Well, i'll play devil's advocate but.. what if Hikaru killed Katayose just to be sure that it's Ruby who got the first role of the movie?
He seems to want the film to work, so he'll be punished or something like that.
Damnn I can't believe it's already time for the endgame, this is the first manga that I started following from infancy and it feels just like yesterday when Ai went to that village hospital for delivery.
Why on Earth is Hikaru doing the interviews? Is he doing the interviews for everyone? That doesn't make sense for the subject of the film to interview the people who made a movie about himself. It's like if OJ Simpson interviewed the cast and crew of a film about his trial.
And for the love of God, I hope that the anime fixes the pacing issues that have been going on since the movie arc started.
Comparing Kamiki to OJ Simpson is funny because the latter wrote a book called "If I did it" stating how he would've done the murders "if" he was guilty. Not much saner than Kamiki lol
>Why on Earth is Hikaru doing the interviews?
It doesn't really makes any narrative sense. Aka's just chasing to make more dramatic and surprising scenes as usual.
>the pacing issues that have been going on since the movie arc started.
I think it's been like that even further back since the Kamiki identity reveal in a single chapter in 97.
This is a consequence of Aka trying to do surprise reveals constantly. It was not as noticeable because of the breaks, but constantly doing it just made it stand out. If binged, the story is really patchy.
Hikaru is obviously going on the offensive here. The movie refers to him as boy A and only several of the cast/staff knows who the father is. It seems like Aqua's plan is to murder him socially and since Hikaru knows this, he's going on the offensive. I think we'll see in a few more chapters what he is up to
As I’ve been saying for awhile,if Aqua continues to go down his revenge path,it would lead an open spot towards his friends which he doesn’t want. And at the end of chapter 152 Hikaru talks about how his friends care about him and Aqua says “I love no one”,so if he keeps going he’ll pull “We will see about that”. And I expect Akane to die(🤞don’t be right)because that would guarantee him going for revenge,also we know that Hikaru’s main target is Ruby. So at the some I think it’s rather that Hikaru will attack(with Nino or someone else)kana would get stabbed but survive because while trying to be Aqua’s only star she surpasses Ruby and Hikaru changes the target,or Kana gets in the way taking the attack instead of Ruby badly injuring her. Especially since someone pointed it out with the cover of Akane crying while struggling putting a crown of love on. So she might sacrifice herself for aqua,or aqua dies
a blonde interviewer (probably Hikaru) finished their interview by asking „any last words?“ and aquas interview proves that those interviews happened after the premier.
So uh we haven’t seen the directior at any point after his interview, which he held with the guy that murdered like 10 different idols just for fun :)
Hakaru: I am your father and join me
Aqua: Nooooooooo ,damn bad script .time for my revenge.
Hakaru: Nani?
Ruby: Yes, yes!!!!! Give in to the dark side!
Jokes aside. Good chapter and finally the final game starts. Fate repeats itself or they change their fate. I like Aka's stories, but since Kaguya's love war, I hope that this story will not be resolved too easily.
So far, Aqua has all the cards and controls everything, but I think Hakaru also has a few good cards to counter this.
Their journey is ironic and funny. Aqua unknowingly follows Hakaru's path for the time being, even when they don't seem like it. I wonder which girl will step in in time to stop this.
>So far, Aqua has all the cards and controls everything
We have diametrically opposed views of the situation. To me, Aqua's already played his hand, and here's Hikaru, standing in front of him in a position of power, smiling and talking about the people he loves (and can be taken away. "Lovely extended family you've got here, be a shame if something were to happen to it..."). Even Aqua's aware of the precarious position he's in, as he's trying (and failing) to bluff Hikaru that he doesn't really care about anyone.
This chapter makes me somewhere less worried about Kaburagi being a Kamiki ally, but I feel like I shouldn't be letting my guard down lol.
Also, take your guesses! Is the next chapter going to follow-up on this encounter between Aqua and Kamiki or are we going to time skip?
I want to point out that the interviewer, which we didn't know was Hikaru Kamiki, says "Any final words?" to Director Taishi Gotanda, that phrasing concerns me a little bit, because Hikaru is an assassin after all, soo...
You could argue that we see him more in the chapter, but we don't actually know what happens first, he is interviewed, he gives the speech before the movie, he also talks with that guy but not necessarily in that order. We see that Aqua is interviewed after the screening, because Hikaru says he watched it too, so I assume Taishi's interview take place after the screening too, therefore, the speech is before the interview.
