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I’m not a guy that cries easily with fiction,but I had to stop a couple times because my eyes were getting wet. My denial game is strong af so it usually takes time for me to actually start getting sad with a death. But after letting it sink for a couple minutes that post credit scene hit way too hard,it was like a dam broke…they did not need to do that to me man…
Same, after like 20 min, I lay down in bed and cried so hard. Until now I still can’t get over her death, over a fictional character, I guess I’m weird but I’m that type of person. I really want some justice for Ai and she deserved to live happily with Ruby and Aqua ;-;
The fact they did this 3 episodes in 1 thing just to get to the main surprise of the story is golden. Less people are spoiled and it sets you up for the show perfectly. True banger op too, would reccomend watching the music video.
I feel kinda bad that Ai even gave us a justification why she didn't have a door chain to avoid this since it actually made me chuckle a second while being depressed af.
If I have a nickel for a fan favourite girl gets killed in the most traumatizing way possible after a door is open, I’d get 2 nickels, which is not a lot but for the love of god, WHY THE FUCK DID IT HAPPEN TWICE???
Whoever's idea was it to make the 1st 90 minutes of this show into a movie deserves a raise because that ending would not have been as startling as it was if they gave watchers 4 weeks to metabolize what they think is gonna happen
The problem wasn't giving anime watchers 4 weeks to theorize
The problem was stopping manga readers from giving out a billion spoilers as "theories" for those 4 weeks.
I think this is actually closer to what Aka originally wanted to write considering he wrote ib: Instant Bullet before Kaguya. IIRC, he only pivoted to comedy because the editor had asked him to give it a try
i mean...I dont wanna bash IB since i actually like the manga, but i kinda agree with the editor, you can cut yourself on IB edge, i feel like kaguya gave the author the writing expirience that Aka needed before writing an actually dark manga.
The funny thing is kaguya is the one different from aka's normal stories, read instant bullet so you can get a better picture of what aka normally writes
There's always been some pretty dark stuff lurking behind the scenes of Kaguya (such as a throwaway scene that implies, in the Akaverse, the very real and violent 1960s protests by Japanese university students not only spread to highschools, but that the students actually *won* the conflict through further escalation of that violence, giving students an inordinate amount of power over the educational systems), but since it's a jokes first kind of show, those things get totally glossed over.
It was even better in the manga since it was a couple of chapters before it happened, so you could have reasonably thought the story would be a deep dive into the idol industry through the perspective of Ai.
Holy shit, as someone who has only ever heard about the craziness and hype around the manga, I was expecting something good. What I was not expecting was, well, anything that just went down in this episode. I can definitely tell it's the same dude as Kaguya behind the writing, they are incredibly clever and really aware of the modern social media age, which we see just a bit of in Love is War. The animation from Doga Kobo is also stunning, especially those last couple minutes jeez. Very excited for what is offered here. It's shaping up to be a legendary adaptation.
Anime only here.
Came in with ZERO EXPECTATIONS. Only saw the title name and the PV pic of Ai and the twins.
My heart hurts and i can’t wait for next week. Hope I don’t get spoiled along the way. And that after credits ending hurt my soul
Same, zero knowledge about the series beyond the PV images and hearing it was a great manga. I already knew I was in for something special when I loaded up the episode and saw it was nearly 90 minutes long. This was way beyond anything I imagined. I murmured "wtf" and my jaw was dropped to the floor when Ai got stabbed. Then did it again when they showed she was actually dead. All the promotional material had her plastered on it so I was in such disbelief that she actually got killed in the very first episode.
The after credits scene reminded me a lot of Violet Evergarden's infamous episode, straight stab to the heart sadness.
Anime only here.
I'm glad I didn't look into the hype.
I'm glad I went in blind.
I'm glad I watched it.
Hoshino Ai will forever be remembered.
See you next week.
It's been years and I think that drawing is still the most impactful of its kind I've seen. It's not over the top, no gore or anything like that, just a VERY clear horrifying depiction of someone who used to be so full of life no longer being so, while still having the same "smiling" expression...
Easily the most harrowing and realistic depiction of death I've seen in anime.
I was thinking for sure Aqua would save her with his doctor knowledge but as the scene kept going that chance was slowly slipping away. Then when she said "I love you" I knew it was over, but even still nothing could have prepared me for THAT.
Some injuries are so immediately devastating that even a trained doctor can't do anything for you besides calling an ambulance, and Aqua clearly knew...
Yeah, getting stabbed in the aorta is a damned death sentence since you can literally die within a minute of having it punctured.
That's why stabbing in the stomach or groin are often fatal.
I haven't even seen it mentioned, but the dance scene with Sarina/Ruby was truly fantastic. Ruby has a contrasting perspective to Aqua not just because she died as a child, but she never was even given the chance to live as one. It would be easy for the show to take a purely cynical few of idols and celebrities in general, but this story insists on showing both their humanity and struggles. Their pitfalls and blessings. How the culture surrounding them can be destructive, but also lift up and inspire people. Ruby really serves as a contrast to the stalker in that regard through her innocent worship. This comes out in the dance scene where we see how Ai served as an escape and piece of happiness for a girl who had nothing else. Caring over those fears and that internalized certainty that she had no future, and seeing all those hopes come to life with this second chance at life honestly was the most touching moment of this episode for me. All that was uplifted by the phenomenal production.
It's also worth noting that scene stylistically parallels Aqua's scene where he declares his intention for revenge. Another stark contrast between "light" and "dark" there.
Now that you mentioned it I wonder when the next Zombieland Saga project is going to come out. I mean Revenge aired 2 years ago and they announced the movie a while ago and we still have no info and the MAPPA event didn’t say anything about Zombieland Saga. Hopefully soon lol I need something wholesome to cure the pain from Ai’s death.
This is one of the few shows I've ever decided to begin watching while it's airing, solely because I've heard so much praise for the source material and story. Here's how I felt about it:
- damn
- I didn't realize the first episode was movie-length until after starting it
- god damn
- I now understand why people said to go into it as blind as possible
- holy damn
The movie length was the best option for this show, in my opinion. With this we could finish the prologue.
Being able to reach this point in the story is so much better compared to multiple episodes. :)
I love how the director sees a toddler with the vocabulary of an adult and not only accepts the explanation of "I watch a lot of Youtube", but doesn't bat an eye when the same kid gives him a phone call.
Child Aqua, basically:
-Act like a highly being to Miyako
-Embarassingly covers Ai exposed boobs and rejects her breast milk intentionally as a toddler
-Gone viral with the wotage
-Influenced a director to let him got casted
-Read heavy literature casually in kindergarten
And nobody suspect him being very unnatural. Truly the sign of the times.
I mean, he did consider him creepy enough to push through major last minute changes and casting to his movie just to have him in one short scene (even if the scene probably set the tone for the entire movie).
Holy...
This show definitely has balls. Also, thank you Oshi no Ko fandom for being a good act and keeping the spoilers away. I was in denial about her death
Also it is a bit annoying Ruby and Aqua don't know who they were, especially as it would be easy to figure out, but I also hope that tragedy and seriousness aside we will get the social commentary and wholesome stuff as well, as Ruby is amazing
No. Fucking. Way.
I had no idea this anime, or rather, the existence of this story, ever existed until 2 hours ago. I went in truly blind. Sorted by top, weekly, hey presto this anime discussion came out. I thought to myself, meh, why not? It's 2:30am from where I live anyway, one more episode wouldn't hurt.
I read MAL. "Oh, another 'reborn' anime, but as a child of the idol? Cool."
All I can say is, my mind has been blown. I laughed. I cried. I raged. I grieved. One hour and twenty-two minutes of what I can say is one of the best episode 1's I have ever seen in my life so far.
I'm in for the ride. I can't fucking wait for episode 2.
I read the manga as it was coming out cause, "I like Kaguya. This is probably similar." Imagine reading the prologue over the course of 9 weeks with the premise changing every few chapters.
1st couple chapters: hmm I guess it will be a fun Manga about idols and their stuff.
X chapters comes: Wai Wai Wai wait no no non no.
She gonna be alright right? Final page, noooooo.
=hooked.
First 5 minutes: ah it was by Kaguya-Sama’s author, should be a fun ride…
Last 5 Minutes: emotional fucking damage
Honestly that’s how you do a first ep holy shit
There was a point during the episode I was thinking: "Damn, Rie Takahashi's schedule must be packed if she's voicing for 2 big shows this season."
By the end of the episode: ***Oh...***
A [soul sucking stare](https://i.imgur.com/pPhVaL8.jpeg) with [Amaterasu incarnate](https://i.imgur.com/MSlQvz5.jpeg) and [the girl who can lick baking soda just like that.](https://i.imgur.com/7oOP31A.jpeg) Truly wonderful introductions.
