Graphics by Keischa Calumpiano
From the artist that brought you “Scum’s Wish” and the mangaka of “Kaguya-sama: Love Is War” comes yet another series that will leave your heart pounding… and probably broken too.
Oshi No Ko’s currently one of the most-watched anime series today alongside Demon Slayer and Hell’s Paradise, and it should be no surprise. The manga was written by Aka Akasaka, popularly known for the romantic comedy Kaguya-Sama series that sold over 4 million copies in Japan and won him three international awards, making it the 9th best-selling manga within Japan in 2019. Aka Akasaka’s writing proved to be phenomenal, but what about his latest work?
The story’s basic premise is as follows; Ai Hoshino is a 16-year-old popular idol admired by her numerous fans. One of her fans is Gorou Amemiya, a middle-aged, idol-obsessed guy working as a gynecologist. One day, Gorou is assigned to take care of a pregnant woman, and to his shocking discovery, it was Ai herself. Nonetheless, he makes sure that Ai delivers her babies safely and supports her all the way, both as a doctor and her loving fan. Sooner or later, when she’s about to conceive, Gorou was murdered by an encounter with a stranger. Strangely, he wakes up and finds himself in Ai’s warm embrace. Turns out, Gorou is isekai’d into Ai’s newborn child all while he’s conscious of his current state and past life.
All of those are in the first chapter. Yes, just the first chapter (episode 1 goes further and deeper), and the premise isn’t too important to what the series is actually about. Gorou Amemiya, whose name in his new life is now Aquamarine Hoshino, eventually grows up to be an actor and follows his mother’s footsteps into the dark, cruel world of entertainment.
Oshi No Ko depicts the harsh reality of the showbiz industry. It reveals the struggles of idols and actors being put on a pedestal while conforming to their fan’s ideals to stay relevant. It displays celebrities being canceled, receiving hate speech, and death threats online, sometimes resulting in depression and worse, suicide. Behind the camera, it also showed the under-the-table politics between producers, directors, actors, and production crews.
The series is a work of fiction, or rather, in the Oshi No Ko world, for the most of it, is fiction. The characters are fictitious, and so are the characters they portray in front of the camera. They are without lies and deception, just like the idols and actors we see on televisions in the real world.
The anime adaptation is produced by Doga Kobo, the same studio that brought you “Plastic Memories,” “Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun” and “Himouto! Umaru-chan.” It’s currently airing internationally via HIDIVE, Netflix and various streaming platforms, while the manga, beautifully illustrated by Mengo Yokoyari, can be read via MANGA Plus by SHUEISHA.
Source: Aka Akasaka - Wikipedia Top-Selling Manga in Japan by Series: 2019 - News - Anime News Network:SEA Aoashi, Kaguya-sama: Love is War, More Win 65th Shogakukan Manga Awards - News - Anime News Network:SEA
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