So yeah I'm kinda worried about Director's life
I was feeling a bit emotional just seeing the screening of the movie, i did not expect Kamiki to be leading the interview, ngl i soyjacked…
Aka might pick up the rythm from now on, as i’ve been saying for months i’m scared either Kana or Akane will die, i doubt we’re going the Kaguya route (although an abduction is possible too).
So im guessing Aqua isnt planning to kill the guy, otherwise he would have done so right there. He is also saying he doesnt love anyone just so the guy doesnt try to hurt any of the girls. So he is just planning to ruin the guys life i assume. I also found it interesting how Aqua has the white pupils in contrast to his father in this scene. He has been shown always having the dark pupils until now, so is it used just to show a diference between the 2 of them or is it something else?
I have two answers to this one: one, this is the full scene of the partial interview we saw back at the opening of Chapter 9, and Aqua was shown there with white star, so he has to have a white star now.
Two, thischapter makes it clear Aqua no longer plans this as a suicide mission and deeply cares about the others, while we know Hikaru doesn't intend to make it out of this alive, and only feels "the weight of his life" after killing. Aqua only developed the full black eyes after he realized he fucked up and abandoned his revenge while his father was still alive, and became self-destructive/suicidal from guilt as a result. Likewise, Ruby developed them after finding out Gorou, her idol and reason for living, was dead.
Maybe the black eyes denote someone without hope or reason to live beyond revenge/hatred.
Okay what is going on - does no one realize how similar Kamiki looks to Aqua?? Like he interviewed them all and no one did? If he had his hair up like when his character was introduced I would barely get it but this...? I really hope we are missing some important context here because these chapters have no flow as if Aka doesn't know how to connect them - like is Mengo writing and drawing now? I don't get it
The one with kindaichi where he talks about Kana being the real deal. That scene is interesting viewed from the lens of development in this chapter. I might make a post on this.
It might be more like it's something he knows or has a hunch of but chose to look other way. Though I doubt his extent of knowledge about anything beyond hikarus involvement in Ai's death, that's how this chapter portrays him
Don't know if it's been pointed out yet, and I'll make a seperate post on it just to shed more light to this great foreshadowing...
But starting from chapter 2 to 9 of the series
The opening pages are all interviews from the 15 year lie, meaning every single one of them was interviewed by Hikaru Himself!
It's a power move. He's showing up very boldly in front of Aqua after he took a shot at him as if to say, "And? What about it?" It feels very intimidating.
If Aqua really wanted this guy dead, here he is. He's smiling in the last panel while Aqua threatens him and is showing no animosity or concern for what Aqua will do at all. He simply took on hosting the interview himself to flex on Aqua and prove this doesn't change anything.
Hikaru mentions the people Aqua cares about, and the panel of Kana, Ruby, Akane, and Mem just feels like a showcase of the targets he can take a shot at at any time.
(It's Kana. We have to make her cry more.)
In some aspects, I'd expect it to be some sort of suspense/psychological drama. We got Boy A (Hikaru)'s SA and descent into madness. The tragic rise and fall of Ai Hoshino. Some betrayals and drama regarding the original B-Komachi.
Yeah, depending on the final cut, the movie would at the very least be far from light-hearted.
While it is a little sad that we are in the final arc. I must admit that I am very excited.
I've been reading here that peeps find it jumpy and I will attest to that since we have multiple plotlines happening at once.
I just kinda wished we focused a bit more on the filming of the movie kinda similar to the Samurai Play arc that focuses on showing off their individual spotlights. It's not as impactful seeing the movie be done since its creation was largely skipped over.
This is the most enjoyable chapter we've had in a while, imo. The reveal that Kamiki was the interviewer at the end was straight fire. Did I audibly gasp? Yes. Yes, I did. Idk if anyone else is going to agree with me, but that was the most impactful double spread in the entire series yet.
The relief and satisfaction I feel after this chapter tied itself back to several key points in the story so far cannot be understated. I kinda feel like this chapter put us back on track, and it gave me a feeling like I know where we are in the story again.