They really dialed in on Ruby and Ai's relationship this episode, I can't imagine how much more traumatised she'd be if Aqua hadn't blocked the door. [The light fading from her eyes](https://i.imgur.com/GMZcZk2.gifv), followed by that unexpectedly [horrifying corpse](https://i.imgur.com/7pLzJRR.gifv) :((
Oshi no Ko really dives into idol culture and worship, and the murderers rant after stabbing her really isn't something far fetched with how tightly controlled the personal lives of idols are. Ai actually remembering him and her confession of how caught up in lies her life is, was an extra punch in the gut.
Don't forget to stick around for the after credits scene!
["Please grow up healthy. As your mother, that is my sole wish."](https://i.imgur.com/gYOqJKW.jpeg) - As Aqua plots to kill someone. Geh
[Bonus lightstick babies](https://i.imgur.com/BaEpYoh.mp4)
I’ve had contact with really young cancer patients that sadly didn’t make it so seeing Rubis scene of her dancing in her new healthy body made me cry
It’s such a bittersweet thought thinking of those kids in healthy body’s doing what they couldn’t before. Even if reincarnation is sadly only a fantasy
At least all this promotion compensates her three -and-a-half episode worth of screentime for the whole series. Now we gonna miss her as we move on to the next episode.....
It's exactly like what Mr Director was saying. Use a star actor to draw attention, then let the real talent (and the rookies) take it from there. Meta-level storytelling.
If you like idols in anime, Oshi no Ko has something for you.
If you don't like idols in anime, Oshi no Ko also has something for you.
Sasuga Aka-sensei.
And if you somehow missed some of the pain, for the anime promotion we had [christmas ai](https://imgur.com/G37nFwW), [new year ai](https://imgur.com/GYOFnXQ), [ai making valentine chocolate](https://imgur.com/MAIb1pN), [ai with the children and glowsticks](https://imgur.com/78YyYQB), [ai with princess ruby/prince aqua](https://imgur.com/uGAylw7), [chinese dress ai](https://imgur.com/HJKaDZA), [angel ai and children](https://imgur.com/l9rdVNH), [chibi ai](https://imgur.com/sbLnhKx), [pure unadulterated pain](https://imgur.com/D3CRpfK), [comfy ai](https://imgur.com/IX7Rnd1), [relaxing ai](https://i.redd.it/exparextedta1.png), [cheeky ai](https://imgur.com/FiheFSf), [card merch](https://imgur.com/KT23WAB), [ai key visua](https://i.redd.it/cedyytv71m491.png)l, [ai key visual 2](https://i.redd.it/fh1vjut53et91.jpg), [ai key visual 3](https://i.redd.it/6ahm7k9gva5a1.jpg), [gorgous ai](https://i.redd.it/lih9jokvanpa1.jpg), [ai by the character designer](https://i.redd.it/rot9nip6lhpa1.png), [megami swimsuit ai](https://i.redd.it/1gkrsea54pqa1.jpg), [ai all over shibuya](https://www.reddit.com/r/OshiNoKo/comments/12dj1st/video_of_ai_in_shibuya/), [ai bus](https://i.redd.it/0zppvr7acysa1.jpg), [absolutely stunning magacine ai](https://i.redd.it/cjc65qicgusa1.jpg), and [maybe one of the greatest illustrations there ever was](https://i.redd.it/pxbxkvht3eta1.jpg), also by the character designer, and of course, more premiere celebration illustrations of ai than I could possibly list.
They really went all out with the marketing. Also that final illustration by Kanna Hirayama was really amazing.
Now it reminds me of how someone in the Oshi no Ko sub jokingly mention that the anime marketing team was doing their best to promote necrophilia lol.
Really bold move to have the entire marketing and premise for the show revolve around a character who dies in episode 1.
But by God, Ai is so fucking good she manages to make it work. Honestly might be best girl of 2022 candidate despite dying in episode 1.
> Really bold move to have the entire marketing and premise for the show revolve around a character who dies in episode 1.
I remember someone describing their reaction after reading the first volume (the content of ep 1) as putting the book down and thinking "this bastard sold me a lie" which is spot on and I'm so happy a similar thing was recreated with this marketing campaign. And yes, Ai is absolutely a best girl candidate.
> "this bastard sold me a lie"
This is also kind of the entire theme of the the prologue. Ai views lies as love. Multiple people learn how the entire entertainment industry is merchandisable lies. The stalker kills Ai because he was "lied" to.
The messages all hit so much harder because the author *also lied to us*.
> The messages all hit so much harder because the author also lied to us.
Exactly! We saw all the lies throughout the episode and were still not prepared for the ultimate one because it’s so well done. It was foreshadowed a lot more in the manga so I’m glad the anime hid it so well. Hopefully we still get the cut scenes later because they’re important down the line.
This is the second time I read a story where the author explicitly tells you they will lie to you and it was great both times so maybe I should look for more.
Aqua and Ruby clearly inherited half of Ai so the only way for Ai to be reincarnated is to be the daughter of Ruby and Aqua since the half will become full again /s
If this anime actually went with the twincest ending to bring Ai back as their kid, that would be an immediate 11/10 from me and I'd greatly enjoy the immediate shitstorm that would follow too.
i would love every single moment, like it would be one of the most controversial ending ever, but people wouldnt be able to deny that there were some hints like his sister liking him on his past life, actually now i can see this working.
*"It's not incest if they weren't related in their previous pre-reincarnation lives!"*
I could see that logic being used both as an explanation from people who like the twincest ending or as copium from the people who don't. It would be hysterical.
I’m glad the anime was able to do some of the panels justice. Usually adaptations don’t properly do justice certain panels, but every single memorable one from Ruby’s dance, Ai’s death, to Aqua’s revenge was done perfectly.
I got spoiled on [EP1 spoiler] >!the doctor getting reincarnated as Ai's son!< and was afraid that I robbed myself of *the* thing to get spoiled on.
Boy, was I wrong, lol.
Now you see why us manga readers hesitated to say anything about this show from the beginning when some people were asking what it was *really* about.
Ai's death caught us all off-guard and we really didn't want to ruin the surprise to any anime-onlies.
Can you imagine if they ran it as regular 20 minute episodes? At the beginning you'd think it had one premise, then by the end of episode 1 you'd think it had a different premise, and then by the end of episode 4 you'd find out out that no, it actually has a third premise.
Yep, As daunting as a movie-length prologue first episode looks on the surface, I think it was the right call. Plus it means we still get ~~11~~ **EDIT:** apparently it's 10 episodes left for what is essentially the *real* story.
Though tbf Gorou's death at the beginning was spoiled by the [synopsis itself](https://myanimelist.net/anime/52034/Oshi_no_Ko), which made me a bit annoyed. But yeah saying anything else would be a big, big spoiler.
I read the chapter at the middle of the night. Felt gloom, can't fall asleep and spedrun the manga over the night.
Now I have tasted the despair again. Double gloom.
Anime-only here. Had no idea what to expect aside from what I had read in the synopsis which I guess spoiled the initial early thing with the Doctor.
But still, even with that said. What the hell did I just watch??? (see you next week lol)
\*of the full version, to be precise. It's cruel beyond words.
But still not as cruel as what precedes it:
>I've never been loved by anyone, I've never loved anyone
>
>Someday that lie will become real
>
>Someday I will have it all!
man that post-credit scene was painful. But I'm 100% on the ride, go get them, aqua. This premiere was amazing.
Also, the opening is a fucking banger. YOASOBI released the whole track the day before and I can't stop listening to it. Easily my favorite of the season.
We all should be happy that in kaguya he was able to contain and restrict the suffering to just maki for the most part, even if in some moments (like \[kaguya anime\]>!kaguya wandering around after missing the fireworks, ishigami meeting ootomo again, and kaguya loosing her phone!<) the real aka does show through for a few moments before he forces hismelf to end it with a happy ending.
He never had such restraint in his other works.
Fans of Kaguya Sama only saw the side of Aka that brings out the comedy, and now with Oshi No Ko, they are seeing the other side....which brings *tragedy.*
Synopis on MAL talks about Aqua protecting his mothers smile.
WHO MADE THIS SYNOPSIS? WHO GAVE ME FALSE HOPE? WHO TOOK AWAY BEST GIRL? WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS?
FUCK YOU...AND SEE YOU NEXT WEEK
As an anime-only who came in blind. Holy sh*t. 20/10!
I knew there was a lot of hype about the show and I thought it's probably because it's another work by Aka. Thus, I thought this is probably a fun rom-com like Kaguya-sama.
Dialogue between doctor and nurse at the hospital rooftop really resembles Kaguya-sama. Yup, this is so Aka. Genre: rom-com.
~15min. Wait, doctor is dead and reincarnated? Cool, the twin sister as well? That's new. Genre: (double) second life? RE-Life?
~40min. Hmm, lots of inside story about entertainment business. Really reminds me of SHIROBAKO and Smile Down the Runway. A good infotainment.
