"Oshi no Ko" 2nd Season

With the help of producer Masaya Kaburagi, Aquamarine "Aqua" Hoshino and Kana Arima have landed the roles of Touki and Tsurugi in Lala Lai Theatrical Company's stage adaptation of the popular manga series Tokyo Blade. Co-starring with them is Aqua's girlfriend, Akane Kurokawa, who plays Touki's fiancée, Princess Saya. Due to the fanbase preferring Tsurugi as Touki's love interest, Saya has made fewer and fewer appearances in the manga, making it difficult for Akane to fully immerse herself in the role. Her struggles are compounded by differences between the play's script and the original work—differences that also greatly frustrate Tokyo Blade's author, Abiko Samejima.

Aqua, however, is more concerned with his personal goals than he is with the play. He has only one objective in mind: to grow closer to director Toshirou Kindaichi and find out what he knows about Aqua's mother, Ai.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Arima, Kana Main

Han, Megumi Japanese

Hoshino, Aquamarine Main

Ootsuka, Takeo Japanese

Kurokawa, Akane Main

Iwami, Manaka Japanese

Hoshino, Ai Supporting

Takahashi, Rie Japanese

Hoshino, Ruby Supporting

Igoma, Yurie Japanese

Mem-Cho Supporting

Ookubo, Rumi Japanese

Saitou, Miyako Supporting

Lynn Japanese

Gotanda, Taishi Supporting

Kase, Yasuyuki Japanese

Amamiya, Gorou Supporting

Ito, Kent Japanese

Samejima, Abiko Supporting

Sakura, Ayane Japanese

Yamashita, Shinpei Producer

Kobayashi, Ryou Producer

Kamata, Hajime Producer

Aomura, Yousuke Producer

Reviews

Sep 4, 2024

God_Speed7700

Recommended

Preliminary (9/13 eps)

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

Reviewer’s Rating: 10

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Aug 24, 2024

ouro_boros_13

Mixed Feelings

Funny

Preliminary (9/13 eps)

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.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Aug 23, 2024

Petrospit

Not Recommended

Funny

Preliminary (8/13 eps)

Another show that has lost its main direction and plot pretty much like Spy x Family. I was expecting the show to be about Aqua trying to discover the truth behind Ai Hoshinos death like it was mentioned in the first season with the occasional insight into the showbiz struggles but instead we got the story of a manga adaptation in theater form and the struggles of other unrelated to the plot characters. Episodes 4 and 5 got my hopes up but the filler episodes continued. Its obvious that the creator of the series is trying to milk as much as he can ... from this franchise just like the Spy x family creator does. If you expect to see some development from the first season you will be let down

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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