Oshi no Ko vol. 9

With Aqua now satisfied regarding the identity of his father – and by extension, with the idea that the man behind Ai’s death is also dead – he’s content now to have an average showbiz career as he prepares for medical school (again).  However, with Ruby now aware of how the doctor who treated her in her previous life died, but still in the dark about how he was subsequently resurrected as Aqua, she’s now inherited the mantle of vengeance in this series.  Her determination to find out who was responsible for his death has given her a new, darker outlook on life which has gone over great with the new B*Komachi’s fanbase.  This leads to more fun and drama as Ruby becomes a guest correspondent on Aqua’s show and winds up with a front row seat to more fan outrage as a hastily put-together segment on cosplay blows up online.

This is the first volume in a while where I haven’t been spoiled for its events thanks to the anime, and… it was perfectly fine.  It’s more engaging for its character work as Ruby finally gets more time in the spotlight and her new conniving self does give her an edge that she didn’t have before.  Aqua does make the most of the time he’s given, tossing some clever barbs at his sister as they interact on TV and in how he’s dealing with his relationships.  Oddly, but probably for the best, is that while vol. 8 teased a return of the series’ supernatural side, it goes completely without mention here.

What doesn’t quite work is how much more serious this volume feels.  “Oshi no Ko” hasn’t always been a straight drama or comedy, but it feels like the latter aspect is overbearing here.  Not to the best effect either as the cosplay stuff in the volume’s latter half is played very straight and comes off as very obvious to boot.  This series has always thought it’s been giving its fans the lowdown on Japanese showbiz, but what’s here will again come as no surprise to anyone with a basic familiarity with how the industry works.  Not the best start for the title’s manga-only (re)start in my mind, but not nearly bad enough to get me to consider dropping it either.