[Oshi no Ko] 2nd Season

I think this season is honestly gonna be superior to the season 1
Oshi no ko is still true to it's nature and that's the unravelling of the challenges of the entertainment industry
Honestly it's a breath of fresh air cuz stories like this are not really common and it's interesting seeing how things work out in the "behind the scenes" and it's being presented to the viewers in a creative, entertaining format, it's truly splendid

The second season seems to be exploring more on the theatre/acting part rather than the whole idol stuff and it's still a banger, we're introduced to great chars, well written conflicts and ... what challenges they have in the medium. Its educational yet fun to watch; the rivalry between akane and kana is always interesting

The Animation is even better in the second season the character designs and their facial expressions are even more fluid
The movement, Visuals all took a step up it's truly been amazing

The sound track and music are amazing too
Truly recommend watching this if you enjoyed the first season

Season Two continues Oshi no Ko’s two-pronged approach to storytelling, providing a behind-the-scenes look at the Japanese entertainment industry while simultaneously serving up a long-form murder mystery. This season shifts its spotlight onto a fictional theater production, opening in media res with an unusually long static shot of the stage. It’s a fun scene as part of an anime adaptation of a real-world manga, which has an arc about adapting a fictional, in-universe manga into an in-universe stage play that you then get to experience as if you were part of the in-universe audience.

As fun as these meta-layers are, though, Oshi no Ko is more ... concerned with exploring the conflicting perspectives of its characters. Many of them are involved with the aforementioned stage play, and their attitudes and creative methods constantly clash throughout the thirteen episodes of this season. Oshi no Ko also features some brilliant animation work that elevates its already-solid source material to new heights. Episode 6 in particular ends with a spectacular, wordless sequence on how a side character’s life changed as a result of his involvement with the play.

For me, the main highlights of this season are the in-depth, humanized exploration of the manga-to-stage-play adaptation process that covered a lot of unexpected perspectives, the compelling narrative arcs of several recurring characters (but not all of them, unfortunately), the much smoother transitions between low-stakes and high-stakes scenes (compared to the first season), and the striking visuals. I was not a huge fan of Ruby’s general absence or the (expected) soapy melodrama.

As a whole, this season was rewarding to dig into. It’s a treat for your eyes and a rollercoaster for your emotions. After seeing what it accomplished, I would highly recommend giving Oshi no Ko a try, as it was one of my favorite shows this year.

This is what happens when an artist self-inserts about being an artist. Even worse this is a self-fellationary product placement ad for a Japanese theater.

The writing tells the audience what to think about everything through braindead dialogue: "This is cool" "This acting is amazing" "this person is the greatest star ever" it will spend every moment dialogue-dumping exposition for the audience to tell you their feelings and motivations, and literally narrating what is being shown, on top of telling you what to think about everything. It is shamefully braindead. Rather than actually make a good show it just has characters tell you "this is the ... best thing ever" about a play that is the most boring unoriginal shonen-action slop ever. The play also doubles as boring self-inserts for each character, adding another layer of uninspired artistic self-fellation to rehash the same braindead artistic melodrama as s1 ("I need to deliberately act poorly to make the performance better just like last season, believe it! I said it so it's true!") The new characters are dumb and further bloat an already bloated cast in a meandering 1-note story.

Unsurprisingly the author shows the play script get shat out overnight just like how it's by an artist who shits out weekly manga slop prioritizing quantity over quality, but this is good because they said so.

They go into detail expositing all about how important it is to properly adapt a work by taking advantage of the different medium and do an entire scene about removing all the dumb exposition dialogue in favor of conveying information through subtle scene writing, while ironically doing nothing of the sort to fix the show itself. The entire play is braindead.

The source material writer character explains that nothing about the adaptation's script matters aside from that her precious OC characters have the same personality as the source material. The adaptor explains that the generic shonen slop needs to be even more dumbed down to spoonfeed to the audience... Braindead.

Story: almost the entire season was wasted on a pointless theater arc that never mattered before finishing with pointless sidetracking with braindead reasoning.

Characters: these aren't even characters anymore, they're just whiney exposition machines the author shoves around to do whatever as needed for the plot/filler melodrama. The author frequently self inserts to tell you that good characters/acting is the opposite of real people and dumbed down spectacle garbage is the best, among many other misguided notions about art.

