Key takeaways from Oshi no Ko review:
- Oshi no Ko captivated the anime community with its gripping plot, exploring the dark side of the entertainment industry and the repercussions of social media.
- The well-paced storyline strikes a balance between comedy and darker elements, keeping viewers engaged and intrigued throughout.
- The characters, especially Aqua, Ruby, and Ai, are well-developed and their connections through reincarnation add depth to their motivations and relationships. The animation, soundtracks, and voice acting also contribute to the overall enjoyment of the series
If you have been active in the anime community at all during this season, I have no doubt that you have heard of Oshi no Ko. This anime took the whole world by storm when the first episode came out. I don’t think anyone expected it to cause as much of a buzz as it did.
After episode 8, I have a general idea of where this season of the anime will end so I feel comfortable talking about it now. Man, this was an awesome adaptation for sure and it is going to stay with me for a while.
So welcome back to another one of my reviews. Let’s talk about the awesome Oshi no Ko today!
Plot
On the surface, the plot of this anime appears to be a simple revenge story. But, I like how the revenge angle is handled. We also have the whole reincarnation thing and that adds a lot to the character development of Aqua and Ruby as well (more on that later). The anime does an amazing job of showcasing the dark side of the entertainment industry. And really does give you more reasons to hate social media.
Now, I know a lot of people will say that the revenge thing feels like a subplot at this point. But as a manga reader, I promise that these parts will make more sense later on. These ‘wholesome’ SOL parts play an important role later on and they give more edge to the darker aspects of the series. So I don’t mind them. All I’ll say is if this anime gets a 2nd season, it’ll be even more amazing in terms of the plot.
The plot is really well paced in my opinion. It strikes a good balance between comedy and all the dark stuff the anime has shown us. This always keeps us on guard, even during the wholesome scenes, we are always concerned that something horrible will happen right at the next moment. Aka Akazawa has really progressed as a writer and he has mastered the art of playing with the audience’s expectations.
Characters
Aqua and Ruby
I love how well the reincarnation plot flows into Aqua and Ruby’s characters. Ruby was the sickly Sarina in her previous life who died young and could not do much. So she is very free-spirited and wants to try all kinds of stuff in her current life as she has a healthy body now.
Aqua was obsessed with Ai because of Sarina in his previous life. And then he was also the one who was looking after Ai when she was about to have kids before he was killed. That explains his deep desire for revenge and possessive nature toward his sister as he doesn’t want to lose anyone precious to him anymore.
The Other and Ai
This sprinkled with some amazing side characters like Akane, Kana, Mem-cho and of course, our lord and savior Pieyon makes for some really compelling character writing. The character development Akane gets in the Love Today arc is amazing. Aqua gets some really good character moments in that arc too. That arc really made me appreciate Aqua more as a character and a protagonist.
And then you know, there is Ai. The whole series works because of her. If she didn’t exist, Oshi no Ko would be nowhere as impactful as it is right now. Salute to Aka for making all of us fall in love with a character in less than 30 minutes. I still remember Ai’s last lines… and they haunt me to this day. Also, shout out to Takahashi Rie for truly bringing her character to life.
Animations and Soundtracks
Oshi no Ko has amazing animations. No one expected Doga Kobo to make something like this. None of their previous adaptations are this high in quality. Not only did they do an amazing job of adapting the manga. I love the art style they went with for the series. It is just a little different from the manga and it works really well for the series.
The voice cast for everyone absolutely nailed it too. Some of the manga panels were really dramatic and awesome but got cut in the anime, which is a shame but it is what it is.
The soundtracks are pretty amazing too, The BGMs are subtle but impactful. You really do feel the mood of the scene when you listen to the BGMs independently. And then, of course, there is the amazing opening theme by Yoasobi. Yoasobi doing what they do best, hiding dark lyrics in a bright and catchy song. The ending theme though, Mephisto by Queen Bee is criminally underrated. The song fits Aqua’s character really well both in terms of the lyrics and the visuals.
Conclusion
Here are my final scores for Oshi no Ko:
- Plot – 8/10
- Characters – 9/10
- Animations – 8/10
- Soundtracks – 9/10
- Enjoyment – 10/10
- Bring Ai Back!! – 10/10
- Overall – 9/10
Those were my honest thought and opinions on Oshi no Ko. Now, this is all subjective of course, so let me know what you guys think in the comments below. I did not plan on making this a long review but it ended up being one as I had a lot to say. So thank you for sticking around till the end. With that said, I will take my leave here. See ya!!
Also, check out my review of Kubo-san right here. Quite an endearing series, that one.
