Oshi no ko is a story that makes the idol industry interesting. Not that the idol industry was uninteresting per se, but in the way that sports anime make you want to play the sport. Blending genres such as mystery, romance, idol, and other unique ones, it takes what could be a generic mystery or idol manga, and makes it interesting. And written by the author of Kaguya-sama, It was inevitable that it is turning out for the better.

The story starts extremely slow, with the first 12 chapters acting setup for the rest of the story. Killed by a stalker and reincarnated as the baby of a famous idol Hoshino Ai, the beginning chapters act like a semi-flashback, setting up moving characters, relationships and the setting, using subtle hints and letting the story flow quite freely. While not terrible, it doesn't matchup with the rest of the series, and shouldn't be dropped there. The flashback ends in a bang as Hoshino Ai is killed by presumably the same stalker in front of the twins, starting the story for real.

The story is a mix of a mystery, romance, and idol show each separated genre somehow blending perfectly. On a quest to find the killer, Aquamarine (The MC) finds himself diving deeper into the show business, as the killer is inevitably related to it. Each chapter is full of content and emotions, as the Manga effortlessly switches from an idol show to a high school show, to a romance, and so on. Your emotions run wild, as the story throws all of them at you, making you care for the characters and the plot. While the mystery is the main plot, it seems to run in the background, the gears slowly turning as he takes different gigs. And By showing instead of telling, it presents you with the information while not treating you like you know nothing, using gigs and shows to give you the pieces.

As mentioned, the idol industry starts to be unraveled and explained, each fact more fascinating than the last, all shown through the characters. Each character brings unique characters and differing experiences, as information about the idol and acting industry flows through the pages. Using just regular dialogue and acting gigs, their conversations, while not always relating to the industry itself, reveal small facts and information that constantly connects and builds up big ideas, overcoming the main problem of these types of shows. It shows rather than tells, hardly wasting any time explaining trivial things, hinting at them instead while other things happen. The characters are great for the kind of setting. As more and more gigs happen, they must be inevitably recycled and forgotten, but the manga doesn't feel like that. Each character feels like a real person and receives small pieces of development, not looking like disposable characters whatsoever. And using the eyes of a male protagonist who lived up to 40 years old makes it better.

So far the story shows a lot of promise and can easily be a 8 out of10.  While it doesn’t have any mistakes, there are a few generic instances, or things that could have been handles a tiny bit better. These mostly happen in the first 12 chapters, with maybe one or two permeating the meat of the series. Also, while it is stated as weekly it has been acting as bi-weekly for now, one unfortunate fact about the series. The art works well for the series, adding extra charm to it. While not the usual run of mill art, it suits the series perfectly. It stands in a mix of a shojo style and a clean and anime-esc style complimenting the scenes and the characters perfectly.  

Story 8/10
Art 8/10
Character 8/10
Enjoyment 9/10
Overall 8/10