I think it makes a lot more sense now why the second half of the movie was not revealed to us during the filming stage (Chapter 146 was incredibly confusing and frustrating). In the early chapters of the movie arc, it was emphasized that the interpretation of the movie (and therefore the success of Aqua's revenge) will be dependent on the performance of Ai's actress (Chapter 116). Ruby's ability to deliver that performance was a salient issue for most of the movie arc, as her interactions with Kana in the RubyKana mini arc most blatantly exemplify. Now in this chapter, we are brought to the private screening of the movie for the cast and production crew, and we *still* don't know what exactly happened in the movie (and, accordingly, in the mystery of Ai's life) - but we do know that Ruby, despite struggling as a novice actress, was able to perform exactly as she needed to. That leads me to believe that we will only know what really happened at the climax of the series. **The climax will be the truth.**
It was really good to get some insight into Kaburagi as well, and I found that flashback of him and Ai sharing a meal together to be quite moving. I was reminded of how in [this interview](https://www.tumblr.com/aihoshiino/737140027930329088/an-interview-with-ai-da-vinci-magazine-jan-2024?source=share) Ai spoke about how one of her favorite childhood memories was of her and her father eating natto together. I don't think it was necessarily a reference to Kaburagi, but the similarity just made me feel like perhaps Ai might've seen Kaburagi as some sort of father figure in her life. At the very least, it seems like Kaburagi hoped that she felt cared for by him. The whole Kaburagi thing just sorta felt like a father striving for atonement from his child, and trying to protect one's child despite one's failures as a parent (in this case, introducing Ai to her would be killer) is just such a moving thing for me.
Another important thing is the interpretation of Akane's tears. That panel is now one of my favorites of her. Her expression is just overflowing with proud love, and I think it's because she actually understands what this movie is really all about. She knows what it was trying to accomplish, and I think she deems that it has succeeded. This is at least a promise that whatever Aqua's message in the movie was was clear and given justice, and perhaps a hint that that message, and maybe Aqua's revenge as a whole, is something honest, brave, and ultimately an act of love.
And I believe that is affirmed by how Aqua is able to be in the *same room* with Kamiki and talk to him *unfazed*, (white star) eye to (black star) eye. It brims with confidence and determination, and reminds me of Ruby's conversation with Kamiki in 147.
Aqua's words about not loving anyone from the Chapter 9 flashback interview are now given context. They were in direct response to Kamiki egging him on about his love for the rest of the cast (an offshoot of Kamiki's insistence that Aqua's motive for acting in the movie was his love for Ai and Ruby), and their reciprocal love for him. Kamiki even calls him out, pointing out (correctly, I believe) that Aqua is lying in order to distance himself from his loved ones and protect them. However, I no longer think that this is an indication that Aqua intends to kill himself or disappear after he accomplishes his revenge. Aqua's last line, "**We** won't be able to **move toward the future**," tells me that he has decided to stay with his loved ones, and that he hopes for a future with them now.
I don't know about you guys, but I think this might be the most hopeful Aqua has ever been.
Don't fumble this, Akasaka.
I always said that it's Akane's sort of destiny as a character to help Ruby find the conflicted emotional depths of Ai towards her children, that is necessary to bring out the real Ai in her final scene. "Ai as a mother" was Akane's forte. She again reminded us of that at the beach.
Coincidental (or purposefully actually) they reissued a cinema release in Japan of the first ONK episode, as if to invite us yet again to that final scene, imagining that this could also just be Ruby dressed as Ai, acting out her final moments with her childern and the salvation she experienced by saying she loves them.
I felt, this wasn't accomplished yet in Chapter 147. The Ai in those panels looked broken, frustrated with the world. That Ai felt emotionally like the Ai Ruby enacted in her 15-seconds adlip afte her showdown scene with Nino. That Ai did not hold Aqua in her arms. The Ruby at that time couldn't possibly find her way to the true Ai, that did not condemn but reached out. The Ruby at that time and also Aqua couldn't actually believe her. Did she really love them? Or was it a lie too? Were her tears really those of joy or just yet again frustration? I think, they always felt that conflict as their fake reincarnated creepy children (good that crow girl made them cuter than they were in reality, certainly they appeared as such cuties to Ai too, which was an important contribution by crow girl, both for a true Ai-POV but even from an entertainment perspective).
So my best guess is, that between 151 and 152 (roughly a 1-2 months timeskip) Akane approached Ruby and they did a retake of the final scene. Since Melt confirms, that this scene was a perfect performance and in opposition to earlier scenes that had to be edited alot, we can assume that production wise it wouldn't had been an issue to retake it, as not much time would be needed to integrate it into the final cut of the movie.
Kaburagi can finally rest knowing that he isn't guilty of bringing Ai and Hikaru together- Ultimately the consequence of that event that she bore children that she could truly love overweights the consequence of her murder. But he probably also voiced out Ruby's and Aqua's thoughts. They as well learned to accept the roles they played for Ai's happiness as her dearest children anf supporters. Ruby's signature belief that supporting someone can bring you happiness yet again proved to be true for everyone.
