I would certainly put it up there as one of the contentions. Still, halfway left of the year, there could be another show which you top it off.
Oshi No Ko, first reactions of when I watched the first episode, I thought it was your typical showgirl Anime show, such as Love Live or something. I thought it was going to be like that.
It starts with Ai who is pregnant at the age of 16 years old. She goes to the hospital for a check-up and gives birth to twins. But in the industry, she is in, she's not allowed to have kids due to contract clauses, and how in the pop idol industry, you are not allowed to have any kids. Anyways, before giving birth, her doctor is seen as a big fan of Ai. So, for him, delivering her babies is seen as a big deal.
*SPOILERS AHEAD*
Now, this is where things start to get interesting - after delivering the baby, the baby turns out to be a doctor - he is reincarnated into a baby. Followed by the girl, who is a cancer patient at the hospital, who has a dream to be born into another life. When they were born, they were seen to have accomplished their dream. But a mystery is yet to be solved. How did Ai get pregnant? Based on the first episode, you only see her pregnant. All seems well at the start, she is doing well in her music career and managed to get an acting role on a TV show. It is giving me the Perfect Blue vibes - if you've not seen it, long story short, Mima, who is a singer, becomes an actor. This is only the first episode mind you, and there are still more episodes to go.
Now, another significant moment that happens is we get to see the father of the kids. Ai and the father had a phone call
to check up with others. But if you continue a bit more into the episode, you see a random person outside Ai's door. Seems normal at first, but straight after that, she got stabbed and eventually bled to death. It was a huge shock around Japan, and the question is who is the killer? I've already watched up to the 6th episode, (as I am writing this) and there's no news about the killer. Some people who came to my mind are the father and someone who has worked with Ai. The father is the only one who has Ai's address, followed by people who worked with Ai. It's either the father or someone in the industry who murdered Ai.
Now enough of the conspiracy theories, why do I think Oshi No Ko is a solid anime? I would say the unexpectedness of it. At first, I thought it was a pop idol show. It is, to a certain extent, but it has that Perfect Blue feeling. If you've seen Perfect Blue, you know the context of the storytelling has a psychological-thriller element to it. Both of its respective shows/films have something in common - a pop idol becoming an actor and the other is a pop idol. Both show/film has that psychological element to them which can mess with your mind and thoughts. The storytelling element has an interesting way to keep you hooked on the show and making you want to know more. And you can say how the two babies, who become adults, looking to do their mother proud, and you see the journey of how they're coping in this 'toxic world'.
They took a massive risk by releasing an episode that lasts for almost an hour plus long, but I must say the risks paid off. It's not common for any anime to do that. But they certainly nailed it. The aspect of that psychological element helps elevate the storyline and just keeps it interesting. I can't wait how the ending will turn out when the season comes to an end.
Rating: 9.5/10
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