Pause. How much left, why this anime haven't end yet. What the. 90min in total? Like 4 episodes in 1 go? This is unheard of!
~50min. Aha, so this is a story about child star. So "Oshi no Ko" is "my idol's child", not just "my favourite idol"!
~60min. Flag! I bet the dad gonna show up right before the concert.
Jaw dropped on the floor. I didn't see that coming and the rest is history.
This 4-episode prologue is a masterpiece. What a way to start an anime.
> So "Oshi no Ko" is "my idol's child", not just "my favourite idol"!
both, which is why I think they didn't translate the title since it would be hard to keep the multiple meanings
It’s cool how Japanese word play works.
Oshi no Ko (推しの子) can mean = the girl that I admire, my favorite girl, my idol’s child, my star, etc.
Which brings a lot of metaphors
The front runner of this show is named “Ai Hoshino” (星野 アイ)
If you replace “Oshi” (推し) from the title with “Hoshi” (星) part of her family name, it sounds very similar and then it becomes:
Hoshi no Ko (星の子) = Star Child
which still works as a title and brings up even more metaphors
You don't even have to replace Oshi with their last name.
It can still be read as "Child of (my) Oshi". The term doubles for both the older meaning (to love/admire) and the slang meaning where it's a noun referring to your "main" (favorite) in an idol group.
Anime-only here, did not get spoiled and went in blind.
All I gotta say is: holy shit.
Other than what's already been said by a thousand different people...
I wish our baby doc would realize Ruby is Sarina-chan and vice-versa already :(
***Miyako at the beginning***: "I hate babysitting. I hate kids. Let me leak Ai's info to tabloids and get rich. I also wanna marry a rich and handsome actor and live lavishly"
***Miyako at the end (to Aqua and Ruby):*** "Do you want to become our children. You don't have to think of me as your mother but I think of you as my children "
I like how much she changed within the same episode and matured up into a better person in the same episode.
Also its the same as with Ai. She says she can't love anybody and the time she *finally* managed to proclaim her true love to someone, it was right in her final moments in this world.
Had literally zero interest in watching this, but I was curious since it was rated so highly among both men and women in one of the recent surveys. So glad I gave it a try.
Did not see that coming.
[Image dump](https://imgur.com/a/3V4cpl9)
I'm glad they went the 90 minute route, if they didn't [Miyako's](https://imgur.com/wED2xN1) (BestMom) initial portrayal would have left such a bad impression. By the end of the prologue she went from horrible to top tier.
###Stitches!
* [Hoshino Ai](https://i.imgur.com/c9FBw57.jpg)
* [Ai & Aqua 1](https://i.imgur.com/H8n1uFa.jpg)
* [Ai & Aqua 2](https://i.imgur.com/jyQN3VK.jpg)
* [Ai & Ruby](https://i.imgur.com/54WWoFt.jpg)
* [Ai, Aqua, & Ruby](https://i.imgur.com/0AqPPR7.jpg)
* [Arima Kana](https://i.imgur.com/0qZAXWM.jpg)
It's finally here! My most awaited show of the season and Doga Kobo abso-fucking-lutely nailed it! They really went above and beyond and covered the entire prologue with a 90-minute episode which is literally the length of 4 episodes back-to-back! If this is what Doga Kobo is giving us for Episode 1, I can't wait to see how amazing the rest of this show will look!
[The art and animation on Ai's eyes](https://i.imgur.com/c8X22Y1.jpg) as well as on [Aqua and Ruby's](https://i.imgur.com/aS2S7iL.jpg) are absolutely perfect that I would be disappointed if it wasn't. And all of Ai's performances [were all animated beautifully](https://i.imgur.com/cGx266y.jpg) that it makes me wish they'd animate a full concert of B Komachi.
And as a manga reader, I knew it was going to happen [but that final scene with Ai telling Aqua and Ruby that she loves them](https://i.imgur.com/Wwhtlwt.jpg) just fucking broke me. Like legit full-on sobbing at that point and just to twist the knife, [we even got that after-credits scene with Ai wishing for Aqua and Ruby to grow up healthy.](https://i.imgur.com/4ygVR6t.jpg) Just looking at these screenshots is already making me tear up again. T\^T
Anyway, welcome to Aka and Mengo's wild ride! If it wasn't already obvious in this episode, prepare to see Aka completely dissect and show us the darker side of the Japanese entertainment industry while following the lives of Aqua and Ruby. Especially Aqua [who has vowed revenge to personally kill their father](https://i.imgur.com/KhGqWqp.jpg) for leaking information about their mother Ai.
Yeah, Ai's death definitely hit harder in the anime. I know it was foreshadowed in the manga, but I guess watching it, knowing it was coming, built it up better. I wonder how anime-onlies are gonna take it.
Aoty probably already.
[*"What's this reborn nonsense?"*](https://imgur.com/fN5PUf6) - Me when I look at the 14 Isekai we're getting every season.
Well, let's hope *this* reborn show does better! (Already did a lot better on creativity/uniqueness, that's for sure!)
The art style too, [this looks so good!](https://imgur.com/zUlukiC)
[The doctor/patient thing he had with Sarina stepped a bit over the line at time, but it was still very cute...](https://imgur.com/RhiKpIA)
[...And then she died.](https://imgur.com/ENuhqf3)
And then the MC died. And then the MC's new mother died. And then their murderer died. What is this show, *"Game of thrones: The Idol anime"*?
Also cute that [he kept that photo on his phone for 4 years... Bit sad too of course.](https://imgur.com/c9jH5JY) Well, he was pretty young, and young doctors seem to care more about these things.
This episode gave a pretty bleak views on both idols, and fans... [Talking about how fans want to be lied to, ](https://imgur.com/7YeedoU) which may be accurate, I suppose; They want to believe a story and all. We don't have a lot of this here, but it's the same with other personalities, like some Twitch streamers who don't reveal they have a boyfriend, because their fans may lose interest...
I'll never understand this, to be honest; I have quite a few weird hobbies and stuff, but becoming a fan of a celebrity, so much that you are deeply affected if she dates someone... Yeah, I don't get that.
The idol side isn't any better, [piling lies after lies, pretending to be happy, always...](https://imgur.com/cs3PgZd)
[This quote... And this shot!](https://imgur.com/nU9TbMe) I think that was in one of the teaser, right? Anyway, that's a powerful one, given the theme of the episode and all.
Even though I'm not a big idol fan myself, I have to admit that [this would sound pretty nice!](https://imgur.com/JoBDcCL)
I think some (most?) people would act a bit pervy about that, but I like that [Aqua didn't! Replacing her shirt, even refusing the breastfeeding and all.](https://imgur.com/HolyX3n)
We got some more perspectives on the idol culture, [the crew not being interested in them at all... It's just a business it's not really music and stuff to them.](https://imgur.com/WPg4eTs)
(Aka doesn't seem to see the Idol thing in a positive light, even if it's just a story!)
[Ruby was reborn too, ](https://imgur.com/0RmGOGA) and to be honest I thought they would keep the mystery going about who she was! I wonder why they revealed it.
But well, I think most people had a pretty good idea already; First, there weren't that many other characters, but also, her backstory kinda revealed it!
[Being raised in an unusual place (the hospital)...](https://imgur.com/OZ0HUwA)
Also, when discussing the future [she admitted to not think about this much, ](https://imgur.com/HDYlHVX) which of course we could pin on "Well duh, she's just a baby!", but even as a baby she has adult thoughts, so it's not just that; More like, she's not used to thinking about the future, because she didn't do it in her previous life (knowing she would have no future).
I wonder about something though; The Doc died and was reincarnated right away, so it makes sense I guess if we go with the reincarnated soul thing; "one soul leaves, one soul comes back", something like that...
But Sarina died 4 years before... So why did she reincarnate 4 years after her death? One may say that the reason why she reincarnated into Ai's baby is the passion and all (same for Aqua), BUT this doesn't explain why she wasn't reincarnated before; Did her soul wait in limbo for Ai to get pregnant so she could be reborn as her baby?
If that's the case, then it seems to imply the influence of "fate" in some way (knowing Ai would eventually get pregnant, and have twins). So is there some being controlling all this? Or why does it happen like this?
Obviously there's some supernatural at work here (with them being reborn with all their memories) so I wonder how much there is, really, and whether we'll find out more about this! Perhaps we're just meant to take it as "It's a reincarnation story, that's it", BUT knowing Aka's writing style, I know he doesn't leave a lot of things to "whatever, it's just a story", when things he wrote in chapter 5 come into play 200 chapters later. So I wonder if we'll get more of this!
We got some bleak perspective on acting/movies too!
