"Oshi no Ko"
[Oshi no Ko]

Edit

What would you like to edit?

SynopsisBackgroundAlternative TitlesPictureChapters/VolumesPublishing DatesRelationsTypeExternal Links  

Started reading this today after reading Love is War, another one of his works. To start off, I honestly got mislead by the cover art and thought is was just going down the Shounen/Shoujo path; boy was I wrong... This story definitely has what I look for in most Manga.

1) Catches my attention
2) Leaves me on the edge of my seat
3) Has some sort emotional rollercoaster/a sense of realism
Lastly,
4) A clear story with a goal in mind (this isn't a must, but it definitely helps with most things I read)

Long story short; I definitely recommend reading this, it wont disappoint.

I’d like to start by mentioning that I tried to write this review without any spoilers, which limits my ability to fully express my thoughts. I respect that others might have a different opinion, but what I write here is from my own perspective, and I try to be as objective as possible. Also, I’ve read Kaguya-sama, another manga by the same author.

The author made the decision to shift from what is probably the best romantic comedy manga I’ve ever read to one that explores more serious themes, which I respect and admire to a certain point. However, he made many of the same mistakes ... he did with his first work. Also, Mr. Akasaka didn’t handle the artwork for this manga; he only wrote it. You’d expect that stepping away from drawing would allow him to focus on delivering a stronger story, but if that was his intention, I don´t see a good result.

The concept of Oshi no Ko is really interesting, strange, and, above all, unique. Even though it touches on some controversial and odd topics, it was still a good story. The characters are solid, and there are elements in the story that have a lot of potential, but ultimately they don’t get resolved in a satisfying way. Like Kaguya-sama, it introduces important plot points that either get ignored or are wrapped up so hastily and sloppily that it becomes frustrating.

My biggest complaint about Oshi no Ko is its ending. I understand that not all endings have to be happy, but the last ten chapters felt so rushed that they left me with a deep sense of dissatisfaction. The author introduced several subplots that seemed promising, but in the end, they either turned into empty promises, were forgotten, or were just poorly resolved.

The ending of the story is bad, terrible, unnecessary, and honestly, I can’t justify it. I wish I could, but it’s so bad it’s almost absurd. This story feels incomplete and poorly developed to the point that I regret spending time reading this manga. The only things I can salvage are a few ideas, the artwork, the characters, and the excellent anime adaptation. However, the manga leaves such a bad taste in my mouth that I’d rather forget about it, though it’s hard because I do have a certain fondness for it.

If you compare the characters at the start with their final versions, you can hardly notice any difference. There’s no development. The protagonist, Aqua, is disappointing, and even his sister Ruby is underwhelming. Tsukuyomi, an interesting character, ends up contributing absolutely nothing. But the biggest wasted potential is Kana Arima. She’s one of the most underused characters I’ve ever seen in a manga. From start to finish, she’s treated like a punching bag, and while many characters’ potential was squandered, Kana’s case stands out as especially painful. The ending she gets is an insult.

The last 10 or 20 chapters are some of the most rushed I’ve ever seen in any story. It feels like the author just wanted to wrap up the manga as quickly as possible. I admit that I love the works of Mr. Akasaka, but seeing him repeat these patterns and close his stories so hastily takes away all the excitement and commitment I had to his works. I’m not sure I’d read another of his mangas. Oshi no Ko hooked me at first, but then it ruined everything with such a bad ending that it made the whole story feel pointless. Specifically, the last five chapters of this manga show my point completely, and the last three are a direct insult to the characters. The final chapter is a joke, so bad that it kinda looks like if an AI wrote it.

The last two chapters, especially the final one, are a stupid conclusion. I know I’ve repeated this, but it really feels like one of those movies where, during the credits, they show what happened to the characters, but in this case, it’s even worse. The resolution of Ruby’s story goes nowhere, and the plot ends up going back to square one, making it completely nonsensical. I’m not exaggerating when I say that all the time I spent reading the manga and watching the anime was a waste. I doubt this will happen, but if the anime or live-action adaptation ends up giving a different conclusion to the original, I would welcome it.

I’ve seen comments mocking the ending and suggesting ridiculous ways to make it less tragic. Ironically, all these ideas are somehow better than the ending the author gave us, I´m not kidding.

The main villain, who was introduced at the beginning of the story, only appears a few times. They try to justify his actions and thoughts by showing parts of his past, but in the end, since he appears so infrequently, he generates nothing more than disgust. Everything gets wrapped up so quickly that it feels completely rushed. Without spoiling what happens, I’ll just say there were many ways to resolve “that” without going to extremes. It’s not an emotional ending; it’s a ridiculous one.

I want to clarify something: it’s not that it’s a sad ending. The problem is that it’s so poorly developed that instead of making you feel sadness, it just leaves you feeling disappointed. It’s terribly written. Even if the author decided to write an alternate ending, it wouldn’t be worth it because he’d have to rewrite at least the last 30 chapters of the manga. That should make it clear how bad the ending is.

I’m saying this as respectfully as I can. I think the problem with the author, Mr. Akasaka, is that he often has brilliant ideas with a lot of potential, which captivate the readers. But just when it seems like he’s about to develop those ideas, he gets distracted by another “better” idea and starts a new manga, leaving the unfinished one as a task he has to complete. I understand the desire to develop a great idea right away, but this seems like a personal issue with the author that seriously impacts the quality of his works. He has so many great ideas that he fails to develop properly, and I’d love to say that he’ll take a break from writing stories to better organize his ideas. But no, he´s going to write another story soon, and I just hope he doesn’t make the same mistakes. As for me, I seriously doubt I’ll read another of his works, I´m beyond dissapointed.

