#there's a lot to unpack
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Spring 2023 Anime Overview: Oshi no Ko
Spoiler free premise: A doctor in a small town is a fan of a sixteen-year-old idol Ai Hoshino. But then Ai shows up with a secret pregnancy. Now he’s going to have to figure out how to deal with her secret and safeguard her from obsessive fans as he helps her give birth…
Spoiler for the entire first super long episode twist premise under the cut:
…that is, until the doctor is murdered by Ai’s stalker and reincarnates as Aqua, one of the twin children Ai gives birth to. The other twin, Ruby, is also a reincarnated soul. She was a former patient of the doctor’s, a twelve-year-old who was a huge fan of Ai before dying of terminal illness. Both twins are unaware of the other’s former identity, but they both enjoy their new lease on life and come to love Ai all the more.
All seems well (I mean well for the twins, that is, not for the viewer who has to grapple with all this bizarre and creepy premise) until the same stalker that murdered the doctor murders Ai herself. Aqua realizes his father/Ai’s secret lover must have leaked Ai’s location to the stalker on purpose. The problem is that Ai never told Aqua and Ruby who their father was. So Aqua vows to track down his father and kill the man for what he did to Ai, whatever the cost. After growing into a teenager, he gets more involved in the entertainment industry and begins his search for his mother’s true killer in earnest.
Yeah, that’s a lot isn’t it? And it probably doesn’t help when I tell you that before he becomes Aqua, the doctor basically admits he, an adult man, wouldn’t turn down a date from the sixteen year old Ai, prompting the nurse to call him a lolicon (because anime will always insist on using that phrase where they should say ‘pedophile/ephebophile'). Or that baby Aqua refuses to breastfeed with Ai, but his twelve-year-old-girl-in-a-past-life twin happily does so with a huge, lascivious grin. (There’s also a discussion where Aqua says ‘he’ll let it slide’ when he learns Ruby was a girl in her past life too, she’s like ‘wow so great I was born a girl so I can enjoy mama's/Ai's breasts” and he’s like “no it’s not okay actually” and you just have to sit back and realize this is a conversation you’re watching on TV. This is where your life has bought you. )
Why did you keep watching, you ask me when I say these things? Well, it was well-made and engrossing. The animation was great, the pace was snappy, and Ai was instantly endearing. Plus everyone was talking about it endlessly on a discord I belong to, and they said after the first episodes the weirdness of the reincarnation angle becomes less important, the horny baby antics go away, and it becomes more of a straightforward murder mystery and a intriguing exploration of the entertainment industry.
And that’s pretty much true. The show goes out of the way to handwave Aqua’s past life by saying going through puberty and infantile amnesia means he now doesn’t know where he starts and the other dude begins anymore, and he essentially feels like a teenager.
Where Oshi no Ko is truly compelling is it’s exploration of the predatory entertainment industry and the twisted misogyny and parasociality of idol fandom.
It makes some basic, but very needed, points. It points out that fans who freak out over 'their' idols having a relationship and blame them for it are gross, and the industry that puts them in a box is gross. This is very basic stuff, but still underdiscussed in anime. A lot of anime pretend all is well for an idol since the anime industry itself makes bank off idols. So it was satisfying to see to see a character scream ‘You all fall in love with idols, it's selfish to say idols can't fall in love! You take out all your anger on women because you don't have a girlfriend!" at the endless twitter comments saying it was "expected" that Ai was killed for ‘betraying’ her fans. It's also clear the author did a lot of research on the entertainment industry and has a lot to share. A lot of what he has to share is really interesting, and I appreciate that in his interviews he wanted to make sure Americans understand that Japanese actors and idols don’t have unions and it leaves them open to even more exploitation.
(Even the bizarre premise of the anime is nod to a gross “joke” idol fans make- a lot of 2channers apparently joke about wanting to “be reborn” as their favorite idol’s child whenever there’s a marriage announcement. However, it feels like the premise is rooted a lot in shock value...)
At the same time, Oshi no Ko doesn’t really go as hard as people act like it does. It’s not Perfect Blue, and it pulls its punches. It still goes for easy answers sometimes, and what’s worse, easy answers that lionize its obnoxious protagonist. Never is this more apparent that the cyberbullying arc.
First, let’s be clear- the cyberbullying arc focuses on a reality show actor, a girl named Akane, being driven to attempt suicide after a bunch of internet detractors harass her over something she did on the show (that the producers pressured her into doing in the first place). However, Aqua saves her at the last minute.
Hana Kimura lost her life in a very similar incident just a few months before this arc in the manga was published and the author’s spoken about it on record. Hana was a pro-wrestler who was on the reality show Terrace House, and what happened to her is the same thing in broad strokes, only she didn’t get a convenient rescue. But nobody bothered to contact Hana’s family about any of this, so Hana’s mother was blindsided when she heard about it, and claims some of the hate messages in the anime are identical to the ones Hana received in real life. She pleaded that "Because it raises important issues, I would like to support a work like Oshi no Ko. However, I don't think it needs to be done in a way that makes people who have actually been victimized on social media suffer when they see it.”.
