First Impression: Oshi no Ko Season 2

The curtain rises on this second season of Oshi no Ko four months after the events of season one. While little sister Ruby continues to grow her fanbase with her idol group B-Komachi, older brother Aqua focuses on all the clues that will lead him to find the murderer of his mother. This has led him to take part in a new stage play adaptation of a popular manga series, Tokyo Blade, along with his “girlfriend” Akane and fellow child actor/B-Komachi performer Kana. Everything is pretty much going as expected with putting on a stage play, when the manga-ka walks in and says, “You know, this is great, but you know what would be better?” What could she be planning? Cue the Starry-Eyed Shenanigans!

If I can be honest, this premiere episode does not feel as epic as the first season’s. Heck, that first episode was so epic, it required EVERYONE to jump in and offer commentary… This time around, well, you’re stuck with me. Not to say I didn’t like this episode; I did!  It just didn’t feel like I was being welcomed back into this world like so many other 2nd+ season anime do. I’m not sure if that was done intentionally or not, but I can’t help but point out that when compared to the feature-length first episode, this one doesn’t feel quite as special. This just feels like “Okay, here are the characters, let’s get into it.” And there’s the typical bombshell that gets dropped in the last 5 minutes that makes the viewing audience go to Twitter and rant about cliffhangers. I wish they had done something a little more special to welcome the viewer back. Maybe this was their intention, to make it a seamless transition between seasons, but just a little something extra would’ve been appreciated.

There is a famous line in literature: “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.” Now, I’m sure Old Man Shakespeare didn’t think of a group of anime characters embodying one of his famous writings. After all, he was a bard, but not a baddie like a famous anime fan we all know. It appears the concept behind this season is watching everyone put on their respective roles for their respective “shows.” Everyone seemingly is playing a role on top of their existing roles, putting on shows for everyone else—especially with regards to Aqua and Akane. These two are putting on performances out of this world both for each other and the world at large. Watching them this season is going to be fascinating: Will either one of them “break character”?

Driving home the point about this being a season of performances, the new OP, “Fatale” by GEMN, embraces the theme of theater acting, much like Season 1’s “Idol” had a theme centered around musical performances. It’s a very well-done OP and extremely effective in getting us set up for what we’re to expect this season. Will this song be as big a bop as “Idol” was last year? Only time will tell, but I’m here to tell you that I wouldn’t mind bumping this song in my Jeep during a long drive to work. The ED, “Burning” by Hitsujibungaku (yeah, that name is going to give my spell check fits), is really good, and it mirrors the first season ED, this time with Ruby being featured. Credit where it’s due, this show knows how to get you hyped for what you’re about to see, and hyped for what you’ve already seen!

So where does that leave us for Oshi no Ko season two?  Well, if I’m being generous, if this first episode is anything to go by, this season is going to be a really slow burn. If this were any other show, I would probably say “You know what? You can skip this one. There’s nothing here.” But this is Oshi no Ko we’re talking about here, the show that busted on the scene and held our attention, daring us to look away. This is the show that had an OP make the Billboard Global Charts! This show has earned its stripes and a bit of grace for having a slow first episode, and the cliffhanger is enticing enough to get you to come back and see what happens next. The curtain has risen on the second act, so let’s get settled in with our popcorn and watch the prodigious progeny of the late Ai Hoshino on their various stages in this second season of Oshi no Ko.

Both seasons of Oshi no Ko are available for streaming on HiDive.

Josh
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