Seinen "Oshi no Ko" by Akasaka, Aka and Yokoyari, Mengo

[Orion]

Oshi no Ko

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Author: Akasaka, Aka (Story), Yokoyari, Mengo (Art)
Genre: Drama, Music, Seinen, Supernatural
Serialization: Young Jump
Synopsis: Sixteen-year-old Ai Hoshino is a talented and beautiful idol who is adored by her fans. She is the personification of a pure, young maiden. But all that glitters is not gold.

Gorou Honda is a countryside gynecologist and a big fan of Ai. So when the pregnant idol shows up at his hospital, he is beyond bewildered. Gorou promises her a safe delivery. Little does he know, an encounter with a mysterious figure would result in his untimely death—or so he thought.

Opening his eyes in the lap of his beloved idol, Gorou finds that he has been reborn as Aquamarine Hoshino—Ai's newborn son! With his world turned upside down, Gorou soon learns that the world of showbiz is paved with thorns, where talent does not always beget success. Will he manage to protect Ai's smile that he loves so much with the help of an eccentric and unexpected ally?
(Source: MAL)

 

[Orion]

I picked up Oshi no Ko while Kaguya-sama is on break, and have to say it's pretty good! Aka is putting in work, def my favorite mangaka currently. Thank you Apex

Alright back to OnK. The initial premise of reincarnation as an idol's child had me paused for a moment, like what, but it's interesting nonetheless that I kept reading. This series is all about showbiz, covering acting, idols, adaptations of manga and serialization, youtubers, modeling, basically the whole schbang. What really appeals to me is seeing how the cast navigates this world and what goes on behind the scenes in different medium. For example, the 2 most eye-opening chapters are chap 25 and 48 imo. Chap 25 focuses on the social media aspect many stars have to deal with and chap 48 details the various stressors mangaka face in a weekly serialization.

Speaking of the cast, I'm pretty high on it, especially the female side. Best Girl Arima's already had a lot of development, been a treat following her path from a child prodigy actor to now growing confidence as an idol, Akane's a good rival who's had her own share of adversity, and Ruby, the "FMC", hasn't been featured heavily yet, but it's always refreshing to see her and she's a good contrast to her twin bro's edginess. Then, we got supporting characters like youtube sensation Mem-cho and Best Mom Miyako. On the male side, it's mostly just been Aquamarine and some recurring characters here and there, like Pieyon and Dir. Gotanda. About Aqua, I'm lukewarm on him, he reminds me of Kurapika, and I'm not a big fan of the guy. But, Aqua is on a unique path, since he's mentally older(having retained his past life's memories) than he physically he is. How he adjusts to the world of showbiz and balances this with his goal of revenge is interesting to follow.

On to the art, Mengo delivers quality. Since most of this is drama, she really depicts the mood of what's happening. The character designs are great, and she likes to keep it trendy lol. I believe Arima already has more than 20 different hats. And where Mengo really shines is close-up shots of characters during tense/peak moments, capturing the emotions of the characters and as a reader able to feel it. One of my favorite panels:

Spoiler

And that's all for now.

PS: The end pages on some chapters are must-reads. Learned about different styles of acting techniques, new theater tech called StageRound, and much more!

 

[Hermit]

 

[Erinyes]

I picked up Oshi no Ko while Kaguya-sama is on break, and have to say it's pretty good! Aka is putting in work, def my favorite mangaka currently. Thank you Apex

Alright back to OnK. The initial premise of reincarnation as an idol's child had me paused for a moment, like what, but it's interesting nonetheless that I kept reading. This series is all about showbiz, covering acting, idols, adaptations of manga and serialization, youtubers, modeling, basically the whole schbang. What really appeals to me is seeing how the cast navigates this world and what goes on behind the scenes in different medium. For example, the 2 most eye-opening chapters are chap 25 and 48 imo. Chap 25 focuses on the social media aspect many stars have to deal with and chap 48 details the various stressors mangaka face in a weekly serialization.

Oh im surprised someone picked it . i dont read it yet, but I did consider it, i've just refrained coz the whole gynecologist thing in the synopsis was weird and made me uneasy imo, but as you said, i ve heard it deals acurately with the stars/celebrities system/issues and that it depicts how cruel and full of desillusions is this world etc, Might give it a try maybe, still the reincarnation thing is really weird.

 

[Orion]

Oh im surprised someone picked it . i dont read it yet, but I did consider it, i've just refrained coz the whole gynecologist thing in the synopsis was weird and made me uneasy imo, but as you said, i ve heard it deals acurately with the stars/celebrities system/issues and that it depicts how cruel and full of desillusions is this world etc, Might give it a try maybe, still the reincarnation thing is really weird.

Yeah, I understand. For me, I got past it after the 2nd/3rd chapter. Ai and her kids has it's own charm actually.

 

[Hermit]

Chapter 49

 

[Orion]

Abiko: "Are you threatening me?"
Raida sweating buckets, says he'd suck an old man's dick for this to work out.


Ah good old Google Docs with Goa and Abiko. Pretty great to see her smile after seeing her state last chapter and the same for Goa after the heat he took.

Hyped for the play. The new script is difficult, putting the onus on the actors. In the rehearsal, Abiko was impressed with them, so that's why she went this direction in writing it. No doubt that Arima, Akane, and Himekawa will be good. I'm curious about Aqua. He's good at recognizing the intent of the director/script, but his reaction to the script didn't look positive. And RIP Melt, he's screwed.

 

[Hermit]

Chapter 50

 

[Orion]

Ah, this was good look into the conflict between Aqua's duality. He's a teen, and he's allowed to have fond memories and be happy. But, the Gorou side of him is locked in with the quest of revenge, and thus we got him breaking down.

