Oshi No Ko Explained
Oshi No Ko is one of Shueisha’s Weekly Young Jump’s most popular series today. The manga began serialization in early 2020. Its source material and 2023 anime adaptation by Doga Kobo Studios impressed the anime community. With Oshi No Ko Season 2’s release vastly approaching, anime fans can’t wait to see what’s in store.
Aka Akasaka, the series’s author, and Mengo Yokoyari, its artist, carefully mix emotional storytelling, likable characters, and rich themes to create a bright and dark entertainment-centric universe. By offering readers a deeper look at the idol and acting industry, Oshi No Ko resonated with multiple audiences, including ourselves.
That said, Oshi No Ko’s tale is thoughtful and tense. It’s brimming with enough shocking scenarios, interesting secrets, and verbal confrontations to engage anyone who loves hard-hitting dramas. On top of having a peculiar yet intriguing supernatural twist, this pop star-centric series has taken fans for a loop with its multiple turns.
Being the geeks that we are over here, we’ll be diving deep into the Oshi No Ko world, shedding light on the elements that make this story such a spectacle to anime and manga veterans and newcomers alike.
What is the “Show Business” story arc about? What can readers expect from this article?
As with any series, Oshi No Ko is broken into multiple story arcs, each containing minor and major events critical to the overarching tale. Where some arcs center around our protagonists, others focus on the secondary characters or antagonists (if any). Oshi No Ko consists of 10 story arcs (so far), each offering fans something important to remember as they read.
The “Show Business” story arc is Oshi No Ko’s second narrative arc. The anime covered its content via episodes 2-5 while the manga covered this arc in its second volume, chapters 11-20 exactly. This arc continues where the previous arc left off and features Aqua and Ruby attending high school. Simultaneously, we get introduced to important figures like producer Masaya Kaburagi and Ruby’s new buddies Frill Shiranui and Minami Kotobuki.
Considering Season 2 is almost here, it may be difficult for folks to catch up to the series before that airs. While we cover the arc in detail via our Oshi No Ko episode recaps (episodes 2-5, specifically), this explanatory piece will highlight its important takeaways.
Before we begin, it’s worth noting that this piece will contain spoilers for Oshi No Ko’s second story arc only! Moreover, episode 5 of the anime blends content from this arc and the one that follows in strange ways. We’ll mention it when we discuss the manga’s (specifically chapter 20’s) handling of things. Nonetheless, read at your own risk!
How does the “Show Business” story arc begin?
In the beginning, Ruby and Aqua discuss the high school entrance exams and Ruby’s desired idol career path. Then, we learn Miyako’s the new head honcho for Strawberry Productions. Miyako says the company will recruit internet sensations and not idols. Ruby encourages Miyako to recruit idols, but Miyako refuses.
Miyako insists Ruby wait for a new idol agency to call and recruit her. Things don’t go well for Ruby in that phone call. Aqua pretends to be the agency’s recruiter and rejects her. Aqua says he doesn’t want Ruby to follow Ai’s path. Despite his efforts, Ruby meets an unknown man who offers her a spot in an underground Idol group called Yilibu.
Why does Miyoko restart Strawberry Productions’s idol recruitment program? What do Aqua and Taishi discuss?
Aqua meets with Lala Lai, a woman with connections to Yilibu. Lala feeds Aqua details about Yilibu regarding its benefits, expectations, and problems with favoritism. Aqua relays this intel to Miyako and wants Miyako to recruit Lala. Miyako refuses due to Lala’s current occupation and poor attitude. Eventually, Ruby arrives and doesn’t want to turn down the Yilibu offer. This encourages Miyako to recruit idols again for Strawberry Productions.
She hands Ruby a contract and Ruby becomes an entertainer for the company. Aqua meets with and informs Taishi that he wants to pursue general education. Also, he wants to retrieve his father’s DNA and feels securing a position where he’s near entertainers will help him accomplish that. Aqua doesn’t want to pursue acting, but Taishi insists he continues.
How does Kana influence Aqua to pursue acting again? What convinced Kana to change her ways?
Eventually, Ruby and Aqua run into Kana. Kana’s surprised Aqua pursued general education. This leads to Kana following Aqua to Taishi’s home, where Aqua reveals he’s been working behind the scenes with Taishi. During this discussion, Kana convinces Aqua to tackle an acting project called “I’ll Go With Sweet Today” with her. It involves Masaya Kaburagi.
