Oshi no Ko, vol. 3

推しの子 [Oshi no Ko] #3

by Aka Akasaka (Writer), Mengo Yokoyari (Illustrator), Christian Caccioppoli (Translator)

«En el mundo del espectáculo la mentira es un arma.»

Los mellizos Aqua y Ruby entran en un instituto con un programa de artes escénicas. Ruby ve a sus compañeros de clase progresar en el mundo del espectáculo y se impacienta, pero no pierde el tiempo y empieza a prepararse para debutar como idol. Por otro lado, Aqua es invitado por un productor de la serie en la que participó para salir en un reality show de citas. ¿¡Qué «realidad» ocultará el mundo del espectáculo?!

Genres: Manga, Seinen, Mystery, Fiction, Fantasy, Drama, Comics

192 pages, Paperback

First published February 19, 2021

About the author

AKASAKA Aka
Name (in native language): 赤坂アカ

Zodiac: Virgo

Blood Type: O

Reviews

[Bookishrealm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not what I was expecting….

The premise of this is so wild that at first you don’t think it’s going to be a serious series but this definitely changes the game. There are content warnings in this for: suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, and cyber bullying.

I don’t think I was expecting to dive so deeply into the horrors of being widely known on the internet but it makes sense consider Ai was an idol. However, watching it happen in real time was a completely different experience. I felt bad for Akane. She seems to be such a beautiful human inside and out, but that’s not something people on the internet knew or cared to know. They created a completely separate identity for her that fit their narrative.

While we don’t get any closer to finding out more about Ai as a person and who could be responsible for her death but I think this was a great character study and provided interesting insight to Aqua and what his intentions will be for the rest of the series.

[Nicolo · Rating 4 out of 5]

The third volume continues the subplot of Ruby and her idol dream, which meant recruiting members, and building a social media presence. The main plot of this volume is Aqua joining a reality dating show as part of a means to carry out his vendetta.

The authors walked a tight rope here because the Terrace House incident, (check this NY Times article on this subject), was definitely on their minds and this influenced the Aqua arc in this volume. It may have ended in tragedy in real life, but Aqua was able to come up with an elegant solution to this problem.

This has been a fascinating read. It is both a coming of age story, in the vein of Act-Age, and a mystery manga where the male protagonist comes up creative solutions to complicated problems.

[Lucy Tonks (the invisible life of a reader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

akane is honestly the sweetest. i love her sm, and she didn't deserve any of that 😭

[Sarah ♡ (let’s interact!) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oshi No Ko looks into the darkside of the entertainment industry, the story goes into the raw emotions of the characters and how fame is affecting them. Aquamarine Hoshino joined the cast of a reality dating show at the end of the last volume and this picks up with that show starting.
”What does it mean to be “real” in the entertainment world, where lies are like weapons?”
The art style for this series is so gorgeous! I knew I had to read this as well as Love Is War because they both visually look so damn good! Aka Akasaka never disappoints.

tw:// suicide attempt

[Dandy ˙ᵕ˙ · Rating 4 out of 5]

its so hard to get into the idea of aqua being romantic with anyone considering hes like a 50 year old man stuck in the body of a 16 year old.

i know the author tries to make it not weird by saying his brain adapts but.... i dont knooooowww

[Sunny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay I really liked this volume. Not only did he show the true reality and the true impact of cyber-bullying but we also get to see more of Aqua’s character and manipulative side. I think it’s an important turn because it’s the complexity of his character, how to divide his current life of the child of a star prodigy and his previous life as a doctor. Where does the limits between the two stand? Who is trying to seek revenge for Ai? Is it Aqua? Is it Goro?

[Kaya Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crazy how it can get serious with how goofy it is at times, or how absolutely wild it started in the first place. The characters are all slowly growing on me, and I love the mystery going on as we get the explore the ruthless world of entertainment

[Chantaal · Rating 3 out of 5]

This started off as such a wild premise, but as the story continues on past the initial setup to play out the main "mystery", I'm not sure how I feel.

