gets addressed, instead of thrown in a closet full of skeletons (as is the case with most pop idol shows). But that also implies the show will do something with this theme and it won’t just have it there for the heck of it. Guess what, the characters just talk about it (like they always do) and the issue is then thrown to the side. There were no consequences, and all you saw was people talking about how mean it is. In the next episode they act like it’s no longer an issue and spend all their time talking about dates and first kisses. In what alternative timeline does that count as meaningful theme exploration that leads somewhere?

It didn’t even have any actual effect on the audience that is supposed to like this crap and be in support of. You don’t believe me? Half the comments on my profile are about people harassing me for not liking popular shows. The mother of a girl that lost her life in the real world received death threats from numerous fans of the show when she expressed her discomfort for the show basing the harassment incident on the actual events of her late daughter. Where is this deep impact the show had on the community when there are so many people harassing other people for a show that is supposed to be anti-harassment? It’s almost like it had no effect because it didn’t really affect them, since they spend more time saying nasty things online than becoming better people thanks to this show.

Heck, it didn’t even have any effect on me, an actual victim, despite writing such a long-ass review. I am not suicidal after years of harassment and I am not trying to fix the problem by talking about it. Wanna know why? Because it’s nothingsauce; a first world problem that for all I care merely culls the weak. If some people can’t stand simple words, they don’t have what it takes to survive in the field. Bulling is part of growing a spine and if that harassed UNDERAGE GIRL in the show is so bothered by words (not actions against her physical well-being, words) then she is better off not being part of an industry that treats her like a piece of meat. And let’s not kid ourselves; that is exactly how the industry treats pop idols. By not showing the long-term effects and by just having people talking about the problems, every point the show is trying to make ends up being a big waste of time.

And now for the part that made me angry in the second half. Yes, the above paragraphs were only the intro to things that had no effect on me; here come the meat and potatoes of the things that did. This show is all about manipulation. It’s about the Starry-eyed Bishonen exploiting people so he will find the killer. It’s about the industry exploiting UNDERAGE GIRLS for profit. And it’s about said UNDERAGE GIRLS exploiting their natural beauty and charisma for fame and money. Please tell me what exactly is dramatic in this show when everyone is in it for profit and is constantly manipulating others for petty materialistic gains. Nobody is a victim. Nobody is forced to do the slightest thing. The girls know what they are into and they don’t stop doing it, so when something bad happens to them, hey, they knew it comes with the territory. It’s their job to entice the audience by shaking their underage bodies in front of thousands of lonely men who treat them as goddesses and assume they will be loved back. What exactly is dramatic about any of that? They all had it coming and they all willingly allow to be exploited, so they, in turn, can exploit others. It’s a business they are willingly in for profit. Why should the viewers feel sorry for them? These characters are all vicious manipulators who trick people for money! They lure lonely men to give them all their money without really giving them something in return! Why should anyone like them for that? They are no better than e-girls on Only Fans! They are evil!

…Because the audience is into sexy and cute looking UNDERAGE girls with big starry eyes. Yum-yum, look at all those jailbaits that make you horny! The audience wants to be exploited by the industry, the same way the fans of these girls are being exploited. And when said audience is told the truth, oh my, look at all those harassment comments that fill entire pages! To those people I direct the lyrics of the classic Eurythmics song:
Sweet dreams are made of these
Some of them want to abuse you
Some of them want to be abused

Final verdict: It’s a meh show. You already see the decline as soon as the second episode begins, when the whole thing turns into a typical high school drama with first world problems. BOO HOO HOO PEOPLE SAY MEAN THINGS ABOUT ME ONLINE! And the sun rises from the east. Now spend all your money on dakimakuras with starry-eyed girls on them.

The ratings drop almost vertically because it never becomes some revenge murder mystery as the ending of the pilot episode implied. It’s just a bunch of UNDERAGE GIRLS talking and talking and talking. “Oh, but the boy is still looking for the killer after 10 years! Doesn’t that keep the tension high?” No, it doesn’t. Aside from how it’s not the main focus, but rather a side dish, what exactly can it lead to? Even if the Starry-eyed Bishonen finds and kills him, the killer will just reincarnate into a talking baby who wants to murder more pop idols. Big deal, go on with your life as a child prodigy and enjoy your isekai self-insert fanfiction.

Perfect Blue exists for decades and it’s eons better. It survived the seasonal hype period and it’s a true classic. Oshi no ko is just another seasonal hype type of show that rides all the typical nonsense about subversions and deconstructions, and will then be thrown on some bargain bin as yet another anime that does not care about its own subject matter. It wouldn’t be 90% talking if it did. Other anime already explored the same thing in a more serious manner and without otaku comedy about babies salivating all over UNDERAGE GIRLS. Ultragay!