To put it another way, the last chapters are so poorly done that they ruin the whole manga because it doesn’t lead to anything. Manga like Kaguya-sama had an unsatisfying ending, but that doesn’t take away from its value; it’s still worth revisiting. On the other hand, this isn’t the case with Oshi no Ko. It’s not worth it. I can’t rescue anything from it because it’s a complete waste of potential, that´s the reason I´m giving this manga such a low score.

To conclude this review, let me say it directly: I don’t recommend reading the manga. It hurts me to say this because, as I’ve mentioned, it’s a story full of potential, but it leads to nothing. I’m being completely honest when I say I’ll remember it for having one of the worst endings, not just in manga but in fiction in general. As for the anime, as I mentioned, it’s an excellent adaptation with great voice acting and art, but inevitably, they’ll reach the terrible ending of the manga.

One of the few sleeves that as you go you are attracted to more and more.
The beginning of the story cannot be one of the best, at the beginning of the second chapter, it simply hooks you up and you want to keep reading more as you read the story.
The characters are unique, including with art remains a simply amazing result.
The protagonist is the typical character who has a single objective and to reach that goal he will have to do many things, which can corrupt him.
Another side of the world behind idols and actors, problems they become, in their lives to become a success ... over others.
It's just unbelievable to me.

I am giving this series an 8 purely out of respect for what it used to be. However, I do not recommend reading it for reasons I will explain. This review is spoiler-free and I'll attempt to keep it short/non-specific.

Firstly, let me address the good. Oshi no Ko has some fantastic writing and characters. The series was started as an exposé of sorts on the entertainment industry, meant to pull back the curtain on how things really are for those in various parts of the industry (idols, producers, directors, actors, etc). It's under this direction that Oshi no Ko is at its best, building realistic ... and relatable characters with well-researched plots, and handling a lot of very real, serious issues with the industry and society with the respect they deserve.

However, at a certain point, the series massively deviates from this. That isn't an inherently incorrect choice; the author has pivoted a series successfully before, with Love is War going from a fantastic romantic comedy to a more serious drama without any loss in quality. However, just the same as Love is War, he completely fumbles the ending and ruins everything that had been built up to that point. The final arc of Oshi no Ko is like a fanfiction written by someone who hates the series and is trying to create the worst ending physically possible. No, actually, I think someone who hates the series could write a better ending. Nothing that's happening makes any sense, with characters acting completely illogically in accordance with plans that they have no reason to believe will work, nor are good solutions to the situation they're in. On top of that, multiple extremely important plot points from as early as volume 1 get completely retconned in such a way that the entire plot of the manga post volume 1 should never have happened to begin with.

The main antagonist of the entire manga, who barely appears prior to the ending arc and never actually involves himself in the plot post volume 1, finally shows up and is given some backstory. Then, he is replaced by a different antagonist who gets forced into the plot via a retcon that *completely ruins the first volume and every character motivation for Aqua/Ruby*. Then we go back to the main antagonist, then back to this new one, then back again all within the span of a few chapters. It is jarring and incredibly poorly planned/written.

The characters, for the most part, get 1-2 panel endings in what basically amounts to a PowerPoint presentation of "where did they end up?". Only 1 character, Aqua, gets a proper ending, which sees all of his character development completely undone as he reverts back to being the exact same person he was at the end of volume 1.

Effectively, the final arc of the manga makes reading the entire series up to that point useless, as most of the series' foundations are retconned away, most characters don't even get to pretend they had an ending, and the one character who does get an ending has all their character growth destroyed in one big "screw you" from Aka to the fans. Hopefully the anime gets an original ending if it makes it to the final volume. Do not read past Tokyo Blade.

Oshi no Ko is a manga that left me feeling disappointed and underwhelmed. While the concept was intriguing, the execution fell flat. The story lacked a clear direction, and the pacing was inconsistent, with some scenes dragging on while others felt rushed.

The characters in Oshi no Ko were one-dimensional and lacked depth, making it difficult to connect with them. The dialogue felt forced and unnatural, and the relationships between the characters were underdeveloped and unconvincing.

The artwork in Oshi no Ko was competent but unremarkable, with a generic anime style that failed to stand out. The backgrounds were often sparse and lacked detail, which made the ... world feel flat and uninspired.

Overall, I would not recommend Oshi no Ko to anyone looking for a well-crafted manga with engaging characters and a compelling story. There are many other options out there that are much more deserving of your time and attention.

I would rather watch apes throwing shit, then reading this abomination.

Oshi no Mid" is a terrible manga that I would strongly recommend avoiding. The storyline is incredibly boring and lacks any real depth or substance. The characters are poorly developed and lack any real likability or relatability. Furthermore, the manga promotes negative and harmful behaviors, such as murder, which is not appropriate for children or any responsible reader. Overall, "Oshi no Mid" is a poorly written and morally questionable manga that I would not waste my time reading, nor encourage anyone else to do so.
The manga contains mature themes, such as child abandonment, manipulation, and psychological abuse, which may be triggering or uncomfortable for some ... readers. Additionally, the story can be slow-paced and repetitive at times, which may not appeal to readers looking for fast-paced action or a more engaging plot. Ultimately, whether someone likes or dislikes "Oshi no Ko" depends on their personal preferences and sensitivity to mature content.
I would rather play watch against the wall then reading this abomination again.

Oshi No Ko is a story that shows us in depth and in a realistic way the world of entertainment in all its forms (television, theater, music, etc.) from the most positive to the darkest and also the influence of social networks.
One of the strongest points of Oshi No Ko is that the characters are very interesting and each one has a well constructed personality.