Everything about this volume felt so...superfluous? I get the theming behind everything going on with Akane and the online bullying. But why a whooooolllle volume of this teen dating show, only to end with Aqua being told to meet with Ai's old manager to get info about her? AQUA DOESN'T CARE ABOUT THIS SHOW so why should I?

Plus, I really hope this series deals with how Aqua feels about Ai because that man 100% jerked one out to Ai a least ONCE and he was reborn as her son...and he's conflicted about his feelings about how he feels about Ai...that's some fucked up shit! Let's deal with more of that!

Very reluctantly going to read the next volume to see if things move forward, but I'm close to dropping this.

[Pranta Dastider · Rating 5 out of 5]

It has addressed the fearsome scope of cyber-bullying. Who does it in stories? Typical manga stories never go there. However, Oshi No Ko did and succeeded nicely. Also, it presented the forced relationship for benefit, lying for fame, and also being supportive towards colleagues. From time to time, I like to read stories like these. They are such oddballs but refreshing.

Looking forward to the next one.

[James DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A deeper look into acting actually worked in this series favor. Learning how these reality tv shows work and how our main hero is trying to find the killer still but getting closer to the cast he does the show with is better than I thought it was. Saving a girl from suicide makes a pretty powerful volume and this series continues to surprise me.

[Fiorella · Rating 4 out of 5]

mon tome préféré so far, les interactions entre les persos sont enfin un peu plus intéressantes et crédibles comparés à la cata des deux premiers tomes. aqua est un perso principal absolument insupportable + je n’arrive toujours pas à capter l’intérêt du pitch de départ + y’a plein d’éléments cringe et lourdingue, ok les dessins sont très beaux mais je comprends pas la hype pour l’instant

[Lia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aku suka topik yang diangkat dan dialog antar tokohnya real dengan kondisi saat ini.
Meski ada beberapa yang terlalu panjang jadi terasa penuh tiap halamannya dengan kalimat panjang

[Zuzia · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[Samuel Cooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great revenge story. Incredible art.

[poet · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's true what they say about people acting like your dead mom: you gotta kiss em

[Kiwi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Zmęczył mnie ten tom 😩

[Caleb Nischara · Rating 5 out of 5]

While Volume 1 was already very touching, this third installment managed to resonate with me on an even more personal level. Having spent over a decade as a public figure online, I’ve witnessed the harsh realities of social media backlash and the dangers that arise when you take malicious comments to heart. Volume 3 brings this issue to the forefront, using a live dating show as the backdrop in which Aqua participates, hoping to uncover more information about Ai from the producer. At first glance, the story's theme might not seem particularly shocking, as it reveals the manipulative tactics that producers often use in reality TV to craft a "good story"—a narrative where, as in many Western tales, there’s a clear division between good and evil, influenced by Christian-Stoic traditions. There has to be a character the audience loves and one they hate. It's well-known, and as old as reality TV itself, that producers often create these exaggerated personas through selective editing. However, *Oshi no Ko* goes further by highlighting the deadly role that social media plays in this process. The real villain in reality TV isn’t just the producers but the masses who, much like in the days of gladiatorial games, take pleasure in the suffering of others and need this to boost their own self-esteem. And this is where Akane’s character comes into play.

Akane is introduced as a sort of alternative version of Ai, leading to a climax where she successfully imitates her perfectly. Ai’s strength was in her ability to lie, creating a persona that protected her from harm—even in her final moments, as she faced the stalker who stabbed her, she maintained her sweet and innocent façade. Akane, with her acting skills, is capable of similar deception, but she takes a completely different approach: she doesn’t build a protective shield around herself; she remains vulnerable, presenting herself as she truly is. This vulnerability, however, only drives her deeper into disaster. The new danger of social media is that people who once merely watched these shows now have a platform to not only express their dislike for the artists but also to incite each other to go even further. It was brilliant how much time the story devoted to exploring Akane’s inner world, showing how the online backlash drove her into despair, while keeping the deconstruction of reality TV relatively brief. Akane’s descent into despair hit me hard because I’ve been in similar situations, but I imagine the way the scene was portrayed would resonate even with those who don’t have a personal connection to the topic. The fact that it was Aqua who saved her, someone who understands the dark side of the media world better than most, having witnessed two murders, added even more impact to the moment. It also gave Aqua a reason, beyond his general indifference to others, to get involved in Akane’s situation, drawing on his own experiences with Ai.