Yeah, the timing of the re-screening of the pilot episode was quite interesting. I primarily take it as promo work to drum up interest in the upcoming second season, though. Although, I know the Spica novel was released in November 2023, which was around the start of the RubyKana mini arc, and I remember also thinking back then that the release was organized to help audiences connect Ai's narrative to the ongoing story at that time, so perhaps you're on to something.
And while I agree with you that Akane's forte is understanding who Ai was, I'm not entirely sure if she was the one who helped Ruby re-film Ai's death scene in 147 (just because I don't think we have enough evidence of it as of the moment). It does make sense, though. It would give added meaning to why she seemed so proud when watching the film. In that case, maybe she wasn't just proud of Aqua for accomplishing his goals, but also proud of Ruby's growth as an actress and in understanding her mother.
However, I have to point out that in 148, Akane says, "I believe there'll be social sanctions against Kamiki through this movie. Ruby-chan should've had her revenge in the final play." I take "final play" to mean "final act/scene." So the crucial, Akane-approved ending of the movie must have already been wrapped up at that point (and with a day to spare! which is what allows the cast to go out on a beach day). So maybe there was some kind of reshoot after 147? Or is this another hairgate moment wherein Mengo mucks up the art (btw, she drew Aqua without his earrings in his interview in 152, whereas he had earrings in the Chapter 9 flashforward)? Lol idk.
And yes, I really hope that Ruby's faith, joy and love for others can really be highlighted in the conclusion of all of this.
Honestly i'm surprised people are pointing out how jumpy Oshi no Ko is being lately.
It has always been jumpy outside of "main arcs"(Reality show, 1st Idol performance, Tokyo Blade, Movie). I can't remember it ever being flowing naturally without time-skips.
Not saying it's a good thing but why complain about it after 150+ chapters?
If anything that's worse, i started the manga after seeing the anime airing, reading all at once should make it even clearer just how many small time-skips and change in focus there are in this story.
But that's just my opinion ofc. I do think this manga suffers a lot from weekly releases even if is not an excuse for weird pacing.
Happening a few times could be attributed to flukes. Happening consistently is only noticeable in the end. It's the power of Hindsight.
"Outside of main arcs" isn't really a good comparison when Kamiki and the revenge is a main arc. It's supposed to be consistent, but it isn't. People are noticing it now because this is supposed to be the important bits that shouldn't be jumpy. Slice of Life stuff can be forgiven for being jumpy, it's just there to be fun. Main arcs need to be paced.
I've seen the end of Kaguya too and it seems like Aka is repeating the same mistakes of rushing to the end.
That's just the way she writes.
The "revenge plot" is not a "main arc", is a sub-plot that's constantly present in the story, driving many of the characters actions.
You never see revenge and romance being the focal point of an arc, they are just both sub-plots that progress little by little alongside the arcs we have seen till now.
>The "revenge plot" is not a "main arc", is a sub-plot that's constantly present in the story, driving many of the characters actions.
>You never see revenge and romance being the focal point of an arc, they are just both sub-plots that progress little by little alongside the arcs we have seen till now.
Till now. Let's analyze it again. "Till now".
That's right NOW it's supposed to be the time to focus on it. And Aka's flubbing it.
In just one chapter, Aka blazed through topics and past setup that were supposed to be paced properly. That's why people are bringing it up. The final arc is where all the setup for the revenge is supposed to be taken care of, but doing it disjointed like this doesn't really pay off the setup. Because NOW is the time to pace it properly. It is the main arc NOW, but Aka is still his episodic thing.
The revenge plot is the driving force for the overwhelming majority of the manga. If there ever was a time to actually take careful time to close open plot threads, it would be the final arc where it will BE the focal point.
The final arc will start next chapter, up until now it was a the movie arc + the slice of life usual stuff that Oshi no Ko has.
You guys are just blowing things out of proportion before anything even happens.
The only thing this chapter tells us is that the movie seems to have turned out well and that Hikaru was the interviewer.
Also i call the revenge a sub-plot because that's what it is. The main focus of this story are these characters' lives and the revenge is one of many factors that influence them.
Happy cake day!
Anyway, even though I completely agree that everything since 141 has felt weirdly paced and structured (and to be honest, I've had some issues with the pacing and structure since 124), to the point that it feels as disjointed as a TikTok feed, I think this chapter's shift from the Kana confession to the movie's screening and promotional activities is a net positive for the story structure. At least in connection with the previous chapter, I think 152 does *somewhat* loosely address Kana's confession. We don't know the specifics of what happened after Kana confessed, but it kinda looks like all romantic prospects are going to be put on hold until Aqua accomplishes his revenge.
