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May 19, 2024
[SPOILER WARNING!!! This preliminary review contains light spoilers and implications. Read at your own discretion.]
Girls Love? Two-faced characters? The inner workings of the seiyuu industry?
We have ourselves a winner!
Seiyuu Radio no Uraomote has a lot going for it. This compelling anime explores the relationship between two high school girls who work together as seiyuus and are also classmates. At first, their contrasting personalities create tension. But as they get to know each other, they grow closer and start to see each other in a different light. I am currently 1/3 through the anime, but boy there's a lot I'd like to say.
This viewer and
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occasional reviewer here does not often watch Girls Love anime. That being said, I loved that the premise centers around seiyuu work and that our main characters got depth and interesting relationship dynamics. Despite being totally different, the two bridge differences by communicating in a genuine manner. If they want to cuss each other out, they would. If they want to have an open heart-to-heart discussion, they would too. Seeing the main characters put on their personas and interact is also fun in itself. Us, the viewers, get to spectate their facade while knowing how their real selves really feel. It's a very fun experience.
As for the characters themselves, they are beautifully flawed. One is a girl is impulsive and tends to think before she acts, but she has a kind heart and a cheerful personality. The other appears disagreeable and has a sharp tongue, but her passion, her dedication to her work, and her little quirks make her an endearing character. This anime doesn't shy away from character flaws at all. What's more, these girls change bit by bit with every interaction. That, too, is a fun experience.
So far, it's all positive. It is story where I'd like to put my critique. To put it more accurately, it's not the story but rather the adaptation and pacing. The story alone has interesting developments that'd make viewers stay for another episode even after having said "this will be my last for the day". Viewers can find themselves immersed and intrigued by the turn of events. This is thanks to the ideas and the writing of the original source material. It was enjoyable to see this "secret life" concept with our two girls who are very much different from their work personas. Shows with this premise tend to focus on concealing this secret life, but it's played off quite casually here.
I expected these early episodes to focus solely on the main characters' interactions and how they navigate the seiyuu industry, but surprisingly, the drama gets introduced and develops pretty early on. And that's where the problem begins. What's unfortunate is the poor execution of this story arc. Starting around episode 3, the anime starts to rush the series of events and dialogues. Had these turn of events taken their time, the impact of the big reveal would have been much better. It wouldn't have left thoughts like "they were friends a second ago and now they're going through bipolar mood swings" or "what's with the name drop of this side character?".
Overall, it's still a pretty enjoyable show, and all the more if you are in search of an anime that tackles the seiyuu industry and/or has Girls Love portrayed in a more natural way. If the pacing issues just can't be ignored, the original source material is your friend!
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Aug 7, 2023
"Lies are the ultimate form of love." If lies are the ultimate form of love, I hope my love of Oshi no Ko reached you guys. I lied about what I said in the first two paragraphs (for the most part). I love Oshi no Ko! And if you haven't already guessed by the “recommended” tag and my current profile picture (as of August 2023), I am a big Oshi no Ko fan!
But let's be objective (well... as objective as this fan can possibly get).
And also, though I believe that Oshi no ko can be enjoyed by most audiences, it won't be everyone's
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cup of tea. I've heard the complaints about this anime. Such as: "It gets boring afterwards," "What happened to solving the mystery?" "In the end, it's just cute girls doing cute things." and so on and so forth. Some of these comments may be totally biased, but there are also comments that make their point. And that is why Oshi no Ko isn't for everyone (I still generally recommend it though).
STORY:
Oshi no Ko has been praised by numerous fans for its unique premise, and the real-life content it has to offer. It reveals information on the dark side of idol culture, showbiz, and even the not-so dark information and the know-hows. With each arc, viewers get to explore a different side of the entertainment industry. The story even has some mystery, and supernatural elements added into the mix. That's a nice added bonus. But this mix of genres can also be a flaw. Some may prefer the show to capitalize on the mystery element instead of the day-to-day idol life with some harsh realities unearthed and brought to light here and there.
Aside from that, the format of the story is different. The highest peak of the story is arguably in the first episode. The rest of the arcs also have a peak but not in the same way the first did. But that is simply how the story is designed. After all, it is the impactful beginning that sets everything in motion.
Because of this mix of genres, mesh of ideas, and different format, it can feel like something in the story is out of place. It’s innovative and unique indeed, but risky. But that’s also what makes this anime stand out from the rest.
ART:
The anime also has stunning visuals, vibrant colors, and follows the eye-catching art style with specific characters having the iconic star(s) in their eyes. They also bring out the beauty in the most eventful of scenes like when there was some sort of imagery of a character's internal state of mind that contrasted with what was going on in real-time. Through the anime's art and animation, I can say that this is an anime that enhances the essence of the original source material.
SOUND:
The anime also boasts an impressive soundtrack. The opening theme "IDOL" by YOASOBI, aside from being a popular track, is very much relevant OP. The lyrics take the perspectives of the masses, the fans, the media, fellow idols, and the main idol herself. The vocalist of YOASOBI, Lilas Ikuta, sings this masterpiece of a song in a more cutesy and idol-like style that is different from how she usually sings. The instrumentals are hard-hitting and catchy. And if you've listened to YOASOBI, you already know that the instrumentals and the flow of the song will never be boring. What's interesting is that they also got the voices of REAL AKIBA BOYS for the fan chant part of the song. Very much relevant given that the REAL AKIBA BOYS are an AniSong dance group comprised of otaku (I love their dance covers so much).
The ending theme is also very fitting. The ED "Mephisto" by Queen Bee starts off with the dramatic tone of the violin and then turns more upbeat as other instruments come into play. I would liken the vibe of this ED to a curtain call of a tragic revenge play. And Queen Bee sings this masterfully, switching from solid and dynamic lower notes to solid high belts and an airy falsetto to match the more dramatic, emotional parts of the song. Sadly, I'm more unfamiliar with the lyrics for this one so I can't comment on that.
Aside from the OP and ED (that I spent a good time nerding out on), the anime has catchy and uplifting insert songs for the idol groups (with choreography too). It also makes good use of background music such as the classical piano instrumental one that plays in an earlier scene to match the dark realization of our main character. And of course, the anime had a great cast of voice actors who matched their characters well, the one I'd like to highlight the most being Takahashi Rie voicing Hoshino Ai. It is especially delightful to witness the voice acting in the most emotionally heavy scenes.
CHARACTER:
Last but not the least, we have the characters. All of the characters are individually interesting. But when it comes to how developed these characters are and how relatable they are, some characters outshine the others. We have arcs that focus on Ai (she's still a mystery though), Akane, and Kana. Our main characters Aqua and especially Ruby are not as visible compared to them in the earlier bits of the anime. It doesn't take away from the anime since the focus is more on the events but it does leave a bit more to be desired. Hopefully, the other characters can be better explored in the sequel.
ENJOYMENT:
My enjoyment from watching this anime was through the roof!!! I was already initially interested in idol culture and entertainment industry shenanigans from having watched some of the Macross series, Skip Beat, Glass Mask, and Nana. I also listen to a number of J-pop and K-pop songs and consume a variety of content from my favorite artists. Oshi no Ko to me is a very relevant, unique, and fun watch for me.
And if you, dear reader, are into similar content, this might be right up your alley. This anime is by no means perfect, but it has many pros. I’d even say the pros outweigh the cons. It is still a great source of entertainment and intrigue. If you can accept this anime with its themes of reincarnation, idol culture, and mystery, then by all means, give this anime a go if you haven’t already.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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