The emotional climax of the story came afterward when the group gathered to record the video. It began with Aqua convincing the cameraman to release the footage by reminding him that adults have a duty to protect children, and continued with each member contributing to the video’s success—Aqua’s editing, the written song, Mem-Cho’s expertise with algorithms. In the end, this group didn’t resist the world’s aggression with violence but by sticking together—by appealing to the humanity within this horde of behavior-driven individuals. Despite the darkness surrounding this chapter, it was a beautiful moment that added a glimmer of hope to the story. This was all driven by Aqua’s morally ambiguous character, making him one of the most fascinating figures in the series. On one hand, he selflessly helps Akane overcome her trauma and move forward because he knows from experience what the media world can do to a person. On the other hand, he has no qualms about using Akane to learn more about Ai’s killer, making them the “dream couple” of the season. Aqua is a thoroughly self-centered character, only acting altruistically when it serves his larger goal or triggers a primal fear in him—standing in stark contrast to Ruby. This was an excellent volume, which told one of the most poignant yet eerily realistic stories I’ve ever read in manga format.

[fia · Rating 4 out of 5]

(NOTE: mentions of attempted $u!$!d3 + spoilers)

Akane’s scene was so deep. Watching a character spiral into a state of depression and attempt to take her own life was very hard-hitting. Knowing that her character was probably inspired by the real life actress who took her own life adds a deeper layer of context. Knowing that social media can actually hurt others this badly is a terrifying thought but a real fact unfortunately.

At first, I wasn’t too fond of the other cast members, but watching them work together as friends to help Akane and earnestly wanting her to be okay warmed my heart. This was especially true for Aqua. For the cold-hearted person he is, seeing him show his true, caring self for Akane was definitely one of his defining scenes. I was honestly taken aback when I saw that it was him. However, that being said, he is definitely still messed up in the head. He is like Light Yagami with his willingness to manipulate others for his sole advantage. I hope Akane and Kana realize this.

I don’t particularly like Aqua saying that lying and masks are the only way to protect yourself, but it’s understandable in the entertainment industry. When you are in public, the reality is that you simply become content for the world to consume, and this ruthless world will always find a way to bring you down to feel better about themselves (like the mentioned schaden-freude). I can appreciate that this manga exposes a different perspective of this industry.

Also, it’s definitely weird that he is in love with his mother/not-mother. I try to ignore that fact but whenever it’s brought back up, I shift in my seat. It’s a weird concept.

I find it very interesting that Ai is now portrayed as a God almost. She’s seen as impossible to be real. This is probably because we are viewing this series through Aqua’s eyes, but the other characters see Ai this way too.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 Volume 3 starts off a little slow but picks up. The volume mainly deals with Aqua starring on a Dating TV Show and the crazy pressures that the young cast have to deal with due to social media and cyber bullying. There is a shorter segment about Ruby forming her idol group with Kana and them starting out. It get's pretty hilarious when they team up with a masked body builder who is a YouTube star. Guest starring on his channel to promote themselves.

The series remains very dramatic and gripping and maintains it's dark undertones which I love. They pair so well with the vibrant art.

Aqua voguing on the cover of volume 3.

Read 11/30/2023
Manga of the Month Selection November 2023 (Anime 2023)

[Ventuu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aunque no fue como los dos tomos anteriores me impresionó mucho. En este tomo Aka Akasaka aborda el tema de la redes sociales y el cancelamiento. Es muy triste ver cómo las cosas que van pasando a medida de los capítulos también pasan en la vida real y como muchas chicas terminan mucho pero que Akane.
Ya quiero saber que va a pasar con aqua y akane ya que lo último que dijo ella es que para hacer el personaje en "Dulce Amor" tuvo que investigar acerca de Ai.

