Name: A perfect adaptation that more or less surpasses its source material in every way
Item: Oshi No Ko
Rating: 100
Author: hdtcoa

Waifra

A perfect adaptation that more or less surpasses its source material in every way · Waifora

This review will be about why Oshi no Ko works so well as an adaptation, not as a story. I won't be talking about the quality of the plot or characters, only how the anime improves upon them compared to the already fantastic manga.

By far the most important part of why I think the anime is better is the visuals. Mengo Yoyokari's art was and IS absolutely gorgeous, but Oshi no Ko is about the entertainment industry, not the manga industry. Black and white art is not as suited to portray the entire entertainment as what the anime did - fucking spectacular colours, lights, and overall glamour.

I'm going to make a weird comparison here, but hear me out. Oshi no Ko reminds me of John Wick - 3 and 4 specifically. Obviously not from any action sequences, but the cinematography. 3 and 4 are neon playgrounds. Red, white, blue, pink, all colours are present in a stunning display of neon lighting. Oshi no Ko's environment, specifically those outdoor scenes, remind me of that. The backgrounds are an array of hues, and under the night sky it looks even better. Japan's buildings and scenery just look incredible.

Even in other less extravagant environments, the backgrounds are still amazing. Just think of the vibrancy of Ai's apartment, or the beautiful greens when Aqua and Arima played truant. The only place that looks, comparatively, bland and saturated, is in Strawberry Productions, basically the home of Aqua and co. After all, home is the only place where the barrier of lies doesn't need to be put up. The layer of ostentatiousness is gone. We are left with the bland, boring truth.

It's not just the backgrounds that look incredible, the characters too (obviously). Sure, the anime certainly doesn't hurt from the source material already making nearly every single character insanely hot, but the anime takes this to new heights. Facial expressions and movements become even more animated (get it? sorry), giving the characters more expressiveness and likability. And yes, once again, colours. Being an anime, characters have very weird hair colours, but luckily this just contributes to making them look even better in this anime. Arima in particular is a standout. Unless I'm seeing things, her red hair seems to glow from the screen, possibly indicating her deep-seated need for attention and approval.

The eyes. Anime is known for having beautifully drawn eyes, and Oshi no Ko is no exception. Everyone's, and I mean EVERYONE'S, just look fucking breath-taking. Especially Aqua's and Ruby's eyes. The stars in them make them somehow look even better. An everpresent reminder of their respective ambitions.

Spoiler, click to view

Love how the closing shot is just Aqua's star, a foreboding reminder of his quest for revenge. It engulfs most of the screen, just like how his revenge has almost completely consumed him, leaving him a near-mindless husk. But, parts of his eyes are still visible. He has not completely fallen into obsession yet. The eyes are the window to the soul, and a wretched soul he is.

The animation is just as great. During relatively mundane moments, the animation is pretty standard, but my God can it escalate to incredible heights when required.

Spoiler, click to view

The most prominent example of this is at the end of Episode 1 - Ai's death, of course. And what is her death met with? Some of the most inventive and utterly breathtaking animation I've ever seen. Aqua realises someone whom Ai knew orchestrated the murder. A white background that looks like textile appears, and in a burst the silhouette of a crow forms, a motif that has and will be repeated throughout the anime, and one whose meaning as of yet is not entirely clear. The crow transforms into a star, the newfound star in Aqua's eye. Zooming out, it reveals an Aqua, a different one, one with a look of pure rage on his face, and one who is now swirling (quite literally) with destruction and vengeance. Not to mention, the entire sequence has this watercolour-esque art style, making it look even more stunning. The highest praise I can give this is that it looks like something straight out of Mob Psycho. Yeah, it's that incredible.

There's one last thing about the visuals I need to mention. Those near-still shots of the characters. You know, like when Arima finishes playing catch with Aqua. Or when Aqua gives his offer to Mem (jesus aqua you fucking playboy). Yeah so THEY LOOK SO UNBELIEVABLY INCREDIBLE IT FELT LIKE KAREN KINO AT THE LAST EPISODE OF KAGUYA S3 SEEING THE PROMISED LAND HOLY FUCK. You'll know what I'm talking about.

Moving on from the visuals (finally), the way certain scenes are presented make them even more impactful than in the manga. I'll give two examples.

Spoiler, click to view

The first is Ai's death. Before it happens, she makes a call to her ex, telling him to come visit. Then the sequence starts with a shot of a bouquet of flowers. "Oh, that must be her ex!" is probably what most anime-only watchers thought. This serves both anime and manga fans. It toys with our expectations, leaving the eventual reveal of the holder of the bouquet even more shocking, while also being an omen for manga readers. We know what's coming up. Our dread is at its highest. Then the actual stabbing happens. What follows is a beautifully animated sequence of Ai, her body slowly decaying, having her final conversation with her kids. The beauty of the visuals once again juxtaposes the morbid reality, heightening the sense of tragedy while cementing her place as a legend. Even her death is shrouded with glory.
The second example is the final episode. At first, I thought the performance at JIF was a weird choice as the ending climax. In the manga, the performance was pretty awesome, especially with Aqua's fucking otaku dance, but it didn't seem exciting enough to be suited as the climax. I was wrong. The anime pulls out all the stops to make this performance as exciting and enthralling as it possibly can, and oh boy does it fucking succeed. Up till now, we've already had several glorious displays of light and colour, but this cranks it up to eleven. The whole stage is flooded with vibrancy. And when it zooms out to display the whole audience, this usage of colour comes at us full force. The bottom half of the screen is surrounded by darkness but filled with bright yellow, occasional flashes of red livening things up, while the top half, the stage, arrests our attention with its glorious display of light. The animation is insane too. Idol performances need great dancing, and it gave us that. Every movement is fluid, and they somehow dance with such eye-catching extravagance. Aqua's dumbass dance is the ultimate combination of everything. A pure display of support and affection. The anime's performance at JIF is just objectively better than in the manga.

Most importantly, the anime is simply more glamorous, which suits the tone and setting of the entertainment industry far better. This is a simple yet important point. Not much I have to say.

Overall, Oshi no Ko's anime simply surpasses its source material in every way, which really pains me to say as I love Aka Akasaka, but it's true. There were some other reasons as well, like the pacing and comedy, but I felt that the above were the most impactful. The manga is still well-worth reading, in fact it's genuinely incredible, but if you can only experience either, go for the anime. If the remaining seasons keep up this level of quality, we might see one of the greatest anime ever made.

And sidenote, if you anime-only watchers thought THIS was good, just you wait for the Tokyo Blade arc.

P.S: No, this is not a perfect season of anime, but I'll give it a perfect score because I can fight me