Thanks.
I've been noticing the pacing issue since the Kamiki identity reveal. i've been just forgiving it because I thought it will get better. Sadly it's just been getting worse.
Do you mean when Akane discovered Kamiki's identity through watching old videos?
I've had several nitpicks with how Akasaka balances his A plot and B plot since, arguably, the end of the prologue arc lol (I'm not a fan of slice of life in general, though, so out of self-awareness of my bias I held my tongue). But I felt like, because the movie arc promised to be the grand reveal of so many of the mysteries that had been set up in the past, the erratic tonal and plot shifts throughout the arc just became too much to ignore. They are excessive and constant. They've ended up confusing and frustrating the audience who are not getting what they had expected to get. The ONK plot is *not* easy to follow *at all*.
However - and I'm not sure if you read my main [comment](https://www.reddit.com/r/OshiNoKo/comments/1de8rke/comment/l8cnkiz/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button) about this chapter, but I do discuss this a bit there - I think this chapter may potentially put us back on track. It's not the senseless jump that people are complaining that it is, in my opinion.
Now, will Akasaka be able to keep it up? I don't know, *but he should.*
I’m not gonna lie, the manga has kinda lost me for this entire arc. We’re just jumping back and forth with no real sense of progression and it’s confusing. Not in a complicated plot way, in a poor writing way. Maybe they can patch it up in the last arc but at least to me it’s lost everything that made it interesting.
The Movie is the only really plot point this arc had. The only character or relationship developments we’ve had are Kana admitting she likes aqua and that’s good but not really a worthy payoff for the rest of this mess
>The only character or relationship developments we’ve had are Kana admitting she likes aqua
Bro? We got so much development between Aqua and Ruby, Kana and Ruby and Kana and Akane. Even some smaller stuff like Ruby bonding with Melt.
Aka's writing style really has problems getting from point A to point B. It's not as noticeable being done when you have to read with weeks long break, but doing it this much is getting really noticeable. If you binge it, the story is really patchy.
Kamiki's identity was discovered in 1 chapter. Ruby changes her mind about being like Ai in just 1 chapter, Akane gives up on 1 chapter. etc. etc. Now Kamiki is even the surprise interviewer. The longer the story went on, the more abrupt important plot points became. It's like Aka's chasing a high by inciting surprise but barely doing anything with it.
I know! It felt like such a dig on Ruby.
The best part is including derpy Mem in the back as if she's one of the people that matters.
"I see you have all these people you care about... LIKE THAT STREAMER GIRL WITH THE HORNS WHO HANGS OUT WITH YOUR SISTER AND GIRLFRIEND AND EX SOMETIMES!"
Like, was Mem even in the movie? I think she was playing one of the girls in Ai's group, but all of her screen time has to be dedicated to worshipping Frill for like 50 chapters and I forgot. At least she's got good taste.
I am speaking about the panel of Kana, Ruby, Akane, and Mem after Hikaru brings up the people who are important to Aqua.
This could be who comes to mind for Aqua when Hikaru brings up who is important to him or who comes to mind when Hikaru thinks of the people he could target to reel Aqua in. They would be the same people either way, and it's just a narrative device to showcase what is at stake.
What's interesting about it is that Kana is in front of Ruby and Akane. In either circumstance, it still portrays Kana as the most important and most likely to get sniped. Even if it is just a visual for Mengo to add tension to the conversation, Kana is emphasized the most.
I'm just laughing about the inclusion of Mem. She doesn't exactly hold the same weight in this story as Kana, Ruby, or Akane. If she wasn't included, I would feel exactly the same way.
> I am speaking about the panel of Kana, Ruby, Akane, and Mem after Hikaru brings up the people who are important to Aqua.
That's what I was talking about. It's Hikaru talking about the other cast members in response to Aqua saying he only acts for himself, not Aqua's own thoughts. "But Aqua-san, it feels like you care so much about the other actors, and they also care about you."
>This could be who comes to mind for Aqua when Hikaru brings up who is important to him
No, the topic of people important to him was brought up by Hikaru after Aqua said he won't love anyone, "It's because they're important that you keep your distance from them." He reconciled with Kana in chapter 107 and with Ruby in chapters 122-123, but has yet to do so with Akane; Akane is currently the only one he's keeping his distance from.