The art is wonderful and very consistent, vital to elevate the story to a higher level.

In conclusion: Oshi No Ko is a very original story, where the strong points are the drama and the characters. The only negative point is that ... the ending feels a bit rushed. But I think overall it is an excellent and very enjoyable story.

Story 5/10:

This is conflicting…the “main” storyline that was set up at chapter 1 was absolutely amazing, and had the potential to be one of the first 10/10 stories I give. And then… it got abandoned for the rest of the entire manga, with a sprinkle of dick tease here and there just to rub it in your face.

The majority of the story about the idol industry is honestly boring as hell, and if it weren’t for the first few chapters of brilliant setup, I would have dropped it in a flash. That said, I did speedread most of the chapters due to how uninteresting it ... was.

Art 7/10:
The art for Ai’s family were amazing, especially Ai. The way she is drawn, you can really emphasis with her fans feel why she was loved so much. Her cheerfulness and energy was fully showcased by the art. The siblings reminded me of Kagamine Rin and Len, so they were enjoyable in that respect. The other characters didn’t have any art that particularly caught the eye, but was good enough that the impressions left is: good.

Characters 6/10:

The only real point Aqua and Ruby got any development was when advancing the main plot, and during the idol parts, all their development feels fake and unappealing. The minor characters got tons of development during idol parts, but they are really not enticing enough for me to cheer them on and be engaged by their characters.

Enjoyment 5/10:

The manga had my absolutely hooked at the first part, then bored me to death whilst I held onto the faint hope that enjoyment will come back, and to the current latest chapter, no it has not. Idol mangas really aren’t enjoyable and any drama, training, or production feels unenjoyable to read. The characters make it slightly more bearable but this is defiantly not a manga I would recommend until maybe it is fully finished.

A story that manages to combine quite a few things together to create something very interesting. The story tackles the entertainment industry and a lot of its different parts from clean to unbelievably dirty. It also manages to highlight the serious flaws in idol culture while not dissing the actual hardworking people just trying to reach their dreams or saying that idols as a whole shouldn’t exist or are dumb. And all of that is just in what amounts to the prologue. The story has an interesting start and while they both have their flaws as well both twins manage to be lovable and endearing ... characters. The motivations of the two being so very different despite being so much alike and both moving into the entertainment industry is also a nice dynamic. And the mystery of their father and if he was actually involved in the murder is something keeping me invested. The story hasn’t even really reached its stride yet, and even so I have reasonably high hopes for this series and can’t wait to see what happenes.

Oshi no Ko is a manga that has been highly anticipated by fans of the genre, but unfortunately, it falls short of expectations in several areas. While the artwork is stunning, the story and characters leave much to be desired.

One of the main issues with Oshi no Ko is its pacing. The story progresses at a snail's pace, and the narrative feels like it's going nowhere. The slow pace can be frustrating for readers, especially considering the potential of the story's unique premise.

Another issue with Oshi no Ko is the way it handles certain topics. The manga has been criticized for its portrayal of the ... idol industry, which some readers argue is unfair and overly negative. While the industry does have its issues, the manga's treatment of it can be uncomfortable for fans of idols or those who have worked in the industry themselves.

Furthermore, the character development in Oshi no Ko is lacking. Many of the characters feel one-dimensional, and their motivations and actions are often confusing or illogical. This can make it difficult to care about their struggles or invest in their journey, ultimately leading to a lack of emotional impact.

Overall, while Oshi no Ko has its strengths, such as beautiful artwork and a unique premise, its slow pacing, problematic handling of certain topics, and underdeveloped characters make it a difficult recommendation for many readers. The manga could benefit from a more focused and faster-paced narrative, as well as more nuanced and well-rounded characters.

If you're here, I'm assuming you're here for 2 things

You want to see how others think about this new piece of manga that Gigguk recommended
You want to see other people's opinions on this manga
Just as the manga itself predicted, people are heavily influecned by the modern rise of the internet, where every opinion matters. So I will do you guys some good by providing my unfiltered opinion on this manga. With that being said, spoilers will definitely apply.

Oshi no Ko is one of the best mangas I've ever read, even though I don't read much manga, this one instantly shot up into my "keep reading" ... list and made its way into my favorites. It explores so much about the performing arts industries to a depth that only someone in that very business can provide. This makes a lot of sense, considering the man behind this manga was none other than Kaguya-sama's Aka Akasaka-sensei himself. Having seen his mangas blossom into well-received animes, this man poured all he knew about the industry into one fantastic manga that burdens our souls with the same weight these very characters go through while also retaining aspects of comedy, romance, and drama that a normal manga of this genre would achieve.

Plot
This piece is definitely where it hits my soft spot. The Isekai genre has been overdone to no avail and now every anime season a new dull one pops up to give us shits and giggles. The premise of Oshi is original in their own right. Aquamarine and Ruby are reincarnations of a hospital doctor and a passed patient respectively, both respect their figurative and literal idol Ai, and as a result when Ruby passes from her illness and Aqua gets stabbed from a stalking fan, they reincarnate as Ai's new twin children. Originality points there

Other than that, the kids decide to follow in their mother's footsteps, with Ruby retracing the path to Idol Greatness while a slightly less enthusiastic Aqua becomes a talented actor. From there, the progression goes on. Aqua's talents land him gigs of increasing magnitude while retaining the same friends. His mysteriousness, along with his stunning good genes, land him a variety of different showbiz genres, anything from stageplay dramas to reality TV dating shows. Meanwhile Ruby, reaping from the benefits of Aqua's new connections, successfully establishes her idol group and makes a stunning splash at the annual Idol Festival (which is actually a real thing). While it is far too early to call what the authors will do with established storyline, it is brilliant to see this progression happen. Many moments in the manga turn us on our heads with how unexpected they are, or just how straight up funny they are. This is one of the great things about this manga, and its plot director Aka Akasaka. One minute you're experiencing much of the PTSD Aqua went through, and another you're laughing your guts out because of the stupid shenanigans this group of chumps are doing. It's honestly refreshing to see a manga or an anime that can aptly mix these two emotional extremes, but this anime does it perfectly.

