As soon as Oshi no Ko’s first episode came out, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood – whose supremacy had been previously threatened by Attack on Titan and Kaguya-sama: Love Is War -- was suddenly replaced as the top anime of all time on MyAnimeList. With a score of 9.16 and 345,000 members at the time of writing, the Spring 2023 idol anime conquered first place overnight, with HIDIVE also reporting Oshi no Ko's premiere as the most successful in the streaming service's history.
Featuring the shocking story of a doctor reborn as his favorite idol’s son, Oshi no Ko has evidently charmed -- or flabbergasted -- viewers all over the world. In an industry where titles are constantly competing to become the next hit and a lot of effort and care is put into crafting every show, is Oshi no Ko really worthy of so much attention? Perhaps its stylish animation, music and dark plot twists have skewed people’s opinions. However, it is doubtful whether a show with such a standard cast of characters and narrative can live up to its early hype.
A Shockingly Dark Premiere & Stylish Animation Have Influenced Oshi no Ko’s Reception
The first episode of Oshi no Ko was released in cinemas as a special theatrical event in Japan. A 90-minute installment, the premiere covers the first arc of the story, from the idol Ai Hoshino’s pregnancy to her gruesome death the evening before her debut concert at Tokyo Dome. If one hasn’t read the manga, it’s hard to see this specific plot twist coming when Ai has more screen time than almost anyone else in the show, which is why it is so effective. Her bloody death also cuts her character arc short, which revolved around her attempt at becoming a human being capable of love.
The reincarnation trope is so at odds with the anime's genre that it seems almost an original narrative choice -- as disturbing as that might be. Despite this peculiarity, Oshi no Ko actually feels like a surprisingly realistic series that offers a dispassionate window onto the cruel world of Japanese idols, often full of empty promises and terrible endings.
Oshi no Ko knows how to make use of various animation techniques to punctuate its emotional peaks, even resorting to black-and-white comic-like scenes of true horror toward the end. The quality of these choices, together with pretty character designs, ensures a delightful watching experience that contributed to the anime’s instant popularity.
Oshi no Ko’s Characters and Plot Actually Follow Well-Known Tropes
Although one cannot deny its qualities, Spring 2023's Oshi no Ko doesn’t show enough promise to justify its recognition as a current masterpiece. While not bad, the anime follows a pretty common narrative with pretty common characters at its core. After the initial arc, it looks like the series will be all about Aqua’s search for his father, whom he holds responsible for Ai’s murder. A revenge plot is anything but original, especially if one considers it’s virtually the foundation of the most popular anime of recent years in Demon Slayer.
Despite being adults reborn as children, none of the characters strike as especially original either. Uninspiringly, the siblings have opposite personalities, with Aqua being the handsome brooding young man and Ruby the outgoing, happy-go-lucky one -- at least on the outside. Aqua’s sister complex is also quite tiresome, especially since it’s so common in anime.
Oshi no Ko might still surprise everyone by coming up with new twists and turns that will consolidate its quality. Perhaps the high rating comes from fans of the manga who already know what’s coming. Whatever the case, at least for now, nothing -- neither the characters nor the story -- seems to account for Oshi no Ko's overwhelming popularity, which might be as quick to fade as it was to rise.