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[Spoilers] Oshi no Ko - Episode 02 Discussion
What are your thoughts? On a scale of 1-5?
5 - Loved it
4 - Liked it
3 - It was OK
2 - Disliked it
1 - Hated it
The thread "(Spoilers) Oshi no Ko Episode 2 discussion" and its comments have been merged into this thread.
You can view the merged thread's body below:
What did you think of this episode?
Personally, I think they did a fantastic job with the opening, and they did a really great job further setting the base for the story to get started. Really looking forward to the next episodes!
Oh FUCK yeah! I loved the Opening of the episode. When I watched "Love is War" I always thought Shirogane had a creepy face and I always wanted to see that, now the Animator did a really good job in that.
Aqua is the best lead in the creepiest face. Whenever I saw that face, I always had the urge to increase the rating to 13/10
Hell yeah that ending is amazing, I really like it.
This episode is a 3.5 for me, but that doesn't mean bad at all. This is all a build-up phase so the peak is not here yet. However, I can't wait for the next episode!
Definitely a 5, the Opening and the Ending are incredible, i never being this hyped for a anime before
I started the manga more than a year ago, thanks to that I actually don't remember much of what happened at the start so I can experience it as if I'm watching it for the first time. Def a 5 though
Same for me with some parts
I dunno bout this one chief...
Giving it a 2.5
such a weak ass bait noone paid any attention sad day innit?
noone paid any attention
You just did lol.
Also it's so fucking annoying when fanboys like you call any rating that isn't 5/5 a bait.I'm not about to leave homie hanging for three days and it's not even about close fanboying, everytime I check something this guy is there shitting his guts out just to get a drop of attention, so I decided I'd provide
[Removed]
Oshi no Ko #2: Third Option
Staff Count:
1|1|2|10
24|5/10+1|4/0+2|3+2作 画 育 成 監 督 counted as AD
Assuming the Training Department (動画工房作画部) is inhouse
After a very strong first episode, this second episode is a major letdown, to be honest. But I don’t know what exactly I expected from this episode either. But one thing is for sure for me: Aqua and Ruby alone won’t be able to carry the story for me. Maybe so because the story doesn’t feel as unhinged in its tone anymore, and the wholesome family dynamic we had with Ai in the first episode, is also gone.
Aqua pretty much just grew more into an edgy and nihilistic person, and Ruby is very similar to Ai, but without what the first episode had going, these two characters don’t hold their own. So that was a bit of an anticlimactic continuation of an amazing prologue. Maybe more side characters and story progression are what it needs right now, the last scene with Kana was one of the more interesting ones. I did look forward to seeing her again and how she will interact with Aqua.
But as a whole, the episode contained too many unnecessary flashbacks and recaps, excessive monologue, and it felt overall dragged. The “joke” with the mother of the director constantly interrupting a rather interesting talk was off-putting and obnoxious as well.
But yeah, exactly that talk between the director and Aqua which was so obnoxiously interrupted might just be the saving grace of the episode - It will be interesting if Aqua maybe can also grow as a person as he tackles the challenge to become an actor.
Lastly, the OP - Overall a disappointment with its visuals; They are disjointed and don’t flow well, lots of interesting ideas but no proper execution. Some cuts are good but that’s it. ED has more tonal consistency to it, but the song doesn’t appeal that much to me.
Same here tbh, still am not sure what to expect in the coming episodes, as this one felt like a mess
You can't compare the content of the first episode to this one and call this one a "disappointment". The first episode had a 90 min runtime (~4 episodes) while this one only had ~20 min of content (making it impossible for it to reach some sort of climax). It is also important to note that the first episode was a prologue. What is happening now, in the second episode, is 10 years after the prologue, so the setting and circumstances need to be redefined for the story to progress (in fact, the first ~20 min of the first episode did the same thing). A slower and steadier pace works well in this case; you can't jump right back into the main plot points without knowing anything or doing some build-up.
