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EP. REVIEW: Oshi no Ko Season 2


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Aerdra



Joined: 02 Feb 2022
Posts: 427
PostPosted: Wed Jul 17, 2024 6:04 pm Reply with quote
First arc of season 2 is another meta arc. Last season had manga adapted to TV drama, now it's manga to theater play.

Yoriko-sensei left the drama adaptation alone, and it was a disaster. Abiko-sensei gets involved in the theater adaptation, and it seems to be headed for disaster.

I love getting (another) look behind the scenes of production, seeing what happens and everything that could go wrong.
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Shay Guy



Joined: 03 Jul 2009
Posts: 2294
PostPosted: Wed Jul 17, 2024 6:16 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
After watching episode 3, I looked up 2.5D plays, more often referred to under the brand StageAround.


Hold up there. From what I’ve read, “2.5D musicals” seem to refer to something much broader than just what’s performed at the IHI Stage Around Tokyo — for one thing, that theater opened in March 2017 according to its Japanese Wikipedia article, three years after the Japan 2.5-Dimensional Musical Association was established, which was in turn a decade after Musical: The Prince of Tennis. (And the theater closed down at the end of last year anyway.)

Bottom line, there’s a good variety of 2.5D plays out there, and Tokyo Blade’s is meant to be a very prestigious one. (Hence LaLaLai’s involvement.)
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ktarf



Joined: 30 Jun 2024
Posts: 28
PostPosted: Wed Jul 17, 2024 6:21 pm Reply with quote
I really connected to Abiko-sensei's wrath, seeing something you love butchered by an adaptation is truly awful, and as a fan I can only imagine what an author must feel. It's even more relevant in light of the many recent real-life instances of this, especially here in the West. But I also appreciate having my sometimes extreme position challenged by an honest portrayal of the other side of the coin.

Loving this new arc so far.
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MFrontier



Joined: 13 Apr 2014
Posts: 13670
PostPosted: Wed Jul 17, 2024 8:21 pm Reply with quote
The new OP isn't Idol but it works surprisingly well, as does the ED lead-in. And Doga Kobo are still killing it with the animation/direction.

The show is back to doing what it does best by chronicling the difficulties of the entertainment industry and what goes into production your favorite pieces of media and adapting work, all the while making you understand the reality in it and how multiple people are just trying to do their best even if it doesn't always turn out well.

I can also imagine, as mangaka, there was a lot of truth in terms of everything having to do with Abiko/Kichijouji in this arc and their stance on adaptions. Probably for a lot of authors too. Shizuka Itou and Ayaneru just utterly nailed that scene.

It's also not the major focus of the arc but I'm enjoying the slowly budding relationship drama between Aqua, Kana, and Akane. Akane looking amazing with long hair, trying to do her best as an actress, all the while also trying to be true to her desire to be Aqua's real girlfriend. Kana jealous but also getting a chance to finally put her all in as an actress once more. And Aqua being as stoic as possible but coming through where it counts.

Will Melt ever win back over Kichijouji?

My heart goes out to GOA as a screenwriter. I hope we see Abiko acknowledge his talent and actually be willing to work with him.
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dm
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Joined: 24 Sep 2010
Posts: 1460
PostPosted: Wed Jul 17, 2024 8:32 pm Reply with quote
Episode 3: The wonderful scene between the two mangaka overshadowed another, quieter, bit of brilliance --- Akane's sequence of facial expression as Aqua voices his (muted) enthusiasm for the stage-around play.

Was the first series one as playful with animation techniques as this season has been? I feel like the animators are exercising more creative freedom with how the approach the material. The splashes of color representing the actors' ki in the first episode is the most outstanding, but in episode two and three we see sudden shifts in style that would be jarring in lesser hands, but here seems to emphasize the characters' internal mental states.

I'm enjoying this series in so many ways.
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FilthyCasual



Joined: 01 Jun 2015
Posts: 2370
PostPosted: Wed Jul 17, 2024 9:53 pm Reply with quote
It's a bit of a shame we only got a flourish or two for the Prince of Tennis stage play, but I assume Doga Kobo's saving their energy for the more important one coming up. It's a joy to have Oshi no Ko back.
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Tanteikingdomkey



Joined: 03 Sep 2008
Posts: 2350
PostPosted: Wed Jul 17, 2024 10:50 pm Reply with quote
I am surprised to see Abiko s autism portrayed with such nuanced and realism. They don't hammer it over the head in these three episodes but they also go pretty far out of their way to show that she is, and some of the consequences of it.
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TJ_Kat



