WEBVTT

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- It's Isaiah Colbert,
(bright pop music begins)

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the Otaku of Kotaku,

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and welcome to the "Kotatsu Anime Corner,"

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brought to you by Acura.

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This spring anime season

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is filled with too many series

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who haphazardly put on

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without a proper screening

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from a trusted source.

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I'll answer the critical question

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of whether or not an anime

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is safe to watch with normies around

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or if you're better off watching it alone.

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So as to not scare the homies

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with any out-of-context weirdness.

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This week we're looking at "Oshi No Ko."

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The first episode of any anime carries

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the tall task of hooking
you into its storyline

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for however many episodes or seasons

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it takes to reach the finish line.

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While anime fans often talk

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about giving shows a
three episode trial period

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to test the waters

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before fully committing to a series,

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I didn't need one here.

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"Oshi No Ko" hooked me
in right from the jump.

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To be fair, that episode had the runtime

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of most short films,

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clocking in at an hour and 20 minutes.

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Despite its hefty time commitment,

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"Oshi No Ko's" premiere episode

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became the highest-rated series debut

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on my anime list

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and even beat out established series

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like "Attack on Titan's" final season

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and "Demon Slayer: The Swordsmith Arc."

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Believe me when I tell you

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this phenomenon was no fluke.

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Not only is "Oshi No Ko's" first episode

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just that damn good,

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it's protagonist Aqua

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has one of the strongest
character introductions

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in modern anime, bar none.

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Discussing "Oshi No Ko's" story is tricky

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because it's one of those
series' best experience

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without any info going in.

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So I'll just give you the broad outline.

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As not spoil any of its
big reveals or twists.

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In a nutshell, "Oshi No
Ko" is about a gynecologist

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who, before delivering the babies

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for a very pregnant pop idol named Ai

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is murdered by a crazed fan

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and then reincarnated as one of her twins.

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Not unlike how Jobless
Reincarnation's Rudeus retained

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his memories from the past,

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so too does the doctor,

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who now goes by Aquamarine
or Aqua for short.

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Meanwhile, his new twin sister

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is also host to one of
the recently deceased,

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a former patient of his

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that was a diehard fan
of Ai's in her past life.

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Aqua and Ruby aren't just the children

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of any old pop idol, either.

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Their mom Ai has one of
Japan's highest ratings.

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As such, their existence
must be kept secret

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from the public eye

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so she can continue her career.

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While "Oshi No Ko's" premise

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is pretty wacky on paper,

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it's subject matter is
surprisingly grounded.

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Throughout the course
of its first episode,

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"Oshi No Ko" explores the darker side

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of the entertainment industry.

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Most notably, "Oshi No Ko" gets into

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how the life of a pop idol

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is a life of lies and deceit

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to maintain the appearance
of a surface-level love

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between a performer and her audience.

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"Oshi No Ko's" heavy
subject matter should come

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as to no surprise considering
its creator, Aka Akasaka,

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wrote "Kaguya-Sama: Love is War,"

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a rom-com anime, which
features poignant commentary on

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how one's social mobility

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is determined by the
class they're born into.

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For the record, "Kaguya" does all this

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while primarily being
about egotistical Tsunderes

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making a game out of coaxing each other

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into confessing their love.

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While "Oshi No Ko's" ongoing
manga tackles heavy topics

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like suicide and bullying,

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it is by no means graphic

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in its depictions of them.

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As far as its anime is concerned,

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"Oshi No Ko" is safe for normies

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and is well worth the watch.

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(bright pop music continues)