Summary
- Oshi no Ko season 2 premieres July 3 with a focus on Tokyo Blade stage play and a brewing rivalry between characters.
- Aqua will uncover more about his father's involvement in the entertainment industry, leading to a love triangle.
- Original manga insights suggest a faithful adaptation exploring manga production and high-level adaptations.
The anime adaptation of Aka Akasaka (Kaguya-sama! Love is War) and Mengo Yokoyari's (Scum's Wish) Oshi no Ko manga made quite a commotion when it premiered in Spring 2023, with an intense and brilliant feature-length pilot episode that saw the series become a major talking point in the anime community when it aired.
Its second season was announced not long after the final episode aired in June 2023, and with the end of the Spring 2024 anime season around the corner, the next season of Oshi no Ko is almost here. What can we expect from the second season of this popular exploration of the dark side of the entertainment industry?
Background and Cast Information
What We Know So Far
The second season of Oshi no Ko was confirmed at the end of the first season, with a 2024 release date revealed during the "Ichigo Production ☆ Fan Appreciation Festival 2023" held in November last year. During a special stage event at AnimeJapan in March, the series revealed three new cast members, with more information about the upcoming second season revealed on April 12, the first anniversary of the premiere of the Oshi no Ko anime. The second season is set to premiere on July 3, with a special advance screening of the first episode taking place on June 30 in Tokyo, and another of the first two episodes of Oshi no Ko season 2 at Anime Expo on July 6. Streaming service HIDIVE has already confirmed that Oshi no Ko season 2 will stream on the platform. Many of the key staff, as well as the main cast from the first season, continue their roles into season 2. Daisuke Hiramaki returns to direct season 2 at Doga Kobo, with series composition once again by Jin Tanaka, character designs by Kanna Hirayama and music by Takurō Iga.
Takeo Ōtsuka returns as Aqua Hoshino, Yurie Iga plays Ruby Hoshino, Manaka Iwami continues her role as Akane Kurokawa and Megumi Han once again plays Kana Arima. The plot this season is focused on a 2.5D stage play called "Tokyo Blade", which is an adaptation of a manga. In this production, Aqua Hoshino will play Touki, Kana Arima will play Tsurugi and Akane Kurokawa will play Sayahime. The aforementioned new Oshi no Ko cast members are Ayane Sakura (Fiona Frost, Spy x Family), who plays Abiko Samejima; the author of the Tokyo Blade manga, Daisuke Ono (Erwin Smith, Attack on Titan) as GOA; scriptwriter of the 2.5D stage play, Kōki Uchiyama (Tomura Shigaraki, My Hero Academia) as Taiki Himekawa; who in turn plays Blade in the Tokyo Blade stage play, Yūsuke Kobayashi (Senkū Ishigami, Dr. Stone) as Sakuya Kamoshida; who plays Monme, Tomoyuki Shimura (Tenjirō Kirinji, BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War) plays Toshirō Kindaichi and Seiji Maeda (Wataru Matoba, Argonavis from BanG Dream!) As Melt Narushima; who plays Kizami. The opening theme to Oshi no Ko season 2 is "Fatale", performed by GEMN.
Aqua's Quest Continues
Finding Ai's Killer
At the end of the first season of Oshi no Ko, Aqua learns that his father might be a part of the LaLaLai Theatre Group, the same one that Akane is part of, and for this season, the two have been cast for a stage play alongside actors from the LaLaLai group. This arc is around 24 chapters long in the original manga, and assuming that the second season adapts the manga faithfully, this season will be the show's foray into other entertainment industries in Japan, including manga production and what it takes to create a high-level adaptation of such source material. Aqua will improve his acting, and soon find himself embroiled in a love triangle that is sure to test the personal and professional relationships of everyone concerned.
"I think there's a lot of space that can still be filled in when you're reading the original on paper. I felt this way for the first season too, but seeing it in motion alongside music creates something different from what you read on the page. I really want to know what'll happen in those moments."
– Yurie Igoma
Based on the various key visuals and teaser trailers that have been released so far, this season will be mostly focused on the Tokyo Blade stage play, where a brewing rivalry between Kana Arima and Akane Kurokawa will take centre stage. In an interview with IGN, cast members Takeo Otsuka (Aqua) Yurie Igoma (Ruby) and Horie Yui (Kana) discussed the aspect of the coming season that they're the most excited about, with their focus primarily fixed on how studio Doga Kobo will bring the Tokyo Blade 2.5D stage play to life in a season that will be centred on theatre. Oshi no Ko season 2 premieres July 3 and will stream on HIDIVE.
The first season of Oshi no Ko can be found on HIDIVE.
- Release Date
- April 12, 2023
- Network
- Tokyo MX
- Directors
- Kim Seong-min, Kouki Uchinomiya
- Writers
- Jin Tanaka
Cast
-
Takeo OtsukaAqua (voice) -
Yurie IgomaRuby (voice)
WHERE TO WATCH
Oshi no Ko is an animated supernatural mystery series that follows a gynecologist named Gorou, a big fan of an idol whom he is caring for as she prepares to deliver her children. After an obsessive fan of the idols murders Gorou, he is reincarnated as her newborn son - but along with him, a terminal patient he knew is reborn as his twin sister. Years later, after yet another seemingly related murder, Gorou (now known as Aqua) decides to enter the idol world and find the culprit.
- Streaming Service(s)
- HIDIVE
- MyAnimeList Score
- 8.62 (Season 2)