Art
This carries on within the art section too. The artists drawing this manga made very clever use of symbolism. The most prominent of which is the Hoshino Family's signature starry eyes. When Aqua gets dead serious, his star turns pitch black and his irises are no longer reflective, when Ruby adapts into her onstage persona, her stars get larger and widen to resemble Ai's own eyes. For Aqua, his darkening is motivated by his desire to find the person who killed him, and for Ruby, her lightening is motivated by her passion coming forth. The Twins aren't the only one who have this tho. Partway through the Reality TV arc, Akane Kurokawa adopts Ai's personality for one scene after her return, slipping into the idol's persona and emulating her very emotions to such a pinpoint accuracy that she actually correctly guessed the fact that Ai secretly had children. In that scene, her pupils turned into the signature Hoshino stars and her hair was redrawn to emulate Ai's. This uncanny use of symbolism gave me mad respects and it gives the reader so much visual clue that they can immediately understand just what kind of a person these Hoshino siblings are.

Apart from that, despite not drawing the art, Akasaka's Kaguya definitely influenced the other panels. One thing I kept noticing as I was reading was how real these characters looked, the light reflecting off their eyes and hair and the atmosphere of the sets on stage. It felt stunning for still black-and-white images to feel so 3D. Even in their comedic cartoony moments, it is more than just a simple doodle, as the characters look genuinely funny. One more thing to point out is the text bubbles. If you have read the Webtoon Unordinary you'll definitely be familiar with the style. Depending on how serious the characters are, their text bubbles shift from light to dark. The best example of this is when Akane was researching Ai's personality to slip into. You can see how she's getting serious by the gradual darkening of her text bubbles. An excellent touch.

Characters
One of the most important things in showbiz is the people portraying the characters. The many characters introduced in Oshi no Ko definitely emulate that idea. Not only are multiple perspectives these character possess evaluated, but everything the characters do is also important as it helps with their standings in their peers. On top of that, the frequent burdens of the showbiz industry frequently show their scars on them. Each of them displays a different trauma associated with a different part of showbusiness. I'll give a quick run-through so you guys know what I mean.

Aquamarine Hoshino
Since the events of his past, the once chipper young lad became a solemn husk of a being racked by PTSD and a desire for vengeance. He is shown to be exceptionally adaptive and perceptive, and that frequently proves to be his ally. In him we see the burden of emotion and reluctance. His immense talent has landed him some killer gigs, yet his personality remains solemn as ever. He's hardworking, yet antisocial. And he has frequently reminded others that he doesn't even want to act at all. Despite this, he takes on the jobs because he wants to enact vengeance. His pure willpower is what's driving him, because what's left of his passion is all gone. He's the embodiment of people trapped in jobs purely for the rewards. And in the case of showbusiness, talent like him won't go to waste.

Ruby Hoshino
Ruby remains a bit of a pure bubble especially in terms of the negatives of showbiz, but she is constantly hammered by one thing: no headstarts. Ruby's aspirations are constantly being denied because people either don't want to accept her into the idol business or she just doesn't have enough of a fanbase to start. Her personality remains the steadfast dreamer as always, but enough nightmares can crush a dream.

Kana Arima
Kana is a child actor known for her ability to cry on command, but that's it. Ever since then, she's embodied the one thing people playing BitLife hate the most: being forgotten. Her spotlight has faded and no one remembers her name. Her talent is impeccable and her skills are numerous, but since her gigs never blew up, no one remembers her. She went through a showbiz person's worst nightmare, and despite climbing back, it has continued to influence how she acts, poisoning her confidence and her self-esteem.

Akane Kurokawa
My personal favorite of the bunch and the victim of the harshest reality of all, Akane Kurokawa is beyond talented, with skills rivaling Kana and a legendary agency behind her. Yet, during the Reality TV arc, she faced an uncontrollable force: The Internet. Nervousness coupled with confusion and lack of action made her forgotten in the TV show, following that, an unintentional outburst and deliberate framing by the studio framed her to be a villain. This drove the internet mad with rage, and if you've played Genshin recently you'll definitely know what's coming up: fans started bombarding her accounts with insults, death threats, toxicity, and everything a fragile 17-year old rising star would NOT want to face every day. Akane was driven to seclusion, her confidence plummeting, and had Aqua not intervened she would no longer be alive. Her plummet during the season exposes the internet's worst consequences, and the unfortunate thing is that it keeps on happening. Many people every day suffer from cyberbullying, even just a bit of it on a high school level was enough to drive high school teens to suicide. Now imagining it happening to a big-shot star, who's also a high schooler so she, therefore, has the tolerance of one. The mangaka did a painstaking job recreating every single thought that went on through her brain as the comments flooded in right up to the moment she was about to jump ship, showing us how this negativity drives a brain. It pains me as I write this to know that this is happening right now. Even through all this, Akane perseveres, bouncing back and giving us all a hell of a show for all the later arcs. Her personality is tough, and her spirit tougher.