[Pili Aguilera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uffff este manga representa tan bien todo el tema de las redes sociales

[Klaudia (Czytelniczka z Księżyca) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Akane <3

[Tachan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aqua poursuit son projet et cette fois pour le réaliser il touche à la télé réalité. Parfait, cela permet aux lecteurs d’être sensibilisés à ces derniers.

Qui aurait parié sur la présence d’Aqua dans un tel show ? Pas moi en tout cas vu son caractère, mais c’est un vrai caméléon quand il veut atteindre son but. Il est capable de tout et cela se voit. Le voilà donc à participer avec d’autres lycéens à cette vaste blague, cette fausse télé réalité où il n’y a que de potentielles stars qui jouent la comédie pour se faire remarquer en faisant semblant de développer les sentiments les uns pour les autres.

Au moins, le ton est de suite donné, ce sera gentiment cynique et pas du tout crédible. Pour le lecteur, c’est l’occasion de rencontre peu à peu de futurs personnages importants pour la série qui ici auront une importance variable que les mécanismes du projet révéleront. Car une télé réalité, c’est de la com’, de la mise en avant de produit, mais aussi des rumeurs, des réseaux sociaux qui s’emballent et des producteurs plus ou moins contents des résultats, idem pour les agences de talents derrière et ça peu vite déraper.

La façon dont cela est montrée reste maladroite. J’ai d’ailleurs souvent eu du mal avec le dessin ici, on est vraiment loin de la qualité de l’animé. Cela va vite assez vite aussi. Dans un sens, c’est chouette parce que ça ne traîne pas et que le projet n’occupe pas trop de place. D’un autre, ça ne permet de parfois vraiment bien saisir les relations qui se nouent. Mais c’était intéressant de voir les mécanismes de mise en avant des talents et de leur agence. C’était prenant de voir comment les autrices font émerger une actrice : Akane, invisible au début, puis peu à peu de plus en plus poussée en avant, dans la télé réalité comme dans le manga. Avec elle, nous avons un nouveau pilier de la série, quelqu’un avec beaucoup de talent, un diamant brut, dont Aqua compte bien se servir mais qui pourrait aussi avoir un contre-effet sur lui.

Cependant toute la série repose vraiment sur des archétypes assez grossiers et évidents, ce qui la rend un peu »facile ». On s’attend à ce que ça se passe mal au cours de cette télé réalité, avec les réseaux sociaux. On n’est pas surpris quand ça dérape. C’est résolu un peu trop facilement et rapidement. Il faut espérer un peu plus de finesse à l’avenir. Idem pour les progrès d’Akane et leurs retombées qui sortent presque de nulle part… Mais le potentiel est là et la critique sur l’ensemble des niveaux était bienvenue.

Article complet : https://lesblablasdetachan.wordpress....

[Philip McCarty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another stellar volume of Oshi no Ko digging into the realities of reality tv and the ways that teens might be exploited by the industry at large. The main plot of this volume is Aqua going onto a reality dating show because the producer has information about his mother and possibly her murderer. Being on the show is a harrowing experience for one of the actresses as she accidentally hits one of the other actresses, leading to a slew of online bullying that drives her to almost taking her own life until Aqua stumbles across her. There's a great scene where he confronts the director of the show and calls him out on suggesting "more drastic" actions in order to improve the show and then doing nothing to try and lighten the blows that come about due to it. He's 35 and the actress being abused is 17. It makes me wonder about the tv industry in the US and if there are laws in place to protect teenagers who are on television.