Joined: 11 Jan 2007
Posts: 417
Location: Saskatoon, Canada
PostPosted: Wed Jul 17, 2024 11:22 pm Reply with quote
I'm gonna be honest, at this point in the story, I'm not even sure why the reincarnation plot or the revenge plot even exist. They both feel like sub-plots that were tacked on and have no real impact on the story. Especially the reincarnation plot; what relevance has that had beyond the first episode? If they become more prominent later, that could completely change my opinion, but right now it feels like you could literally cut all of that out and still have a good show.
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Key
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Joined: 03 Nov 2003
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Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley)
PostPosted: Wed Jul 17, 2024 11:37 pm Reply with quote
TJ_Kat wrote:
I'm gonna be honest, at this point in the story, I'm not even sure why the reincarnation plot or the revenge plot even exist. They both feel like sub-plots that were tacked on and have no real impact on the story. Especially the reincarnation plot; what relevance has that had beyond the first episode? If they become more prominent later, that could completely change my opinion, but right now it feels like you could literally cut all of that out and still have a good show.

Almost everything Aqua does - including accepting his current acting gig - is guided/driven by his desire for revenge, and that motivation wouldn't realistically be there without the reincarnation angle. (No normal 3-year-old would be cognizant enough to figure out what Aqua does about his biological father being responsible for Ai's death.) You could maybe argue a better case for Ruby, but her motivations to be an idol are driven at least as much by her sickly state in her previous life (and how Ai inspired her at her lowest point) as by wanting to follow in her mother's footsteps.

So even though the reincarnation thing is entirely in the background at this point, it's still influencing the story in a big enough way that this would be a significantly different series without it.
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FanGamer24



Joined: 10 Apr 2024
Posts: 88
PostPosted: Wed Jul 17, 2024 11:50 pm Reply with quote
Not to mention Aqua only made the connection to his father because he got killed by the same stalker in his previous life and is the only one aware that murder happened.
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YackDe



Joined: 23 Apr 2024
Posts: 152
PostPosted: Wed Jul 17, 2024 11:51 pm Reply with quote
TJ_Kat wrote:
I'm gonna be honest, at this point in the story, I'm not even sure why the reincarnation plot or the revenge plot even exist. They both feel like sub-plots that were tacked on and have no real impact on the story. Especially the reincarnation plot; what relevance has that had beyond the first episode? If they become more prominent later, that could completely change my opinion, but right now it feels like you could literally cut all of that out and still have a good show.


I don't know why you would go into this with the expectation that it doesn't become more prominent later. Especially when the opening is still hitting you in the face with imagery to make sure everybody in the crowd knows it's important.
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Key
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Joined: 03 Nov 2003
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Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley)
PostPosted: Wed Jul 17, 2024 11:59 pm Reply with quote
FanGamer24 wrote:
Not to mention Aqua only made the connection to his father because he got killed by the same stalker in his previous life and is the only one aware that murder happened.

Yes, thanks for bringing that up because I had somehow completely forgotten about that.
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maximilianjenus



Joined: 29 Apr 2013
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 18, 2024 7:33 am Reply with quote
But reincarnation is irrelevant, they could just be genius kids.
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NeverConvex
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Joined: 08 Jun 2013
Posts: 2510
PostPosted: Thu Jul 18, 2024 9:48 am Reply with quote
TJ_Kat wrote:
I'm gonna be honest, at this point in the story, I'm not even sure why the reincarnation plot or the revenge plot even exist. They both feel like sub-plots that were tacked on and have no real impact on the story. Especially the reincarnation plot; what relevance has that had beyond the first episode?


Yeah, agree. There are some connections, but they're pretty thin, and could mostly have been replaced by a young kid witnessing (or otherwise gaining special insight into) his mother's murder. I've just kind of accepted that anime and manga absolutely love reincarnation as a gimmick, whether or not it serves a useful role in a narrative. Laughing

Oshi no Ko's character interactions are a lot of fun to watch entirely independent of the story's supernatural beginnings, so I'm kind of .. content? .. that the show seems to have forgotten about reincarnation about as much as I have.
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mooseV01



Joined: 21 Apr 2017
Posts: 186
PostPosted: Thu Jul 18, 2024 10:40 am Reply with quote
maximilianjenus wrote:
But reincarnation is irrelevant, they could just be genius kids.


It’ll become relevant soon, don’t worry.
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