Finally someone else who was icked out by the protagonist. It felt like I was going insane having heard so much praise of the series. I watched the first episode and also almost dropped it at 10 minutes but was hooked on the following mystery. I ended up deciding against watching episode 2 because I really didn't want to follow the pedophile protagonist (the sub had instead of called him a lolicon just called him a pedophile. And then the series did nothing but add fuel to that interpretation).

I feel like it would make more sense for Aqua to care so much about Ai's death if he wasn't a reincarnation. If he's just a child who's only ever known this mom, then of course he might be deeply affected to the point of dedicating the rest of his life to revenge. But from the perspective of Gorou/Aqua, he's only lived with her for a very small fraction of his combined lives. He wouldn't really see her as his mom the way normal people see their parents, so the desire for revenge comes across as based more on his obsession as a fan rather than his love for her as her son.

When it was good it was GOOD, but then there was the rest of it… It never occurred to me just how much of this show’s problems come from the reincarnation plot line, like you could so easily have him be just a slightly weird, hyper-intelligent child and his sister just be a momma’s girl who found a passion in becoming an idol because she looked up to her mother. Boom, no more weird horny shit with a 40 year old man in disguise! Oh, and get rid of the incest plot line, it’s so unneeded! I’d be fully okay to learn more about Ai through flashbacks and story details we get from the investigation of the thriller plot line, slowly piecing more and more throughout the season and perhaps getting some dramatic irony if we figure it out before Aqua that’d be cool! Instead he just admits to people that his ‘type’ was literally his mother, makes an uncomfortable breast milk joke and whittles her down to ‘cute idol’ 😭😭?? And give my man a better hair cut, the art is too pretty for bro to be walking around looking like that

why would the author create a perfectly good creepy freak and waste him in a generic harem anime 😭

As a manga reader I'll just add that the idol stuff later starts explaining how we got to the point of Ai's murder. Does the story stumble a bit? Yeah. But is it enjoyable. Also yes. The anime was pretty normally paced. It didn't rush or drag out the story. If I recall correctly each episode was around 3 chapters. But that's why the first season doesn't cover much of the story. There are actually quite a few characters to juggle around. And not all of them get equal amounts of screen time. But the murder mystery and the paranormal aspect of it does come back later.

On the Anime Slushie podcast, they talked about this show and how using some problematic aspects of the idol industry for drama in a story is *very different* from actually providing meaningful critique/examination of the industry and its problems. I haven't sought out a ton of content about this show but that's the only other place besides here i've heard people criticize it. I think the online anime fandom can be a bit of an uncritical hivemind at times, especially when there's expensive animation to distract from the flaws in the story. This video was super great!

Manga reader here. I can tell you that it doesn't get any better. It's a show/manga that isn't really good at both showing the dark sides of the entertainment industry and being a murder mystery, because Aqua literally figured it out immediately who the killer is. (I could go way deeper why I think this, but I don't want to spoil you.) The pacing itself has also lots of issues(imo) because it feels like the manga doesn't really know what it wants to be. Arc 7 (around chapter 80) is literally called „main plot“. So it took Aka 80 chapters to introduce us to the plot. :) He also later goes on the full degen route, which was/ is very controversial, but this is also something anime watchers will only see in season 3 and 4 specifically. Overall the manga is overrated but it's also a dumpster fire that now, that I'm so deep in, I want to know how it ends. The most positive thing you can say about it is that it makes you feel some type of way.

thank you !! I only watched the first few episodes because I couldn’t get past the weird ass protag😭 thought I was going insane because no one else pointed it out. great video !

I’ve mentioned this on another video critiquing Oshi no Ko, but I think it also could’ve been interesting if the twins were, rather than reincarnated souls, children who shared a body with said “reincarnated” souls (essentially acting as guides for the twins). There is Aqua and there is Goro, there is Ruby and there is Sarina. This could not only keep the “reincarnation” type plot that exists to justify their (mostly Aqua’s) intelligence, but this set up could provide some very interesting drama when both soul’s motivations don’t line up. I have more thoughts on this story revision, but I want to keep this brief but I’m happy to explain more of my thoughts on it if anyone asks! Also nice video!

I really don’t think Goruo’s love for Ai was framed as sexual it was more paternal from my perspective. And I don’t think you would anyone would fantasize about being the child of someone they were romantically interested in. He doesn’t even make an attempt to pursue her romantically he sees her as his last connection to someone precious to him. Also it’s a common thing in Japan where people wish to be born as their favorite idols child.

Soo the manga readers often try to justify liking this series, but one of them slipped up and mentioned something gross as hell: It does eventually go for Aqua/Ruby.