Oshi no Ko fans, having just watched an arc about the serious consequences of internet harassment, were of course respectful to the grieving mother of a harassment victim- nah, they harassed Hana’s mom for criticizing the show. Another example of the incredible media literacy of anime fans.
All of that was already not a great look for the manga and show, and I think the kind thing to do would have been to contact the family before telling this story. But even if that wasn’t a thing, I didn’t like how this arc was handled. After Akane is saved by Aqua, he leaks her attempted suicide to the press. Though there’s a mention that this unethical, he’s never really taken to task or confronted with the fact this violation of her privacy could have led to another (potentially successful!) suicide attempt. Then he talks to the director, reminds him that Akane is a teenager and adults should protect children, the director has a change of heart. Aqua's given permission to release footage of the cast being friends, the harassment dies down and Akane immediately gets better offscreen, because that’s how trauma and depression works!
God, ‘depression is NBD! You recover quickly!’ is one of my biggest fiction pet peeves. Considering how despicable the producers were to Hana IRL, the whole storyline wrapping up like this wasn't just sloppy and lazy, it was insulting.
Rather than explore with the actual messy fallout this would realistically have for Akane, it just had Aqua get to be the edgy savior who was In the Right even though his actions were horrible and could have had catastrophic consequences. Also the ‘adults should protect kids’ moral felt weak when Hana and many other entertainers who hurt themselves after being mistreated by fans and the industry were adults. Did they not deserve to be protected?
And I guess it sums up a lot of my problems with the show. It's painstakingly researched and talks about interesting stuff (though sometimes one character has to become an exposition machine just so we don't miss ANY of the author's research, which can feel awkward). It has some interesting and complex main female characters … but 3/4s of them have some romantic connection to Aqua, which grates. It’s more honest about the idol industry than most anime, but also sometimes pulls its punches when it comes to exploring actual mental illness and industry abuse.
'Aqua is the smartest and all the girls are sooo into him’ gets pretty annoying. Two girls are already in love with him, and even without the really unnecessary ‘was a pedophile in a past life’ baggage, he barely has a personality. Aaaand there’s how we have to listen to him muse about whether he was in love with his mom. Aaaand there's the looming threat that the next girl to fall in love with him will be his sister, since she muses she was in love with the doctor in her past life.
Once sis mentioned that, I started wondering if I should even come back to season 2. Leaning towards ‘no’ right now (definitely not if the manga really does…that). I don’t regret watching ONK- it was interesting, well animated and produced, and the theme song is a certified bop- but it’s also not something I could ever recommend to anyone. It’s the most fraught show I’ve watched in a long time, and in the end, I’m not sure all of its weird parts add up to a satisfying, truly subversive story. It’s a mess, but time will tell if it’s an intriguing enough mess for me to come back to.
#oshi no ko#spring 2023 anime#anime overview#my reviews#anime#Ended up writing way more than I thought I would oops#there's a lot to unpack
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it's looking a lot like an avengers poster...
#shitze by enchantze#first we have center max#also center danny ric at the bottom smiling and being cute like the sidekick of max#alo/nor/ham villain energy... it's ominous#also charles is the prince from a different area / a morally grey character who you can't help but root for#also why is zhou/hulk/sar pasted in between and not in line??? i'm peeved like???? what is that?#there's a lot to unpack
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yeah yeah I saw him
also mangaverse
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somebody pray for me, i'm starting that awful jd vance book today
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damn
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— Do you want to hear my story? — Yes.
#interview with the vampire#iwtvedit#iwtv#iwtv spoilers#armand#armandedit#iwtv s2#i apologize for the terrible coloring and lighting i really tried i really did#anyway lots to unpack here#i have thoughts but they are incoherent so y'all get gifs instead#the music at this moment was doing such a clever thing echoing the melody from when he and louis were in the gallery
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time to shot two red bulls and write some nonsense
#nonsense = continuing on a wip#if you're coming here to judge my lifestyle choices then idk#make yourself at home#there's a lot to unpack
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Who put these kids here?
[First] Prev <–-> Next
#poorly drawn mdzs#mdzs#lan sizhui#jin ling#jin chan#lan wangji#wei wuxian#ouyang zizhen#nameless red disciple#Congrats Jin Chan on your second and likely final appearance in this comic series.#Him turning into a yellow lump in the final panel is shorthand for 'I gave up. drawing is hard. Lump mode activated.'#Or - maybe they turned him around last minute to hide the evidence. It's up to reader interpretation!#I did skip a lot to get here but it is all in the effort of hitting key points and not dragging this season on.#Wen Ning lovers don't worry. He'll be back soon.#I do love how LZH turns to violence and joins in on kicking jin chan alongside the others.#Even more so when you remember they are all tied up the entire time.#Just...What a scene to walk in on as an outsider. And then to not fully comment on.#To be honest: That's kind of how it goes with teens. They know you know. You know they know you know. We won't unpack that.#It's been ages since we saw all the juniors together! They are as silly as ever B*)#I split this comic into two! So there are two comics left of the season!
