Oshi no Ko

Oshi no Ko (【推しの子】) is a Japanese manga series written by Aka Akasaka and illustrated by Mengo Yokoyari. It has been serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Young Jump since April 2020, with its chapters collected in 15 volumes as of July 2024. It has been licensed for release in North America by Yen Press and is simultaneously published by Shueisha on their Manga Plus platform. It follows a doctor and his recently deceased patient who were reborn as twins to a famous Japanese pop idol and navigate the highs and lows of the country's entertainment industry as they grow up together through their lives.

An anime television series adaptation, produced by Doga Kobo, aired its first 11-episode season from April to June 2023. A second season premiered in July 2024. In North America, Sentai Filmworks has licensed the series with an English dub, which premiered on its Hidive streaming platform in May 2023.

By July 2024, Oshi no Ko had over 18 million copies in circulation.

Plot
Obstetrician-gynecologist Gorou Amamiya is tasked with helping deliver the children of Ai Hoshino, a famous pop idol whom he admires, without the knowledge of the general public. However, on the night of Ai's delivery, Gorou is murdered by an obsessive fan of Ai's and is reincarnated as Aquamarine "Aqua" Hoshino, Ai's son, retaining his memories of his previous life. Unbeknownst to him, Aqua's fraternal twin sister, Ruby Hoshino, is the reincarnation of Sarina Tendōji, one of Gorou's patients who was a fan of Ai's. Four years later, Ai is murdered by the same fan who had killed Gorou. The fan later commits suicide, but Aqua deduces that the murderer may have had his and Ruby's father as an accomplice and resolves to infiltrate the entertainment industry to find and kill him.

Twelve years later, Aqua and Ruby have become high school students and have been adopted by Ichigo and Miyako Saito, the owners of Ai's talent agency, Strawberry Productions. Ruby dreams of becoming an idol singer herself and becomes employed by their family's agency. She forms an idol group with actress Kana Arima and YouTuber Mem-cho, named "B-Komachi" after Ai's former group, while Aqua returns to acting. Both Aqua and Ruby begin building their careers in entertainment, with Aqua using his newfound friendship with actress Akane Kurokawa as a means to locate his father.

During a stage production, Aqua discovers that he shares the same father with his co-star, Taiki Himekawa, and that he had died by suicide before Ai's murder. However, Aqua learns through Akane that their father may be actor Hikaru Kamiki, who is still alive. At the same time, during shooting for B-Komachi's music video, Ruby finds Gorou's corpse and learns about the culprit behind his and Ai's murders. Both incidents fuel Aqua and Ruby's grudges respectively and motivate them to find their father. However, as they both become increasingly manipulative, Aqua and Ruby find each other at odds throughout their attempts to reach their father, eventually losing trust in each other after Aqua leaks their connection to Ai to the media.

With the help of Gotanda, Aqua creates a screenplay for an autobiographical film based on Ai, titled 15 Years of Lies, in hopes of drawing Hikaru's attention. Ruby aggressively and successfully lands the starring role. She is also forced to confront her past when her mother from her previous life ends up being one of the film's sponsors, but this causes her and Aqua to realize each other's true incarnation. Upon the film's debut, Aqua finally comes in contact with Hikaru, who admits that he had used Ai as an emotional crutch and, in a fit of despair, sent the fan after her after she left him. However, Aqua shows him Ai's final message: she left Hikaru in the hopes that he would come to love himself and that she hoped to eventually come to love him, causing Hikaru to break down.

Writing
Aka Akasaka considered writing a story about being reincarnated as an idol's child, a well-known joke in Japan often used after news of an idol's marriage is revealed. He later began hearing complaints about the entertainment industry through streamers and working on the live-action film adaptation of his previous manga Kaguya-sama: Love Is War. He decided that it was the right time to create a story about the entertainment industry and used his previous idea. When he started writing, Akasaka had already decided on the plots of the first and final acts. Manga about the entertainment industry typically focuses on traditional forms of entertainment, such as films, dramas, and plays. However, the industry saw significant change with the rise of the internet. Akasaka therefore decided to include more contemporary themes in the manga.

Akasaka did extensive research into the Japanese entertainment industry while writing Oshi no Ko. He talked to many different types of entertainers, from idols to managers to YouTubers. In an interview with Anime News Network, he highlighted the many differences between the industry in Japan and the United States, such as the lack of unions. He was inspired to portray the idol world in a dark light after becoming friends with an entertainer who was attacked by a fan. While the entertainer came across as "tough", they confessed to him that they were badly hurt emotionally from this encounter, leading Akasaka to realize that entertainers hid their true feelings for the sake of their careers and fans. Akasaka said: "I want people to know how young talents are being hurt, exploited, and suffering. I think that this work also asks the question of how people should deal with and treat those talents."

Many of the stories in Oshi no Ko are based on pieces of real-life events. Akasaka stated that he considered his fundamental writing style to be that of Oshi no Ko and that the comedy in Kaguya-sama originated as a request from the editorial department. However, he included similar humor in Oshi no Ko to make it easier to read. When writing, Akasaka sometimes became fond of certain characters and gave them larger roles in the plot, like in Mem-cho's case.