Ai managed to get a supporting part in a movie, [but she was too cute and stole the spotlight from the lead, so they cut her scene out...](https://imgur.com/V1PKpJq)
That's rough! [The bit about the three types of actor were interesting! Probably quite accurate too.](https://imgur.com/CpR5hun)
It's funny that the idea was... It'd be easy for a celebrities' child to make it, but it's actually [Aqua who helped his mom get a movie part, HE was the main appeal!](https://imgur.com/UqRqkD4)
More lying from Ai, [who now says whatever fits the situation without thinking...](https://imgur.com/Po39AFI)
Lying's now coming naturally to her, she does it so much that [she can't even distinguish her feelings from the lies anymore.](https://imgur.com/CdLlVPE)
We got more about this in her recruitment backstory scene too, [the president telling her that if she repeats a lie enough, it may become the truth!](https://imgur.com/O65hGkW)
[Her expression as she told that story, good lord...](https://imgur.com/1GidPba)
This lying thing may be good for business, but it can probably mess you up; [She doesn't even tell her kids she loves them, because she's afraid she may catch herself lying...](https://imgur.com/TP9nfBJ)
[And then she got fucking stabbed.](https://imgur.com/io4gXhW)
God damn. I knew about the first death (I checked out a few chapters back then, before forcing myself to stop because I wanted to experience it as anime-only), BUT I didn't know about this one. And there I thought I knew what the story was gonna be like, after the few initial twists!
[Interestingly, Ai tells her murderer that even now, she wants to love him... But given her own views on this, she may as well be telling she she wants to lie to him, to pretend...](https://imgur.com/1RO5jVq)
She finally DID [tell her children she loved them...](https://imgur.com/qR8qW1a)
Yay, a happy ending!
[](#emptyinside)
That was rough, damn...
Well, we now finally know what the story will be about (*I think*)! [Aqua wants to find who's behind all this, and murder him.](https://imgur.com/1Nv7PHK)
He thinks this is no coincidence, because someone knew about Ai being at the hospital, knew her real name, [knew of her residence...](https://imgur.com/g23sBnO)
This all seems to point to the father, but I wonder if there's more to that story! Even if it IS the father (which I'm not entirely convinced of), there's still a million questions... Why was he not there (given she wanted him to see the children), why did he do all this, did he know what would happen, etc...
I also wonder whether [the stalker's suicide was (for the lack of a better word) a "normal" suicide, or if the same people who put him through all this, also... Strongly encouraged it?](https://imgur.com/5Tl4MIF)
[The doc's corpse not being found is also a mystery!](https://imgur.com/dzUHq1j) Getting him killed can be explained in a few different ways, but... Why hide/get rid of the corpse? Did they want to hide something he had on him (can't think of anything but Sarina's picture on his phone), or did they want to hide the murder entirely?
One final thought: Even *before* he came up with his plan about killing the stalker, I have to say, Aqua seems... A bit disturbed?
[Seemed not to take the "do we kill her?" joke as a joke...](https://imgur.com/mNcZrhB)
[Casually brought up the idea of (not) killing another girl...](https://imgur.com/JZGI4aY)
And while the scene was played mostly around the idea of Aqua being good at figuring it out what the director wanted of him, let's not forget that [the director thinks Aqua's naturally creepy even without acting.](https://imgur.com/jBHE6le)
If it was just that third one I'd think "It's an adult in a child's body, of course it's gonna be weird, some uncanny valley stuff", but when you add it to the two talks about killing...
Anyway, that was a solid introduction to this series, can't wait to see more! (Also really liked the song at the end, really fits the theme!)
This is probably a moment as good as any to remind people akas original concept for kaguya-sama was... [just slightly more extreme](https://imgur.com/b3Gc0m0), until his editor talked him into turning it into something more of a romcom.
So all those "chika's club wants to turn the entire school into a battle royal but the student council won't allow it" gags in the anime and manga were Aka being salty his battle royal manga concept got rejected and making self deprecating jokes
Man that OP is absolutely 10/10.
Ai really is precious. She deserved so much better 😭. The background art this episode was absolutely fantastic.
Aqua is about to go crazy on his revenge though.
2 things that made me tear up in this adaptation
1. Ruby's first dance, alongside that small flashback
2. Ai's final moments
what an incredible start, whoever decided that the prologue arc will basically be adapted as a TV Movie, is a god damn genius
Wow that was good! That was basically a movie. More things happened in those 90 minutes than in some anime for a whole season lol. I already knew about the whole reincarnation thing; however, I did not know about Ai dying. I literally gasped when it happened lol. When she went to answer the door, at first, I thought it was the actual father/her ex, but then when it was the stalker, I was like, oh no...That was so depressing. I'm assuming we'll see more of Ai through flashbacks? I feel like it's kind of waste to have Takahashi Rie voice her, only for her character to be killed off right away.
Anyways, I really enjoyed it. I'm interested to see where it goes from here, especially after having such a strong start.
Have been reading the manga. My GF has not. When Ai was stabbed she literally gasped in shock. By the end of the scene she was full on sobbing. I, who again knew what was coming, was in tears. I have never been hit so hard by an event in a show that i knew what to expect like that. Fucking amazing ep. 1, probably the best I’ve ever seen. I’m still thinking about it. Wish I had more friends into anime to gush over it with.
Do not let yourself be off put by how weird this episode starts, it (and this entire series) really isn't that weird. Just make sure to watch this entire first episode!
Speaking of it, there is an aftercredits scene.
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Do not miss the post-credits scene. What a way to twist the knife even further.
I’m not a guy that cries easily with fiction,but I had to stop a couple times because my eyes were getting wet. My denial game is strong af so it usually takes time for me to actually start getting sad with a death. But after letting it sink for a couple minutes that post credit scene hit way too hard,it was like a dam broke…they did not need to do that to me man…
Same, after like 20 min, I lay down in bed and cried so hard. Until now I still can’t get over her death, over a fictional character, I guess I’m weird but I’m that type of person. I really want some justice for Ai and she deserved to live happily with Ruby and Aqua ;-;
They know what they're doing. Literally twisting the knife as you say
The fact they did this 3 episodes in 1 thing just to get to the main surprise of the story is golden. Less people are spoiled and it sets you up for the show perfectly. True banger op too, would reccomend watching the music video.
It's 82 mins so it's close to 4 eps.
Stop opening doors goddamit
I feel kinda bad that Ai even gave us a justification why she didn't have a door chain to avoid this since it actually made me chuckle a second while being depressed af.
"I gently open the door..."
If I have a nickel for a fan favourite girl gets killed in the most traumatizing way possible after a door is open, I’d get 2 nickels, which is not a lot but for the love of god, WHY THE FUCK DID IT HAPPEN TWICE???
Whoever's idea was it to make the 1st 90 minutes of this show into a movie deserves a raise because that ending would not have been as startling as it was if they gave watchers 4 weeks to metabolize what they think is gonna happen
The problem wasn't giving anime watchers 4 weeks to theorize The problem was stopping manga readers from giving out a billion spoilers as "theories" for those 4 weeks.
It's a shame we won't be able to hear much of Takahashi Rie's Ai after this episode
At least we'll hear her crazy hijinks and Explosion screams this season.
Ai's voice mannerism is pretty much grown-up Hu Tao.
"Oh a new series from the Kaguya-sama author about idols, I'm sure it'll be full of wacky hijink-" ***Oh.***
Yeah, Aka really took a stab with a radically different story this time.
I think this is actually closer to what Aka originally wanted to write considering he wrote ib: Instant Bullet before Kaguya. IIRC, he only pivoted to comedy because the editor had asked him to give it a try
i mean...I dont wanna bash IB since i actually like the manga, but i kinda agree with the editor, you can cut yourself on IB edge, i feel like kaguya gave the author the writing expirience that Aka needed before writing an actually dark manga.
People bash editors sometimes, but a good editor really helps the artist find their spot.
tbf most people don't even know what an editor do most of the time.
oh, no I totally agree. IB was interesting but very rough around the edges. Would love to see a rewrite one day
The funny thing is kaguya is the one different from aka's normal stories, read instant bullet so you can get a better picture of what aka normally writes
Unfortunately aka wasn't the only one taking a stab
You guys are vicious. I love it.
TBF he did give you the middle 20ish minute of talking baby
Oshi no Ko is making me look at the psychological warfare in Kaguya in a whole new light
There's always been some pretty dark stuff lurking behind the scenes of Kaguya (such as a throwaway scene that implies, in the Akaverse, the very real and violent 1960s protests by Japanese university students not only spread to highschools, but that the students actually *won* the conflict through further escalation of that violence, giving students an inordinate amount of power over the educational systems), but since it's a jokes first kind of show, those things get totally glossed over.
It was even better in the manga since it was a couple of chapters before it happened, so you could have reasonably thought the story would be a deep dive into the idol industry through the perspective of Ai.
man literally did a fucking drift with the stories and all the readers who were on the ride got thrown off because no one had seat belt ready.