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Real talk...being born and raised in “communist” China didn’t make me communist in the slightest but getting into the French Revolution has made me a full blown socialist reading actual academic leftist theory
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feral protective seb ❤️🔥🥰 (( from part 2 of my oneshot which is now up! ao3 / wattpad))
#lots of feral seb in this second part i just love me some feral seb BAHAHA🥰🥰🥰🥰#this was supposed to be out sooner but ive been so busy with unpacking and cleaning and setting up our new place😩FINALLY DONEEE#i need to do halloween drawings too i just dont have any halloween ideas...rip#hogwarts legacy#sebastian sallow#sebastian sallow x mc#sebastian sallow x oc#clora clemons#sebastian sallow fanfiction#choccyart#sebastian x mc
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"My friend, my partner… my Guardian."
#destiny#destiny 2#destiny the game#the final shape#the final shape spoilers#tfs spoilers#destiny art#bungie#the young wolf#hunter guardian#d2 ghost#fanart#it has been... eight hours since i did the final mission and my eyes are still tearing up every now and then :')#the finale was perfect for alfa and zeta - absolute perfect#i often make up small changes in the actual canon to fit their personalities better - not this time#I CANT WRITE TAGS WITHOUT TEARING UP DAMMIT#to think i first created alfa as a 'what if i make my hunter like alfarid from arslan senki but as exo'#but then she took so much from me i began to appreciate this side of myself#and zeta... what a grumpy little light w a big heart he came to be#my comics will never make justice to what they mean to me but here we are#THERE'S A LOT TO UNPACK ABOUT THIS DLC BUT IM OBSESSING OVER GUARDIAN/GHOST OKAY#anyway lemme write the alt already while i choke on coffee#cayde def is now everyone's guardian angel -ba dum tss-
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I think it's incredibly important to remind folks on testosterone or folks who want to reverse patterned baldness about their options, but man, does it sometimes suck wondering how much of our insecurities about our hair stem from backwards beliefs that to strive towards beauty is not only preferable but "makes you good."
As someone with a rather masculinized body pre-medical transition, patterned baldness has always seemed neutral. Hair is incredibly important (hell, much of my own energy is spent on my hair because I like it), but the pressure to have hair, to have hair the "right way" is something that I absolutely loathe.
I'm not here to judge people who don't want patterned hair loss or baldness, I'm here to say that those traits will never make you lesser. Not only is it neutral, but it is also just as worthy and beautiful.
#trans#transgender#lgbt#lgbtq#ftm#mtf#nonbinary#this especially goes for folks who may be transfem or trans women experiencing patterned hair loss/baldness#i love you and think you are gorgeous<3#i mentioned trans folks going on t because that's a lot of my own experience#i already had a somewhat masc hairline before t and now it's just settling in...#...i found that i'm fortunate in that way for having an already masculine body and i think that's why my changes are more...#...like unpacking your house rather than moving to a new home if that makes sense#but i find that the beauty culture around hair adds even more unnecessary stress for those who want or value their hair#i am beauty culture's number one hater
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This is their relationship in a nutshell
#tag it as whatever ship you're into i don't care#i just see them as a messed up trio with A LOT of history to unpack#honkai star rail#honkai star rail meme#hsr meme#i rarely make memes but i couldn't get this out of my mind#ughhh#dan heng#hsr blade#jing yuan#imbibitor lunae#dan feng#<- whyyy so many naaaames
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Oh, Lala...
#atla#avatar the last airbender#atla fanart#atla art#atla azula#princess azula#atla ursa#suki#atla suki#kyoshi warriors au#kyoshi warriors#Kyoshi Warrior Ursa AU#wip#I felt like sharing a little snippet of a two-page comic I've been working on for AGES#Literally you have no idea for how long this has been sitting on my drafts#Mainly because I keep getting sidetracked by new AUs and sketches and projects. But that's nothing new so#This one is a deep-ish dive into the basic character dynamics between the Fire Siblings as well as Ursa and Suki#Or should I say#Between the siblings Ruolan and Jian Li regarding their mother Noriko and each other.#I know the names can get rather confusing. I'd love to explain the reasoning behind them if anyone would like to know tho#Moving on#There's a lot to unpack in that scene#The characters are different from how we know them due to their circumstances in this AU. But they have things in common with the og series#Of course that remains for you to see#I'm so excited to finish this and share it with you guys!#Some of you have been asking about Azula/Ruolan and Ursa/Noriko in this AU and I am here to deliver#I love the dynamic between this little family SO much it's driving me insane#That being said#What do you get from this panel alone? What do you think it's happening?#I'd love to hear your thoughts on this
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