Oshi no Ko (2023)

[推しの子]

Season 1

Director: Daisuke Hiramaki
Studio: Doga Kobo
Starring: Takeo Otsuka, Yurie Igoma, Megumi Han
Episodes: 11

Synopsis:
A young man infiltrates the entertainment industry to find the person responsible for the death of his mother, a popular idol singer.

Impressions:
When I heard that Aka Akasaka of Kaguya-sama fame was working on a new series, I was intrigued, but because it seemed to be an idol series, I wasn't that interested and passed on it. As this adaptation came out, I stumbled onto a synopsis which was definitely not what I was expecting. I've left quite a few of the details out of my own synopsis above in an attempt to preserve a little of the surprise for you. We start with a feature-length premiere that honestly could've done just fine with a theatrical release before jumping into the main story. The series tries to strike a balance between an optimistic take on the entertainment industry and a very jaded one. I do appreciate that it's not given an entirely rosy assessment as it really is quite the cesspit. The dichotomy is pretty well represented by our two leads, the cynical Aqua and his more Pollyannaish twin Ruby. As you would expect from a story written by Akasaka, the character work is really good with a nice blend of comedy and drama. Production values are also quite high, which is always nice. This is easily the highlight of the season, if not the whole year. I'd love to go into more detail, but I don't want to take away from the experience of discovering things for yourself. Know that I highly recommend it for a place in your collection. Even if you don't like idol stuff, don't worry. There's so much more to it than that.

Rating:
Own It