I first looked at Oshi No Ko because I heard that the writer of Kaguya Sama: Love is War, Akasaka Aka also wrote another manga. After reading the first chapter however I quickly dropped the series because of the differences between the two. As opposed to a lighthearted (at the start) romcom, Oshi No Ko appeared to be a murder mystery focused on idol culture with a really weird twist. I’m not a fan of blood and gore, and despite being a fan of virtual idols, I am very off put by the darker side of the fanbase. As a result I dropped it quicker than I would like to admit.

Time passed and I heard some good things about the series, how it shed light into the entertainment industry, making me reconsider my hasty decision to drop the series. More time passed and Hololive had a collab with Shueisha, in which Hoshimachi Suisei, a vtuber known for her exceptional talent and attempts to become a real-life idol before debuting as a virtual idol, recommended Oshi No Ko. In her recommendation however, she merely described it as a mystery and refused to elaborate, claiming that anything she said would spoil the experience. What she did share was that over the course of the manga, the meaning of the title is revealed, and it turns out, there are alot of intepretaions of the title. The combination of experience you can only have once and title drops with multiple meanings really hooked me and fast forwards a couple of weeks and I was reading it.

Act 1 – Prologue

Each chapter in this Act starts off with a look into the present (save for the last two), presented as a flashforward when its really the opposite; Act 1 is a flashback, acting as a prologue to the main story. In the first act we are introduced to the main cast, the two reincarnated leads and their past lives, their manager and foster mother, Arima Kana and the director who acts as Aqua’s teacher. Most importantly however, this is the only time we get to see Ai as a person which is important as obviously she’s the main driver of Aqua’s revenge plot but more so thematically as it allows us to see the extent to which her public figure is a lie.

Japanese idol culture is known for its young, cute girls, and fans often expect them to be pure. There’s alot to unpack here so I’ll stick to what I feel are the relevant points for this act. Apart from her appearance, Ai was far from the ideal fans sought as a mother of two with a jaded personality. Despite this, she was able to act the part fans wanted, quickly becoming a success after she managed to get the exposure she needed. In line with the themes of the manga, Ai’s life was one big lie that people ate up and she was such a good liar that no one found out the truth over 10 years later.

Unfortunately, tragedy came invited. Despite her care and well crafted lie, Hoshino Ai’s love for her children was real despite her not realizing it until the end and it exposed cracks in her facade. Not wanting her children to grow up without ever knowing their father, she leaked personal information which was leaked and ultimately lead to her death. While the actions of the murderer might showcase the worst of idol culture, her inner thoughts show how the culture is extremely toxic to idols. Idols are just humans, despite that they are robbed of their childhood and freedoms to match the ideals fans expect. Even without the fear or stalkers, idols still fear betraying their persona because of the emphasis placed on an idol’s purity.

Act 1 was the most intense for me because I knew that it couldn’t end well for Ai with a stalker on the loose and such a big secret to hide. At the same time I couldn’t help but hope for her success and for a happy ending where Ai could watch over her children as they entered the industry.

Side note: I’m sure many already know this but just in case you don’t, 推し(oshi) refers to in idol terms, the one you support strongly. Oshi no Ko therefore refers to the girl who you’re supporting, in this case Ai, Aqua (and Ruby as well) the child, 子 (ko) of their oshi. Those are the two meanings revealed in the first chapter and to be honest, the only two I know.

Act 2 - 5 – Character Development

The overarching mystery takes a backseat for the next few acts, serving simply to lead Aqua from place to place where he gets to know and contribute to the growth of many of the main cast.

Hoshino Aqua

Having been a 30~ y.o. doctor in his past life, Aqua still sees himself as an adult and is overprotective of his sister and feels guilt over what happened to Ai. These acts show how his personality was warped by his obsession for revenge, from how he would take on any job to follow a lead and manipulate those around him to further his goals. In terms of development he built up a diverse skill-set from training under the director and becomes more prominent as an actor despite his reluctance. It is also revealed that his reluctance is as a result of the guilt over Ai’s death not letting him enjoy acting. Despite his quest for revenge and cold demeanor, he is still a very kind person and acted to help the various people around him without ulterior motives.

