The Spring 2023 anime season is about to start, and it's bringing along a number of big series both new and returning, as well as new anime adaptations of popular manga and light novels. With popular series like Dr. Stone and Fly Me to the Moon coming back with new seasons as well as adaptations of new hit series like Hell's Paradise: Jigokurakuand Mashle, the season is already shaping up to be quite the season already.
However, nothing in this season is more exciting than the upcoming anime adaptation of Oshi no Ko, an incredibly popular new manga series that has anime and manga fans alike talking nonstop. A story about two people who have reincarnated as the children of their favorite idol, Oshi no Ko is easily the most hotly anticipated series of the Spring 2023 anime season, and for good reason.
A New Work From Two Veteran Mangaka
The name of Oshi no Ko's author, Aka Akasaka, might sound familiar to anime fans, as he is the creator of Kaguya-sama: Love Is War, easily one of the most popular and acclaimed romantic comedies of the last few years. Oshi no Ko is his second major work, and he started working on this series while Kaguya-sama was still serialized. Oshi no Ko sports many aspects of Akasaka's unique writing style, including his cynical sense of humor and cutting social commentary. Fans of Kaguya-sama will quickly recognize his particular style in Oshi no Ko, especially in the series' more comedic moments.
While Akasaka took on writing and illustrating duties for Kaguya-sama, Oshi no Ko's art is instead handled by Mengo Yokoyari, who is best known for the manga Scum's Wish, a fairly popular manga and anime series in its own right. Yokoyari is a great artist, and her style mixes well with Akasaka's, being able to express both dramatic moments and comedic beats in a way that is quite similar to how Akasaka approached them in Kaguya-sama. Oshi no Ko exhibits both mangakas' strengths equally, and while Akasaka is certainly the bigger of the two mangaka, the series wouldn't be at its best without the both of them.
A Drama With Suspense And Intrigue
Oshi no Ko starts with a doctor named Goro Amemiya, who discovers that his favorite idol, Ai Hoshino, has come to him in order to have a secret pregnancy. He swears to help her deliver the baby, but is killed before he can actually do so. He ends up being reincarnated as one of the twins Ai gave birth to and is renamed Aquamarine Hoshino, with his sister Ruby Hoshino actually being another reincarnated person. The story revolves around the two reincarnated children as they experience life as the children of an idol.
Fans of Kaguya-sama: Love Is War would be wrong to assume that Oshi no Ko will be similar in tone and content. While Kaguya-sama is a light-hearted romantic comedy with occasional edginess and cynicism, Oshi no Ko is a dark drama full of intrigue and suspense. While the story is mostly about idol culture and show business, there is also a mystery that sits at the heart of the series, and whenever more of that mystery unravels, the suspense behind the final reveal only ramps up. When the series does focus on idols and show business, it tends to focus on the dark side as well, including the scandals and the rivalries behind closed doors. Fans of Kaguya-sama should not expect more of the same, but Oshi no Ko is an incredible experience that they will surely enjoy anyway.
Doga Kobo's Next Masterpiece?
Doga Kobo is the studio in charge of Oshi no Ko's anime adaptation, which may not be all that exciting initially since they are not as big or as well known as studios like Kyoto Animation, Mappa, or even incredibly new studios like CloverWorks. The studio is mostly known for moe and yuri anime series, such as YuruYuri, Himouto! Umaru-chan, and Gabriel Dropout, as well as more conventional romantic comedies such as Plastic Memories or Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun. More recent series include adaptations of RPG Real Estate and Shikimori's Not Just a Cutie, which both aired last year.
As a series that is quite different from the projects they usually tackle, Oshi no Ko is a big chance for Doga Kobo to increase its renown as a studio. The trailers shown so far for Oshi no Ko are of incredible quality, showing that Doga Kobo knows that this series could be their next big hit. Oshi no Ko is certain to draw a large crowd due to its connection to Kaguya-sama: Love Is War, and there will be a lot of backlash of Doga Kobo doesn't live up to the hype. Thankfully, there seems to be no need to worry, as Oshi no Ko looks amazing and will certainly become one of the biggest anime of the Spring 2023 season.