Takeaways
Overall, Oshi is a heavy story

Not only is the world it describes one we take for granted, but it also rips each and every industry wide open to reveal how demanding it is. Everyone may aspire to be on the big stage, but it always costs more to win than to lose. Oshi no Ko shows brilliant exploration of such heavy themes and connotations, and it shows us that in the world of showbiz, the greatest lies you can tell are what gets you the furthest. In all else, Oshi teaches us a few important things:

If you want to do something, consider everything about it. Its benefits, its enjoyments, and most importantly, how much it will demand of you. It takes three positives to outweigh a negative, so your passion must burn even brighter to light your way.

SPOILERS WARNING
This is after reading chapter 164(and knowing what happens with chapter 165).

Oshi no Ko had a strong introduction with its prologue that got my interest in its anime adaptation and started reading the manga till I catch up to chapter 110 or something where is the start from the "Movie Arc" a.k.a. the start of the downfall and mess of Oshi no Ko till it ended.
The story focused in two plots. "The Revenge Plot" the main one and "The Japanese Entertainment" as a secondary plot but the recurring plot since the main one would remember you after every 20 chapters or so as an ... attempt to "hype" the reader that the father of the twins was the killer of the beloved Ai Hoshino, giving crumbs of Aqua finding new information or eventually seeing who was the father.
For me the manga was pretty good when it focused its characters in the Entertainment World but every character would become worse and worse when it focused the Revenge Plot.
---
REVENGE PLOT:
This plot focused on the big bad guy Hikaru Kamiki the father of the twins who "killed" the mother of the twins Ai Hoshino and I kid you not, this guy was hyped so much from the mangaka and the community as a mastermind of sort, but in reality he literally appears probably in 6 to 8 fully chapters(where he appeared more than half of the chapter) at best in a 166 manga chapter lmao.
This is what Hikaru did in this whole manga:
* He manipulated a stalker who was the boyfriend of an ex-member of B-Komachi and ex-collegue of Ai, who both were obsessive with Ai, he doesn't appear in a single chapter in the prologue.
* Then he finally debuts in CHAPTER 72! but only appears in like 1 ou 2 pages.
* Wait he finally does something in CHAPTER 109 where he killed a famous actress ... and the story never talks about it, literally just a reminder to the reader that this guy is bad.
* My guy then FINALLY GETS INTRODUCED TO THE ACTUAL STORY IN CHAPTER 152!!! where he interviews Aqua and then starts to appear there and there till he gets killed by Aqua in chapter 162.
Also the fraud mangaka tries to create some kind of sympathy for Hikaru because he got molested by another woman when he was young ... but in reallity it never worked since he never truly focused on the actual character but in assumptions from flashbacks and then potrayed in the movie from Aqua, then he tries again when he finally gets introducted fully to the story but does in such a rushed and a mess kind of way because the story was ending in like 10-12 chapters lmao.
Characters like Aqua, Akane and kind of Ruby were severly badly written thanks to this plot.
---
JAPANESE ENTERTAINMENT PLOT:
Not much to talk about it honestly but when the story focused on this solely the manga was at its best, it focused the struggles of each character from OnK, their success etc, the behind the scenes were great and the manga should've stayed that way instead of a Revenge Plot that just never got my interest because it always felt such a edgy-fest from Aqua.
---
CHARACTERS:
* AQUA HOSHINO - Hes a big example why this Revenge Plot was terrible(on pair with Hikaru). When the plot focused in his struggles of PTSD from Ai Hoshinos murder it was really great and gave great sympathy for the reader to like more Aqua, the same goes with his relationships with Ruby, Miyako(really love this one, Miyamon deserved a lot more love), Kana, Akane, Mem, etc. But the second Aqua would go edgelord with Hikaru, anything else didn't matter, REALLY HATED THE FACT HE JUST DIED HAVING A LOT OF HEAVILY DEPENDENT RELATIONSHIPS, ESPECIALLY RUBY CONSIDERING HER PAST LIFE AND HER STRUGGLES WITH AI AND GOROU(seriously, the Dark Ruby arc). Never truly understand why everyone in this manga is just ok with murder lmao, Aqua doesn't even consider of trying to stop Hikaru without making him or anyone important for him to suffer but in the end he did. Just terrible.

* RUBY HOSHINO - Impossible not to like Ruby considering her past life as Sarina and then the murder of Ai but after that her character grew older felt like she was always the 14 year old(dont remember the age she died) Sarina and not Ruby(comparing with Aqua who had this struggle of Aqua or Gorou), she always was stuck in this "Goofy Ai from Wish" type of character but then the Dark Ruby arc happens where I love it, she had true struggles and development of how truly hard is this entertainment world ... BUT NEVERMIND SHE GOES BACK TO 14 YEAR OLD SARINA THE SECOND SHE FINDS THE DOCTOR IS ALIVE ... jfc.
The incest plot needed to happen considering of who the characters were and what Sarina felt BUT WE NEED TO MILK THIS SHIT FOR BULLSHIT SHIPPING SHIT LMAO, Legit you could feel this shit was from a degen view bait from Mengo and Aka just needed to milk more bullshit Romance. In the end Ruby gets her character ruined from this incest plot and reverts back being the same character she was after the prologue ended.

* ARIMA KANA - My favorite (Ruby and Miyako are after), easy to like considering her past struggles, hard-working and etc but unfortunately gets her character ruined by being dependent on Aqua. My girl legit try to move on from Aqua like 3 times but Aka needs to milk more shipping bullshit, creating love triangles and whatever. Seriously everytime she gets focused in her Idol/Acting stuff absolutely loved it, her relationships with Ruby and Mem were great and the rivalry(IN THE ACTING WORLD) with Akane was getting better. BUT since she never was apart from this bullshit Revenge Plot Mr. Fraudlent Aka needed to force her being in this shipping bullshit to milk more and more. Felt bad for her, Ruby and Miyako from the way this manga was written.