Art/direction: high budget, however it was almost entirely superficial spectacle adding nothing beyond jingling keys over a baby.

1/10 (where 5/10 is average)

Definitely a more mixed bag than season one. The Characters are likable and undergo decent development and the production quality and animation are great like season one.

What makes it worse are a few aspects.
First is that the plot strays far from what it's supposed to be. That being Aqua investigating the circumstances of Ai's death and Ruby doing anything with B Komachi. The season would almost work as a standalone show with some plotholes, it hardly builds up on the previous one.
The other problem is that there isnt two continuous minutes of plot without some flashback to some character's past, which gets really annoying after ... some time. It does give the characters more depth and backstory, which are important, but interweaving it in some mediocre stageplay, that is arduous to watch on its own with its cliché shonen troupes is not the way to go in my opinion.
I dont know the base material that the director needs to work with, but given that one of the major plotpoints at the beginning of the season is how to translate a story from one medium to another while keeping it interesting, it would be deeply ironic if that is where this fails.

I was enjoying the season- then episode 17 happened. IT WAS AMAZING. It has been a long time since I felt so moved by an episode. Not only did they display the episode plot in a very unique way but the animation quality and emotion drawn into the characters were absolutely incredible.

This anime continues to surprise me and I am enjoying the ride! The art style is well done and extremely colorful. They give each character honest emotions and well rounded backgrounds without taking away from the main characters and stories. In doing so they give the viewer a brief peak into the character's ... ambitions and reasonings which honestly somehow always add to the plot rather than take away.

If you are looking for an anime that has a unique plot with real feelings- definitely check it out!

Oshi no Ko season 2 might have started a little slow, but once it got going, we got episodes that were on par with if not better than anything in season 1. The Tokyo Blade Arc in the manga wasn’t my fave, but the love and attention to detail including anime original scenes that Doga Kobo added in the anime took it to a whole other level and over season 1’s story arc. It’s in this second season, which really feels more like a second cour of one continuous season, that we truly see the story of Oshi no Ko take shape. While the toxicity ... of the entertainment industry is certainly part of Oshi no Ko, it’s ultimately a revenge story and this season sees things begin to fall into place on that front. It’s a different experience from season 1 since it focuses on the play, characters’ internal struggles and it starts slow, but I promise you if you stick around this season you will be very satisfied with where things go.

So I said it before, but it’s really important to emphasise that this season of Oshi no Ko is a different sort of story from the first. I don’t want people to come into this blind and then the first couple episodes are a little annoying with the director drama and you give up watching it. Yes, she’s annoying, and yes, it gets better. It’s a lot slower at the start than last season was. No 1 hour film-like premiere, no suicide attempts etc. Instead, a lot of the conflict in this season is internal. Akane dealing with her insecurities and achieving her acting goals, Kana dealing with her feelings for Aqua and reconciling with her past, etc., the play is used as a conduit through which a lot of this happens. The characters that the cast portray in the play have many similarities and so they’re able to express themselves through those characters in ways they normally wouldn’t be able to. ESPECIALLY Aqua and Akane who get a ton of development in this season. Aqua can kind of come off as edgy and one dimensional at times, but this season shows there’s a lot more to him. For me, the slow build up to the play was entirely worth it just for the 3-4 episodes that we got of it. Doga Kobo really absorbed me into the story as if I were on the stage during the play.

Let’s face it, ship wars are a big reason for Oshi no Ko’s popularity and anime onlies could be forgiven for being a little confused on why the debate is so strong. Season 1 had Kana firmly in the lead, but this season is where the real best girl, Akane gets some of her big moments and really introduces herself as the best character in this series. This was a massive part of my enjoyment for the season because I am unapologetically a huge Akane stan and my girl delivered this season. So many memorable moments, face serves, you name it she was great. It also helps that Akane is so supportive of Aqua and is the driving force behind a lot of important plot moments. If you weren’t sure why the debates were so heated and passionate before, well you’ll know after this. Even with the staff’s obvious Kana bias, Akane was able to really shine through both in her role as Sayahime in the play and her everyday life.

