Poor animations, disappointing developments – some anime are currently failing. But Oshi no Ko is raising the bar in terms of quality.
The third anime season of a series seems to be cursed sometimes. After two seasons, many series decline – both in their story, which often resorts to an inserted filler plot, and in their animation quality. Recently, One-Punch Man has come under fire and I was worried that my current favorite series – Oshi no Ko – might be affected as well.
Quality from another world
The animation quality of Oshi no Ko was already outstanding in the first two seasons. I even found that the portrayal of the play in season 2 ranks among the most visually impressive sequences I have ever seen in an anime. For me, it could even keep up with big anime films with significantly larger budgets.
Given all the drama surrounding One-Punch Man, I was worried that Oshi no Ko might be in the same boat. But my concerns did not materialize. The fact that the series held a livestream to showcase the opening and ending was already a good indication that they are very confident about the quality. You can see how good it looks for yourself during the opening with the song “Test Me”:
A similar level of quality is also present in the ending, even though there’s no real reason for it – because let’s be honest, the ending is probably the part you skip in an anime the most:
The story makes me nervous – and I love it
What is Oshi no Ko about, really? Oshi no Ko tells the story of Aqua and Ruby. They are the children of the murdered superstar Ai Hoshino, who was killed by a stalker early in her childhood. In the first two seasons, it was primarily the boy Aqua who sought information about the murderer in the show business, in order to take revenge. By now, Aqua is convinced that the murderer has long since died. But just as Aqua reaches this conclusion, Ruby finds out that the opposite is true: the murderer is still at large and can be found somewhere in the entertainment industry.
By the end of season 2, it is already clear: now it’s about Ruby and her descent into the darkness of a quest for vengeance.
Normally, I love anime with dark themes. I enjoy when good characters are led down a dark path and positive emotions turn negative. I like drama, despair, and cruelty in series – but Oshi no Ko is different.
Seeing Ruby become increasingly calculating and cold makes me feel genuinely uneasy. Watching Ruby become more and more corrupted by the world of entertainment, resorting to lies and manipulation to achieve her goals, is unexpectedly uncomfortable – and exactly why it’s so captivating. Perhaps it’s because we got to know Ruby over 2 seasons as a cheerful, impulsive, and simply too cheerful girl, who essentially lives only for her dream.
Now to see her eyes basically “extinguished” (the eyes are indeed a thing of their own in Oshi no Ko) gives each scene a weight and oppression – whether she is just conversing (apparently) trivial matters with classmates or playing the “dumb blonde” for a television show.
It’s been a long time since a series has made me root so much for its characters as Oshi no Ko. And even though I know that the series won’t conclude until season 4, I am curious to see where the journey goes in the coming weeks. Because I am a bit afraid of what might become of Ruby – and that is extremely exciting.
Of course, there is still a chance that season 3 might decline and I might have to take back my words in a few weeks. But what I have seen so far makes me hungry for more – and at the same time worried about characters in a way I haven’t been for a fictional series in a long time. Also, it reminds me again why I typically wait until a series is fully available before I start watching. Because the waiting time between episodes is the worst…
Right now, I have the impression that at least for my interests, there are a whole bunch of anime that are interesting, all having outstanding quality. Whether it is the unexpectedly dark story of “Takopi’s Original Sin” or the oppressively desperate mood of “This Monster Wants to Eat Me” – the last seasons have simply been good, even though the big mainstream series have fallen a bit behind.
Anyone who has previously avoided Oshi no Ko should definitely give the series a chance and at least check out the first episode – in the end, you will be 100% sure whether this is for you.
If you still don’t know what anime to watch in the coming days, our Jasmin has put together a list of “weekend anime” that you can comfortably binge-watch over one or two evenings.