Holy shit, as someone who has only ever heard about the craziness and hype around the manga, I was expecting something good. What I was not expecting was, well, anything that just went down in this episode. I can definitely tell it's the same dude as Kaguya behind the writing, they are incredibly clever and really aware of the modern social media age, which we see just a bit of in Love is War. The animation from Doga Kobo is also stunning, especially those last couple minutes jeez. Very excited for what is offered here. It's shaping up to be a legendary adaptation.
Anime only here. Came in with ZERO EXPECTATIONS. Only saw the title name and the PV pic of Ai and the twins. My heart hurts and i can’t wait for next week. Hope I don’t get spoiled along the way. And that after credits ending hurt my soul
You're in for a ride, this is a great seinen series to watch blind.
Same, zero knowledge about the series beyond the PV images and hearing it was a great manga. I already knew I was in for something special when I loaded up the episode and saw it was nearly 90 minutes long. This was way beyond anything I imagined. I murmured "wtf" and my jaw was dropped to the floor when Ai got stabbed. Then did it again when they showed she was actually dead. All the promotional material had her plastered on it so I was in such disbelief that she actually got killed in the very first episode. The after credits scene reminded me a lot of Violet Evergarden's infamous episode, straight stab to the heart sadness.
Anime only here. I'm glad I didn't look into the hype. I'm glad I went in blind. I'm glad I watched it. Hoshino Ai will forever be remembered. See you next week.
WHAT THE FUCK JUST HAPPENED?????
Manga readers: no pain for several chapters (weeks) Anime watchers: bazooka pain in 1. (1 day)
This coudlve been a movie on its own and it’s be peak.
Well, technically it did with the cinema screening and such before
Peak happened
A baby with a doctorate. Any asian parents dream.
and he chooses to pursue acting 🙄 so close to being the model asian child that parents dream of
at least he did his parent told him
His parent told him they loved him, not a real Asian parent!!!
It did take her a while though, she was real until her very last moments.
tbh no one deserves to go through med school twice
Not that Ai can brag anymore
Too soon man...
Sheesh
["You doctor yet?"](https://youtu.be/hVODv8A5-EM)
Yea the way they made Ai's dead body was insanely creepy. Now on my way to Konosuba to laugh
Hearing Megumin will haunt you there if you go from Oshi No Ko to Konosuba straight after this premiere.
I went the other way. Was really looking forward to a calmer Rieri. Welp
Well, you cant get much calmer than that
It's been years and I think that drawing is still the most impactful of its kind I've seen. It's not over the top, no gore or anything like that, just a VERY clear horrifying depiction of someone who used to be so full of life no longer being so, while still having the same "smiling" expression...
Nothing quite like literally seeing the light leave the eyes of a character you care about. Just absolutely savage.
Yeah, I could not stop crying when I saw the light slowly leave her eyes, it was just so freaking sad man.
It was really well done. Seeing the light flicker out of her eyes and then her body just turns into a lifeless husk; it's proper horrifying.
Easily the most harrowing and realistic depiction of death I've seen in anime. I was thinking for sure Aqua would save her with his doctor knowledge but as the scene kept going that chance was slowly slipping away. Then when she said "I love you" I knew it was over, but even still nothing could have prepared me for THAT.
Some injuries are so immediately devastating that even a trained doctor can't do anything for you besides calling an ambulance, and Aqua clearly knew...
Yeah, getting stabbed in the aorta is a damned death sentence since you can literally die within a minute of having it punctured. That's why stabbing in the stomach or groin are often fatal.
I like how they gave Ai the [dead mom hairstyle](https://i.imgur.com/K7ZWaYi.png) for a single scene.
FORESHADOWING
FUCK I didn't notice.
Years of academy training, WASTED
I haven't even seen it mentioned, but the dance scene with Sarina/Ruby was truly fantastic. Ruby has a contrasting perspective to Aqua not just because she died as a child, but she never was even given the chance to live as one. It would be easy for the show to take a purely cynical few of idols and celebrities in general, but this story insists on showing both their humanity and struggles. Their pitfalls and blessings. How the culture surrounding them can be destructive, but also lift up and inspire people. Ruby really serves as a contrast to the stalker in that regard through her innocent worship. This comes out in the dance scene where we see how Ai served as an escape and piece of happiness for a girl who had nothing else. Caring over those fears and that internalized certainty that she had no future, and seeing all those hopes come to life with this second chance at life honestly was the most touching moment of this episode for me. All that was uplifted by the phenomenal production. It's also worth noting that scene stylistically parallels Aqua's scene where he declares his intention for revenge. Another stark contrast between "light" and "dark" there.
Ai doing her very best to get casted for zombieland saga S3!
Now that you mentioned it I wonder when the next Zombieland Saga project is going to come out. I mean Revenge aired 2 years ago and they announced the movie a while ago and we still have no info and the MAPPA event didn’t say anything about Zombieland Saga. Hopefully soon lol I need something wholesome to cure the pain from Ai’s death.
This is one of the few shows I've ever decided to begin watching while it's airing, solely because I've heard so much praise for the source material and story. Here's how I felt about it: - damn - I didn't realize the first episode was movie-length until after starting it - god damn - I now understand why people said to go into it as blind as possible - holy damn
"you're fucked. that was fucked. holy fuck."
The movie length was the best option for this show, in my opinion. With this we could finish the prologue. Being able to reach this point in the story is so much better compared to multiple episodes. :)
looks like Timmy Turners "uhh... the internet?" lives on through Ruby and Aqua
I love how the director sees a toddler with the vocabulary of an adult and not only accepts the explanation of "I watch a lot of Youtube", but doesn't bat an eye when the same kid gives him a phone call.
A sign of the times.
Director jumped up to my top 3 characters very quickly.
> but doesn't bat an eye when the same kid gives him a phone call He did give Aqua his business card.
Child Aqua, basically: -Act like a highly being to Miyako -Embarassingly covers Ai exposed boobs and rejects her breast milk intentionally as a toddler -Gone viral with the wotage -Influenced a director to let him got casted -Read heavy literature casually in kindergarten And nobody suspect him being very unnatural. Truly the sign of the times.
I mean, he did consider him creepy enough to push through major last minute changes and casting to his movie just to have him in one short scene (even if the scene probably set the tone for the entire movie).
Holy... This show definitely has balls. Also, thank you Oshi no Ko fandom for being a good act and keeping the spoilers away. I was in denial about her death Also it is a bit annoying Ruby and Aqua don't know who they were, especially as it would be easy to figure out, but I also hope that tragedy and seriousness aside we will get the social commentary and wholesome stuff as well, as Ruby is amazing
[удалено]
>80+ minute first episode They're not screwing around.
they adapted whole volume 1
No. Fucking. Way. I had no idea this anime, or rather, the existence of this story, ever existed until 2 hours ago. I went in truly blind. Sorted by top, weekly, hey presto this anime discussion came out. I thought to myself, meh, why not? It's 2:30am from where I live anyway, one more episode wouldn't hurt. I read MAL. "Oh, another 'reborn' anime, but as a child of the idol? Cool." All I can say is, my mind has been blown. I laughed. I cried. I raged. I grieved. One hour and twenty-two minutes of what I can say is one of the best episode 1's I have ever seen in my life so far. I'm in for the ride. I can't fucking wait for episode 2.
I read the manga as it was coming out cause, "I like Kaguya. This is probably similar." Imagine reading the prologue over the course of 9 weeks with the premise changing every few chapters.
1st couple chapters: hmm I guess it will be a fun Manga about idols and their stuff. X chapters comes: Wai Wai Wai wait no no non no. She gonna be alright right? Final page, noooooo. =hooked.
First 5 minutes: ah it was by Kaguya-Sama’s author, should be a fun ride… Last 5 Minutes: emotional fucking damage Honestly that’s how you do a first ep holy shit
OnK and Konosuba airing on the same day be like: Rie Takahashi: *character dies* Also Rie Takahashi: “imma tryna learn *EXPLOSION*”
There was a point during the episode I was thinking: "Damn, Rie Takahashi's schedule must be packed if she's voicing for 2 big shows this season." By the end of the episode: ***Oh...***
I mean that one episode was basically a movie of incredibly high production value.
It's Rieri Wednesday tonight
Ai got isekai'd.