Production wise Doga Kobo did an even better job in this cour than season 1 in my opinion. The Tokyo Blade play looked incredible with some episodes surpassing season 1’s B Komachi concert debut. “Magical” is the best way I could describe it. But there’s also more subtle improvements that I enjoyed a lot too such as the way episodes bleed into the ED so well. I’m a huge fan of shows ending with a scene that merges into the ED because it preserves a sort of “continuity”. Speaking of which, Burning is an incredible track, as is the OP, Fatal. They might not have the radio power of Mephisto and Idol from last season, but they’re still two very good tracks. Touched on this earlier as well, but it bears repeating. The anime original scenes that DG added really took some parts of the season to another level. They really understand the story and characters so well and know exactly when to interject a new scene to connect things.

Oshi no Ko season 2 is really where things start getting going and where a lot of the hype that you’ve indubitably seen online for this series comes from. It’s a different sort of story from season 1 and takes a minute to get going, but when it does the character development and emotional moments are top tier. If you like Oshi no Ko it’s a no brainer to keep up with s2 and for those potential newcomers, I really encourage you to go in with an open mind and don’t let the ship stuff on social media act as a deterrent. There’s some great stuff in this series and there’s a reason it’s so big.

Oshi no Ko season 2 gets 10 stars, out of 10.

Oshi no Ko Season 2 continues to be a masterclass in storytelling, elevating an already awesome anime to new heights. The season goes deeper into the complex characters, their motivations and the dark side of the entertainment industry. This season standout in exploration of the characters inner turmoil. We witness the struggles of Aqua and Ruby as they try to cope with the trauma of their past.  

While the pacing might feel slightly slower than the previous season, but you'll later realize that this is deliberate approach to build tension and deepen the characters arcs. The payoff is undeniable when season progresses forward it delivers a ... series of shocking revelations and emotional Moments.

Character Development:
Aqua 
His manipulative and calculating nature is still there but we finally get to see empathy and vulnerability. The weight of his past life and his mother's tragic death continues to haunt him, leading to moments of self-doubt and introspection. Aqua's character development can be seen by his evolving relationship with Kana and Akane.

Kana Arima
Kana’s journey in Season 2 is  of self-discovery and growth in Acting. In the beginning kana is portrayed as a strong willed and independent but her insecurities and vulnerabilities is revealed later in season 1 and also in season 2. Kana's relationship with Aqua becomes a catalyst for her personal development, pushing her to confront her fears and embrace her self.

Akane Kurokawa
Akane in Season 2 especially undergoes a significant character transformation from her Season 1 appearance, evolving from a timid and insecure girl to a confident and assertive young woman. Her relationship with Aqua plays a crucial role in her growth. Akane wants to become the best actress by defeating Kana at her best. You can see Akane and kana’s determination to become a successful actress and their Rivalry with each other for acting as well as Aqua’s affection. She demonstrates resilience in the face of adversity. Her character development is highlighted by her increasing self-awareness and her ability to form deeper connections with others.

Behind-the-Scenes Glimpse:
Oshi no Ko Season 2 offers a glimpse into the relationship between manga creators, scriptwriters, and the production process. the series shows a few challenges of adapting a complex narrative for different mediums and also how this background stuff affects what you see on screen. 

1. Creative Freedom vs. Commercial Viability: The anime subtly hints at the constant balancing act between artistic integrity and commercial success. The characters face pressures to conform to audience expectations while striving to maintain their creative vision.

2. Adaptation Challenges: The series shows the complex process of converting a static medium like manga into a dynamic audiovisual format. The pacing, character development and plot structure are adapted to suit the anime's format. While the things that you have to let go because of time constraints. It highlights the creative decisions involved in such a process.

3. Industry Pressures: This anime shows the pressures faced by creators to meet deadlines, satisfy stakeholders and cope with the demands of a competitive industry. The characters experiences reflect the challenges faced by those working behind the scenes.

While Oshi no Ko doesn't delve deep into the specifics of creative differences or conflicts, it provides a nuanced portrayal of the industry's complexities. The series suggests that the creation of a successful adaptation requires a delicate balance of artistic vision, commercial considerations, and collaborative effort.

