The first season of the Oshi no Ko anime adaptation is done and, as anyone who also followed the manga may know, it proceeded a little differently. Namely, the pacing was a bit different. Basically the first volume was covered in its first episode. But considering the nature of the medium and the focus of this telling, it feels appropriate and like it benefits this version of the story.
Editor’s Note: There are spoilers for first episode of the Oshi no Ko anime adaptation, however there are no exact spoilers for any other episodes.
Image via Sentai Filmworks
The most obvious design decision comes from the fact that the entirety of Ai’s portion of the story and all of Aqua and Ruby’s early life is reduced to a single episode in the Oshi no Ko anime adaptation. It basically speedruns through its early story. As the first volume of the manga was basically dedicated to Ai and the twins’ early life, the pacing set a different sort of tone. The start of the series ended up being more about Ai and establishing her. Here’s the choice means this is about Aqua and Ruby instead. The second episode picks up right as Aqua and Ruby are high schoolers. She’s desperate to attempt to become an idol like Ai. Aqua is still trying to find Ai’s killer by making his way through the entertainment industry. Right from the start, the viewer is drawn to the two of them, rather than their mother.
This choice also means that some of the focus is pulled away from Aqua. In the early parts of the manga, it can feel at times as though he is the main character, and Ruby is a supporting lead. Because of the adaptation’s decision to speed things up a bit, it also makes things a bit more fair. We’re seeing her journey to become an idol proceed at a faster pace. Due to the way things proceeded in the manga, it felt like Aqua got a jump start on his goals first due to his working with Director Taishi Gotanda, getting the job on Sweet Today, and being cast in the reality dating show. In a way, I feel it helps benefit the story. It allows us to better compare what we know about her mother Ai and watch her rise a little more swiftly. The nature of a manga means you have the luxury of more time to build things up, while an anime needs to adjust its pacing to account for the wealth of information and the audience’s attention.
image via Sentai Filmworks
The Oshi no Ko anime’s pacing doesn’t just benefit Aqua and Ruby, however. It works in Kana, Akane, and Mem-cho’s favor as well. For the first two volumes of the manga, Kana is the only other “younger” character of note, though she and the other two play larger roles in the story. This means in the first season we already get to see Kana’s dedication and what she went through in her journey to remain a relevant star, the sacrifices Mem-cho made to attempt to get attention, and the struggles Akane deals with from harassment. It allows for a more well-rounded view at the entertainment industry, even if some of the manga’s details are lost, for the sake of a show that covers more bases.
It’s an approach that works for the anime adaptation of Oshi no Ko for many reasons. Aqua and Ruby are the focal points, after all, as is their journey to become famous. While the manga’s tone is able to prioritize certain characters at certain times to allow the reader to build relationships with them, the anime feels designed to showcase the twin and their personal and professional journey. As such, the decisions to focus on certain elements and omit extra attention from others ensures their current affairs and connections to other characters are at the forefront. Aqua and Ruby are important in every telling in Oshi no Ko, it just makes sure it happens faster and the division of attention feels a little more equal early on.
The first season of the Oshi no Ko anime is streaming on HIDIVE, and the second will appear there as well. Yen Press is handling the localization of the manga.
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Published: Jul 9, 2023 09:00 am