Review of [Oshi No Ko]

I had some preconceptions and assumed this show was just an idol show for weirdos, but I found myself fully engrossed in every episode. The reason for my initial distaste was simple: Oshi No Ko begins with a pregnant 16-year-old idol going to a middle-aged gynecologist who happens to be a diehard fan of hers, and who gave the impression that he'd love to date her. However, instead of helping to deliver the idol's twin babies, he ends up being reborn as one of her two children. It seemed like something out of a poorly written fan fiction, and aspects of the main character's thoughtswere off-putting to me.

Luckily, my worries were mostly unfounded, as I found the show entirely captivating and well written throughout. Once the first episode wraps up, it became the story of two siblings: a brother who has been completely disillusioned by the entertainment industry and seeks to protect his sister, and a sister who is desperately trying to become an idol.

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Oshi No Ko explores many facets of the entertainment industry—reality shows, TV shows, movies, YouTube, streaming and idol culture. Alongside the production and acting side of things, social media plays a significant role in the show. As the online reception to actors and the shows they star in can severely affect the entertainers' mental health, it is effectively used as a strong character progression tool, and to showcase the potential dangers and underlying cruelty of it.

The main cast for the show is overall brilliantly written, as each brings something unique to the table. The generic tsundere personalities were given a lot of character depth and room for growth, and side characters have enough personality to stand out on their own, with potential to join the main cast. I also really like the character designs. They are flashy and colorful, yet restrained, resulting in a pleasant visual style that is not too exaggerated.

The first episode is a bit of an oddball in all of this, as it has both nothing and everything to do with how everything else within the show plays out. A lot of the writing early on was more humorous and over the top. It quite brilliantly sets up the idea of a perfect idol being someone who lies—that a "perfect idol" is something that cannot exist in reality. It also sets up expectations and tears them down in a way I was very happy with—toning the ridiculousness down a bit, while still retaining a bit of the power fantasy aspect and not going too overboard with it.

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In conclusion, Season 1 was a great experience for me. I am not terribly familiar with the entertainment industry and especially not the one in Japan, but I have heard it's not all sunshine and rainbows. Regardless, it's hard to comment on how realistic it is at the end of the day, but this works solidly as entertainment, and I could see it even inspiring people to be more creative in whatever field they work in.