 

[Hermit]

--- Double Post Merged, Jul 28, 2021, Original Post Date: Jul 24, 2021 ---

 

[Orion]

Miyako looking fine in the CP. With Akane learning the source of Aqua's trauma, comforting him, and her eye replicating Ai, I wonder if Aqua will see her similar to how Yuki saw Tohru (FB)

 

[Hermit]

 

[Orion]

Wow, beautiful cover

 

[Hermit]

--- Double Post Merged, Aug 18, 2021, Original Post Date: Aug 4, 2021 ---

 

[Orion]

Mengo is killing it with these covers, CPs, and illustrations.

 

[Hermit]

--- Double Post Merged, Aug 23, 2021, Original Post Date: Aug 21, 2021 ---

@BD_Beno Kana best girl

I have a small confession to make, I actually had not read the series before posting in this thread Honestly, I was just completely blown away by the art, so I posted any and all content I could find on the series.
But I finally decided to read it, spent the last two weeks catching up. And wow, just....wow. This manga is INSANELY good. Like, seriously. It has been a while since a new manga has captured my attention like this. I am a bit of a slow reader, but with this manga I think I once read 10 chapters in a single day. It was that captivating.
Also, I did not like Aqua at all in the beginning. Or well, I was indifferent to him? I preferred Ruby by quite a bit, she was funnier, quirkier, and her personality was just more entertaining. But Aqua has really grown on me, which is a very good trait to have as a character. But I am a bit sad, there is not much Ruby screentime of late. Hopefully once this play is over, we will go back to Ruby screentime.

But I really like Kana. Akane is okay but people only like her because they sympathize with her over the hate mail Jokes, she's alright, lol.

Can't wait for the next chapter. So so happy I caught up to this manga, its a gem.

 

[Orion]

@BD_Beno Kana best girl

No doubt,

I have a small confession to make, I actually had not read the series before posting in this thread Honestly, I was just completely blown away by the art, so I posted any and all content I could find on the series.

Ngl this did cross my mind lol.

But I finally decided to read it, spent the last two weeks catching up. And wow, just....wow. This manga is INSANELY good. Like, seriously. It has been a while since a new manga has captured my attention like this. I am a bit of a slow reader, but with this manga I think I once read 10 chapters in a single day. It was that captivating.

Hopefully once this play is over, we will go back to Ruby screentime.

Yep, I really like the dynamic of their group. And Kana still gets screentime either way

Akane is okay but people only like her because they sympathize with her over the hate mail Jokes, she's alright, lol.

Akane also has a great pout

Can't wait for the next chapter. So so happy I caught up to this manga, its a gem.

Setting up Akane and Aqua vs. Kana and Himekawa, pretty excited for that, especially on Kana's side.

 

[Hermit]

Ngl this did cross my mind lol.

Im a sucker for good manga art. Ive saved so many of Oshi no Ko's manga panels because the art is that good. And jeez, those cover pages. If there is a Manga Wars this year I might go ahead and nominate it. Very happy at how popular it is.

Yep, I really like the dynamic of their group. And Kana still gets screentime either way

Of course, we have not had a heartfelt Kana-Aqua talk in a while now. The last one we had was when he dressed up in the bear suit, and that feels so long ago now

Akane also has a great pout

When she's seeing the Kana-Aqua moments, sure

Setting up Akane and Aqua vs. Kana and Himekawa, pretty excited for that, especially on Kana's side.

Himekawa? Sorry, I struggle a bit with the side character names in the manga

 

[Orion]

Im a sucker for good manga art. Ive saved so many of Oshi no Ko's manga panels because the art is that good. And jeez, those cover pages. If there is a Manga Wars this year I might go ahead and nominate it. Very happy at how popular it is.

Likewise, I'm not that familiar with all the numbers, but I just know it's doing good so I'm pleased. Haha we could be Aka's emissaries, I was planning on Kaguya if there's a manga wars.

Of course, we have not had a heartfelt Kana-Aqua talk in a while now. The last one we had was when he dressed up in the bear suit, and that feels so long ago now

It has been a while, need them playing catch again.

When she's seeing the Kana-Aqua moments, sure

That's the best part about it

Himekawa? Sorry, I struggle a bit with the side character names in the manga

Lol, I actually had to look it up before I typed the response. He's the lead actor of the play and starring with Arima. In practice, it was said his acting skill bought out the best in Arima (chap 42 I believe).

 

[Hermit]

Haha we could be Aka's emissaries, I was planning on Kaguya if there's a manga wars.

Lmao, you reminded me a comment I saw recently about Oshi no Ko. Someone said he has not enjoyed Kaguya-sama recently, and its because Akasaka is more invested in Oshi no Ko right now Which I don't think is the case, but I thought it was a funny comment.
I've also seen some people say it is like Act Age. Or Act Age's successor. It is the first manga I have followed in a while with a focus on something that is already present in society (The media stuff), and I always appreciate the effort that the authors put into such manga.

It has been a while, need them playing catch again.

Or skinship
Akane already has had a kiss and a hug so far. Kana got nothing

That's the best part about it

The Kana blush panels too. Like that time in the car, when Aqua said his stuff with Akane is strictly professional. Kana's blush there was so good I actually headcanon Aqua said that on purpose to reassure Kana

Lol, I actually had to look it up before I typed the response. He's the lead actor of the play and starring with Arima. In practice, it was said his acting skill bought out the best in Arima (chap 42 I believe).

Aaah, the other guy who was stressed out over the script changing, right? I remember them, though they have little presence