The revenge plot could’ve been better.
Manga spoilers ahead!
Summary:
- The beginning of Oshi no Ko makes you think it’ll be a revenge story.
- It doesn’t explore this theme that well, though.
- Fans craved more detective elements in the story.
The ending of the first episode of Oshi no Ko sets a surprising direction for the series: it’s not going to be just a light idol and reincarnation story, revenge and murder will play a big role in it.
Could Have Been a Great Whodunit
Aqua quickly realizes that the only person who could’ve organized the death of Ai was his biological father. He swore to find him and execute his revenge, to make the man suffer for what he did.
This was an amazing plot twist that completely changed the vibe of Oshi no Ko, and yet the entire storyline wasn’t as successful as expected.
Fans expected some sort of mystery from the entire revenge line. They wanted Oshi no Ko to turn into a dark and intricate whodunit with some clever detective elements, and this was their mistake. Oshi no Ko never planned to be a murder mystery, other things have always been its focus.
This is a missed opportunity because the story would have benefited a lot from detective elements and exploration of revenge. But fans admit that these aspects are actually the weakest ones in Oshi no Ko.
Sudden Reveal
It was later revealed that Hikari was the man that fathered Aqua and Ruby, a sadistic murderer who enjoys watching the life fade from his victims. Readers wanted Aqua to work hard for this reveal. He had to find various clues, be suspicious, perhaps even interrogate a number of people.
But the answer falls straight into Aqua’s hands. Moreover, he’s not even the person who learns the identity of his father, it is Akane instead, and it’s disappointing because it was always Aqua’s job.
Missed Opportunity to Become Something Bigger
That doesn’t make Oshi no Ko a poorly-written manga. The series has a lot of other things going on that can also surprise fans greatly. But it missed an incredible opportunity to add more suspense and become even more interesting.
The revenge storyline served as a device to explore other themes in the series, it was never intended to be the core of it, and we understand that. Oshi no Ko would be completely different if mystery solving was the main priority.
But making it at least a little more relevant and intricate would’ve benefited the story significantly. Everyone loves secrets and mysteries, and we wanted the series to make its characters work for the reveal. And make fans create hundreds of interesting theories, of course.