So I Watched Oshi No Ko Season 3…
Article at a glance:
- Even after swearing off the series following that absolute disaster of a manga ending, I completely folded for my beloved Akane, and honestly, Season 3 might just be a flat-out masterpiece.
- By turning up the heat and condensing 40 chapters into 11 episodes, the anime creates a relentless sense of psychological urgency that actually improves upon the manga’s best material.
- From Ruby’s chilling villain era to Doga Kobo’s elite production, this season earned a rare perfect score—even if the thought of the final season still fills me with pure dread.
Yeah, so I went back on my word. I did NOT want to get involved with Oshi no Ko again after that disappointment of an ending. But for my beloved Akane, I folded and decided to check Season 3 out. And yeah, not even a surprise, it is an absolute banger. It adapts some of the best chapters of the manga; no wonder it is good. Remains to be seen if I want to put myself through that finale again or not. There’s always the chance that they improve the ending a little as they did in Attack on Titan or My Hero Academia. But still, I decided to write this review for Oshi no Ko Season 3.
Because here’s the thing, despite the dogshit ending, Oshi no Ko is still a masterpiece. The way it understands the dark side of the industry, the way it portrays its themes, and how it somehow clings to hope despite all that is amazing. Yes, the ending puts a hole in some of those claims, but if you ignore the ending, most of them are still true.
Either way, welcome to another article; this one will be a long one. Welcome to my review of Oshi no Ko Season 3. There will be spoilers ahead, though I don’t think anyone cares at this point lol. So let’s get started.
Plot
I think Season 3 does a great job of pushing Oshi no Ko into proper psychological drama territory. And the faster pacing compared to the manga works so well in the anime’s favor. I know a lot of people complained about some stuff getting trimmed down, but that’s fine by me. They covered around 40 chapters in 11 episodes without cutting away anything important. If you ask me, I like the anime version of this arc more because of how relentless it feels with the pacing.
There are so many important story developments in this season, and precisely because of that, the faster pacing feels better. The sharp pacing creates a sense of urgency in the narrative that just wasn’t there in Seasons 1 and 2. Because let’s be honest, Season 3 feels a lot heavier by comparison. And things don’t feel rushed at all despite the faster pacing. The First 2 seasons were focused on Aqua’s investigation alone, but now, it’s not just Aqua. Ruby and Akane are doing their own investigations as well. And well, Akane was even ready to take things further.
But by far, the highlight of the season is Ruby. Her character arc, her manipulation behind the scenes, and her own investigations are handled masterfully. They all culminate so well into the finale with her finding out that Aqua was “Sensei” in his previous life. Absolutely no complaints at all from the plot. They took some of the best chapters in the manga and somehow made them better.
Characters
Let’s split this off into sections
Aqua and Ruby
I absolutely ADORE how Aqua and Ruby’s character arcs contrast each other. When Aqua finally gets SOME closure at the end of Season 2, it is Ruby who figures out that their father killed Ai and is now out for revenge. She manipulates so many people just to raise her own popularity. All this while Aqua finally gets SOME peace, even if it was temporary. And then in the finale, the roles switch once again with Aqua pulling Ruby out of the dark side just to take on the burden of revenge for himself once again. The way their dynamic evolves throughout the season is just so damn well done.
The star imagery used in their eyes is so powerful, too. Aqua lost the star in his eye after he found a bit of closure. Ruby is shown with black stars in her eyes for most of the season, indicating her path. And of course, after Aqua saves Akane and discovers his father’s identity, he gains the black stars as well. And they’re MUCH darker than Ruby’s. I LOVE the imagery and how well Doga Kobo uses it to show the parallels between the twins. Aqua doing everything to ensure that his sister doesn’t have to carry his burdens is just heartwarming.
Kana and Akane
Speaking of parallels, it is Kana who went through hell this season. Struggling with her own place in the world while she saw Ruby and Akane succeed. Almost having her career ended because some journalist took photos of her with a director. If you remember, Akane faced a very similar situation in Season 1. Kana’s decision to leave B-Komachi to focus on her acting feels like such a natural conclusion to her arc in Season 3.
And then with Akane, she had a relatively peaceful Season 3, but she almost got killed for investigating Hikaru Kamiki. Also, Akane once again showed off why she’s my favorite character. She figured out the identity of Hikaru all on her own, she instantly knew that the 15 Year Lie movie was about Ai, and she stood her ground against Aqua. She does not want him to do something stupid, no matter what. And honestly, I respect her for that.
And that’s not all, all the side characters like Miyako, Memcho, Ichigo, Kaburagi, Gotanda, and so many more had important roles in this season too. Really wish we got to see Himekawa more, but I am sure he will be back next season too. So again, props to the writing. The characters were handled masterfully.
Production
Yeah, I know this review has been very one-sided, but Oshi no Ko Season 3 really was just that good. And the production does not let down either. We were just talking about how the faster pacing really improved the story. But then there’s the presentation. The presentation elevated the matter so much. Don’t get me wrong, Mengo Yokoyari’s art in the manga is amazing. But Doga Kobo somehow found a way to not only bring it into animation, but they also elevated it through their amazing presentation.
While Mephisto is still my favorite Oshi no Ko ED, the new opening and ending themes are so damn well done. Not just in terms of animation, the songs themselves fit the story so damn well, too. The sound design, in general, is very good. And of course, the voice acting knocked it out of the park. Special props to Ruby’s VA, Yurie Igoma.
Again, zero complaints here, too.
Summing Up
Here are my final review scores for Oshi no Ko Season 3:
- Plot – 10/10
- Characters – 10/10
- Production – 10/10
- Enjoyment – 10/10
- Overall – 10/10
So yeah, one of the very rare perfect 10s from me. And this season deserved it for sure. I know it feels hypocritical after all that praise, but I am really not looking forward to the final season lol. Unless they change the ending, I really don’t think I will watch the final season. Because that ending is legit one of the worst things to ever happen to the manga industry. Either way, that wraps up my review for Oshi no Ko Season 3. Let me know what you guys think in the comments. I will take my leave here. See ya!
Also, check out my thoughts on Classroom of the Elite Season 4 so far here!
