"Oshi no Ko" 2nd Season

maybe im just an uncultured idiot that doesnt have good taste.

i dont
this show isnt bad, its not bad at all. maybe the source material has some big things in store for us, but so far, both seasons of the anime have been kind of mediocre for me.

episodes are usually an easy watch, but it has never been a show where i was like, "I need the next episode right now wtf"
this show is alright though, but i dont think characters, story, or anything about it really is anything that makes this show a "stand out" show for me. i understand other people ... feel differently, and I'm not here to tell anyone their opinion is wrong.

i just personally dont resonate that deeply with the show and its characters, not because i cant relate or understand, but mostly because it just feels generic still.

ill still watch this season because the lineup of shows this season is incredibly weak.

6/10 (rating it on the literally 10 scale, so above average.)

It's fine and an easy watch. Probably can even be a 7. Just a little conflicted because i feel like the score is a bit inflated. I tried enjoying this series, genuinely tried, but cant help but always feel like the series falls short in one way or another.

I'm not the type of person who really waits for this anime to come, I also read the manga, so at least I understand what will happen in the story in anime form, especially in the 'Mystery' part. I'm not sure about my rating, whether this is appropriate or not, but after seeing the first 3 episodes of season 2 I believe this rating is sufficient for the right reasons. Because lately I've been researching and learning about Sakuga (Key Animator), 2ndKA, Directing, Compositing, etc. The depiction of Hirayama Kanna(kappe) is extraordinary, and makes me amazed by his work, of course from ... the other staff behind the broadcast of this great anime.

But I would have looked forward to this show if the main issue (the mystery) had been shown more. I'm not saying it's degenerating or anything, but so far I haven't found anything I hope will appear in the near future.

Animation : 8/10
Directions : 8.2/10
Visuals : 8.7/10

p.s.
The music of the opening theme is good, especially if you already know who Kitani Tatsuya is, but it's not my cup of tea.

Context: I think SE01 is very good (my score = 7.75; my mean score=6) in general, but also very bad when it comes to keeping track of themes/motifs.

EP 01-02: I don't know what happened here. Bland visuals. Almost no substance. Character interactions are brief and add no value. Lack of entertaining banter. New characters are introduced by suddenly existing. Also, it felt disconnected with SE01 and has some odd choices in terms of time jumps/rewinds.
EP 03-04: The anime gets a little better and you can see a hint of what it used to be. The series starts to actually focus on the more important dialogue ... and forms a mini-arc of sorts. However, I think this arc is mediocre and the rest is still washed out.
EP 05: It seems like someone remembered that Oshi no Ko is supposed to be a drama and tried to force some dramatic moments into this episode. They feel a out of place as they had almost no build-up and are instead used to introduce new themes/arcs that will probably take place later. (And someone in the sound department has committed a war crime. If they managed to reach/condition you with a certain sound effect in SE01, you'll be punched in the face now since it's being used in a different way this time.)
EP06: Actually good - after 4 EPs made by trainees only and one EP that was used as a test room, they've managed to create something that feels like Oshi no Ko.

My problem with Oshi no Ko has always been the same.
Being totally honest the plot that grabbed me was the unknown behind Ai's murder and aqua's revenge, despite having some weird stuff like reincarnation and not touching that topic again (For the time being) The show does a splendid job judging the entertainment world and gives way to an interesting narrative where revenge is involved, but unfortunately this is a fact that is worked very little to almost null in the series, although it does a great job showing us a realistic perspective of how it is lived inside, I feel that the “real” plot ... of the series is not executed correctly, also it uses the typical love triangle as a dramatic means and although there is nothing wrong with it, I think it is not appropriate when we talk about a possible revenge and a murder behind, even so I think my problem with the first season was precisely that since the series seemed to give more importance to the silly love dramas than to the narrative that mainly caught me.

In this season it seems that there is more of the same, the truth is that I am liking it a little more than the first season and I have heard that this arc is considered the climax of the work or the best it has to offer, I think they are cooking something strong and that is why I am liking it more, I hope they focus more on the main characters (I think it will be so according to rumors, I do not read the manga) and that the plot goes where it really should go, so far it is doing things right and although it is the same as the first season it seems that this time something big is coming.

Let's see what it has in store for us later on, I

I won't focus on the things they do well, obviously it's not all bad. Honestly, I expect them to do well. This was arguably one of the most high profile shows of 2023. S1 was great. I specifically rewatched S1 in anticipation of S2 because I was having such a good time with S1 last year. They introduced great characters, established dynamics, set out goals for them (what every good first season should do) and with S2 all they had to do was basically go through with that.

Instead they make one of the biggest mistakes a second season can make: Introduce a new character and ... focus HEAVILY on them.

This is a gamble that CAN pay off. I'd argue in most cases it straight up sucks though. This is one such case.

So instead of getting to focus MORE on the struggle of the new Komachi B within Ichigo, or MORE of Aqua's quest for whoever has more intel on Ai, or MORE of Akane, or MORE Mem-Cho or WHOEVER really made S1 interesting for you, we instead get episodes that almost exclusively revolve around the drama this new character has with some background characters about the plot device (the play). In all honesty, this is the WORST POSSIBLE DIRECTION they could've taken it.

And I don't wanna hate on anyone hat enjoys that, really. For a variety of reasons. You might sympathise with these other characters, or find the storyline interesting, or whatever. That's genuinely fine and understandable and it's honestly great that you can enjoy this.

But as a sequel, so far, this sadly straight up sucks. And it's not about it "getting better", or some episodes later on being absolute bangers, or whatever. It's about my disappointment as a fan that they did not utilize every single episode to its fullest, to focus on continuing story and character arcs they started out and instead chose to throw in new ones instead. This is pretty much the most lazy you can get with writing.

And inb4 "the play is obvl important to the story so it's only natural that they focus on it, you still get the other stuff yada yada yada!!" - of course. I'm not contesting that the play is an important plot device and obviously production of the play will have to be an important part in the story. But you'd be arguing in bad faith if you'd be not contending that they could've gone about this in a VERY different way, with their focus on characters less diluted especially.

S2 has been a major disappointment so far to me and since misery enjoys company I want to share my sentiment.

It astounds me how this series used to have a ton of hype and was heavily crazed and talked about with Season 1, even regarded as one of the best anime last year, but that doesn't seem to be the case anymore. It's pretty clear less people are enjoying Oshi no Ko, considering it has gradually lost all of that idol vibe and drama suspense which made it worth enjoying and instead has sunk to some incest crap slice of life entertainment show from the manga, that's why Season 2 hasn't been getting much traction. Not to mention the terrible English dub of Season 1 ... also disappointed a lot of fans.

I feel as though those who watched Season 1 but are not watching or have dropped Season 2 this early were on the bandwagon and were just looking for a good non-action shonen or non-romcom to hook their eyes on. As for Season 2 itself, it's still pretty faithful to the source material. Considering it's once again Doga Kobo, I have full faith in them that they will do this Stage Play arc justice. However, the loss of Yoasobi, not returning to sing the OP for Season 2 made me less excited and enthusiastic. The song "Idol" was perhaps what made people hooked to watching the show in the first place and it's one of the most notable contributions of the series. I thought ONK would grow its fanbase and mainstream popularity with a second season, but it's hard to believe such a trend.