Your descriptions of the main characters are drastically simplified or simply even wrong. Just by basing on the first episode, you can tell they're very nuanced. For instance, Aqua isn't edgy or nihilistic; he's not trying to be different for the sake of being different (he also acts rather normally around others). He has clear motives and reasons referring back to episode 1. He also has nothing to do with nihilism; he may have corresponding characteristics to nihilism, but that's entirely fueled by his goal of revenge. He doesn't even disregard life; he's actively trying to protect his sister.
I did not compare this episode content-wise to the previous one, I judged it as a continuation and criticized the execution, like the weak direction and that it did a bad job keeping me invested in the characters who are now the main leads of this series.
For instance, Aqua isn't edgy or nihilistic; he's not trying to be different for the sake of being different
Another thing, I said that he grew more into an edgy and nihilistic person, which doesn't mean that this is everything his character is, but these personality traits became more prevalent in my opinion. I never stated they aren't nuanced, didn't I. I said that I don't think they can carry the series on their own, and I still stand by that.
But to break it down:
Edgy is making something more serious than it actually is. The very plot already scratches that edge because of him wanting to commit personal revenge towards the killer of Ai, but in this episode he gave me that impression because of his round-about way to protect Ruby (faking the phone call), and refusing to communicate properly with Ruby and also the mother because he believes it's a fight he should fight alone, which is immature and edgy. Japan is not that much of a corrupt society that he now has to fight alone on his killer quest for revenge and that he can't trust anyone.
Now, nihilism is a strong word, but he gave me that impression with his overly pessimistic attitude towards him being an actor, and also towards being an idol and the industry. He rejects the value of effort and thinks about many things that they shouldn't be tried to begin with. He also has lines where he said that his life lost meaning.
As the director pointed out, that's not really a realistic and healthy way of looking at things. He's still young.Again, I'm not saying that's all his character is, I just said that he seems to have adopted these traits more than before and it showed this episode, he already had nihilistic/edgy tendencies at the end of the first episode.
Just because I arrived at a different conclusion than you doesn't mean you have to put words into my mouth and make it seem like you are objectively correct somehow, it's okay to have a different opinion.
After a very strong first episode, this second episode is a major letdown
From my understanding, your main point stemmed from the fact that this episode didn't progress the story enough and had useless moments/build-up (which is debatable). With the line quoted above, it seemed to me like you were comparing the content of episode 2 to the entirety of episode 1 since episode 1 had a full story/climax. So that caused the mix-up. Although, for me, it's pretty uncalled for to deem this episode a letdown simply because it's so inoffensive and has not majorly progressed the story yet. That's the point of a build-up, let Aka Akasaka cook.
Aqua pretty much just grew more into an edgy and nihilistic person
"pretty much" meaning "very nearly or mostly"
"just" meaning "only or merely"
You also used these words which basically encompass the character as a whole, so that caused some confusion.Edgy is making something more serious than it actually is. The very plot already scratches that edge because of him wanting to commit personal revenge towards the killer of Ai, but in this episode he gave me that impression because of his round-about way to protect Ruby (faking the phone call), and refusing to communicate properly with Ruby and also the mother because he believes it's a fight he should fight alone, which is immature and edgy. Japan is not that much of a corrupt society that he now has to fight alone on his killer quest for revenge and that he can't trust anyone.
Protecting Ruby from being an idol (especially if it were in underground agencies) is completely rational seeing how his mother died. Either way, Ruby does end up in the family's agency in the end. The word edgy leans more toward the intentional act of doing things differently (think Eminence in Shadow). That doesn't apply to Aqua since he's not doing this to be cool; he has very good reasons which might be explored more in the future??? I would lean more to the side that his trauma paired with his anger and personal sense of duty made him like that. Anyway, all of this doesn't even matter because that's literally him, as a character. If it weren't for his deep-rooted hatred, there wouldn't be any story. Flaws are perfectly fine for a character as they can develop in the future.
