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The business of cuteness sure can get ugly. Just ask the secret children of Japanese idol Ai Hoshino—make that the late Japanese idol. She was murdered by a psycho-stalker calling himself a “fan.” Despite their deceptively young ages, her son Aquamarine (Aqua) and daughter Ruby were already no strangers to tragedy. Somehow, they were born with complete recall of their rather short past lives, including their previous fandom for Hoshino and her girl-group, B-Komachi.
As a result, watching his mother die was especially traumatic for Aqua, so he swears vengeance against the man he blames. That would be his mysterious birth-father, whom he never knew, but suspects tipped off the stalker to his mother’s whereabouts in Prime Video’s new eight-episode Oshi no Ko, a live-action series based on the manga written by Aka Akasaka and illustrated by Mengo Yokoyari (which also spawned a live action film, Oshi no Ko: The Final Act, opening this Friday in Japan).
As babies, Aqua and Ruby freaked people out with their apparently heightened awareness. Of course, they adored their mother, clearly enjoying her performances. It could cause a career-ending scandal if anyone knew of their existence, because idols must be purer than the driven snow. Yet, somehow B-Komachi’s manager Ichigo Saito and his wife Miyako kept them safely hidden from public view, even after that fateful day.
In fact, Miyako is so used to caring for the twins, she adopts them after Ai’s murder, raising them entirely on her own. Despite his pain, the mature-beyond his years Aqua quickly figures the source who provided their new address to the crazed suicidal fan—his unknown father, whom Ai furtively kept in touch with, despite his apparent disinterest in his children.
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Deducing the mystery man must also work in the entertainment industry, Aqua pursues his own show business career to serve his investigation, even while he hypocritically sabotages his sister’s ambitions for idol glory. Nevertheless, her idol destiny will not be denied, so Aqua eventually relents, helping Miyako relaunch B-Komachi, by teaming up Ruby with two young women he trusts.
Years ago, Aqua met child prodigy Kana Arima when they both briefly worked together. Since then, she carried a torch for him, while her career steadily declined. Her recent reunion with Aqua on a cheesy teen melodrama reignites her frustrated passion for her co-star, so she reluctantly agrees to join the new B-Komachi, to be near him.
Similarly, Aqua appeared with influencer Mem-cho on a teen-celebrity romance reality show, but they did not end up together. Instead, he paired with Akane Kurokawa, a truly talented but keenly sensitive stage thesp, whom he tries to protect from a nasty trolling campaign. Kurokawa also shows such perception when psychologically analyzing her research subjects, Aqua rightly figures she might be useful to have around. Of course, that greatly annoys Arima. Frankly, Aqua seems to have ambiguous feelings for both women, but he refuses to let healthy human relationships distract from his relentless quest for revenge.
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Oshi no Ko alternates between two very different kinds of drama. One focuses on the sort of angsty teen love triangle that Aqua might be cast in as an actor. The other explores a very dark mystery that involves the fantastical implications of the twins’ remembered prior lives. Viewers more intrigued by the genre elements might grow frustrated with all the time allotted to the world of idols and teen J-dramas. However, series director Hana Matsumoto always builds towards a meaningful revelation or twist at the end of each episode.
Regardless, idol fans should appreciate the dedication to authenticity, which started with the casting. Asuka Saito, a veteran of the powerhouse group Nogizaka46, portrays the ill-fated Ai Hoshino, while Nagisa Saito, formerly of =LOVE plays her daughter Ruby. Plus, the succinctly billed Ano, who has extensive credits singing anime theme songs, joins them as the sweet-natured Mem-cho. As a result, all the musical numbers look and sound legit.
Mystery/thriller fans might find themselves waiting with eager anticipation for more clues regarding the twins’ father, but that arguably indicates just how solidly Matsumoto sets the hook and reels in viewers. There are indeed some shocking moments in Oshi no Ko. Yet, they always make perfect sense according to the franchise’s internal logic.
Perhaps viewers who remain unfamiliar with the prior anime series and the original source novel will finally get the answers they crave from the film (opening December 20th in Japan), which reportedly continues from where the series left off. Therefore, you should not expect much closure at the end of the initial 8-episode run, but it certainly concludes with a major turning point in the characters’ lives. Regardless, Oshi no Ko undeniably stands out for executing both sugary-sweet J-pop and sinister suspense at equally high levels. Recommended for franchise fanatics and anyone obsessed with the dark side of the idol industry, Oshi no Ko currently streams on Prime Video.
©Courtesy of Amazon
Grade: B+
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Here’s the trailer of the series.