Art
When Akasaka came up with the concept for Oshi no Ko, he immediately contacted artist Mengo Yokoyari as Yokoyari had dealt with the entertainment industry in her one-shot Kawaii before. The two had long been acquaintanced but had never worked together. When designing characters, Akasaka usually sends a rough sketch to the person in charge of the storyboards. He sometimes allowed Yokoyari to draw the designs as she pleased. The only time they changed a character design was when one of the characters looked too much like the real-life person they were modeled after.

Manga
Oshi no Ko, written by Aka Akasaka and illustrated by Mengo Yokoyari, started in Shueisha's seinen manga magazine Weekly Young Jump on April 23, 2020. At that time, Kaguya-sama: Love Is War was still running in the same magazine, leading to two manga series created by Aka Akasaka being serialized simultaneously. After the end of Kaguya-sama: Love Is War, a new manga series Ren'ai Daikō (恋愛代行), written by Akasaka and illustrated by Nishizawa 5mm, started its serialization in the same magazine on April 27, 2023, again leading to two manga series created by Akasaka being serialized simultaneously. Shueisha has collected its chapters into individual volumes. The first volume was released on July 17, 2020. As of July 18, 2024, 15 volumes have been released. The manga entered its final arc on June 27, 2024.

In April 2022, Shueisha began publishing the series in English on the Manga Plus website and mobile app. In July 2022, at Anime Expo, Yen Press announced that they licensed the series for an English release. The first volume was released on January 17, 2023. As of May 21, 2024, six volumes have been released.

The series has been licensed in Taiwan by Chingwin Publishing Group, in South Korea by Daewon C.I.; in Indonesia by M&C!; in Thailand by Luckpim, in France by Kurokawa (publisher); in Germany by Altraverse; in Italy by Edizioni BD; in Argentina and Spain by Editorial Ivrea; and in Poland by Studio JG.

Anime
An anime adaptation was announced in June 2022. The anime, later revealed to be a television series, was produced by Doga Kobo and directed by Daisuke Hiramaki, with Chao Nekotomi serving as assistant director, Jin Tanaka writing the scripts, Kanna Hirayama handling the character designs, and Takurō Iga composing the music. It aired from April 12 to June 28, 2023, on Tokyo MX and other networks. The 90-minute first episode also premiered at selected theaters in Japan on March 17 of the same year. The opening theme is "Idol" (アイドル), performed by Yoasobi, while the ending theme is "Mephisto" (メフィスト), performed by Queen Bee.

After the airing of the eleventh episode, it was announced that a second season has been greenlit. It premiered on July 3, 2024. The opening theme is "Fatal" (ファタール), performed by Gemn (conformed by Tatsuya Kitani and Kento Nakajima), while the ending theme is "Burning", performed by Hitsujibungaku.

At Anime NYC 2022, Sentai Filmworks announced that they had licensed the series, and would be streaming it on Hidive. An English dub premiered on May 24, 2023. Medialink licensed the series in Asia-Pacific and streamed it on the Ani-One Asia YouTube channel.

Novel
A spin-off novel written by Hajime Tanaka, titled Oshi no Ko: Ichibanoshi no Spica (【推しの子】 ～一番星のスピカ～), was released on November 17, 2023.

Live-action
In January 2024, it was announced that Oshi no Ko would receive a television drama adaptation, distributed exclusively worldwide by Amazon Prime Video in the same year, and a live-action film adaptation distributed by Toei. The series is set to premiere on November 28, 2024, which will run for eight episodes, while the film will premiere after the series in theaters on December 20. The film will be directed by Smith while Hana Matsumoto is helming the series with Smith, with scripts written by Ayako Kitagawa, and music composing by fox capture plan.

Popularity
Oshi no Ko ranked eleventh on Takarajimasha's Kono Manga ga Sugoi! list of best manga of 2021 for male readers; it ranked seventh on the 2022 list. The series ranked fourth on the "Nationwide Bookstore Employees' Recommended Comics of 2021" by the Honya Club website. The series ranked thirteenth on the 2021 "Book of the Year" list by Da Vinci magazine; it ranked 25th on the 2022 list; and fifth on the 2023 list. It ranked fifth on AnimeJapan's fifth "Most Wanted Anime Adaptation" poll in 2022. The premiere episode of Oshi no Ko was reported by Hidive as the most successful premiere in the streaming service's history in terms of total viewers, new subscribers, and free trial signups.

Yoasobi's opening theme song "Idol" reached a total of 100 million worldwide stream and video views on Spotify and YouTube within two weeks after the anime's release. The opening theme also topped the Billboard Global 200 Excl. U.S. charts with 45.7 million streams and 24,000 copies sold outside the U.S. "Idol" has become the first Japanese song and anime song to top the Billboard Global chart as well as taking the first spot on the Apple Music's Top 100: Global chart. In a survey of "Favorite Anime of 2023" on the Japanese website Otona Answer which was responded to by over 2,600 young Japanese anime fans, Oshi no Ko ranked first among Generation Z for the first half of the year.

