If you like this manga, you should touch grass rn
It’s maybe really complicated for me to find something that I really want to read, either it’s reviews or good books. Instead, I choose this hardcore wall-to-wall intense manga that wrapped behind an uplifting art style. I lying to myself that this is good, but this is insanely crappy. This is not the place to learn something of what this manga’s central point. The whole review may not stands into this intro paragraph, but that’s how what I feels.
Oshi No Ko not only exploring the corruption in Tokyo industry under life about Idols and Actors, but also leans into psychological interest and mental issues. All those themes while very provocating with a lot of crappy self-thoughts that somehow fit, and every build-up feels like worth checking. The themes are unique, the characters is well draw, but also makes an big regret. The most head aching is, we can’t really get anything what we want here, feels like the whole story line is just created to disappoint us, not the relationships, not the loyalties, it’s feels like breaking all the logic that what this story wants to criticize.
Aqua is stuck in the cycle where his wishes comes into a burden: He is jealous of Idol’s life and hates the definition of “Death” even since being Gorou figure, and when it comes into Aqua which turns him into an complicated self-destructing person, pointing it outward and inward simultaneously. Both Aqua and Ruby life abandoned by their most loved one. The hardest part is, he always wants to live well for his own wish and breaks the “lying” cycle where he wants to be romantically in love and not for “using”, everything should be clear in life and love but he wants to show what’s the most “clear” thing that breaks the life he spent. In before side, he always deceived by the beautiful Idol entertainment, and in after side is what do he thought is the opposite of what “beautiful” is, that’s basically really disappointing.
Once Ruby wants to dance, singing, using cool clothes, but now she packed with crazy schedule everyday, she left in mixed feeling, she living the dream that Sarina never could, the sick girl who just wanted to be an idol, who just wanted to live. But can’t really describe the complicated feeling where everything seems not smooth as it is. She always thinking everyday that she can find her loved Doctor and who’s Ai killer, she is just an innocent that doesn’t deserve an mind burden. What’s so different is, Ruby always smiled and didn’t use it as the obsessive motivation for life while Aqua does, even Ruby hides those feelings herself but she still got an good friends and always trying to be joyful as much as possible, which is somehow both healthier and more heartbreaking.
Akane is full of thoughts about how much her potential is, but watered down by mental issues like weak by cyber bulling and almost ended up her life by falling from the bridge. But back then, she lived in prosperous family, Idol industry is what Akane desire. She is the type of person that looks perfect, very caring with knowledge packed. Obsessed with character deepening and imitation, and it’s kind of sad that Aqua never actually romanticized her, instead using and exploit her for deepening. It’s still really nice that she finally move on from weaker personality and become stronger even after the break-up, more confidence than ever. If not because Aqua, what do you would thought? Plus point for her personality might be relatable to a lot of anyone, especially Akasaka itself.
Kana Arima is simply the opposite of Akane, her back life is more frustrating. She already exploited since a child into entertainment industry, her parents not really caring so much, just like Sarina. Her personality is just like woman NPCs in animes (arrogant, classic tsundere I think?), and that’s also the way how she treated. As “NPC”. She fading from child prodigy to irrelevant, but glad this Aqua bring her up with the new version of B-Komachi just because she got interest on him (Who wants to kill her as a child). And by her problematic situation where she got caught with a men is leans into an bigger and bigger climax. Aqua really risk all their family life by sharing the truth as Ai is their mother, and it’s all to cleaning Kana. “It’s a win-win situation thought”.
More bigger climax is where Aqua-Ruby connection starts become an crappy controversy, they’re already wipe one lie that Ai is their real mother, but now they’re had to secreting that they’re an reincarnation of people who lived together before by the Aqua’s smooth conversation that references Sarina. Gratefully, Ruby can throw away another weight of her life. But not for Aqua: He still seek an revenge forever that wasted into the worst ending imagined.
After all, the main topic of this story: Lies and love, is both things not something everyone deserved, like Ai struggled to feel love genuinely, and Hikaru arguably never deserved the love he received. This is basically the simplest word to sums up both in the story: Both are tragic for completely opposite reasons. Aqua and Ruby by their old personality (Gorou and Sarina) has pandering this idol Ai so much and deceived by her “loving” lies, except for the last part her breath. Once they’re 17 years old, she use they for “Film the real me” and sharing a revenge, not even trying to confess to anyone.
Ending
My sister warrants this ending would be pretty bad and just stop the reading. But I can’t, it’s pretty interesting: A bold but self-contradicting ending that feels more like a betrayal of its own character than a conclusion.
It feels very rushed, forced and over sentimental. I didn’t even think people like Aqua who believe in happiness, smile, or life would be screaming “I want to live”. Remember when Aqua warned to not joke about Die with Kana, the person who he didn’t want to wash with lies? On the other hand, he could spend his 18 years making a graph pipeline of finding a more torturing way to make the murder without giving a little ache to him without over claiming the “I want to kill by my own hand”. It’s also a part of an even happier way for his and their lives, then why didn’t he calculate this? Still, every good have the bad. But again, this is too far and not well lined directioned with the whole storyline. Simply saying that death is never the option.
While it didn’t sum up the story perfectly, It’s an insanely well-driven thought of someone who is already crazy about mental problems: They didn’t care anymore. He is haunted by PTSD, carrying guilt, obsession, and grief for his whole lifespan. And here, no one here to save him. That’s sad but it’s his own wish.
The reader feeling sums up the Aqua feeling perfectly. Did he expect Ai to die? Then, did we expect Aqua to die? We genuinely ask why? Why did it the way it is? It’s not like ONK is Akasaka’s most NPC creature he made. He can make some happy cliffhangers without making an dissatisfying ending which is watered down the trend so badly. It’s not mandatory to agreeing this as the real ending.
And for Aqua, he also didn’t want Ai to died. He is trying but can’t. It’s reality, it can’t be expressed simply by words. The words like rushed, hurtful, over sentimental criticizing the whole ending sums up his feeling. Akasaka always said this ending was already planned, but never say this is the Aqua’s feeling.
That’s why I think this ending is gonna age well as time goes, while breaking the Aqua’s vital logic. It’s a very risky option, and not a single one entity accepting this logically.
Into today, I am still thinking: Why did I read this as my debut manga?
Ooh, and if this is the end, my lovely
You probably should’ve told somebody
And if you kill it right now, just don’t bury me in Hollywood Forever
Just don’t bury me in Hollywood Forever (Forever)
(Get in your dream car)
Just don’t bury me in Hollywood Forever (Forever)
(And speed off)