Episode 9 delivered a bombshell that I wasn’t expecting. As a seasoned viewer, I’ve seen my fair share of twists. but this revelation genuinely caught me off guard. It’s rare for a series to pull off such well-executed surprises. 
Bits about Ai was emotional enough to make you cry. how much aqua wished that Ai got saved that day. How much he misses her and want to hear her voice just one more time. Trauma of seeing the death of someone you love so much in your hand while life is slipping away and the light in her eyes going out while wishing for different outcome. Aqua manifesting that to tap into his emotions to bring out such a Awesome performance is really heart tearing.

Difference Between Oshi no Ko and Perfect Blue:

in some review here people comparing old movie called perfect blue with this one which shows their own personal immaturity to understand both of the Masterpieces.

While both Oshi no Ko and Perfect Blue delve into the dark side of the entertainment industry. They offer completely different perspectives and approaches.

Perfect Blue is a psychological thriller that follows a former pop idol who transitions into acting. The film makes a deep dive in showing problems related to identity, perception and the blurring fine line between reality and fantasy. The protagonist's descent into madness and paranoia is a central focus.

Key Differences:

1. Genre: Oshi no Ko leans towards drama and thriller while Perfect Blue is a psychological horror.

2. Tone: Oshi no Ko strikes a balance between dark themes and moments of humor while Perfect Blue is predominantly dark and disturbing.

It's important to note that while both films offer unique perspectives in their own respective genres. Oshi no Ko benefits from its modern setting allowing it to explore the challenges influencers has to face on the internet and social media, especially online Hate.

I give it solid 10/10

I think this season was much better. The first few episodes were great; the setting of the entertainment industry was explored very well, besides a few oversimplifications, and I could really grasp the potential of Oshi no Ko. The pacing was good for the most part, and the production was decent. Also some of the drama was great.

That being said, the dialogue and most of the characters are not great. I think Akane is the only character of the main cast that I find believable and enjoyable to watch; the others are too cartoonish and annoying.

The plot isn't great neither, it is frequently dumb. In ... particular, I dislike how the characters act so competitive towards each other during the play, I don't think it's believable, nor does it make a good story. It appears like the show is trying to appeal to teenagers with cheap emotional bits, meanwhile throwing logic out of the window.

Overall, a good season from a mediocre series.

If you want some story progression from season one, better jump directly to episode 10. Thought season one was boring (and disgusting), but this one made me reset my standards. Oshi no Ko isn't worth watching, not even for hate watch. Can't believe the author is the same of Kaguya-sama Love is War, did he forget how to write good stories and characters?
Every single character's behaviour is nonsense, some scenes are also difficult to comprehend due to confusing representation. It's frustrating to watch, really.
Also, do you like infinite dialogues where the characters explain every single feeling they're feeling or where they express EVERY SINGLE THOUGHT? ... Where's "show don't tell"?

When I first started Oshi No Ko, I wasn't expecting it to be that great as I'm not one for anime that's hyped up a lot or talked about to death and my entire FYP on tiktok was basically that. However, when I tried it I really enjoyed it and the inital shock of AI dying in episode 1 caught me off guard as when I started Oshi, I somehow went in to it with no spoilers (don't ask me how)

Season 2 started off mixed for me as I didn't mind the play they was doing, but I also found myself not being super into ... it. Mostly just fine at best. However, as it went on and on, more and more episodes released I found myself enjoying it more. Especially in the later parts of the anime when it just started dropping massive lore drops and cliffhangers. I've just finished episode 12 and I'm waiting for the final episode to release as of the time of writing this review and I really liked Aqua and Ruby reflecting on their past lives.

Season 2 in general was really good. The animation was flawless. The level of detail in each frame was so good, especially when it came to the play they did. Sound track was really good. I liked season 1s intro more than season 2 but overall season 2 was such an incredible watch overall in my opinion and it definitely deserved to be talked about more.

9/10

Oshi no Ko's first season was amazing. Each episode was a banger, and the music opening was Iconic. And wow, it just blew my mind. I get the hype, and they even had a movie-length first episode!

When you set the bar that high... Season 2 can be in for a bit of trouble as it brings you back down to earth.

This season focuses on a play based on a manga adaptation. There are little conflicts between the way people act and the script. The pacing is a bit slow, and the direction of the big picture seems to have taken a back seat ... to setting up the situation.

I do have to update this review, while the first 4 episodes were dragging, It seems like we are at major turning point, so if you are reading this, STICK WITH IT, It will get better and everything starts to connect.