* AKANE KUROKAWA - Gonna be honest here but shes just a yandere plot device lmao. She basically a cheat code, anytime Aqua is stuck with something, here comes Miss Plot Device to solve so we can move the plot. So to avoid her being called that, we need to make her as "perfect" as possible and include her in this romance, having this "ride or die" type of girl trope that every 14-18 year old teenager wish to have a girl that can die for him/her lmao. Her character outside of the Revenge was fine, impossible not to feel bad for her during the Reality TV Show arc but unfortunately her character resolved in being obsessed with Aqua because "I kNoW wHo YoU TrUlY ArE". Just like Ruby and Kana, shes gets fucked over by having a huge dependency on Aqua and the most of out the 3 since without Aqua she would be just like Mem-cho is in this story(no shade, love Mem).

* HIKARU KAMIKI - Its a shame because he never got a true focus in his character, gets hyped to the point feels like hes the second coming of Sukuna from JJK or something lmao, if this manga actually focused in the Revenge Plot, gave him more than 10 chapters of relevancy then the story would make more sense, but legit he just stand in the shadows ... menacingly.

* MIYAKO SAITOU - Deserved better, Best MOM.
* Mem-Cho - Shes great, wished she got more focused but NOPE U ARENT PART OF THE REVENGE PLOT.
* Crow Girl - Legit another plot device lmaoooo, she doesn't do anything. The twins didn't need "guidance" of their wrath of killing Hikaru. Literally doesn't do anything fucking hell lmao.

CONCLUSION:
Story failed of what it wanted to be. Focused way to much in the secondary plot to the reader actually care about the Revenge Plot imo. But Aka made the Entertainment plot really great to the reader follow the story till the end.
Legit hated that Aka was self-aware of what mangakas and editors would do in terms of Romance(force love triangles, shipping non-stop characters) in the Tokyo Blade arc ... and does the same fucking thing lmao, the lack of a spine from this guy. Also you can see a lot of Mengo touch the story(the illustrator) she eventually started giving advice and act like the second mangaka(this is confirmed from interviews with both of them) and if you don't know her past works, she basically does the most degen shit ever so the incest plot wasn't a surprise considering she started giving advice.
It's a shame, the secondary plot was good, characters were good, art was amazing ... but yeah.
3.

Oshi no Ko is a manga that has generated a lot of buzz and excitement, but unfortunately, it fails to deliver on its promises. While the artwork is visually stunning, the story and characters are lacking in many areas.

One of the main issues with Oshi no Ko is its slow pacing. The story progresses at a snail's pace, with very little happening in each chapter. This makes it hard for readers to stay engaged with the plot and can lead to a lack of investment in the characters and their journey.

Additionally, the character development in Oshi no Ko is weak. The characters are not well ... fleshed out, and their motivations and actions can be confusing or feel out of place. This makes it difficult to care about their struggles and ultimately makes the story less impactful.

Moreover, some readers have found the manga's portrayal of the idol industry to be problematic. The manga is criticized for its negative portrayal of the industry, which can be uncomfortable for fans of idols or those who work in the industry. The portrayal is seen as oversimplified and unfair, which takes away from the overall narrative.

I would rate this piece of Toilet paper -5 if I could.
Not recommended.

After reading Oshi no Ko, I was left feeling unimpressed. The storyline lacked coherence and felt disjointed, with the plot meandering without any clear direction. Additionally, the characters were one-dimensional and lacked depth, making it difficult to become invested in their arcs.

The artwork was serviceable but unremarkable. The character designs were uninspired and lacked originality, and the backgrounds were often plain and uninteresting. Furthermore, the pacing of the story was uneven, with some scenes dragging on for too long while others felt rushed and underdeveloped.

Overall, I would not recommend Oshi no Ko to anyone looking for a manga with a compelling story and engaging characters. ... While it had some potential, it ultimately failed to deliver a satisfying reading experience.

As someone who enjoys manga and anime, I was intrigued by the hype surrounding this series. However, after reading it, I found that it was a huge letdown. Firstly, the plot is convoluted, jumping around from one timeline to another. The characters are poorly developed, leaving the reader feeling disconnected from them. Secondly, the artwork is lackluster, with bland character designs and rushed backgrounds that fail to capture the reader's imagination. Finally, the pacing of the story is incredibly slow, with a plot that drags on for far too long without any real payoff. Overall, I would not recommend this series to anyone, as the ... confusing plot, lackluster artwork, and slow pacing make for an underwhelming reading experience.
"Kaguya love is war" is way better.
1/10

Minor spoiler warning

Plot: (4/10)
Aqua was a doctor that was obsessed with a 16 year old idol, helped her give birth and after that got isekaied as her son after he was murdered by her stalker, some time after that she dies as well by the same stalker in front of him and now aqua wants revenge so he joins the entertainment industry (he became an actor). The 2-3 first arcs are great after that the last 1-2 arcs are mid at best the latest arc for example keeps on drugging out its been like 20+ chapters since they started preparing to make a movie