The thing is, Aqua has reasons to be pessimistic about the entertainment industry (his mother died in it). He now strives to avenge his mother while protecting Ruby. It's not all about life being meaningless. That said, I don't even think it's a bad portrayal of the character. It could very well work out in the story.
I didn't try to wrongly falsify you, I just misinterpreted what you said like many others here. I'm also not trying to be objectively correct; I was trying to criticize/understand your review.
From my understanding, your main point stemmed from the fact that this episode didn't progress the story enough and had useless moments/build-up (which is debatable). With the line quoted above, it seemed to me like you were comparing the content of episode 2 to the entirety of episode 1 since episode 1 had a full story/climax.
Not quite. To quote my own review:
But one thing is for sure for me: Aqua and Ruby alone won’t be able to carry the story for me. Maybe so because the story doesn’t feel as unhinged in its tone anymore, and the wholesome family dynamic we had with Ai in the first episode, is also gone.
Maybe more side characters and story progression are what it needs right now, the last scene with Kana was one of the more interesting ones. I did look forward to seeing her again and how she will interact with Aqua.
But as a whole, the episode contained too many unnecessary flashbacks and recaps, excessive monologue, and it felt overall dragged. The “joke” with the mother of the director constantly interrupting a rather interesting talk was off-putting and obnoxious as well.
My criticism doesn't apply only to what Asakasa is writing, it's also execution. But to put it short:
a) the two lead characters now, Aqua and Ruby, alone are not interesting enough for me to carry the story
b) the quality in execution went down. It's poor direction if you need excessive monologue to explain the inner workings of a character - It's not even that complicated. Episode 1 gave me the impression this is an adaptation that doesn't shy away to take more creative freedom.
I would also like to point out that this episode overall was still a 5/10 for me, which translates to "ok".
I just sharply criticize how this anime dropped the ball after building up excitement with the end of episode 1. Episode 2 was just "ok" to me, and episode 1 set a higher bar than that.Anyway, all of this doesn't even matter because that's literally him, as a character. If it weren't for his deep-rooted hatred, there wouldn't be any story. Flaws are perfectly fine for a character as they can develop in the future.
That's fine for me. I never actually stated that I dislike that he has these traits - In fact, in my review I noted:
But yeah, exactly that talk between the director and Aqua which was so obnoxiously interrupted might just be the saving grace of the episode - It will be interesting if Aqua maybe can also grow as a person as he tackles the challenge to become an actor.
The episode showed growth potential, which I find interesting.
Aqua pretty much just grew more into an edgy and nihilistic person, and Ruby is very similar to Ai, but without what the first episode had going, these two characters don’t hold their own. So that was a bit of an anticlimactic continuation of an amazing prologue.
I see now how this can be misunderstood but note here that I stated this first part here more as a summary. I said that Aqua and Ruby became these characters, BUT without what the first episode had, these characters alone aren't enough for me. With "grew" I also emphasized the aspect of growth, as we had a timeskip between episode 1 and 2. I understand how you can read this and think I say that Aqua is just edgy and nihilistic, but I rather meant that his growth included becoming more edgy/nihilistic, and Ruby grew up to be more like Ai. Should've worded it better. However, I agree that edgy might be the wrong term. But I don't know what applies better, hmm. In any case, I didn't judge these characters that they are bad or something, they just aren't enough. Or to put it better, episode 2 didn't manage to elevate them enough in terms of how interesting they are.
didn't try to wrongly falsify you, I just misinterpreted what you said like many others here. I'm also not trying to be objectively correct; I was trying to criticize/understand your review.
Oh, my bad then. However, I think you should need to watch your wording to not give the wrong impression. It's totally fine to voice your opinion, and how you disagree with mine, but better state it as "I disagree" or "I think otherwise" or similar. To quote your comment:
You can't compare the content of the first episode to this one and call this one a "disappointment".
Your descriptions of the main characters are drastically simplified or simply even wrong.
