Why 'Oshi no Ko' is the WTF Anime of the Season!

Are you looking for a wholesome, relaxing idol anime about cute girls working hard to become the top idol, and winning the hearts of fans? Then you should totally watch Oshi no Ko, which is a super chill and enjoyable new idol series. It’s totally not a dark anime about death, reincarnation and revenge, or anything like that! Let’s learn more about it…

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Oshi no Ko Breaks the Idol Anime Genre

Have you ever thought about what it would be like to be the child of a famous singer or actress? You’d have looks and connections, right from birth, and surely have an easy life, right. That’s one of the themes of Oshi no Ko.

Ai Hoshino is a super idol, the lead member of the idol group B-Komachi. Her number one fan is Goro Amemiya, an obstetrician working in rural Japan, far from the exciting world of idols and live concerts. He became a fan of Ai-chan due to the influence of a patient of his, Sarina, who later died of a brain tumor. Imagine Goro’s surprise when a 16-year-old pregnant patient enters his office to be examined, and it’s his favorite idol!

Things take an even stranger twist when Goro is murdered by a stalker obsessed with Ai Hoshino. The next thing he knows, he’s been reincarnated as the newborn son of Ai-chan, named Aquamarine. He has full memories of his previous life as a doctor. But why has he and his sister Ruby been reincarnated as children of their favorite idol singer?

And more importantly, where will their lives take them in their new reincarnated bodies? Living happily with their new idol mother? Or to a much darker place…?

The story is based on a manga written by Akasa Akasaka, the genius creator of Kaguya-sama. It’s illustrated by Mengo Yokojari, artist and writer of Scum’s Wish. Considering that these are two of my favorite anime works of all time, Oshi no Ko has really caught my attention.

What Does Oshi no Ko Mean?

In the idol otaku world, the word osu, originally meaning “to push,” has come to mean “to support an idol’s career as a loyal fan.” It’s normally written with the kanji 押す but this slang meaning uses an archaic character, 推す. Hence, 推しの子 Oshi no Ko literally means “the children of the idol they were fervently supporting,” meaning Aqua and Ruby.

Who Names Their Kids ‘Aquamarine’ and ‘Ruby,’ Anyway?

These are known as “Kira Kira Names.” It’s a phenomenon that started in the 1990s in which Japanese parents started naming their children Cocoa, Doremi, Daiya (like diamond) or even Kitty (like Hello Kitty), all accompanied with flamboyant kanji that no one could ever read, because the pronunciations for the kanji are basically made up. Ai naming her twins Aquamarine and Ruby, along with a shot of Goro using a first-generation iPhone, tell us that the story is set in 2008.

But the creators have an even bigger secret waiting for fans to discover: that Kaguya-sama and Oshi no Ko take place in the same universe. (Mouseover for spoilers!)

Thanks for reading this post about the exciting WTF idol anime Oshi no Ko. Are you watching it? Tell us your feelings in the comments below!

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