But I will give the benefit of the doubt that this will pick up, and everything was worth it for now!

If you have not watched season 1, please watch it first! And for those who have, I am sure you are watching it anyway :P

Note - This review does not contain spoilers of this season, but does contain spoilers of the previous one!
I love Oshi no Ko, but I feel like this season is a bit of a letdown compared to the last. What makes Oshi no Ko so different than the typical idol / showbiz anime is that it's anything but lighthearted. It has a strong dark side, about murder and vengeance.
The first season ended with Aqua joining a stage play for the sole purpose of identifying his father, who is presumably the person behind the killing of his mother Ai, as well as himself in his past ... life. This season picks up from there.
The main issue with this season is that the vast majority of it is the preparation for the stage play and the play itself, which really feels like an average showbiz anime, one of those that you've seen one you've seen them all. The season only picks up around the 9th episode, and only then it becomes as enjoyable as the first season.
I understand that they probably wanted to stick to the source material as much as possible, which I generally consider a good thing - I don't like it when anime cuts a lot of things, but I still wander whether arc that doesn't seem very important had to take two thirds of the season.
Anyway, a 3rd season has already been announced, and at the very least the last five episodes of this season are very much worth watching and will definitely be needed to understand it. Go ahead and watch, but keep in mind that the first eight episodes might feel somewhat boring.

Oshi no ko is fantastic. It will most definitely become an anime classic, and as I've said hundreds of times, it does a fantastic job telling stories and events about the Japanese entertainment industry, good or bad. This season extends on that as it focused on how mangakas feel when their project gets an adaptation, which yes while it is an honor, can be a huge headache. The direction and theme of that entire arc was excellent and the anime did a great job telling that story. However, I love aka akasaka and this was my same issue with the manga, the revenge plot does ... feel forced. The first entire arc had me me on the edge of my seat, but once the playwright arc ended it falls a little flat. Unfortunately at this point and time it feels like they are forcing the revenge aspect of the show onto us and it doesn't feel very consistent. Great anime overall and i really believe we have a classic on our hands here. I just thought season 1 was slightly better. I give this a solid 8/10.

Okay, I cannot believe I’m saying this, but I actually really enjoy this series. I was on the fence when I saw Season 1, mainly because the whole "adult now a child" concept is weird; I still find that setup strange. However, setting that aside, I totally enjoy the show, love the characters, and appreciate the colorization. Sometimes the main character annoys me with his attempts to act all mysterious, especially since his original personality as an adult is so different from how he is now. Despite that, this season really delves into what working in media is actually like, which I enjoy, and explores ... how it affects the artists and others around them in bringing something artistically to life.

The Good:
- Art direction is spectacular with many experiments that elevate the show to another level
- Cinematic frame compositions are on top of the medium
- Beautiful Character development of main and supporting roles exposing full range of emotions within the characters
- Opening and Ending (especially ending) OST just fits exceptionally well (love that guitar in the end <3)
- Great presentation of showbusiness with all its merits. Good and bad.
- Unexpected plot twists that push the narrative further and keeping the viewer engaged

The Bad:
- First episodes are exposition heavy
- Perplexed ending that doesn't feel well directed. Too many important plot points take place in the ... last episode.

The Ugly:
- nil

Conclusion:
2nd Season of Oshi No Ko is a great follow up after first one. Anime is meticulously crafted. From presentation, art direction to character development it demonstrates high creative potential and passion of the studio. Story develops with each next episode and beautifully closes the arc of Tokyo Blade show. That said, ending felt somewhat puzzling and disjointed from the whole story, but sets good grounds for the 3rd Season.

We keep digging deeper into the entertainment industry with all its drama, issues and its dark secrets behind the scenes. While we try to figure out the truth behind Aqua’ and Ruby’s past and future.

In this season we first follow the Tokyo Blade arc, where Aqua stars in a theatrical show together with Akane and Kana. Where we later in the season then start to focus more on Ruby as the idol world is calling once again.