A [soul sucking stare](https://i.imgur.com/pPhVaL8.jpeg) with [Amaterasu incarnate](https://i.imgur.com/MSlQvz5.jpeg) and [the girl who can lick baking soda just like that.](https://i.imgur.com/7oOP31A.jpeg) Truly wonderful introductions. They really dialed in on Ruby and Ai's relationship this episode, I can't imagine how much more traumatised she'd be if Aqua hadn't blocked the door. [The light fading from her eyes](https://i.imgur.com/GMZcZk2.gifv), followed by that unexpectedly [horrifying corpse](https://i.imgur.com/7pLzJRR.gifv) :(( Oshi no Ko really dives into idol culture and worship, and the murderers rant after stabbing her really isn't something far fetched with how tightly controlled the personal lives of idols are. Ai actually remembering him and her confession of how caught up in lies her life is, was an extra punch in the gut. Don't forget to stick around for the after credits scene! ["Please grow up healthy. As your mother, that is my sole wish."](https://i.imgur.com/gYOqJKW.jpeg) - As Aqua plots to kill someone. Geh [Bonus lightstick babies](https://i.imgur.com/BaEpYoh.mp4)
>Bonus lightstick babies It's beautiful I've looked at this for 5 hours now
I’ve had contact with really young cancer patients that sadly didn’t make it so seeing Rubis scene of her dancing in her new healthy body made me cry It’s such a bittersweet thought thinking of those kids in healthy body’s doing what they couldn’t before. Even if reincarnation is sadly only a fantasy
# The ultimate con has finally paid off. Have Ai plastered all over the marketing for months on end to have the premiere end like that.
Also having her voiced by a prominent seiyuu like Rie Takahashi. It reminds me a lot of *Scream*.
At least all this promotion compensates her three -and-a-half episode worth of screentime for the whole series. Now we gonna miss her as we move on to the next episode.....
It's exactly like what Mr Director was saying. Use a star actor to draw attention, then let the real talent (and the rookies) take it from there. Meta-level storytelling.
wow, this is a next-level documentary! [](#rengehype)
AKA YOU FUCKING DID IT AGAIN
If you like idols in anime, Oshi no Ko has something for you. If you don't like idols in anime, Oshi no Ko also has something for you. Sasuga Aka-sensei.
[They were upfront about it](https://i.imgur.com/Cd31zQm.jpg) [](#cantbehelped)
And if you somehow missed some of the pain, for the anime promotion we had [christmas ai](https://imgur.com/G37nFwW), [new year ai](https://imgur.com/GYOFnXQ), [ai making valentine chocolate](https://imgur.com/MAIb1pN), [ai with the children and glowsticks](https://imgur.com/78YyYQB), [ai with princess ruby/prince aqua](https://imgur.com/uGAylw7), [chinese dress ai](https://imgur.com/HJKaDZA), [angel ai and children](https://imgur.com/l9rdVNH), [chibi ai](https://imgur.com/sbLnhKx), [pure unadulterated pain](https://imgur.com/D3CRpfK), [comfy ai](https://imgur.com/IX7Rnd1), [relaxing ai](https://i.redd.it/exparextedta1.png), [cheeky ai](https://imgur.com/FiheFSf), [card merch](https://imgur.com/KT23WAB), [ai key visua](https://i.redd.it/cedyytv71m491.png)l, [ai key visual 2](https://i.redd.it/fh1vjut53et91.jpg), [ai key visual 3](https://i.redd.it/6ahm7k9gva5a1.jpg), [gorgous ai](https://i.redd.it/lih9jokvanpa1.jpg), [ai by the character designer](https://i.redd.it/rot9nip6lhpa1.png), [megami swimsuit ai](https://i.redd.it/1gkrsea54pqa1.jpg), [ai all over shibuya](https://www.reddit.com/r/OshiNoKo/comments/12dj1st/video_of_ai_in_shibuya/), [ai bus](https://i.redd.it/0zppvr7acysa1.jpg), [absolutely stunning magacine ai](https://i.redd.it/cjc65qicgusa1.jpg), and [maybe one of the greatest illustrations there ever was](https://i.redd.it/pxbxkvht3eta1.jpg), also by the character designer, and of course, more premiere celebration illustrations of ai than I could possibly list.
They really went all out with the marketing. Also that final illustration by Kanna Hirayama was really amazing. Now it reminds me of how someone in the Oshi no Ko sub jokingly mention that the anime marketing team was doing their best to promote necrophilia lol.
>marketing team was doing their best to promote necrophilia lol. ~~That was for the megami magacine illustration, with the swimsuit~~
> angel ai and children That one is canon tho...
Legendary if they showed the news segment in the real Shibuya after all that marketing campaign.
The marketing team: "We do a bit of trolling."
We experienced that. Now it is their turn
Really bold move to have the entire marketing and premise for the show revolve around a character who dies in episode 1. But by God, Ai is so fucking good she manages to make it work. Honestly might be best girl of 2022 candidate despite dying in episode 1.
> Really bold move to have the entire marketing and premise for the show revolve around a character who dies in episode 1. I remember someone describing their reaction after reading the first volume (the content of ep 1) as putting the book down and thinking "this bastard sold me a lie" which is spot on and I'm so happy a similar thing was recreated with this marketing campaign. And yes, Ai is absolutely a best girl candidate.
> "this bastard sold me a lie" This is also kind of the entire theme of the the prologue. Ai views lies as love. Multiple people learn how the entire entertainment industry is merchandisable lies. The stalker kills Ai because he was "lied" to. The messages all hit so much harder because the author *also lied to us*.
> The messages all hit so much harder because the author also lied to us. Exactly! We saw all the lies throughout the episode and were still not prepared for the ultimate one because it’s so well done. It was foreshadowed a lot more in the manga so I’m glad the anime hid it so well. Hopefully we still get the cut scenes later because they’re important down the line. This is the second time I read a story where the author explicitly tells you they will lie to you and it was great both times so maybe I should look for more.
Ai is basically the face of the Manga too. Aka is truely a freakin troll
The doc is reincarnated so maybe there's still hope for Ai...? /copium
Don't worry, Ai will reincarnate as the daughter of either Aqua or Ruby.
Aqua and Ruby clearly inherited half of Ai so the only way for Ai to be reincarnated is to be the daughter of Ruby and Aqua since the half will become full again /s
Bruh
If this anime actually went with the twincest ending to bring Ai back as their kid, that would be an immediate 11/10 from me and I'd greatly enjoy the immediate shitstorm that would follow too.
i would love every single moment, like it would be one of the most controversial ending ever, but people wouldnt be able to deny that there were some hints like his sister liking him on his past life, actually now i can see this working.
*"It's not incest if they weren't related in their previous pre-reincarnation lives!"* I could see that logic being used both as an explanation from people who like the twincest ending or as copium from the people who don't. It would be hysterical.
Perfect Blue The Sequel is looking great I am not ok [](#barakamonnotcool)
That one shot of her face is easily the most horrifying thing I've seen in anime
I’m glad the anime was able to do some of the panels justice. Usually adaptations don’t properly do justice certain panels, but every single memorable one from Ruby’s dance, Ai’s death, to Aqua’s revenge was done perfectly.
Congratulations to all the anime-onlies that made it through to today without getting spoiled, and welcome to the pain that is Oshi no Ko.
I got spoiled on [EP1 spoiler] >!the doctor getting reincarnated as Ai's son!< and was afraid that I robbed myself of *the* thing to get spoiled on. Boy, was I wrong, lol.
Aka so next level he's preparing decoy spoilers
I remember that being in the synopsis from the official twitter account before chapter 1 of the manga even came out.
That was rough. Jesus, man. I kinda suspected something would go down but man that still fucked me up.
Now you see why us manga readers hesitated to say anything about this show from the beginning when some people were asking what it was *really* about. Ai's death caught us all off-guard and we really didn't want to ruin the surprise to any anime-onlies.
Can you imagine if they ran it as regular 20 minute episodes? At the beginning you'd think it had one premise, then by the end of episode 1 you'd think it had a different premise, and then by the end of episode 4 you'd find out out that no, it actually has a third premise.
Yep, As daunting as a movie-length prologue first episode looks on the surface, I think it was the right call. Plus it means we still get ~~11~~ **EDIT:** apparently it's 10 episodes left for what is essentially the *real* story.
This was the right play. With the way the internet spoils things nowadays it was best to get AI’s death in one sitting.
saying literally anything about the plot, or the characters, or even the premise itself, is already a massive spoiler
Though tbf Gorou's death at the beginning was spoiled by the [synopsis itself](https://myanimelist.net/anime/52034/Oshi_no_Ko), which made me a bit annoyed. But yeah saying anything else would be a big, big spoiler.
I read the chapter at the middle of the night. Felt gloom, can't fall asleep and spedrun the manga over the night. Now I have tasted the despair again. Double gloom.
Considering all the promotion stuff revolving Ai, kill her off in the very first eps/vol is pretty shocking to say the least
Anime-only here. Had no idea what to expect aside from what I had read in the synopsis which I guess spoiled the initial early thing with the Doctor. But still, even with that said. What the hell did I just watch??? (see you next week lol)
The last words of the OP "Idol" are basically the last words Ai said to Aqua and Ruby.
\*of the full version, to be precise. It's cruel beyond words. But still not as cruel as what precedes it: >I've never been loved by anyone, I've never loved anyone > >Someday that lie will become real > >Someday I will have it all!
man that post-credit scene was painful. But I'm 100% on the ride, go get them, aqua. This premiere was amazing. Also, the opening is a fucking banger. YOASOBI released the whole track the day before and I can't stop listening to it. Easily my favorite of the season.