The teens on the show come together though to make a viral video that shows them all getting along and being friends, which softens the vitriol of people but never really makes it go away. Akane, who had been her whole authentic self on the show, then decides to put on a persona and act, like the other teens in order to soften the blows when the audience gets vocal. And the women she decides to emulate is Ai. So much so, that she is able to assume things about her because of how she takes on the personality. Akane may end up being important for solving the mystery or may lead to false conclusions, or even a misplaced love. Thankfully Aqua and Kana throw a baseball around and it helps him find that he is just seeing Ai's shadow in Akane and not actually in love with her. So he gives her a kiss at the end in order to try and use her. Which gives me an icky feeling as he manipulates her emotions and she may start to actually fall for him.

Whew, so lots has happened in this volume, and I didn't even touch on Ruby and Kana announcing and revealing their new idol group, B Komachi, on a workout show.

[Albert Sr. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Konnichiwa a todas, lectoras🌸

Hoy os traigo la reseña del tercer volumen de Oshi No Ko. Dicho esto, empezamos:

🎼Este volumen arranca con un proyecto de reality show de citas en el que Aqua participará como parte de su proceso de investigación para dar con el asesino de Ai Hoshino, mientras que paralelamente, Rubi pone en marcha su propia banda idol retomando el nombre de B-Komachi.

🎼En esta entrega conocemos más a fondo la realidad de los participantes de esa clase de programación, destacando aspectos como ser carne de cañón en redes sociales y como estas pueden destruir tanto carreras profesionales como a personas.

Por otra parte, podemos ver las diferencias entre la formación de grupos idol en el pasado y en el presente como preludio a la feroz competencia de bandas.

🎼Acerca de los personajes creo que Akane Kurokawa merece una mención especial al ser víctima primero del bajo interés del público en su rol en el proyecto de citas para luego ser crucificada por un incidente en directo.

La transformación de este personaje intentando emular la magia de la difunta Ai ofrece una interesante subtrama sentimental con Aqua, quien se encontraría en un triángulo amoroso.

Por último, valoro muy positivamente el giro argumental que presenta su figura al relevarla de un personaje de comparsa a un agente vivo y desarrollado.

🌸Conclusión: Esta entrega resulta emotiva a la par que descarnada, mostrando tanto la oscuridad del público como las penurias que se esconden bajo la magia de los focos.

Paralelamente, la relación entre Yuki y Aqua, en apariencia únicamente profesional, abre las puertas a que el personaje empiece a desarrollar sentimientos más allá de la venganza y el amor fraternal.

Valoración: 4/5🌸

[CharlyyGentlePhoenix · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oshi No Ko by Akasaka Aka – 2020 -Kurokawa
J’avais besoin de lire quelque chose de beau et gentillet ce soir…
On nous présente une émission de télé réalité avec des personnes toutes jeunes. La jeunesse c’est vraiment un kiff très répandu au Japon…
Aquamarine cherche qui est son père…
« Les émissions de télé réalité ne sont pas scriptés » je m’étais toujours posé la question, merci ! (« En revanche, elles sont clairement mises en scène »).
La sœur du héros « refuse qu’il sorte » avec une fille qu’elle n’apprécie pas…
La chaine YouTube de Pieyon est certainement une parodie de quelque chose mais quoi je ne sais pas…
On continue sur les thématiques du mensonge et de l’amour…
Et bien sûr les réseaux sociaux (je pense notamment à Twitter !!) où les gens mettent en exergue les points les plus négatifs des acteurs… Cela peut blesser…
Malgré tout ça un air frais et candide, bienveillant… (C’est ce que j’étais venu chercher !! Donc mission accomplie.)
Un manga assez poussé niveau « Screen Shot » de Twitter… Une façon de communiquer qui s’est ancré dans nos civilisations… Les Twitts sont vraiment très violents. Vous vous en tirez a bon compte si vous n’avez pas connu ça.
Même s’il y a Vendetta en ligne, la bienveillance « intra » série permet de respirer…
En vous souhaitant une bonne soirée/nuit;)++

[Kaida_Daughter.Of.Dragons · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't want to do a full book review since this is an ongoing series, but I give the first 6 volumes of this series collectively 5 🌟!