Aqua accepts this offer because he recalls Masaya being one of Ai’s contacts. Aqua returns home, and Ruby praises him for pursuing acting again. The two watch one of Kana’s dramas she starred in and Ruby criticizes Kana’s talent. Aqua and Kana meet and the former informs the latter about Ruby’s criticism. Kana tells Aqua that she refuses to out-stage the project’s male actors who lack solid acting ability.
Kana admits she was a bratty child celebrity. Eventually, she received fewer offers and saw new kind-hearted child actors make it big in the acting sphere. This influenced Kana to change her ways for the better.
What happens at the “I’ll Go With Sweet Today” TV show set? Why is Masaya upset with Kana’s performance?
After Kana hands Aqua a script for his part, the two eventually arrive at the TV Show’s set. There, they meet Melt Narushima, a male actor who stars as the show’s stalker, and Masaya, the show’s producer. While the former pays Aqua no mind, Aqua’s more interested in Masaya, due to his connection with Ai.
After rehearsal, Aqua overhears Masaya chatting with colleagues about Kana. Masaya’s happy Kana’s raising the staff’s spirits. However, he’s not thrilled that she’s giving it her best for a show that’s merely promotional material in his eyes. After Masaya and his acquaintances leave, Aqua heads to Masaya’s previous location to collect his used cigarettes.
How does Aqua motivate Melt and Kana to perform exceptionally? What happens at the banquet?
Eventually, Kana, Melt, and Aqua perform “I’ll Go With Sweet Today’s” pivotal scene. Aqua cleverly uses his environment and improvisation techniques to encourage Melt and Kana to try harder. Later, Kana films another scene on the chief director’s behalf and we receive an interview scene with “I’ll Go With Sweet Today’s” author.
Although the author is mixed about the production, she’s in love with Melt, Kana, and Aqua’s interpretation of her story’s best and most tense sequence. The author’s fans also praise the show’s staff. The author meets with Kana at the celebratory banquet event and thanks Kana for doing a great job. At the banquet, Aqua confirms Masaya has no familial connections with Ai.
He confirms he sent Masaya’s cigarette butts in for testing and the results confirmed he has no ties to Ai. Then, Masaya shares his experiences with Ai and minor details about Ai’s spouse to Aqua. Masaya says he’ll share more info with Aqua if Aqua accepts a role in Masaya’s upcoming dating reality show.
How does the “Show Business” story arc end?
After Ruby and Aqua attend their high school’s entrance ceremony, Ruby meets Minami Kotobuki, a popular model. Next, Ruby meets Frill Shiranui, a multi-talented performer with exceptional singing, acting, and dancing talent. Although Minami’s on board with being Ruby’s friend, Frill doesn’t give her the time of day, enticing Aqua to convince Frill to give Ruby a shot.
Ruby and Aqua visit Miyako later. They learn Miyako’s struggling to find competent idols for their new group, so Aqua insists Miyako recruit Kana since she’s a freelancer. This is where the anime starts blending in content for the series’s third arc “Dating Reality Show.” Therefore, we’ll discuss Oshi No Ko’s “Show Business” story arc’s official ending via Chapter 20’s continuity below.
In Chapter 20, Ruby, Aqua, and Kana meet somewhere. There, they discuss the idea of Kana joining Ruby’s idol group. Kana wants to reject Ruby’s offer, but Aqua butters her up, enticing her to accept Ruby’s offer. Kana signs a contract and Miyako confronts Aqua on how he pulled this off. Aqua explains he played on Kana’s sympathy and pushed her.
Miyako tells Aqua to be careful with how he influences people. Next, Kana asks Ruby if Aqua has any jobs lined up for him. This story arc ends with Ruby telling Kana Aqua will star in a reality dating show.
Conclusion
Oshi No Ko is a brilliant manga with an equally entertaining anime adaptation. Coming off of the fandom he earned with Kaguya-sama: Love Is War’s finale, Aka Akasaka has much to prove with Oshi No Ko. Although future story arcs may leave some fans feeling mixed, this arc gave fans an idea of what to expect from Oshi No Ko’s plot moving forward.
As always, if you want to check out more Oshi No Ko-related content, click here. Also, we may be covering future story arcs in this format, so feel free to keep us on your radar if you want to know what happens after Oshi No Ko’s “Show Business” story arc.
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Are you a big Oshi No Ko fan? What was your favorite moment from the “Show Business” story arc? Let us know in the comments below!