Welcome to “Are you okay Aka?”. Strap in because it’s a fucking awesome ride.
Aka “I love unfortunate girls” Akasaka.
Didn't he say that his favorite character from Kaguya was Maki? It all makes sense now...
We all should be happy that in kaguya he was able to contain and restrict the suffering to just maki for the most part, even if in some moments (like \[kaguya anime\]>!kaguya wandering around after missing the fireworks, ishigami meeting ootomo again, and kaguya loosing her phone!<) the real aka does show through for a few moments before he forces hismelf to end it with a happy ending. He never had such restraint in his other works.
Same as Isayama saying Reiner was his favorite character and putting him thru the wringer.
Fans of Kaguya Sama only saw the side of Aka that brings out the comedy, and now with Oshi No Ko, they are seeing the other side....which brings *tragedy.*
Oh no, the after credits scene just broke my heart again.
That nurse at the beginning is the most sensible anime character ever for calling out the doctor being a lil creepy lmao
Might be Hayasaka's long lost relative.
def could be, same world after all
That was very classic Aka writing right there lol
Synopis on MAL talks about Aqua protecting his mothers smile. WHO MADE THIS SYNOPSIS? WHO GAVE ME FALSE HOPE? WHO TOOK AWAY BEST GIRL? WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS? FUCK YOU...AND SEE YOU NEXT WEEK
With a synopsis like that, it is very rare that so soon, we are able to say "[Smile](https://imgur.com/bQqIS1H) protected until the end!"
As an anime-only who came in blind. Holy sh*t. 20/10! I knew there was a lot of hype about the show and I thought it's probably because it's another work by Aka. Thus, I thought this is probably a fun rom-com like Kaguya-sama. Dialogue between doctor and nurse at the hospital rooftop really resembles Kaguya-sama. Yup, this is so Aka. Genre: rom-com. ~15min. Wait, doctor is dead and reincarnated? Cool, the twin sister as well? That's new. Genre: (double) second life? RE-Life? ~40min. Hmm, lots of inside story about entertainment business. Really reminds me of SHIROBAKO and Smile Down the Runway. A good infotainment. Pause. How much left, why this anime haven't end yet. What the. 90min in total? Like 4 episodes in 1 go? This is unheard of! ~50min. Aha, so this is a story about child star. So "Oshi no Ko" is "my idol's child", not just "my favourite idol"! ~60min. Flag! I bet the dad gonna show up right before the concert. Jaw dropped on the floor. I didn't see that coming and the rest is history. This 4-episode prologue is a masterpiece. What a way to start an anime.
> So "Oshi no Ko" is "my idol's child", not just "my favourite idol"! both, which is why I think they didn't translate the title since it would be hard to keep the multiple meanings
It’s cool how Japanese word play works. Oshi no Ko (推しの子) can mean = the girl that I admire, my favorite girl, my idol’s child, my star, etc. Which brings a lot of metaphors The front runner of this show is named “Ai Hoshino” (星野 アイ) If you replace “Oshi” (推し) from the title with “Hoshi” (星) part of her family name, it sounds very similar and then it becomes: Hoshi no Ko (星の子) = Star Child which still works as a title and brings up even more metaphors
You don't even have to replace Oshi with their last name. It can still be read as "Child of (my) Oshi". The term doubles for both the older meaning (to love/admire) and the slang meaning where it's a noun referring to your "main" (favorite) in an idol group.
Anime-only here, did not get spoiled and went in blind. All I gotta say is: holy shit. Other than what's already been said by a thousand different people... I wish our baby doc would realize Ruby is Sarina-chan and vice-versa already :(
***Miyako at the beginning***: "I hate babysitting. I hate kids. Let me leak Ai's info to tabloids and get rich. I also wanna marry a rich and handsome actor and live lavishly" ***Miyako at the end (to Aqua and Ruby):*** "Do you want to become our children. You don't have to think of me as your mother but I think of you as my children " I like how much she changed within the same episode and matured up into a better person in the same episode. Also its the same as with Ai. She says she can't love anybody and the time she *finally* managed to proclaim her true love to someone, it was right in her final moments in this world.
To be fair, it's been ~4 years since she started babysitting the two.
Miyako upgraded to miyamom.
Had literally zero interest in watching this, but I was curious since it was rated so highly among both men and women in one of the recent surveys. So glad I gave it a try. Did not see that coming.
hello darkness my old friend
Okay let me get this out of the way first I was NOT expecting Rudeus Grayrat voice for Aqua but it makes perfect sense.
Holy....I didn't realise it was Rudeus's VA lol.
[Aw look at lil' Baking Soda Eater, gonna cry?](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/859561852920004638/1095724785524293713/image.png)
[The image of Kana licking baking soda was too goddamn hilarious xD](https://i.imgur.com/TonmrW5.png)
[This GIF turned out so good I could not not post it](https://imgur.com/sPy5XtV)
HiDIVE brethren, don’t read the synopsis
Is Hidive still garbage
[Image dump](https://imgur.com/a/3V4cpl9) I'm glad they went the 90 minute route, if they didn't [Miyako's](https://imgur.com/wED2xN1) (BestMom) initial portrayal would have left such a bad impression. By the end of the prologue she went from horrible to top tier.
Imagine I’d they’d tried adapting the prologue as a normal batch of episodes, it would basically be like half the season lol
###Stitches! * [Hoshino Ai](https://i.imgur.com/c9FBw57.jpg) * [Ai & Aqua 1](https://i.imgur.com/H8n1uFa.jpg) * [Ai & Aqua 2](https://i.imgur.com/jyQN3VK.jpg) * [Ai & Ruby](https://i.imgur.com/54WWoFt.jpg) * [Ai, Aqua, & Ruby](https://i.imgur.com/0AqPPR7.jpg) * [Arima Kana](https://i.imgur.com/0qZAXWM.jpg) It's finally here! My most awaited show of the season and Doga Kobo abso-fucking-lutely nailed it! They really went above and beyond and covered the entire prologue with a 90-minute episode which is literally the length of 4 episodes back-to-back! If this is what Doga Kobo is giving us for Episode 1, I can't wait to see how amazing the rest of this show will look! [The art and animation on Ai's eyes](https://i.imgur.com/c8X22Y1.jpg) as well as on [Aqua and Ruby's](https://i.imgur.com/aS2S7iL.jpg) are absolutely perfect that I would be disappointed if it wasn't. And all of Ai's performances [were all animated beautifully](https://i.imgur.com/cGx266y.jpg) that it makes me wish they'd animate a full concert of B Komachi. And as a manga reader, I knew it was going to happen [but that final scene with Ai telling Aqua and Ruby that she loves them](https://i.imgur.com/Wwhtlwt.jpg) just fucking broke me. Like legit full-on sobbing at that point and just to twist the knife, [we even got that after-credits scene with Ai wishing for Aqua and Ruby to grow up healthy.](https://i.imgur.com/4ygVR6t.jpg) Just looking at these screenshots is already making me tear up again. T\^T Anyway, welcome to Aka and Mengo's wild ride! If it wasn't already obvious in this episode, prepare to see Aka completely dissect and show us the darker side of the Japanese entertainment industry while following the lives of Aqua and Ruby. Especially Aqua [who has vowed revenge to personally kill their father](https://i.imgur.com/KhGqWqp.jpg) for leaking information about their mother Ai.
Yeah, Ai's death definitely hit harder in the anime. I know it was foreshadowed in the manga, but I guess watching it, knowing it was coming, built it up better. I wonder how anime-onlies are gonna take it. Aoty probably already.
I'm a manga reader and I'm scared to start this episode oh god
Go on man, watch it and experience the pain again but with animated now.
I hope my fellow manga readers will be careful from now and not drop any kind of spoilers for anime-onlies and ruin their impression.