That comes off as you taking the higher ground by making it seem like you objectively are correct by telling me what I can do and that my conclusions are flat out wrong. I can see now that's not your intention, but keep that in mind. Be respectful towards the other in your language and don't tell them what they should do (you should, you can't) it's better to start off such a discussion by showcasing your viewpoint (I think, I would say...)
That's how I see it. Take this advice or not, but let me tell you before you clarified it here you seemed very rude to me.
Especially if you might have misinterpreted parts like here, it really can make the wrong impression.
I don't think comparing a 90 minutes prologue and 20 minutes build-up episode is fair. In fact, the good scenes in episode 1 are mostly at the end. Think of it like an arc, there has to be a build-up phrase first.
But I agree. I agree that this episode is so inferior to episode 1 (who would think they'll do much better than the manga). It's like a speed hump on a highway. I have a grip on how they play certain scenes; it tries to go through many actions and emotions but isn't quite hit the right spot yet, unlike Heavenly Delusion where the pace and execution go way smoother thanks to its consistency and Skip to Loafer where the show manage to create a strong vibes out of thin air making it way easier to relate to many characters. Oshi no Ko tries to do both at the same time, but it’s not working.
However, I didn't have much problem right now, maybe it's because I know where it's heading (I read the manga years ago). What I can say is there will definitely have some more interesting characters in the future.
Yeah, I definitely understand that this is build-up, and we'll see later on more of how all of this develop, but I don't think the fact that it's setup excuses every issue I had with this episode, as I had issues with the execution as well and how a lot appeal of the first episode is pretty much lost here.
As I said, I don't know what exactly I expected from this episode, but it certainly did not live up to the setup of episode 1 so far. Maybe it all boils down to the execution, really. I don't know.
In my answer to the comment below I also clarified that I did not compare this episode 1:1 to episode 1, but that I judged it as continuation because episode 1 was a setup for the following episodes.However, I didn't have much problem right now, maybe it's because I know where it's heading (I read the manga years ago). What I can say is there will definitely have some more interesting characters in the future.
Looking forward to it then.
Probably because Ai leaves a lot of impression. Her personality is very interesting and the event that happens is so memorable that everything else kinda faded away. Even I who haven’t touch the source material for a long time remember that Ai got stabbed (and nothing else, really). Very ironic cuz since she got stabbed, B-Komanchi fizzled out as they lost a frontline, just like what this episode is right now.
Fully agree with everything here. For the OP especially, I had high expectations since the full song on youtube has such amazing visuals. Like you said though, the anime version wasnt as smoothly put together.
Best girl Kana is here! She looks great in the anime just as i hoped.
Episode 2 was adapted very well with no issues so im giving it a 5/5.
clearly a 5 anime of the year no doubt. I want to rate it higher than a ten. THe eyes are beautifull and the unspoken raltiy is shown beautifully. The few bits of humor fit greatly and don't ruin the moment.
Wow, that ed is also a masterpiece. 2 artists I listen to frequently with 2 bangers on a single anime. Blessed. Can't wait till it's on Spotify. (EDIT: Its listed for tomorrow TT, 4/20)
Otherwise, this episode was pretty good (4?), nothing special though, but of course a story has to progress first to get to the bigger stuff.
This is why I don't get people who are already being like, "damn, this episode sucked". We can't have huge plot points in every episode, there's of course going to be a build-up phase, and we were basically just introduced to these characters...
Exactly, this episode is the real start and just a foundation of what amazing story is going to unfold
It was a good episode. I don't expect everything to be as mind blowing as the first episode, it ain't a thriller. Looking forward to see the other chapters adapted.
4, why did people expect the second episode to be as good as the first? This episode did everything it was supposed to and well. I have no complaints. Obviously it doesn't have the family dynamic we saw in episode 1, not sure why that was a complaint from some people. Aqua and Ruby are great characters and I'm excited to see more
like a 5, even though it was a build up episode, i find it interesting that Sarina, who died a few years ago, says the moment she passed away and opened her eyes she was the child of AI. So it seems like there is a subplot(probably just convenience) of time travel?, shit slapped left right top bottom even in the 4th and in the 9th dimension still. OP BANGER ED BANGER when ever ANY MUSIC involved banger, it looks so good. i really want to read the manga now, like now now. this episode convinced me to give kaguya sama a chance after like 5 now that im not 14ish anymore.