I had an underwhelming first impression of this series and a lot of complaints about vol. 1 (which I stand by!), but almost immediately vol. 2 was a 5 🌟 read for me. Vol. 1 was essentially the prologue to the rest of the series. Once the main story starts, most of the issues I had with "icky" moments went away, and only the great remained.
The main series follows a brother and sister twin pair who each get into show biz and the people they meet and challenges they encounter along the way. The story also focuses on the siblings' different motivations: the sister wants to become an idol to honor her mother's legacy, and the brother wants REVENGE and MURDER. This sets up for some fun intrigue as the brother tries to solve the mystery established at the end of the first volume without anyone knowing his motivations.
The bulk of the plot (so far) involves mini-arcs with the twins meeting other teen aspiring stars and working to improve their talents.
My favorite part of a series like this is the "inside look" we get into the methods and mindsets of the aspiring artists, as well as the harsh realities of how twisted the entertainment business can be.

Despite some early bumps, I ended up loving this series and do plan to continue it. 🌟💖

[Alessandro Parisi]

Aqua inizia a partecipare al reality show romantico e attira l'attenzione di Yuki, una ragazza acqua e sapone che sembra nascondere un lato nascosto. La quale si prenderà i maggiori riflettori della programma.

Ruby prosegue la sua ricerca di diventare Idol e collabora con un personal trainer mascherato Pieyon e la aspirante idol Kana, cercando la via della popolarità in rete.

Aqua scopre molti retroscena sui reality. Molti sentimenti vengono volutamente portati all'estremo, anche perché i partecipanti non sono attori, ma possono esagerare le loro sensazioni. Questo non significa che è tutto finto, anzi.
Ruby e Kana parlano anche dei dating show, di come alcuni attori hanno avuto bisogno di supporto da esperti o dell'alto tasso di suicidi. I social sono un posto pericoloso, molti utenti scrivono parole d'odio che possono incidere sulla salute mentale di chi subisce gli insulti. E' il caso di Akane Kurokawa, che ha tentato il suicidio per l'odio ricevuto.

Il gruppo di Aqua è abbastanza assortito e i ragazzi cercano di supportarsi durante lo show, ricostruendo anche la immagine di Akane.
Nel finale Aqua si congratula con Arima per la sua recitazione, che ricordano molto Ai.
Aqua infine bacia Akane.

[Josh Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

When you can end the volume with me exclaiming out loud "Oh, that sucks... I LOVE IT," you're doing it right.
Oshi No Ko is really landing in a good space where it's a commentary on the modern idol and media industry in Japan (including online fandom), taking up the work that Satoshi Kon did with Perfect Blue and bringing it slightly into the future. While we're not actually the same, it is showing the manipulation of story in media like reality shows (in this volume), and the possible effects of that on a person who may not necessarily be putting on an act on the other side of the screen.
It was a one volume storyline that was building up yet another of what I feel like is going to be a main characters going forward, Akane.
Talking about the characters, what felt like the main plot that Aqua had going in Vol 2 felt like it took (most) of a backseat until the end of the volume where we get a moment that made me realize Aqua may well not be much better than the people he's been looking down on this whole time. I'm pretty excited to get into the next volume here soon, though I may need a bit of a break before I do.

[Lorie Ham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazon Description: Hoping to glean more information about his father, Aqua agrees to join the dating reality show We’re About to Fall in Love for Real ! Most of the production’s teenage-celeb cast members are in it for the exposure, but not all publicity is good publicity. When the footage can be edited for maximum drama, “reality” becomes whatever the director wants it to be―even if that means leaving someone’s reputation on the cutting room floor...

The supernatural twist behind this one is that Aqua and his twin Ruby had previous lives where they were both fans of their mom, Ai Hoshino, who was an Idol. Ai was murdered and Aqua is trying to figure out who murdered her, and him in his other life—hence the mystery side of the story. This is another favorite series of mine (loved the anime and hoping for more)! Great characters, and you get to see behind the scenes of the Idol culture in Japan. (music Idol). Volume 4 came out late last year—watch for a review of that one soon as well. Volume 5 came out in February of 2024.