Arima Kana

The losing heroine, Kana was originally introduced in Act 1 as a spoiled genius, taught a lesson by her introduction to Aqua. While she had matured as an actor by Act 2, she had already lost her popularity as she grew up, and was forced to take on whatever role she could to stay in the entertainment industry, even those which did not respect her skill as an actor. Thanks to Aqua’s involvement however, she was able to demonstrate her true ability in the final episode of Sweet Today.

After being coerced by Aqua to join B-komachi, she was also forced into the centre role despite her reluctance due to the other two being unskilled. It was in this role that Aqua once again overcome her fear of failure, more accurately to bring others down with her failure, thanks to the help of Aqua. In the theater arc, Akane, once the fan of Kana, managed to force her into the spotlight once again, which made the play a success with the help of Himekawa and Aqua. In this experience, Kana had found an opportunity to act to the best of her ability, restoring her confidence to steal the spotlight.

Compared to Akane, she’s pure in the sense that she is unaware of the darkness that drives Aqua, although she is close enough to sense his change in mood at the start of act 6.

Kurokawa Akane

Rather than an love interest, I would consider Akane more of an accomplice. After an accident during the filming of LoveNow which was spun for drama, she was driven to suicide but saved by Aqua. Hoping to make him fall for her for real, she uses her talent for method acting to become Ai, much to Aqua’s surprise. Be it due to his obsession with Ai or revenge, he decides to keep her by his side, forming a business relationship with her at the end of the dating show.

Later in the theatre act she resolves to support Aqua, having correctly guessed his past and motives, even going so far as to state that she would help him kill the mastermind. It is also revealed that she looked up to Kana, and despite their terrible first meeting, desired to try and understand her, resulting in their long rivalry.

Akane is an extremely perceptive character willing to go to great lengths for Aqua, and I think she will play a critical role in the plot.

Hoshino Ruby

Despite her being one of Ai’s children and thus on of the titular characters, she is used mainly as a plot device. Her motivations are simple; to follow in the path of her idol and mother. She is the reason Strawberry Productions revived B-komachi but other than that she doesn’t seem to have grown much from being a diehard fan of Ai and in love with Gorou. What is worth noting is that unlike Aqua who still sees himself as a 30~ year old, Ruby sees herself as Ruby and the sister of Aqua, likely because in her past life she died at the age of 12, bedridden her whole life.

Nevertheless, her innocence is refreshing and she is a hardworking passionate character I’d like to see fulfil her dreams.

Memcho

Memcho is mostly used as a gag character, sometimes driving the plot with her connections as a successful streamer. Unlike Ruby however, her role in the mystery is alot smaller so it is understandable. I like that she continued to chase her dreams despite having to put them on hold and being significantly older than her peers. The support she gets from the manager and the rest is also nice.

Act 6

The plot returns in act 6, with the mystery supposedly being solved and Aqua finally being free of the chains he put on himself. Akane however notices that something doesn’t add up, once again showing her importance in the plot. Unfortunately, the villain is confirmed to be alive, alongside the reveal of a greater power. As much as I think the plot is important, I found carefree Aqua very refreshing and would hate for him to become fixated on revenge once again. Ruby is led by the divine hand to Gorou’s body and falls into darkness. Despite the build up to her change in personality, she prays that Aqua will find the killer as opposed to taking any action herself which is a bit of a letdown.

Overall thoughts

I like the humor and acts in Oshi no Ko, they are enjoyable in themselves with a strong focus on the characters and their interactions. The tragic elements can be quite painful when I’m invested in the cast but the mystery is somewhat interesting and it does serve as a coherent plot that adds extra excitement especially in the case of Akane and her deductions.

In terms of the relationship subplot, I wonder if Kana is ready to bear the truth. She has been helped alot by Aqua and I’m sure she’ll be ready to support him, but I don’t think she’ll be expecting it. Ruby loving Gorou is weird considering their current relationship and the fact that they are twins. Also, she’s been very carefree till now so I would be more interested in how her character develops.