Oshi no Ko (2023 TV series)

Premise

Gorou Amamiya is a gynecologist working in a rural area and a fan of the idol Ai Hoshino, a member of girl group B-Komachi. While preparing to assist Ai during her secret pregnancy, Gorou is murdered shortly before she gives birth. He is subsequently reincarnated as one of Ai’s twin children, Aquamarine “Aqua” Hoshino, retaining memories of his previous life. The other twin, Ruby Hoshino, is revealed to be the reincarnation of Sarina Tendōji, a former patient of Gorou who had been terminally ill and had expressed a desire to become an idol.

Ai raises Aqua and Ruby while concealing their identities from the public and continuing her career as an idol. Several years later, Ai is murdered by a stalker who obtained her home address through leaked information. Aqua witnesses the incident and later determines that the stalker had received guidance from another individual connected to Ai. Aqua suspects that this person is his biological father and decides to investigate the circumstances surrounding Ai’s death.

As Aqua and Ruby grow older, they enter the entertainment industry through different paths. Aqua becomes involved in acting and media productions to obtain information related to Ai’s past, while Ruby pursues an idol career inspired by her mother. Their activities bring them into contact with various professionals and organizations within the industry as Aqua continues his investigation.

Season 1

Ai Hoshino secretly gives birth to twins, Aquamarine and Ruby Hoshino, while maintaining her public image as an idol. The twins grow up under her care, with their reincarnated identities gradually revealed. Several years later, Ai is murdered by a stalker who had obtained her personal information. Aqua witnesses the incident and later begins investigating the people connected to Ai before her death.

As teenagers, Aqua and Ruby begin participating in entertainment-related activities. Ruby aims to become an idol, while Aqua accepts acting roles to gain access to individuals associated with Ai’s career. Aqua appears in various productions, including a reality television dating program featuring actors and influencers, where he meets other young performers and industry staff. During production, he observes the impact of editing and online reactions on participants. He meets Akane Kurokawa, whose acting skills and professional background later intersect with Aqua’s ongoing activities in the industry.

Meanwhile, Ruby forms a new version of the idol group B-Komachi under Strawberry Productions. She recruits Kana Arima and later Mem-cho as members. The group participates in rehearsals, promotional events, and live performances at small venues. Ruby takes on the role of center performer as the group gradually gains public attention.

Season 2

Aqua and Kana are cast in a stage adaptation of the manga Tokyo Blade, alongside Akane and other actors from different agencies. Rehearsals highlight differences in acting styles, experience levels, and approaches to performance. As production progresses, the cast navigates scheduling issues, creative disagreements, and performance pressure. The stage play is eventually completed and performed for audiences. Through information gathered during his acting work and personal interactions, Aqua narrows down the identity of his biological father. He confirms that the individual remains active within the entertainment industry and was indirectly involved in events connected to Ai's death. After reaching this conclusion, Aqua temporarily distances himself from further investigation.

Season 3

Aqua and Ruby continue pursuing separate careers within the entertainment industry, encountering new collaborators and information related to their family background. Ruby increases her focus on idol-related work, including performances, interviews, and promotional appearances. Her public recognition grows as her activities extend beyond earlier performances with B-Komachi. Aqua resumes acting work and becomes involved in new productions connected to individuals from his father’s professional circle. Developments surrounding Ai's past and legacy remain ongoing.

International release

The series is licensed by Sentai Filmworks and has been available for streaming on Hidive.^[20][21] An English dub premiered on May 24, 2023.^[22] The first season was released on Blu-ray on June 25, 2024.^[23] The second season was released on January 6, 2026.^[24] Medialink licensed the series in Asia-Pacific and streamed it on the Ani-One Asia YouTube channel.^[8] It premiered on Animax Asia on October 30, 2024.^[25] Crunchyroll is streaming the third season along with Hidive.^[26][27] On February 25, 2026, Crunchyroll announced that it had acquired the streaming rights for the first two seasons of the series in collaboration with Hidive. The first season was made available immediately, while the second season was added a month later on March 25, 2026.^[28][29]

Popularity

Oshi no Ko ranked fifth on AnimeJapan's fifth "Most Wanted Anime Adaptation" poll in 2022.^[40] The premiere episode of the series, "Mother and Children", was reported by Hidive as the most successful premiere in the streaming service's history in terms of total viewers, new subscribers, and free trial signups.^[41][42] The opening theme, "Idol" by Yoasobi, also achieved international chart success. It reached a total of 100 million worldwide stream and video views on Spotify and YouTube within two weeks after the anime's release.^[43] The song also topped the Billboard Global 200 Excl. U.S. charts with 45.7 million streams and 24,000 copies sold outside the U.S. "Idol" has become the first Japanese song and anime song to top the Billboard Global chart as well as taking the first spot on the Apple Music's Top 100: Global chart.^[44][45]

In a survey of "Favorite Anime of 2023" on the Japanese website Otona Answer which was responded to by over 2,600 young Japanese anime fans, Oshi no Ko ranked first among Generation Z for the first half of the year.^[46] According to a 2023 poll conducted by education and publishing company Benesse, which asked 18,802 third to sixth-grade Japanese children (12,859 girls, 4,728 boys and 1,215 others), Ai Hoshino ranked third below the "friend" and "mother" on the top 10 most admired people. According to the survey, Ai's singing and dancing ability, cuteness, positivity, idol talent, and compassion for others were the reasons why she ranked higher. In the other poll, Yoasobi's "Idol" was ranked among the top 10 most popular words responded to by Japanese children, placing seventh.^[47] In the 2023 Google's Year in Search, "Idol" ranked as the top-trending song and was third in "Hum to Search: Top Songs" category.^[48]