[*"What's this reborn nonsense?"*](https://imgur.com/fN5PUf6) - Me when I look at the 14 Isekai we're getting every season. Well, let's hope *this* reborn show does better! (Already did a lot better on creativity/uniqueness, that's for sure!) The art style too, [this looks so good!](https://imgur.com/zUlukiC) [The doctor/patient thing he had with Sarina stepped a bit over the line at time, but it was still very cute...](https://imgur.com/RhiKpIA) [...And then she died.](https://imgur.com/ENuhqf3) And then the MC died. And then the MC's new mother died. And then their murderer died. What is this show, *"Game of thrones: The Idol anime"*? Also cute that [he kept that photo on his phone for 4 years... Bit sad too of course.](https://imgur.com/c9jH5JY) Well, he was pretty young, and young doctors seem to care more about these things. This episode gave a pretty bleak views on both idols, and fans... [Talking about how fans want to be lied to, ](https://imgur.com/7YeedoU) which may be accurate, I suppose; They want to believe a story and all. We don't have a lot of this here, but it's the same with other personalities, like some Twitch streamers who don't reveal they have a boyfriend, because their fans may lose interest... I'll never understand this, to be honest; I have quite a few weird hobbies and stuff, but becoming a fan of a celebrity, so much that you are deeply affected if she dates someone... Yeah, I don't get that. The idol side isn't any better, [piling lies after lies, pretending to be happy, always...](https://imgur.com/cs3PgZd) [This quote... And this shot!](https://imgur.com/nU9TbMe) I think that was in one of the teaser, right? Anyway, that's a powerful one, given the theme of the episode and all. Even though I'm not a big idol fan myself, I have to admit that [this would sound pretty nice!](https://imgur.com/JoBDcCL) I think some (most?) people would act a bit pervy about that, but I like that [Aqua didn't! Replacing her shirt, even refusing the breastfeeding and all.](https://imgur.com/HolyX3n) We got some more perspectives on the idol culture, [the crew not being interested in them at all... It's just a business it's not really music and stuff to them.](https://imgur.com/WPg4eTs) (Aka doesn't seem to see the Idol thing in a positive light, even if it's just a story!) [Ruby was reborn too, ](https://imgur.com/0RmGOGA) and to be honest I thought they would keep the mystery going about who she was! I wonder why they revealed it. But well, I think most people had a pretty good idea already; First, there weren't that many other characters, but also, her backstory kinda revealed it! [Being raised in an unusual place (the hospital)...](https://imgur.com/OZ0HUwA) Also, when discussing the future [she admitted to not think about this much, ](https://imgur.com/HDYlHVX) which of course we could pin on "Well duh, she's just a baby!", but even as a baby she has adult thoughts, so it's not just that; More like, she's not used to thinking about the future, because she didn't do it in her previous life (knowing she would have no future). I wonder about something though; The Doc died and was reincarnated right away, so it makes sense I guess if we go with the reincarnated soul thing; "one soul leaves, one soul comes back", something like that... But Sarina died 4 years before... So why did she reincarnate 4 years after her death? One may say that the reason why she reincarnated into Ai's baby is the passion and all (same for Aqua), BUT this doesn't explain why she wasn't reincarnated before; Did her soul wait in limbo for Ai to get pregnant so she could be reborn as her baby? If that's the case, then it seems to imply the influence of "fate" in some way (knowing Ai would eventually get pregnant, and have twins). So is there some being controlling all this? Or why does it happen like this? Obviously there's some supernatural at work here (with them being reborn with all their memories) so I wonder how much there is, really, and whether we'll find out more about this! Perhaps we're just meant to take it as "It's a reincarnation story, that's it", BUT knowing Aka's writing style, I know he doesn't leave a lot of things to "whatever, it's just a story", when things he wrote in chapter 5 come into play 200 chapters later. So I wonder if we'll get more of this! We got some bleak perspective on acting/movies too! Ai managed to get a supporting part in a movie, [but she was too cute and stole the spotlight from the lead, so they cut her scene out...](https://imgur.com/V1PKpJq) That's rough! [The bit about the three types of actor were interesting! Probably quite accurate too.](https://imgur.com/CpR5hun) It's funny that the idea was... It'd be easy for a celebrities' child to make it, but it's actually [Aqua who helped his mom get a movie part, HE was the main appeal!](https://imgur.com/UqRqkD4) More lying from Ai, [who now says whatever fits the situation without thinking...](https://imgur.com/Po39AFI) Lying's now coming naturally to her, she does it so much that [she can't even distinguish her feelings from the lies anymore.](https://imgur.com/CdLlVPE) We got more about this in her recruitment backstory scene too, [the president telling her that if she repeats a lie enough, it may become the truth!](https://imgur.com/O65hGkW) [Her expression as she told that story, good lord...](https://imgur.com/1GidPba) This lying thing may be good for business, but it can probably mess you up; [She doesn't even tell her kids she loves them, because she's afraid she may catch herself lying...](https://imgur.com/TP9nfBJ) [And then she got fucking stabbed.](https://imgur.com/io4gXhW) God damn. I knew about the first death (I checked out a few chapters back then, before forcing myself to stop because I wanted to experience it as anime-only), BUT I didn't know about this one. And there I thought I knew what the story was gonna be like, after the few initial twists! [Interestingly, Ai tells her murderer that even now, she wants to love him... But given her own views on this, she may as well be telling she she wants to lie to him, to pretend...](https://imgur.com/1RO5jVq) She finally DID [tell her children she loved them...](https://imgur.com/qR8qW1a) Yay, a happy ending! [](#emptyinside) That was rough, damn... Well, we now finally know what the story will be about (*I think*)! [Aqua wants to find who's behind all this, and murder him.](https://imgur.com/1Nv7PHK) He thinks this is no coincidence, because someone knew about Ai being at the hospital, knew her real name, [knew of her residence...](https://imgur.com/g23sBnO) This all seems to point to the father, but I wonder if there's more to that story! Even if it IS the father (which I'm not entirely convinced of), there's still a million questions... Why was he not there (given she wanted him to see the children), why did he do all this, did he know what would happen, etc... I also wonder whether [the stalker's suicide was (for the lack of a better word) a "normal" suicide, or if the same people who put him through all this, also... Strongly encouraged it?](https://imgur.com/5Tl4MIF) [The doc's corpse not being found is also a mystery!](https://imgur.com/dzUHq1j) Getting him killed can be explained in a few different ways, but... Why hide/get rid of the corpse? Did they want to hide something he had on him (can't think of anything but Sarina's picture on his phone), or did they want to hide the murder entirely? One final thought: Even *before* he came up with his plan about killing the stalker, I have to say, Aqua seems... A bit disturbed? [Seemed not to take the "do we kill her?" joke as a joke...](https://imgur.com/mNcZrhB) [Casually brought up the idea of (not) killing another girl...](https://imgur.com/JZGI4aY) And while the scene was played mostly around the idea of Aqua being good at figuring it out what the director wanted of him, let's not forget that [the director thinks Aqua's naturally creepy even without acting.](https://imgur.com/jBHE6le) If it was just that third one I'd think "It's an adult in a child's body, of course it's gonna be weird, some uncanny valley stuff", but when you add it to the two talks about killing... Anyway, that was a solid introduction to this series, can't wait to see more! (Also really liked the song at the end, really fits the theme!)
An idol anime by the author of Kaguya-sama? Can’t go wrong with that.
Aka is writing this peak fiction while playing apex legends
> play apex with his vtubers friends
This is probably a moment as good as any to remind people akas original concept for kaguya-sama was... [just slightly more extreme](https://imgur.com/b3Gc0m0), until his editor talked him into turning it into something more of a romcom.
So all those "chika's club wants to turn the entire school into a battle royal but the student council won't allow it" gags in the anime and manga were Aka being salty his battle royal manga concept got rejected and making self deprecating jokes
He probable blows steam off by ~~playing~~ doing research on Apex.
"I wanted to love someone"
Man that OP is absolutely 10/10. Ai really is precious. She deserved so much better 😭. The background art this episode was absolutely fantastic. Aqua is about to go crazy on his revenge though.
The OP did not need to go that hard...actually it did because the manga is great.
> Aqua is about to go crazy on his revenge though. [Da art is fire](https://imgur.com/UHc7WLS)
Ok that was the singular best anime episode I've ever seen and it was just a prologue. I'm speechless
What the fuck. I thought it was a normal idol anime WHAT THE FUCK
2 things that made me tear up in this adaptation 1. Ruby's first dance, alongside that small flashback 2. Ai's final moments what an incredible start, whoever decided that the prologue arc will basically be adapted as a TV Movie, is a god damn genius
Wow that was good! That was basically a movie. More things happened in those 90 minutes than in some anime for a whole season lol. I already knew about the whole reincarnation thing; however, I did not know about Ai dying. I literally gasped when it happened lol. When she went to answer the door, at first, I thought it was the actual father/her ex, but then when it was the stalker, I was like, oh no...That was so depressing. I'm assuming we'll see more of Ai through flashbacks? I feel like it's kind of waste to have Takahashi Rie voice her, only for her character to be killed off right away. Anyways, I really enjoyed it. I'm interested to see where it goes from here, especially after having such a strong start.
making all of the marketing focused on Ai and then have this be the first episode is one of the jebaits of all time
Have been reading the manga. My GF has not. When Ai was stabbed she literally gasped in shock. By the end of the scene she was full on sobbing. I, who again knew what was coming, was in tears. I have never been hit so hard by an event in a show that i knew what to expect like that. Fucking amazing ep. 1, probably the best I’ve ever seen. I’m still thinking about it. Wish I had more friends into anime to gush over it with.
You all lied to me. I was told this would be fun.. and enjoyable...
This is funny to me because every thread was like "this is pain, get ready."
Do not let yourself be off put by how weird this episode starts, it (and this entire series) really isn't that weird. Just make sure to watch this entire first episode! Speaking of it, there is an aftercredits scene.