Warning: There are spoilers for Oshi no Ko episode #8.The following Oshi no Ko Episode #8, the anime is officially working on fixing two of the isekai anime’s most troubling problems. A common form of isekai anime is for reincarnation to work by having the protagonist revert back to being an infant while retaining the memories of their old lives, and that’s not a no-no. have problems seeing through a critical lens. Protagonists retain their old memories which essentially means that they are much older than their actual age, however this distinction is often left unresolved and with many isekai anime related to romance. romantically, getting the main character to have relationships with only the right girls becomes a dilemma. their physical age.
While many isekai anime ignore these issues, Oshi no Ko ultimately solves them. In episode 8 of Oshi no Ko, after being confused by Akane’s perfect impersonation of Ai, Aqua, for the first time since reincarnation, confronts the fact that he is slowly losing touch with his old life. and more importantly, he began to feel attracted to girls who matched his physical age instead of his mental age. Oshi no Ko doesn’t focus too much on those elements, but the simple fact that they’ve been addressed suggests that some of the problematic elements of the isekai anime are much more conscious than those of their contemporaries. , and that’s great.
Oshi no Ko overcomes Isekai’s age gap and wish-granting problem
With Oshi no Ko constantly discussing isekai anime trends, it raises the question of whether Oshi no Ko should be considered an isekai anime. While most isekai anime have the protagonist sent to another world in some way, the core concept of isekai anime is that the protagonist is thrust into a new life and element of a different world. The other world is not inherently part of that. Thus, while Aqua remains in her own reality, his reincarnation means that Oshi no Ko can be considered an isekai anime, so the series analyzing isekai clichés is what necessary.
If anything, Oshi no Ko is an isekai anime that works to further emphasize its dark story. A common criticism of isekai anime is that they are often seen as wish fulfillment of how perfect the protagonist’s life is, and Oshi no Ko even discusses wish fulfillment with the characters discuss how great it would be to be reincarnated as an idol’s child. However, given how Aqua’s life has fallen apart following Ai’s death, the series can be seen as deconstructing the idea that someone putting in an isekai story will be guaranteed a perfect life. perfect, and that adds even more depth to the already excellent writing of the series.
Why Does Isekai Anime Ignore the Main Character’s Age Issue?
Oshi no Ko avoids an isekai cliché by addressing potential issues with Aqua’s mental age, but there are reasons why isekai anime like Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation tend to ignore them. With how many isekai anime works, the reincarnation aspect is often just an excuse to start the protagonist’s journey, and some anime that go with the reincarnation angle don’t even bother to show the incident that caused them to regenerate. born. Focusing too much on the details of the main character’s reincarnation can take time out of the larger story the author wants to tell, so it means that isekai anime usually doesn’t focus as much on it, if at all .
With that said, Oshi no Ko’s handling of the protagonist’s age issues doesn’t necessarily make it any better than other isekai anime. While more isekai anime should deal with these and other issues, a story is not required to analyze the conventions of its genre, so other isekai anime do not address those issues. that is not inherently a shortcoming as it was never expected of them. The Oshi no Ko the anime taking the time to tackle some of the more problematic aspects of the isekai anime is remarkable, but at the same time, it wouldn’t be fair to dismiss contemporaries just for not doing so when they still have plenty left. things to offer.
Oshi no Ko releases new episodes on Wednesdays on HIDIVE.