Art: (8/10)
great ... art i dont have much to say about it

Characters: (2/10)
-Aqua (MC), he is an edgy edp that instead of developing constantly regresses as a character, when the idol he was obsessed with died and he became an edgelord that barely spoke or interacted with anyone outside of his family (he also got help by a psychologist but pretended to be fine and left) some years after that he starts meeting many people that want to be his friend or even girlfriend in some cases but he constantly puts them aside and they are good only when he has use for them exept for once when the writer tried to develop him but thought "revenge better" if that wasnt enough now after he found that a little girl that was his patient is his twin sister and she is in love with him instead of telling her off the story heavily implies they are endgame
-Ruby, good character that sadly got butchered because of the artist's incest obsession now she is a simp for Aqua
-rest of the side characters: they are far better than the protagonists

overall: (5/10)
if you want to have a good experience of watching and putting some thought behind the story watch the anime's first season and stop there dont go any further or read the first 2-3 arcs after that incest isnt even close to being the biggest problem of the manga

Edit: although ik what happens in chapter 151 and i already knew the incest was a haux to get more views i will still leave this review be no reason to change it :)

Absolute Cinema.

Who let the author cook? Find out yourself by reading this manga.

Historians will spend centuries trying to figure out why Aka Akasaka was responsible for creating the most rushed ever character development and ending in the entire anime & manga industry.

Amazing characters, beautiful character artwork design, great attention to detail, I enjoyed the characters engaging with each other and trying to solve their personal issues and how Aqua gave his all to care for each individual character and the show really showed how much the characters really appreciated his care for them.

Overall, series is good, giving it a score lower then 10 would just ... feel wrong considering how much potential this series has.

Perhaps the up-coming sequels will close some of the gaps that the author missed.

10/10 would read again, but not the ending.

Stay away from the ending.

I have started some reviews indirectly critiquing people's reviews/commentary on some series recently. My own thought process is as follows: I finish a series, form my own thoughts, draft an early idea, go to see the reception of the series or the major recent chapter, write my review. Before I dive into my thoughts, I think audience reception is important to the work we are discussing: be it massive disappointment, justified or not, amazing praise, again, justified or not, deep dive or shallow wading in the work; how people receive the work is important to me from a holistic perspective.

That being said, yet again, ... a huge title ends, and I seriously don't understand how people are calling the ending to this work a disappointment, nor can I sit here idly and accept that this is at all times a masterpiece of manga. There were flaws, nothing egregiously detrimental to transform this into slop, and there were high points, that equally deserve their praise and I'm sure other narratives did it better. Now, enough meta-preamble and just give some minor thoughts. This preamble is more for future me to understand that on release, the last few chapters of this series that no doubt will stand as top manga/anime for many was quite divided online.

I jumped into this ride fully hooked on the mysterious introductory chapters that seemingly take place in the future of the main pages of said chapter, there's a seedy underbelly of entertainment mystery and there's a clever setup to the story where we see future glimpses while reading the prologue. Except you don't know much. That was really fun, and what drew many people in. Death of a main character happens, reincarnation, time flows, new protagonists take the field, an overarching mystery of who killed that main character, and a fun narrative where you reincarnate with all your previous intelligence and huge amount of connections, star power, and luck form around two siblings. Childhood turns into adolescence, revival of idol groups, movie dreams, live theater, youtube, entertainment industries are captured really well at the outset. Probably around 2/3rds through, one of the bigger weird moments of incesty vibes occur, and I will say that the overall quality of the manga went down a little around this time, i wasn't rushing to open the app and read new developments, I sort of took a break as it seemed there needed to be a hiatus on behalf of the creators and as readers, the hype that held us went away and we wanted more answers. The artist and author come back, we get a huge culmination of many loose ends, and we get a controversial ending (but I'm left with the question why was it controversial?) and the series ends on a tragic bittersweetness with glimmers of hope. That shouldn't be a spoiler, you know how dark things began, I would say that the ending landed largely in the same way.

The art was great, and there were panels of excellently executed mesmerizing gazes and vistas, of course very dramatic since this is a story revolving around actors and their major stages or minor stages, be it at a concert or masking daily pains and tragedies of their pasts. I think the character designs were nice, attractive actor vibes, the idol sets and costumes, even the theater moments, really allow the artists to shine and make dashing outfits and wonderful backgrounds for our little acting troupe The characters were fun, albeit annoying sometimes on account of them being literal children much of the narrative, but you know what! They mature and they grow and they develop realistically through mental illness, trauma, career challenges, everything, so it's really great to see how they grow. I mean this narrative takes place over a couple of decades, and even the adults in the story have their ebbs and flows: particularly special was seeing how the couple that adopts the main protagonists at the beginning go through a separation and then years later meet again and without spoiling much, they're just very realistic and adult about what happened.

The story is a meandering mess (nonderogatory, it's messy, let's be real) of tragedy, comedy, and will they won't they-isms everywhere. There was a general sense of "I'm so smart no one will figure out my plan" and then a character would be like "I know your plan, don't think I'm as stupid as others, let me in on it" and the characters would put themselves in dangerous positions and go through unhealthy moments and grow out of it. There was care between these characters, even buried under the tsundere glares of some, there was genuine care and I appreciate that about the characters advancing forward to succeed in this little twisted fictional setting.

There are touches of supernatural that I felt would be expanded more, if anything that is a criticism I have, perhaps it's that I found a character that represents chaos showing up shrouded in crows to be fascinating but besides one arc, much did not happen with that aspect. And that goes for the end too. You see, I can sympathize with the criticism that the ending was rushed. The ending 4ish chapters after the main climactic action that rocked the world, were done with a narration over action, so dialogue was not front-loaded, rather the viewpoint of a singular character. I get why that would not mesh with people on account of an ending to a series that was so dialogue heavy, built around actors with strong emotions, and gushing with personality, it's a little strange to not have final moments of the same way. But that cannot blind people out of understanding that the ending was good. It's not a happy ending where everyone gets away free of consequence, choices matter and actions of the main characters matters in the end, to protect who they love and to advance the goals of those in their lives. People's complaints assume because of the time passing in those last few chapters, that the characters get over what occurred and I'm shocked by this lack of comprehension. The characters are not "over" what happened, nor are they uncaring for the friends they lost on the way.

