Review of [Oshi No Ko]

Oshi no Ko - 'My Star' was perfection, through and through. Most idol animes or animes that revolve around the entertainment industry focus on the glitz and glamour of the industry. A young possibly slightly troubled teen fights against the odds and with the help of reliable friends and mentors, reach the top and achieve their dreams ! This is the narrative largely focused on by most stories. However, Oshi no Ko explores the darker, more real aspects of the entertainment industry. The truth behind the facade, the 'dark side' to the entertainment industry. The crazy overly obsessive 'fans', the micro-managing profit driven bosses,the crude superficial casters/producers (might I add a little perverted too), and of course the lies, the facades created by the entertainers themselves.

Without spoiling much, i'd say that Oshi no Ko was definitely an anime that opened my eyes. Furthermore, learning that parts of the story were based off true real life experiences really just hammered the theme of 'lies & darkness' home. Moreover, this anime also explores mental health, namely depression and anxiety that seem to plague the entertainment industry, individuals being forced to uphold a facade of perfection and purity certainly leads to immense pressure and even possibility of developing major imposter syndrome.

This anime has probably produced the best first episode I have ever watched in my almost decade of watching anime. I have watched all the 'greats' and none has compared in terms of a first episode as Oshi no Ko. Everything from the placement of soundtracks, to the pacing, to the art style, to the animation, to the voice acting, to the screen write was absolute perfection. Personally, i would hesitate to call it a first episode -- instead it could very well be a movie on its own (its literally 1.5hrs lol) but yeah its that good.

The pacing does slow down in the next few episodes but thats to be expected since the first episode is really 4 episodes into one. I'm currently following season 2 of the anime and reading bits of the manga here and there. It is fantastic. Definitely a watch and will probably end off being one of my favourite animes OAT.