For the plot of the season it is mostly structured around one major arc and then introduces a new arc. Through the major arc is the plot focused around ... the Tokyo Blade play, and is very much focused around acting. But the plot is not just focused on their acting skill, but their reason for how they act, what drives their style of acting. This gives an in-depth feeling to the plot where it is not just a play, but a media that shows who they are as people and how they show themselves. We also get an in depth perspective to how the adaptation of a story from one media to another can be a struggle and involves many elements.
For the later arc it is somewhat a build up, it is leading up to the future and what is to come. But this is not done with small plotlines being hinted at and is instead done with bold scenes that really draws in the viewer.

For the characters, they are as amazing as the first season, where we keep getting highly detailed characters with great character progression. The characters are very consistent with the first season, where we now see them continue through new dilemmas and conflicts. We see how the characters are put in situations where they show their true side or are forced to face their problems, where they have to get through it or give up. This is not only done for the major characters, but is also shown for the side characters which helps build up the main characters, but also gives the whole show a really detailed feel to it. Overall the characters are just done right, they have their own personality, they show progress and feel like real people struggling with their own problems.

The show is also very well known for its high quality animation, which continues in this season. The animation keeps a high quality in both fast paced scenes and more intimate scenes. Both types of scenes are also supported by its artistic styles, used as symbolism to help viewers get a visual understanding for complex emotions or situations that the characters find themselves in. They also show great detail in their animation when it comes to both big and small movements, which overall helps keep the viewer invested in every second of the show.

Music has also been a big part of Oshi no Ko, for this season the music is still great but have taken a turn to songs that feel more aligned to the arcs we follow this season. This means the songs are more focused on the hard feelings characters have to go through, and less focused on the glorified idol world.

To conclude it all, can i without a doubt say it's a great season, where we get to see the plot continue, characters evolve and experience both the beautiful animation and the powerful music. So if you liked the first season can i without a doubt recommend you watch this season too.

It is impossible to appreciate a work of art without knowing what the artist was trying to accomplish, which in the case of a work of fiction is broadly described by its genre. Romantic comedy does not serve the purposes of science fiction, for instance, and to watch 'My Dress-Up Darling' expecting it to explore the consequences of scientific advancement would be like buying a toothbrush and expecting it to peel oranges.

Notice how easy it is, in that example, to identify the genre: it's clear in the first ten minutes of the show — which is normal. It's not science fiction, so it doesn't put ... Marin on the moon; it's not a mystery, so it doesn't put her at the scene of a crime.

I bring this up because 'Oshi no Ko' has made it singularly difficult to understand what the artist was trying to accomplish. It is a toothbrush shaped exactly like an orange peeler, sold in the produce aisle, and marketed as having citrus-piercing bristles. No one ever actually told you to peel oranges with it, but you could be forgiven for trying.

'Oshi no Ko' spent the first eighty minutes setting up a murder mystery, although it isn't one; or if it is still trying to be one now, it isn't trying very hard. 'Chinatown' is a murder mystery; 'Oshi no Ko' is a soap opera. It may be filed under melodrama. Its purpose is to contrive scenarios in which sexy teenagers can slap, kiss, and yell at one another. The closest recent match is probably 'True Beauty', which is slightly more grounded and delivers about as much social commentary. You can also watch 'Melrose Place'.

With that understanding, 'Oshi no Ko' is fairly enjoyable. It does a decent job of contriving scenarios in which beautiful young celebrities living in the world's safest country can slap, kiss, and yell at one another. I can't imagine taking any of it seriously, but it's difficult to beat for sentimentality and sensationalism. Coming up next on 'Melrose Place', a beautiful young actress throws herself off a bridge during a typhoon after she was harassed by online bullies for assaulting her co-star, but her life is saved by a handsome doctor with a troubled past who was reincarnated after being murdered before he could deliver the secret twin babies of a teenage pop idol he obsessed over while treating a young girl for cancer — and you'll never guess what happens next.

The teen suicide arc in season one is when 'Oshi no Ko' really takes off, precisely because it has become impossible to take seriously. Right up until the moment when discount Light Yagami defeats online bullying through the power of friendship, and yandere Nancy Drew rewards him with a sexy cosplay of his mother, it was barely possible to believe that 'Oshi no Ko' is a story about a man investigating a murder, and not about long-lost twins in love triangles with coma patients, but no longer.

For comparison, if 'Oshi no Ko' were a murder mystery about uncovering the dark side of the entertainment industry, then Aqua's plan to help Akane, by making a director feel guilty about her jumping off a bridge, would not have worked until Aqua revealed the photos he took of the director with an underage girl — or boy — or Ruby, for that matter. It's not difficult to spot the difference: 'Melrose Place' is not 'Chinatown'.

