1. OVERVIEW
"Oshi Noko" has an unconventional start which immediately grabs the audience's attention, setting the tone for a narrative that seeks to explore an ordinary doctor's life, who is portrayed as the protagonist. The plot is about a celebrity who is living a superficial life and who gets pregnant at the age of 16 and the ethical constraints she has to go through.
The anime endeavors to shed light on how a doctor sees life and death which profoundly shapes their perspective and choices. The doctor builds quite a friendship with one of the patients who has a terminally ill condition, that patient is too weak to go out and have fun like the kids of her age, instead she would begin to adore an idol at that time who goes by the name “Ai hoshino“.
As the patient and the doctor begin to have a conversation about the idol, the doctor realizes that he also likes that idol. Ai would be beautiful beyond compare and would have gleaming eyes which shines bright, captivating any mans mind.
As the story moves on, the patient dies inevitably and the doctor begins to adore the idol as a remembrance of the patient whom he really enjoyed spending time with. A few days later, a new patient arrives, in a suspicious looking outfit while being pregnant, until the doctor realizes that the patient is none other than Ai, he would be shocked out of his pants and he would still take care of her, until the date of her delivery. On that day, the doctor sees a suspicious man stalking Ai.
The doctors suspects the man to be a fan and begins to chase him away through the forest, as he does that he falls off a cliff and dies a painful death, only to realize that he would have been reincarnated as on Ai's twins, but since she was a teenager when she got got pregnant she decides keep her children a secret, aquamarine
As the children grow up slowly and gradually they realize that they have the memories of their previous life and that they can communicate properly even as babies this part of the show includes a little bit of comedy.
The show delves in how a teenage mother would take care of her twins, a couple of years later, the suspicious man comes back and then stabs Ai in the stomach before her big break in the idol industry and the twins end up witnessing this scene, and witnessing the loss of their mother as they stare at her dying happily shedding some words of wisdom to her children.
2. CHARACTERS
First and foremost lets talk about the idol herself, the one with glittery eyes that everyone adores, she is the ideal idol her music and dance skills separate ls her from any other idol, she is an optimistic teenager who would love her fans, she wouldn't have had a family and hence looks up to her fans as her own family that she has created.
Sometimes her optimism gives her trouble and that usually goes on her manager who has to handle her, he has a lot on his shoulder considering he has to manage such an over enthusiastic person. Especially when she goes ahead and becomes pregnant when she is a teenager and he has to respond to all the questioning about her.
Aquamarine hoshino is Ai's son is the serious kind he was a doctor in his previous life and was the lethargic kind who didn't particularly like his job, but now he uses his previous life experiences and his skills to go on the quest to find out who the killer of his mom is and he does that by joining and going through and meeting different people that knew Ai and working for them in exchange for some information.
Ruby hoshino is Ai's daughter, she is the exact replica of Ai , she would have been heavily inspired by Ai so much so that she would have watched all of Ai's performances in her previous life and would have ingrained each step into her brain.
Although in her previous life she would have been diagnosed with a terminal illness making her weak to even walk properly, in this new life she has the gift of charm and her amazing flexibility in dancing which she intends to use to follow her mother's footsteps and become a idol herself, she creates her own idol group named after her mother's idol group called B komachi and her journey to gather and bond with potential idol group members begins.
Akane kurokawa is one of the co actors with aqua in a romance reality show which includes teenagers in high school, she is the timid kind and she really wants to become an actor her passion makes her more hardworking than all of her fellow actors, she becomes desperate to be seen by the people as her timid quality makes sure that she doesn't. This gets her and her manager in trouble. Her desperateness causes her to fall into a void of depression.
Miyako saitou is the new manager of strawberry productions, she was the wife to the previous manager of the production company that used to take her of Ai, both the children of Ai would be under Miayko's name since they were kept as secret she takes care of them like her own and she becomes the next manager to Ruby's idol group, she realises she can never be their real mother and strives to give them all the motherly love that she could possibly give to them and supports them in their journey and protects them in any given situation.
3. CINEMATIC APPEAL
This surprising twist of reincarnation provides an element that takes the storyline into unexpected territory. This allows the anime to delve into the contrasting lives of the protagonist, transitioning from a doctor to being reincarnated as a celebrity's baby.
Even though there is 1 season of anime yet and it was only 12 episodes long, but the music is bomb in this anime, not only the OST when they show how similar the twins are to their mother but even the opening and ending music of the anime is very catchy. The narrative makes sure to give the viewers a kind of nostalgia when it comes to the specific scenes where you as a viewer begin to realize how much of a similarity lies in the twins and the mother.
The revelation that twins have memories from their past not only adds an intriguing layer to the narrative but also raises questions about the interconnectedness of lives and the impact of past experiences on present relationships. Moreover, it sheds light on the idolization culture, illustrating how fans often overlook the façade of a celebrity's life despite being cognizant of its inaccuracies. They start figuring out what the celebrity has to go through even though she is put up a happy face to her fans.
4. PERSONAL OPINION
The prologue was an hour long episode and it was extremely overwhelming with respect to its intensity and rapid succession of events, especially when there are a lot of deaths in the prologue itself which ultimately sets the stage for the main plot, revealing that the story transpires after reincarnation while retaining the soul of the protagonist.
In the prologue they also mention about the life of a doctor and what kind of relation begins to develop between a doctor and the patient, that doctor being a human and having emotions it is common to get attached to patients and the sadness they go through when they lose them. This is piled on the fact that doctors have to witness death ever so frequently which would affect their emotions and their mental stability a lot.
The concept of reincarnation allows the exploration of ethical complexities, particularly when Ai has to deal with teenage pregnancy. Her youthful optimism and arrogance explains the depth and intricacy of her character, presenting a compelling exploration of human nature.
Being an idol there is so much pressure and so much expectations from them, that the fans become crazy enough for them that they become psychopaths They are not only jealous but also they adore someone who’s life is so ideal, when in reality they never realize that idols have a difficult life having showing nothing but their happy side to the public and smiling even during the painful times in their lives.
Delving deeper, the anime ventures into the film industry, exposing viewers to the often underexplored mental and creative realms of directors and actors. This fresh perspective broadens the narrative horizon and offers insight into the meticulous thought processes and expectations that guide the film industry.
While the anime's fast-paced narrative keeps the audience on the edge of their seats, there is a recurring theme of trauma that, at points, seems excessive and repetitive. This repetition may potentially dampen the viewing experience, making it crucial for the anime to balance its intense themes.
5.CONCLUSION
Nevertheless, "Oshi Noko" skillfully merges romance, comedy and mystery thriller elements, resulting in an entertaining and engaging storyline that seamlessly amalgamates these seemingly disparate genres. The confusion arising from this blend ultimately adds to the allure of the narrative, leaving viewers wanting more and eagerly anticipating what happens next.
I would give this anime a rating of 4/5. This show has a good mix of romance comedy, mystery and thriller, there is often confusion between how so many genre go together but this anime somehow manages to connect the dots and find a way to do so which is quite amusing.