Warning: Spoilers for Oshi no Ko episode 4Oshi no Ko has been taking the anime community by storm, instantly raising the profile of streaming service HiDive along with it. Much of its success can be attributed to the series’ massive gimmick that dramatically changed the tone of the story in the very theatrical first episode. But the story would actually be a lot better without it.
Reincarnations are only worthwhile when they actually add something to the plot. If a majority of the series’ events would have happened without reincarnation, then it’s a pointless addition. The reincarnated character needs to gain something of value in their new world that wouldn’t have been possible in their normal life or leverage their skills and knowledge from their previous life to benefit them in their new one. Most especially, the relationships this reincarnated person creates must supersede those they would have made in the real world.
Oshi no Ko Never Doesn’t Need its Reincarnation Gimmick
But this doesn’t happen in Oshi no Ko, originally by illustrator Mengo Yokoyari and writer Aka Akasaka, the mangaka behind Kaguya-Sama: Love Is War that has brought Death Note intensity to romance. In fact, the series proved there was no need for reincarnations at the very end of the 90-minute debut episode. The scene that left the entire anime community in tears was only sentimental because of what everyone wanted it to be: children watching their mother Ai Hoshino die. But that’s not what really happens. It’s really a reincarnated terminal patient named Sarina (now Ruby) whose character will forever be associated with how she gleefully tainted an otherwise innocent pastime between mother and child. Meanwhile, the other is the former doctor Gorou Amemiya (now Aqua) who had an unsettling obsession with a teen idol. He may have “inherited” his fandom from his former patient who just happened to be Sarina, but Sarina is now just the nursing fanatic. If Aqua and Rose were actually children, then it would have been truly tragic.
The only truly heartbreaking moment is when Ai tells her “children” that she loves them despite her fear that she never could love them. Ai essentially wasted years worrying about something that wasn’t true and missed out on bonding in this way with her children. The truly emotional impact of the scene is this sense of loss and regret. But the fact that Aqua and Ruby aren’t actual children takes that dynamic away, and the irony that the audience is left with is not a fitting replacement. The true irony is that the scene would have been more impactful if it wasn’t sullied by reincarnation.
How Oshi no Ko’s Reincarnation Could Be Interesting
The only hope of redemption is how Aqua will deal with the fact that Ruby is actually Sarina. But is that really enough? As of now, Oshi no Ko continues to prove that reincarnation wasn’t necessary in the following episodes. Part of it is demonstrated by the only scene in the first episode that justifies the need for reincarnations when Aqua outshines spoiled child actor Kana Arima in a film. Aqua was only a compelling actor because he looked like a child but acted like he was much older. This whole dynamic wouldn’t have been possible if he hadn’t resurrected. But, since then, there have been other acting scenes, and Aqua no longer benefits from his advanced knowledge because he’s much older, so his actions and mannerisms now match him on a physical level. When he does act well in episode 4, it’s based on an inherent skill that he would have relied on regardless if he reincarnated or not.
While ironic and a possible deconstruction of the reincarnation trope like the manga Penal Servitude 339 Years, this and the many others that will likely follow will never outdo what could have been Oshi No Ko‘s greatest scene.
Oshi No Ko is streaming on HiDive.