To be clear, I enjoyed the arc. It's not particularly outrageous stuff — Aqua could have slept with Akane, for instance, on set, still in her cosplay, while Kana was doing coke in the bathroom with Mem-Cho — 'Degrassi High' would have done it — anyway, it did enough. Yandere Nancy Drew is delightfully nutty. Most of all, I appreciate the clarity, because continued misidentification of the genre invites continued disappointment.

Unfortunately, shortly after the series takes off, it crashes into a mountain called Tokyo Blade. Okay, that was unfair: I'll say it lost an engine. 'Oshi no Ko' is not a great soap opera, and a murder mystery that mostly goes nowhere and three hours of Tokyo Blade are examples of a general problem: it tries to do too many things; it's cluttered.

For comparison, there is another franchise where the main character gets involved in the entertainment industry to solve a supernatural murder mystery and avenge the death of his parent: it's called 'Hamlet', and you can watch the whole thing in about four hours. Brevity is the soul of wit. 'Oshi no Ko' is like 'Hamlet' if Hamlet put on five plays to catch six killers, he was dating three Ophelias, and one of them was his sister.

Tokyo Blade already featured Aqua, Akane, and Kana, and I assume they were getting up to all sorts of slapping, kissing, and yelling, but I can't be certain, because so much screen time was dedicated to fight scenes from the show within the show — some godawful shonen nonsense — not to mention the lengthy and rather dry lectures on the business of putting on plays, how a comic book may be adapted into a play, the difficulties that may arise when adapting comic books into plays, recent advances in theater technology, etc. The first episode of season one ends on the main character plotting his revenge; the first episode of season two ends on a comic book writer being unhappy with a script — and you'll never guess what happens next: she edits it.

Okay, that was unfair: I mildly enjoyed the arc. The comic book writer is fine. Almost everything in 'Oshi no Ko' is fine. Two writers struggling to adapt a story; two former child stars competing on and off the stage; a pop group aspiring to one day perform at a top venue; a supernatural murder mystery — oh, wait: one of those doesn't fit.

It's not just that any given thing would stand out more in less cluttered surroundings. Another problem is that some of those things, such as murder, suicide, revenge, and reincarnation, are inherently more ostentatious than others, such as a songwriter we just met feeling inspired to write a new song because he got an encouraging email; but in the adaptation, each of those things is given comparably lavish treatment. 'Oshi no Ko' is wildly overproduced. Ai's star quality just doesn't seem as impressive after it's been attributed to every single performance in Tokyo Blade. Aqua, being so cunning and manipulative, has a cunning plan to manipulate everyone to save Akane, but he also has a cunning plan to manipulate everyone to save the finale of a television show.

Speaking of manipulation, if 'Oshi no Ko' has a theme, then its theme must be deception or dishonesty. It's a fine theme, but the consequences of lying would have been clearer in a more focused, less cluttered story. When Hamlet deceived Ophelia, when Iago deceived Othello, the consequences were clear and relevant to the plot. When Aqua pretended to be in love with Akane, she found out immediately and played along for two seasons. When Kana pretended not to be in love with Aqua, everyone found out immediately, literally everyone, including undiscovered tribes in the highlands of New Guinea, and they all played along for two seasons. When baby Aqua pretended to be a god for two minutes — no, I didn't forget about that one, which goes exactly nowhere.

Let's get back to Aqua and his cunning plans to manipulate everyone. Okay, "discount Light Yagami" was probably unfair — unfairly generous to Light Yagami — but the character is clearly meant to be cunning and manipulative — isn't he? At least twice an episode, the man is manipulating someone into doing something, whether he's manipulating a lousy actor into giving a decent performance, or manipulating Ruby into wearing panties around the house for once in her life, for God's sake, Ruby.

But why is Aqua cunning and manipulative? Why should he insist on playing three-dimensional checkers? Before he died, he was kind, earnest, and slightly awkward. Did reincarnation make him cunning and manipulative? Either commit to writing him as a cunning, manipulative teenage celebrity, or leave him the way he was and make it clear that he's in over his head when it comes to revenge and murder. As it stands, after two seasons, I still do not really understand who Aqua is, or even how many people he is.

