The series depicts both the glamorous and harsh sides of the entertainment world in a realistic, dramatic and passionate way, and its innovative premise and unpredictable developments have earned it many fans.
A TV anime series produced by Doga Kobo will start airing in April 2023. Related keywords are trending on Twitter almost every week, and the music video for the opening theme song “Idol” by YOASOBI has been viewed over 100 million times in just one month since its release, attracting attention from all over the world.
In this article, we will introduce the appeal of the work and the plot up to the latest volume of the book!
*Please note that this article contains spoilers for the work.
First, let me introduce you to the synopsis of the beginning of the story.
Goro, a local obstetrician-gynecologist, is a huge fan of Ai Hoshino, the absolute center of the idol group “B Komachi.” He is such a die-hard otaku that he plays live DVDs of the group in patients’ hospital rooms (because he says “looking at beautiful things is good for your health”), and he lives a fulfilling life.
One day during a medical examination, he is shocked to see Ai, who was supposed to be “recuperating from an illness”, appear before him as a pregnant woman with twins. At first he is shocked and conflicted, but seeing Ai’s determination to achieve both “happiness as a mother and happiness as an idol” and her determination to “not make the name of her child public = to continue lying to her fans with love”, he vows to support her with all his might.
All is going well, and the due date is finally upon us, but then something happens. A hooded figure, who knows the top secret of Ai’s pregnancy, suddenly attacks him on a dark street at night, and he falls off a cliff. In his daze, Goro closes his eyes, praying for Ai’s successful birth…
–The next moment I woke up from the darkness. The scene before my eyes was the hospital room. I felt the warmth of my mother holding me.
Goro was born as Ai’s child .
The title “Oshi no Ko” does not simply mean “the story of the girl (idol) you support.” It also means “the story of being reincarnated as your Oshi no Ko.”
Thus, Goro began living as Ai’s son, Hoshino Akuma Ami (also known as Aqua). Although he was confused by his reincarnation, he gradually got used to being able to watch his idol grow up up close and be showered with love, and decided to support her life in a new way as her son.
There is another person who is also enjoying the baby life of her favorite idol. Aqua’s twin sister, Hoshino Ruby. She is also a reincarnated person, and her true identity is a girl named Sarina who was an inpatient at the hospital where Goro worked.
Sarina, who suffered from an incurable disease, was unable to go to school or exercise properly, and was nearly bedridden. Ai was her source of comfort, and it was Goro’s enthusiasm that led him into the “swamp” of Ai. The two were good friends, and had lively conversations about Ai, but Sarina passed away before Goro, at just 12 years old.
Although the two knew each other in their previous lives, they avoid prying into each other’s pasts, so even though they realize they are both reincarnated people, they don’t realize who they are. As “ardent Ai fans,” the two of them try to support and encourage Ai (although there is a limit to what they can do as they are babies).
Unaware of this, Ai resumes her entertainment career while hiding the fact that she has a child. She pours her love into her children and they love her back, which further polishes her expressions, and she makes remarkable progress, becoming a top idol worthy of being called that.
子どもたちはすくすくと育ち、B小町のドーム公演も決定。すべてが順風満帆と思っていた矢先、悲劇が訪れます。子持ちであることを知り逆上したストーカーにアイは刺され、20歳の若さで死んでしまうのです。
悲嘆にくれるファンの声や、世間から同情の声が上がる一方、悪意を持った言葉も目の当たりにし絶望するふたり。それでも、母の見せた煌めきと、残してくれた愛情を胸に、ルビーは自身も母のようなアイドルになることを決意します。
一方、アクアは「情報提供者がいる」という考え、そしてそれが「自身（ゴロー）を殺した人物と同一人物なのでは？」という考えが頭をよぎります。
アイを殺したストーカーはただの学生。そんな人間に芸能人の住所も、ひた隠しにされてきた秘密も掴むことはできないはず。複雑な家庭に生まれ、幼少期から施設暮らしだったことで親族や学校との交流もなかったアイのすべてを知ることができるのは芸能界の人間、その中でもただひとり「（アクアたちの）父親」のみです。アクアは、遺伝子検査で自身の父親を特定し復讐することを胸に誓います。
こうして、伝説的アイドル「アイ」の隠し子である双子の高校生は、妹はアイドルとして、兄は役者として、それぞれの思いを胸に、あまたの感情渦巻く【芸能界】へと飛び込んでいくことになるのです。
ここまでの内容がコミックス第1巻分（10話まで）。1巻丸々使った壮大なプロローグを経て、いよいよふたりの物語が始まります。本作は、芸能界の表と裏両方をリアルに描く「お仕事もの」であると同時に、主人公だけが知る秘密を武器に謎を探る「サスペンス」でもあります。
さらにそこに、ネット上の言葉のリアリティや消費者側の気持ちにもフォーカスを当てることで見えてくる風刺的で考えさせられる一面、ルビーや後述するヒロインたちとアクアの関係性を描いた「恋愛もの」的な一面もあったりと、さまざまなジャンルの魅力を内包した稀有な作品となっているのです。
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