Sales

According to Kadokawa Corporation, the Oshi no Ko anime series was its best-selling title by net sales in fiscal 2023, amassing over ¥3 billion in revenue.^[49] For the second quarter of 2024, the series managed to amass ¥4 billion in revenue.^[50]

Critical reception

The anime adaptation received widespread acclaim for its storytelling, animation quality, and thematic boldness. Lauren Orsini of Anime News Network wrote in her review of the premiere that Oshi no Ko "offers a potent combination: the glitz of the industry and the gritty darkness just underneath—and I'm certain we haven't even scratched the surface."^[51] Ali Griffiths of Digital Spy praised the series' depiction of the production of dating shows and Akane's cyberbullying, describing Oshi no Ko as a "compelling watch".^[52] Kambole Campbell of Polygon described in his review that "[the series] leverages the reincarnation premise for both the wild dramatic potential of its revenge plot line, but also as a way to have a pair of fans see behind the curtain, with different perspectives and impossible hindsight."^[53] In contrast, David Opie of Radio Times felt that the anime had changed its content and impact compared to its premiere episode, writing: "the show no longer stands out as unique in the same way that the first episode did."^[54]

Mike Hale of The New York Times listed Oshi no Ko as one of the best international shows of 2023, calling it both "sprightly" and "goofy".^[55] Vulture named it one of the best anime series of 2023, praising its humor and the handling of characters' performance from the expression of the feelings. The website wrote: "Aside from its unhinged backstory, the real fun of Oshi no Ko is the drama it mines from its analytical portrayal of the entertainment industry and how business conflicts with art."^[56]

Mitsushima Erio of Real Sound praised in their analysis that the animation quality in concert scenes captures "a power that comes from within and overwhelms the viewer in a way that defies rational explanation," adding that the first episode alone conveys "the same satisfaction felt after watching a high-quality film."^[57] In another article from the same publication, Nozawa Yoshinori highlighted that episodes six and seven, centered on online harassment and Akane's emotional recovery, "delicately portray the darkness of the entertainment industry and social media, and the human relationships of real life."^[58]

The second season, aired in summer 2024, also received critical praise. James Beckett of Anime News Network, previously skeptical of the first season, noted in his preview guide that by the second season he had come to fully appreciate the series' strengths, particularly "how the story interrogates the complex and often toxic nature of life in the entertainment industry," concluding that "Oshi no Ko is a marvel." However, he again cited the main criticism regarding the protagonist Aqua, whose "cold, calculating personality makes him intrinsically hard to support."^[59] In contrast, Gracie Qu of Anime Trending considered the second season superior to the first, highlighting that the rivalry dynamic between Akane and Kana is refreshing as it depicts "two women competing to be the best in a ruthless industry," a trope usually reserved for male characters.^[60] Asian Movie Pulse highlighted that the season shows "the transformative power of theatre," noting that characters become a cast capable of moving audiences to tears with layered performances, and called the series "an informed and empathetic look at the world of stage and music video production."^[61]

The third season began airing on January 14, 2026. Lauren Orsini of Anime News Network, who had previously reviewed the first season, wrote in her analysis of the first two episodes that the season starts at such a remarkable level that it made her pretend and dream that the manga ending she didn't like "never happened", highlighting the new opening and ending as reflective of the series' central narrative themes: "flawless performances for a world that barely mirrors reality." She also expressed hope that the anime could serve as a re-reading of the story, especially if Doga Kobo can soften the original final problems or even change it in some way.^[62] CBR included the third season among the most notable anime releases of 2026, praising that "the mystery feels alive and the animation is impossible to look away from," noting that the series continues using the entertainment industry as a crime stage: "danger exists not just in dark alleys, but in contracts, connections, and the way powerful people protect their image."^[63]

Accolades

In 2023, Oshi no Ko won in the anime category while Yoasobi's "Idol" won in the song category of the Yahoo! Japan Search Awards, based on the number of searches for a particular term compared to the year before.^[64] The anime series also won the Grand Prize at Japan's Internet Buzzword Awards.^[65] At the 8th Crunchyroll Anime Awards in 2024, Yoasobi's "Idol" won the award for Best Anime Song while the anime series was nominated for eleven other categories including Anime of the Year.^[66] The series received the award for Animation of the Year, while Yoasobi won Best Music for their work at the Tokyo Anime Award Festival.^[67] It won the 2024 Excellence Award at Japan's 29th annual Association of Media in Digital (AMD) Awards.^[68] The series also won the Character License Award at the Japan Character Awards by Japan's Character Brand Licensing Association (CBLA).^[69]

Awards and nominations

Controversy

The sixth episode of the anime, which depicts the character Akane Kurokawa becoming a target of cyberbullying and subsequently attempting suicide after starring in a controversial episode of a reality television program, was noted by critics for its parallels to a similar real-life case of the suicide of Hana Kimura, a Japanese professional wrestler.^[117][118] Some viewers commented that the manga chapters on which the episode was based were planned prior to Kimura's death.^[119] Kimura's mother, professional wrestler Kyoko Kimura, criticized the episode for the similarity, saying that she did not approve of the case "being used like free source material" by the anime writers. Kimura further stated that she felt the topic was portrayed with no consideration for real-life cyberbullying victims.^{[119][120][121]} The series' English licensor, Sentai Filmworks, added an advisory message to the end of the episode providing the phone number to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on its streaming service, Hidive.^[122]