Oshi no Ko vol. 6

Now that the “Tokyo Blade” 2.5 stage play finally has a finished script it should be smooth sailing for the production from here on out.  Right?  Well, vol. 5 did leave off with Aqua suffering a panic attack when he tried to channel some emotion into his role and wound up doing it with some really bad ones.  So it’s going to be up to Akane and his old director buddy to help him get over that.  Then all the cast and crew will have to deal with is Kamoshida’s relentless womanizing, Melt dragging down the overall quality of the play with his acting, and the ongoing catfighting between Akane and Kana.  So even if there aren’t going to be a lot of pyrotechnics in the play itself, the whole thing might wind up going down in flames on opening night anyway.

A funny thing happened between now and when I read the previous volume:  Season 2 of the “Oshi no Ko” anime started and I once again found myself playing catch-up in the manga to what I’ve been watching on a weekly basis.  This has been a bad thing for the manga because the people who made the anime put some real thought and effort into how to render the “Tokyo Blade” in a visual medium.  The results have been, frankly, quite stunning to see in action, and that’s to the manga’s detriment.

That being said, I can at least recognize that artist Mengo Yokoyari stepped up her game for this arc and if I hadn’t been watching the anime I’d have more good things to say about it here.  Writer Aka Akasaka also continues to do solid character work here, even with some characters who you wouldn’t think deserve it (looking in your direction, Melt) and the results are surprisingly enjoyable.  Though it’s too bad that what’s here is being overshadowed by the anime, what’s here still manages to be enjoyable on its own terms.