The Secrets of Oshi no Ko's Opening | WIAOP? Idol, YOASOBI

Like the anime itself, Oshi no Ko has an opening packed with secrets and double-meanings. Let's unpack em, shall we?

#anime #oshinoko

[CheryCheryCream]

Guys, I really think he likes the Oshi no Ko OP.

[shinespider]

I love the choice to dwell so much on Ai's mouth when she's such an eye-focused character.

[drewgonair]

One thing about the first shot of the kids on stage that should be mentioned is how it syncs up with the Japanese lyrics. For Aqua, the lyrics are from the perspective of fans or an interviewer, asking questions about the Idol's personal life: "What did you eat today?", "What book do you like?", "Where do you go to play?" and he turns and walks away from these on that last question, right as they say the words どこに行くの？ which, on their own, could also mean "Where are you going?!" showing he has no intention of dignifying any of it, even as the audience demands he come back and answer their questions.

Then as the song shifts to the Idol's answers, Ruby takes the stage, ready to give the audience what they want. "I didn't eat anything." on the smash cut in, "That's a secret!" on the zoomed in 'shh!' gesture, and "no matter what you ask, she's too evasive" on the playful tongue-out wink-smile, almost like she's taunting them for a question she can't answer. Both the lyrics and the choreography surrounding them are so simple yet so in-tune that it does a fantastic job of showing the character difference between the twins.

[himanbam]

Hey Fun Fact: This song is based on a Oshi no Ko short story written by Aka Akasaka titled "45510". If you haven't already, you should check that out. It may help you see this song with new eyes. PS. It's not a spoiler for anything future in the manga (I don't think), and it's probably canon.

[tali_a]

in episode 9 at 3:59 in memcho's in short backstory she holded two fans that said ai is my idol forever

[arizona_anime_fan]

the about half of the lyrics are almost word for word quotes from the LN "extra" chapter about one of the old B Komachi idols reminiscing about her time in the group and how much she both lothed Ai and was Ai's biggest fan. We learn the origin of the password Ai had on her cell phone, and most of the stuff in the song come from a Q&A from an old discord server the band had where some fans could ask questions. the first part (in the opening) are mostly the questions and Ai's answers in the discord server, the second part are quotes from the old member of BKomachi and how much she loathed Ai, and the third part are quotes from the old member of BKomachi as she deletes Ai's answers from the server, as she reveals her love for Ai as an idol. she's deleting the answers to shield Ai's memory... by removing answers which were not "good" for an idol to make.

note, the passcode was the first letters of the first names of the original bkomachi's members. something Aqua could have guessed in days not years had he known anything about Ai beyond the idolized Venus her turned her into in his head

[bdletoast]

The sequence of Goro before a black void with a few glowstick moving around followed by Aqua in the same position surrounded a chaotic dance of frantic movement is so powerful to me for some reason. The juxtaposition of his past and current lives and how he was basically thrust into the world of entertainment directly under the spot light.

[hyl]

1:48 "Mem-cho is the only one who doesn't have any confirmed link to [Ai] so far, but given that she's secretly 25 and has aspired to be an idol since she was a young girl, the timing does line up for Ai to have been her inspiration as well."

In episode 9 at 3:58 there's a flashback of Mem-cho as a child holding up "Ai fan forever!" signs as she watches one of Ai's performances, so it's actually confirmed

[grantharriman]

The Mem being inspired by Ai theory would make sense. She is the one who recognized that Aqua's description of what he wants in a girl lined up with Ai. Considering she's been out of the public eye for a decade it would be a massive leap for anyone who isn't a fan loyal even through her death to still have her called to mind so easily s the first answer of who matches his criteria.

[dragonslayershika]

Not sure if anyone's commented similar but the brief x over ai's abdomen could also symbolize for her breaking the taboos of idolhood and having children, meaning she did things that lead to children which is a huge taboo in idols since there is an obsession with virginal purity within the culture, x for a part of her own body that "doesn't belong to her but instead to her fans who expect purity, something that should be untouched, untainted", just been mulling it over a bit after seeing it pointed out

[Chronos]

I'll be honest, Mr. Basement. I was a HUGE fan of your What's in an OP videos and I miss them dearly. I hope we get to see more on this channel at least.

[bimyouna]

I see that someone has already brought up the "45510" short story - yes, it definitely has deeper meaning than just "a random password that Aqua managed to find through brute-force trial-and-error" - but I'm mostly chiming in to say that my interpretation of the red penlight section was a bit different from Geoff's.

Apparently that red-pink that keeps showing up is specifically the color a fan would use to show that Ai was their favorite (their 'oshi'), just like how red, yellow, and white were used in the next-gen B-Komachi performance at the end of the season. So the red lights aren't predatory! Instead, we watch the doctor just barely beginning to "see the light" of Ai fandom. The glasses breaking show the transition of his death, and then in his next life as Aqua... the red light he sees is now an overwhelming obsession.

IMHO.

[LoganLoaded]

The second shot of Aqua in front of the crowd of glowsticks is always my favourite.
It always reminded me of a raging fire, which I interpreted as the intensity and dangers of the audience, and how quickly it can turn/burn the performer.
With the first shot of a crowd being viewed by his past life, and the second being viewed by Aqua, it made sense to me that after his childhood experiences with the dangers of fame, he would see the crowd as an inferno and be wary of them.

[arac_modeyt]

Here’s a fun fact that you probably don’t know about the opening. 45510 is referencing a spin off light novel about one of the Ai’s fellow members of B-Komachi. I won’t get into the light novel for spoiler purposes(you should be able to read it after watching the anime cuz it doesn’t go into the manga stuff) but I will add that the lyrics of the opening directly quote the story several times and also the rap part is from the pov of her fellow members. Feel free to go back and listen

[aohige]

I think you missed it, when we saw MEMcho as a child in her back story we can see her being a big fan of Ai, wearing and holding Ai goods

[kingsleycy]

I don't think "Ruby is pure" is the message of the opening. In the full MV she is holding hands with Shadow Ai, implying a darker side to her character

[JamesTheHuman]

Oshi no ko's decision to do an hour-long first ep is a option I wish more studios had a say in. Being able to cover a very important but slow opening arc is great. So glad season 2 got announced immediately after the final episode aired. I've really been enjoying the manga. I hope season 2 gets the same love season 1 did.

[IZEASGT]

Man, now I’m super hyped to see what they come up with for the next OP — especially since the 2.5D Stage Adaptation arc is one of the manga’s most popular.

[RayearthIX]

Honestly, this OP was amazing when I first saw it, and then when HDive added the English translation, I was completely blown away by how perfect the lyrics are. Definitely one of the best OP's I've seen, and Yoasobi is just excellent with their own music video, and their live concert video, as well. To note, you've commented that it reached #1 on the Worldwide Billboard chart (not including the US), but it also reached #7 on the Billboard 200, which does include the US, and it is the highest any Japanese song has ever reached on that chart. The fact they did the English version of the song themselves is also insane to me.

[erufailon]

Small correction: while Daisuke Hiramaki is indeed the series director, the OP is directed by Yuusuke Yamamoto.