To be clear, there are plenty of things to like about 'Oshi no Ko'. I wish it spent more time on them. Yandere Nancy Drew, for instance, that delightful nut: put her in every scene. She pairs well with Aqua, of course, who pairs surprisingly well with comedy, although that might be the one element of the show that is actually underproduced.

For example, Aqua, who excels academically (because he was reincarnated), enrolls in a school known only for its performance curriculum (to keep an eye on Ruby), but not as a performance major, although he does end up being one of its most accomplished performers. He floors the admissions committee by claiming to have been won over by school spirit — which is pretty funny. It's a comical series of contradictions. Why is it never brought up again? 'Love Is War' would have shown us the admissions committee once more after Tokyo Blade, patting themselves on the back for having snagged the hot new talent as a general education major. "I raised that boy," says Chika Fujiwara.

It's easy to miss a few small details when you're putting on five separate plays to catch six different killers. It's hard to focus on what matters when you're lavishly animating every encouraging email. The show is not at all bad: it's cluttered, unfocused, and overproduced, but I understood what it was trying to do eventually, and 'That Time I Got Reincarnated as My Cancer Patient's Favorite Singer's Baby' does a decent job of contriving scenarios in which sexy teenagers can slap, kiss, and breastfeed one another. It was all very watchable, except when it made me watch Tokyo Blade.

Absolute Cinema
In Oshi no Ko Season 2, the story deepens and retains its unique charm while continuing to explore themes of reincarnation, revenge, and the complexities of the entertainment industry. Although the core plot still revolves around the twins, Aqua and Ruby, their personal journeys evolve, delving into more mature and darker territory. The season introduces more mystery, especially around the death of their mother, Ai, and hints at further supernatural elements that enhance the drama.
Realism of Reactions:
The emotional responses of the characters are grounded in their past experiences. Aqua’s burdened demeanor and Ruby’s eventual emotional breakdown feel natural given the weight of their ... past traumas and the overwhelming situations they face in their current lives. This psychological depth helps ground the more fantastical elements of the show

This show is just as good as I remember. The art is fantastic, the music is excellent, and the story directions is interesting even if it has been a little slower than season 1.

The art and the music are still excellent, and for the vast majority of the show so far they are living up to the expectation that season one set. There have been some instances where when the characters turn into the light the detail on their faces is obscured by the lighting marks that are a key part of the show's style, and I do not believe that happened in season ... one. These instances have been very few in number but were distracting nonetheless.

The pacing is the only real departure from the status quo set in season one, but that has afforded the show time to develop characters and lay down an entertaining side plot. I am especially happy with how they have handled Akane this season, I was worried she would get watered down after her introduction, but she is shining in this first arc of the season. The show has done an excellent job getting me to care about characters that I was not expecting to when season one wrapped up. If you're like me and enjoy the character drama aspect of this show, then you won't be disappointed.

I am somewhat disappointed in the fact that the first arc of this season is very one sided. Aqua seems to be the focus for now, and I suspect that Ruby will be the focus in the second arc of the season. While this approach has bade the show more bingeable since the arc happens in a uninterrupted fashion, it is odd to see all of the idols sidelined in a show built around AI and the idol industry. Perhaps the writers felt that it was best not to hinder the already slower arc with too many scenes with the idols, I have no doubt they will remedy this in the latter half of the season.

Overall, 9/10

As a manga reader I knew everything about this season from the start. But if you haven't read the manga, you're going to get a lot of twists in this season. Many new faces are seen in this season. I never thought I'd enjoy it so much despite getting the spoiler.
Talking about the animation quality, Doga Kobo has done a great job.
Speaking of characters, I found some of the characters here to be pretty stupid, but you might like them. Because this is my personal opinion. But as always my favorite character Arima Kana's character has developed a lot. Also now you will see ... something new in Ruby.
Here at the beginning, the anime starts with an extraordinary theatrical production (Tokyo Blade). Also along with the main character's revenge mindset, some romantic moments and the plot twist made the whole anime a lot more awesome than last season.
Maybe not everyone likes this type of anime. Because everyone likes different genre. I'm an action genre lover. But despite that, I really enjoyed this season. For me 9/10