According to a 2023 poll conducted by education and publishing company Benesse, which asked 18,802 third to sixth-grade Japanese children (12,859 girls, 4,728 boys and 1,215 others), Ai Hoshino ranked third below the "friend" and "mother" on the top 10 most admired people. According to the survey, Ai's singing and dancing ability, cuteness, positivity, idol talent, and compassion for others were the reasons why she ranked higher. In the other poll, Yoasobi's "Idol" was ranked among the top 10 most popular words responded to by Japanese children, placing seventh. In the 2023 Google's Year in Search, "Idol" ranked as the top-trending song and was third in "Hum to Search: Top Songs" category.

Sales
By April 2021, Oshi no Ko had over 1 million copies in circulation; it had over 3 million copies in circulation by October 2022; over 5 million copies in circulation by March 2023; over 8 million copies in circulation by May 2023; over 12 million copies in circulation by July 2023; over 14 million copies in circulation by October 2023; over 15 million copies in circulation by November 2023; and over 18 million copies in circulation by July 2024.

Volumes 10–12 were among the best-selling manga volumes of 2023. The first volume of the series ranked second on the BookWalker's top 10 best-selling manga titles in 2023. Volume 13 was Shueisha's eighth highest first print run manga volume of 2023–2024 (period from April 2023–March 2024), with 500,000 copies printed.

In North America, the volumes of Oshi no Ko were ranked on Circana (formerly NPD) BookScan's monthly top 20 adult graphic novels list since June 2023. BookScan's ranking for each month:
 * June 2023:
 * July 2023:
 * November 2023:
 * February 2024: The series was Yen Press' third best-selling manga and was first amongst manga titles that debuted that year.

Accolades
Oshi no Ko was nominated for the 14th Manga Taishō in 2021 and placed fifth with 59 points; it was nominated for the 15th edition in 2022 and placed eighth with 49 points. In August 2021, Oshi no Ko won the Next Manga Award in the print category. The manga was nominated for the 67th Shogakukan Manga Award in the general category in 2021. It was nominated for the 26th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize in 2022; it has been nominated for the 28th edition in 2024. It was also nominated for the 46th Kodansha Manga Award in the general category in 2022; it has been nominated for the 48th edition in the same category in 2024.

Oshi no Ko was nominated for Best Suspense Manga at the 2023 Japan Expo Awards.

Critical reception
The anime adaptation received positive reviews. Lauren Orsini of Anime News Network wrote in her review of the premiere that Oshi no Ko "offers a potent combination: the glitz of the industry and the gritty darkness just underneath—and I'm certain we haven't even scratched the surface." Ali Griffiths of Digital Spy praised the series' depiction of the production of dating shows and Akane's cyberbullying, describing Oshi no Ko as a "compelling watch". Kambole Campbell of Polygon described in his review that "[the series] leverages the reincarnation premise for both the wild dramatic potential of its revenge plot line, but also as a way to have a pair of fans see behind the curtain, with different perspectives and impossible hindsight." In contrast, David Opie of Radio Times felt that the anime had changed its content and impact compared to its premiere episode, writing: "the show no longer stands out as unique in the same way that the first episode did."

Mike Hale of The New York Times listed Oshi no Ko as one of the best international shows of 2023, calling it both "sprightly" and "goofy". Vulture named it one of the best anime series of 2023, praising its humor and the handling of characters' performance from the expression of the feelings. The website wrote: "Aside from its unhinged backstory, the real fun of Oshi no Ko is the drama it mines from its analytical portrayal of the entertainment industry and how business conflicts with art."

Accolades
In 2023, Oshi no Ko won in the anime category while Yoasobi's "Idol" won in the song category of the Yahoo! Japan Search Awards, based on the number of searches for a particular term compared to the year before. The anime series also won the Grand Prize at Japan's Internet Buzzword Awards. At the 8th Crunchyroll Anime Awards in 2024, Yoasobi's "Idol" won the award for Best Anime Song while the anime series was nominated for eleven other categories including Anime of the Year. The series received the award for Animation of the Year, while Yoasobi won Best Music for their work at the Tokyo Anime Award Festival. It won the 2024 Excellence Award at Japan's 29th annual Association of Media in Digital (AMD) Awards. The series also won the Character License Award at the Japan Character Awards by Japan's Character Brand Licensing Association (CBLA).

Controversy
The sixth episode of the anime, which depicts the character Akane Kurokawa becoming a target of cyberbullying and subsequently attempting suicide after starring in a controversial episode of a reality television program, was noted by critics for its parallels to a similar real-life case of the suicide of Hana Kimura, a Japanese professional wrestler. Some viewers commented that the manga chapters on which the episode was based were planned prior to Kimura's passing. Kimura's mother, professional wrestler Kyoko Kimura, criticized the episode for the similarity, saying that she did not approve of the case "being used like free source material" by the anime writers. Kimura further stated that she felt the topic was portrayed with no consideration for real-life cyberbullying victims. The series' English licensor, Sentai Filmworks, added an advisory message to the end of the episode providing the phone number to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on its streaming service, Hidive.