Oh yeah I never considered how Ruby had to have died as well. Maybe the cancer got her about the same time as thr birth happened, as convinient as that might be. Or I can see a darker story where she... chose... to die around that time, with how she was saying she'd like to be reborn as an idol's daughter.
Ruby died 4 years before her rebirth (Sarina and Ai were both around 12 at the time of her death) and Aqua talks about how it was her influence and eventual passing which caused him to become such a big fan of Ai. She was basically kept in an afterlife waiting room.
yes thats what I said, since it's already been revealed that sarina is ruby, which means there is a time diffrents of 4 years so she basically time traveld
I know you said that. I was replying to the person who responded to you since they did not seem to understand that Sarina had died years prior to the birth of Ruby and Aqua. I apologize if this caused any confusion.
Thank you for clearing that up for me, I confused the scene of the doctor talking to Sarina as happening at the same time as he was taking care of the idol (since I thiught Ai seemed about 16 on screen in the hospital room). Might have forgotten some bit of dialogue to clear it up.
Still somewhat mixed feelings from me, but I'm definitely leaning towards positive. Firstly, we have the new opening: stunning & well-thought-out visuals that tie in with the themes and characters of this show, complemented by the rap song by YOASOBI, the latter of which I'm unfortunately not too fond of. The ending I feel more or less indifferent about at the moment, partly because the visuals are edgier than I would like them to.
As for the actual episode: it was a fairly decent adaptation of the manga with some rather insignificant changes. Ruby chooses to follow the path laid out by her mother and attempts to become an idol, but all of her attempts are forcefully shut down by her brother, leading to the revival of the idol group under Strawberry Productions. These actions characterize him as a cold, overprotective, manipulative and egoistical person, with revenge as his sole motivation – quite a displeasing character both personality-wise and in consideration of the plot, and easily my least favorite one in the entire cast, though my favorites haven't even been properly introduced yet.
The problem of combining education with drama and the related pacing issues is still prevalent: for example, Miyako, despite being depicted as quite a loving adoptive mother, doesn't show any signs of condolence after Ruby's fake rejection, and instead commences to "lecture" her about the harsh realities of idol culture. The actual application process, however, is only shortly depicted. Meanwhile, well-placed advice and critique at the director's home is interrupted by senseless and excessive comedy in the form of the director's mother – the manga handled this a little better, by the way.
However, with the founding of the new idol group, the second introduction of Kana and the beginning of Aqua's revenge, this is where the plot only really starts to take off. This still has plenty of room to redeem itself, and admittedly, my current issue with the anime adaptation at this early stage also existent in the source material.
As far as I'm concerned, this is the real "Episode 1", with the prologue being "Episode 0". So far, really enjoying it. I will admit there wasn't the same amount of attention that I had similarly from the prologue, but that's to be expected with the seemingly "star of the show" is no longer around. I am excited to see where they will take this story with Ruby and Aqua and how it will tie back to the original goal of finding that father of theirs.
Opening visuals are not as great compared to YOASOBI's MV visuals, but that's not really much of an issue. Still great song, still has Ai, won't be skipping it.
The Ending song had some wonderful visuals; Doga Kobo really knows how to accentuate the eyes of their characters. Beautiful artwork done by the team.
One gripe I did have this episode was the whole "Mom interrupting the important serious conversation" gag. The first time was funny. But it just kept going and going to the point of slight annoyance. I was actually hoping to see that whole exchange with the director and Aqua all the way through, but what a shame.
Kana is going to be a very interesting side character, for sure. Can't wait to see both her and the other side characters more in the future.
Overall, great things coming from Doga Kobo. This might just be the best Anime title they've adapted in their history. But we'll see how the next episodes go.