I think the ending solidly showed how grief manifests in people differently and with a nuance that doesn't show melodrama and constant suffering nor does it show happy-go-luck lalaland.

TL;DR: I would definitely recommend this series to anyone willing to go through a story with its major flaws coming in late in the series. The opening gambit of unique storytelling and the arcs based around the characters evolving their acting and connections, it's a drama after all, and it was a little wishy-washy with its potential love triangles and the waifu wars but with a little bit of introspection, I'm sure we can all agree that the journey for this story was fantastic, and the ending is shocking but enjoyable. It is not a waste of time at all, or mid, or a waste of potential as I'm seeing doomposters say. On some days I want to give it an 8, on other days I want to give it an 8.5, this is a great story and does not overstay its wonderful welcome.

I strongly do not recommend *Oshi no Ko*—it's a frustrating experience that disrespects the reader’s time and intelligence. Despite the seeming brilliance of the first half, the manga quickly devolves in the last arc into an incoherent mess that wastes the emotional investment it builds early on. Character arcs that once seemed to be three dimensional and promised some sense of resolution are quickly steamrolled into an inorganic and nonsensical ending. This ending is a spit in the face to all the readers who have followed this manga over the years. In retrospect, due to the utter lack of any substance or resolution, it's clear ... that the author, Akasaka, is more concerned with shock value than meaningful storytelling. Honestly, I regret giving it the time of day—this author should never be allowed to write again.

Save yourself the frustration and steer clear.

Following on the brilliant Kaguya-Sama, and with its public reputation preceding it, I had high hopes for Oshi no Ko.
These hopes weren't met, although that's not really surprising, since doing two masterpieces back to back is extremely rare. However, I can't say that Oshi no Ko would've earned a review if it hadn't come from an author I already knew and loved.
Oshi no Ko isn't necessarily poor, but "mid" sort of comes to mind. This isn't due to any art or storytelling problems per se. It's an identity problem, and the pacing problems that it constantly breeds.

Oshi no Ko starts with a fairly chaotic first ... part/prologue, which jumps around between characters and timelines, there's confusing flash forwards on several occasions, numerous quick "mini stories" that are supposed to introduce characters to us, but none of these characters get enough time to build a proper personality. They're both slightly too long to be short and too short to deliver a fully self contained story, so they just feel like you're juggling from one situation to another, from the doctor, his patient, his other patient, their situations, etc. Then the Occult starts happening and more mini stories with fast forwards happen.

This entire prologue sequence ends with a captivatingly tragic, and very well put together moment which I won't spoil, but has rocketed Oshi no Ko to fame when the anime came out. This was a catalytic moment for me, as I was drawn very deeply into the manga and felt emotion in a way that rarely comes to me. I immediately couldn't stop wolfing down the pages, and wanted to know the sequel to this event.

Over one night, I read 50 chapters (and woke up late for work). The next day, I finished the rest.

I haven't had any proper sequel to the event, nearly 120 chapters in.

This isn't due to a lack of the story advancing, although that's certainly a slow story. But the real issue is that as soon as the starter event is done, and we get into the manga proper, it devolves instantly, and never turns away from, a somewhat "mid" teenager story about the showbusiness world. By "mid", I really mean "middle ground" here. It's a bit shounen/monomyth story, with the protagonist needing to reach the heights of showbiz. It's got a lot of shoujo touches, lots of girls, lots of girly things. It's kind of a social commentary with a lot of text à la Akasaka Aka, but also about simple personalities/teenagers trying to survive in showbiz. It's...mid.

No particularly strong style comes out of it. This sadly applies to the characters, who neither delve into cartoonish hyperbole like in Kaguya, nor in great subtlety or complexity. The motivations are simple, a lot of characters are very one note. Including the main ones. The fact that Oshi no Ko is also not a comedy deepens the problem. An occasional joke is thrown yes, but the general pacing is fairly slow, novelty is rare, situations are long, story does captivate but never really amazes. It's not very funny, or entertaining, or has great moments. It's mostly just showbiz situations handled with some charm, some intelligence and a lot of commentary.

Between the start as a tragedy and the followup as a very "shounen/shoujou/monomyth/social commentary"(so "some of everything"), the identity feels very lost. It's like you can remove the entire prologue, restart the story as "2 kids with a tragic past" and lose very little. Or you can keep the whole showbiz story, but then the main tragedy needs to not have hiatuses of 30 chapters.

The pacing thus suffers, and through and through, it feels like an earnest story, but that has too many styles mixed together. It just feels...like a full course meal where everything was served at the same time. There's little "wrong", but also next to nothing that's really remarkable. What was remarkable was unfortunately at the start, and was already quite difficult to follow.

The manga is still alright and deserves to be read, but I wouldn't ever put it above an 8 even if the ending was magnificent. Which is still very fair, but again, if it hadn't come from Akasaka Aka, I'd probably not even have bothered writing anything about it. Ultimately, this feels like a manga that wants to be "good" at everything, art, cutesy, drama, commentary, emotional investment, but it's just ending like a ratatouille. Lots of stuff in it, but little taste that actually comes out. It's more like a long, fairly pleasant, but unremarkable soup.