Oshi no Ko (2021)

[推しの子]

Volume 4

Author: Aka Akasaka
Artist: Mengo Yokoyari
Publisher: Young Jump Comics

Synopsis:
With the filming of ImaGachi concluded, Aqua and Akane consider how to handle their relationship going forward.

Story/Characters:
With the cast having successfully turned things around, the wrap party for ImaGachi is a happy event. There's some bad blood with some of the showrunners for their conduct, but things are mostly chill. Most importantly for Aqua, Kaburagi is satisfied with his work, so he'll be getting what he wants out of the deal. Speaking privately with Akane, he advocates continuing their relationship for appearance's sake for the time being, which she agrees to. Later, he talks with Memcho and invites her to join the new B-Komachi. At first, she brushes off the offer as a joke, but once she realizes it's the real deal, you can see how it moves her. As a result, the next thing we see is her at the Ichigo Pro office entering contract negotiations. Adding a popular Youtuber/Tiktoker to the unit's ranks certainly appeals to Miyako's business sense, but there's one minor fly in the ointment. Though Memcho bills herself as an 18-year-old, she's actually 25. You see, back when she was in high school, she was trying to become an idol, but she came from a single-parent household and once her mother fell ill, she started working to support the family and aged out before things stabilized. However, Ruby has no objections to her age and Kana sympathizes with her plight as she's lost out on gigs due to her age as well. We've now got a solid trio to launch the new B-Komachi.

When it comes to preparing for their debut, Memcho points out that they've got the catalog of the original B-Komachi songs they can use, which saves them the trouble of having to get original content developed right out of the gate. The upcoming Japan Idol Fes offers a good venue for their debut, so all that remains is decide on who's going to be the center. Ruby and Memcho decide to do a karaoke contest to determine the best singer, but Kana passes on it, not feeling she has the necessary appeal for the role. Amid their contest, Ruby and Memcho discover that Kana actually has a decent discography and though she never took off as a singer, she's significantly better at singing than either of them, so despite Kana's objections, because she's such a pushover, she ultimately ends up as the unit's center. However, the unit needs to properly harmonize in song and dance, so Pieyon comes in to help out with their physical training. He even has a little heart-to-heart with Kana to encourage her. Now, if you've got eyes in your head, you'll note right off the bat that Pieyon looks quite a bit slimmer than before. Well, there's a reason for that. Because Kana has been sore at Aqua over the Akane situation, she's been giving him the cold shoulder, and because she's in full tsun mode, she can't dial it back even if she wants to. Aqua doesn't figure she'll listen to him no matter how he tries to help, so he comes up with a workaround and poses as Pieyon. Somehow the trick works, but then Kana sees him take off the mask. Trying to sort her feelings out adds to her woes as the day of the JIF approaches. Her doubts pile up with all her struggles before, including her previous failed run as a singer, but it's Ruby who comes in for the save, pointing out that while she might be an experienced actor, this is her first time being an idol, so she shouldn't be so worried about slipping up. Kana accepts herself as being a beginner in this particular field, and that helps steel her resolve.

When the girls take the stage, we get some commentary from the audience, particularly a fan of the original B-Komachi who doubts the new unit until he sees Ruby channeling some of Ai's charisma. Kana feels herself being outshone by her partners. The audience has different colored glowsticks representing their favorites and there aren't many for her, but then Aqua appears to pump things up for her (though he's also carrying glowsticks for Ruby and Memcho as well). This is enough to light a fire under Kana to drive her to become Aqua's favorite (the eponymous "oshi no ko").

On the ride back, they talk about how things went. When Ruby makes a comment about Akane being Aqua's work girlfriend, Kana suddenly swings around dramatically and stops keeping him at a distance and goes back to teasing him and such as she used to. Seeing how she's acting clues in Memcho to the fact that Kana is holding a candle for Aqua, leaving her unsure of who she's supposed to root for as both Kana and Akane are her friends. Things are about to get complicated again, though, as they're going to be doing a stage production of the manga-turned-anime Tokyo Blade centered on Akane's theatrical troupe. Aqua's been cast via his connection to Kaburagi as his latest lead is related to Lalalai (the theatrical troupe) and Ai's time there. That's not all, of course. Kana has been cast as well and we learn that in addition to personal rivalry over Aqua, there's been a long-standing professional rivalry between the two of them (mostly on Akane's side, to be detailed later). The sparks are about to fly. Grab your popcorn.

Art:
We get a number of moments that have extra punch to them, like when Memcho realizes she's got a shot at B-Komachi, when Kana first takes the lead as the unit's center, and most of all, when Kana vows to become Aqua's "oshi no ko". Kana is the MVP here for sure.

Other:
We get a two-page bonus comic drawn by Akasaka with Aqua editing a video for Pieyon.

Conclusion:
This volume is primarily focused on the Ruby plotline and the debut of the new B-Komachi. I like the energy Memcho brings to the group dynamic and since Kana is arguably my favorite character, the amount of focus she gets is appreciated as well. Not a lot happens in Aqua's plotline here, but the next arc gets set up and he plays a bigger role in Ruby's plotline here than he has been. I know because I've already read ahead that the next arc is good stuff, but the setup here does a good job of getting the readers psyched for it. I'm pretty sure it's an easy call for fans of the series to want to add this one to the collection.

Rating:
Own It