Review of [Oshi No Ko]

A story about maneuvering through the complicated world of the entertainment industry, revenge, friendship and passion. The plot is unique and refreshing, albeit being based around the familiar reincarnation trope, adding a unique twist to the trope through its plot. Even though the story has a really strong start, I personally think that the events that pushed the story were too convenient and maybe even a bit predictable. I still enjoyed the story, but I think that the meat of the anime is rooted in addressing modern issues and topics of the Japanese entertainment industry collectively, as well as the Japanese idol industry in particular. Italso ties those elements to more general topics like friendship and individualism. The anime is surprisingly dark and maybe even bleak in many scenes, as it deals with sensitive topics and attempts to delve into the intricacy of human feelings— even the ugly ones.

The protagonist is a bit of a morally grey character, and even after completing the season I do not understand his motives and feelings. I think that there are some moral issues regarding the character as well, which made it hard for me to develop positive feelings towards him throughout the series. Despite this, his wit and determination-stricken madness makes him a really interesting character. I wish the course of events were less unsurprising beyond the first few episodes so that this aspect of his character could shine more.

The animation is beautiful, and captures the emotion of the character extraordinarily well even just through their eyes. I think it deserves a lot of credit in the aesthetic aspect of the show. Because of this, I didn’t find myself getting bored too often whilst watching. The details of the animation highlight the psychological horror aspect of the show, which I found to be the most appealing element of the anime.

Overall, it’s a good anime, and it’s worth watching just for the animation and artistic details. The story is interesting, but it might start to feel a bit stale in the later episodes. I don’t know if it was AOTY, but I understand why so many people like it so much.