After having watched it myself, I think the entire point of the show _is_ that mismatch, the jarring incongruity between its two halves. There are a number of thematic parallels you can make about it, but I think the main selling point of the show is the juxtaposition of the joy of performance (Ruby) and the darkness behind it (Aqua); Ruby's overprevalence seems like an artifact of the slowgoing nature of Aqua's half of things, and if and when they make more episodes, I expect the show to rebalance more in the mystery thriller direction. Also creepy premise tho yeah 100% ew ew

I didn't even bother continuing after the first episode fast-forwarded to highschool. I feared it would become exactly as you described.

I saw the video in my feed and was like, who is this? :O I'm used to you doing animatics, it's cool to see you have other skills as well. :D I LIKE YOUR TWILIGHT SPARKLE HAIR also, that opening twist, wtf, holy hell, wtf? @_@ I want a shirt that just says Baking Soda.

Maybe you didnt like Kana but to me she was the most interesting charchter in the show starting out as a bratty child actor and meeting her post timeskip she has seemed to have learned her lesson and matured but in actual fact it was what she was forced to do to stay in anyway relevant after being casted to the side once she grew up and lost popularity only being used as a name to put on something instead of her acting talent Aswell being the first person aqua indirectly hurt being told that she was the one person aqua felt conferrable being honest around just to find out she was seemingly lied to a week later witch even without her crush on aqua her primary self worth issues come from only being seen as a convince and that no one even her own mother cares about her as a person witch sparks her self hate spiral witch wail defiantly assisted by aqua her success along with the rest of the group helping her find a new purpose.

I was gonna be that one paragraph person but… I think it would be better if you watched season 2’s stage play arc once it comes out. It’ll answer a lot of plot points that you’ve brought up regarding Aqua. Aqua doesn’t really get much character development in this arc, but we get to understand more about what happens to specifically him after Ai’s death mentally. (Plus we find out he’s a major red flag, both Akane and Kana are colour blind af) Though I agree that the fact that the Ruby-Aqua and Ai’s relationship as a near-sasaeng level fan as your baby is gross. The most of the international oshi no ko fandom (excluding those few with… unique taste) has the same thoughts as you do.

It has its moments but the slice of life elements keep taking away from the supernatural murder mystery aspects. I always felt like they padded them on to drag out the manga. From the way u kept describing it, I was like u just want a perfect blue copy and then the end.

You know, I always wondered why he cared more about getting revenge for AI when he himself was also murdered by the same guy but didn’t care about that so long as he was the child of his favorite actor. Shouldn’t he have some drive for himself in this?

Haven’t finished the video yet but I will say that I’m not sure I wanna continue Oshi no Ko cause… Spoilers for the manga… The incest is canon 😔

There is a webtoon called Knife in her heart that has kind of a similar concept but I think is way better written

Yeah, agree completely. Very well said and great video.

The plot progress slow because the mentioned "father" is a big figure of entertainment, Aqua doesn't even know who is so what he do is manipulating others to have contacts to follow his revenge path, their past lives will become RELEVANT in the plot, also SPOILER Ruby will join him in future when she understands more what happened to Ai.

The anime covered a very small slice of the story, the manga is a revenge plot over all.

I'm gonna agree with almost everything, except the murder mystery being the more interesting one. For me, the murder mystery stuff always feels like it's interrupting the real story. Remove it from the show and even though I'd probably still hate Aqua a little bit, i could actually get invested in his journey through showbiz

Yeh it's a very oddball show with elements that I found unnecessary. Like... the first (movie like) episode is like... "Perfect Blue" crossed with "Boss Baby" ^^; which is.. a very odd mix. But I already saw that the following episodes can never match the 1st episode's ... writing, for whatever it was worth... The murder mystery just doesn't really interest me "10 years later".. Also weird, why does Ai have weird pointy alien stars in her eyes? I thought that's part of the plot somehow, but disappointingly, it just never was. So why the star eyes?

Does anyone else feels like Ai was forcefully pasted in this show?

the manga doesn't help...if anything it gets worse even twitter was talking about THAT panel

Oshi no ko more like oshi no mo mid as hell 😒

Re Zeros Main Character is a creepy character done right. I dont think Oshi no Ko has the same self awareness. But Re Zeros anime adaptation also has no self-awareness tho.

Yeh it's a very oddball show with elements that I found unnecessary. Like... the first (movie like) episode is like... "Perfect Blue" crossed with "Boss Baby" ^^; which is.. a very odd mix. But I already saw that the following episodes can never match the 1st episode's ... writing, for whatever it was worth... The murder mystery just doesn't really interest me "10 years later".. Also weird, why does Ai have weird pointy alien stars in her eyes? I thought that's part of the plot somehow, but disappointingly, it just never was. Why the star eyes?