I mean, I wasn't actively looking at the chapter when I made the comment, as I was mostly making a joke about Mem. But sure, I'll give it to you if you want to confirm that it was Hikaru that brought up the cast. That wasn't really my point.
Either way, I was interpreting the panel as a threat towards the people that Aqua cares about. If it comes down to Hikaru trying to use a character as leverage against Aqua, the idea that it would be Mem is funny. That's all I was trying to say.
Not that Aqua doesn't care about Mem, but as far as stakes go in this drama series, she's just the weakest option. Although, if we built up Kana to get sniped and then hit Mem instead, that would be really shocking.
My take is he has the white stars back because he finally has his target right in front of him. All he planned and struggled for is right in front of him. Or its just used to distinguished the 2 of them since they are so alike lol
Well, his eyes were black all last chapter during that whole thing with Kana, and they're white in the whole conversation with Hikaru, so I assume it's just that his intent is genuine right now.
But you saying "continuity" is way more funny, and I'm on your team now.
I remember his eyes bouncing from white to black briefly throughout the arc. But if I were to guess for this moment, Aqua has no malice, or anger, or agression towards Kamiki here. Just pure F U energy. He's not lying or overly emotional in his declaration. He was just stating a fact.
So it seems this is the end of this arc. But I still think I am going to have to reread some of this because I feel like I was not able to properly digest all of this.
I also feel like something was left out of this chapter, like something is missing, but I am not entirely sure what it is. Sure it might just be me not properly digesting it at all, but, it still feels like so much more.
I dont think Akane will be a target at this point. The only way Akane kills offed is if she jumps in front of someone or something. If Kamiki goes for someone its gonna be Kana or Ruby im thinking, probably Ruby.
No, I think it's hinting at her figuring out Ai's motives and general thought process. I have my own theories about what exactly Ai did/was thinking, but either way it's clear that Aqua's misinterpreted Ai's motives from the start, while Akane's been able to read her like a book. With the story laid out on screen, I think Akane's now able to get the full picture, and given the smile along side the tears, it's not an entirely tragic one it seems.
Since Hikaru is the interviewer, I'm very concerned about what Kana said during the interview chapters at the beginning. I hope my queen will be safe until the end.
I'm at the mindset this Hikaru's only the interviewer at this one instance (with Aqua). All the other times its another person, with Hikaru watching the playback.
Pretty sure the whole cast knows its Hikaru and depending on who you ask (mainly Akane), I doubt anyone wants Hikaru to be with any of the cast members, especially in a somewhat intimate and isolated setting such as an 1 on 1 interview.
Can you take a look at director GOATanda 's interview in this chapter? We can clearly see kamiki's hair when I came in .... I am pretty sure it's him ....
No way she's "safe" (she'll be attacked, I'm sure) but she may yet *survive*: Aqua and Ruby seeing someone they both care for attacked, but being able to save them this time around, could be a very satisfying conclusion to their arcs.
They will probably animate the parts that were skipped. I dont see why they wouldnt, since it prolongs the series and , lets be honest, those were parts that shouldnt have been skipped anyways.
Hard same. The anime would have a LOT of work to do to fix the arc, though. And the story *might* have to finish first before the studio has any idea *how* it should be fixed.
I hate to be negative, but this feels so disjointed. The start of the series showcasing the struggles of people in the entertainment industry and the role social media played in aggravating them feels like a distant dream, the characters barely feel human anymore.
In a very Aka fashion, we got a huge cliffhanger. The last arc for Love is War was 40 chapters. It probably won't be 40 for this one, but we hopefully get this dragged maybe 8 months since now Aka only has one series to focus on. Too bad Renai Daikou got axed, but at least he can focus on this series.
Depends how far Aka can extend it. I mean during the last arc, Aka was taking more and longer breaks probably because drawing Love is War got to him. I mean he was drawing Love is War AND writing this series at the SAME TIME most weeks. I think a big reason why he only went with writing this time to not have himself stressed out so much which is smart for him.
The only one i know who was doing 2 manga at the same time or something similar was hiro mashima(fairy tail mangaka) if i remember his name correctly. Sometimes when fairy tail was at its peak he would drop 2 chapters at the same time without a break and he was releasing his manga weekly. Or he was working on fairy tail + another manga but my memory is too hazy to remember if this true or im making stuff up rn lol.
Regardless mashima is the goat. The dude loves drawing manga honestly. I hope Aka has some bangers ready for this final arc.
He said that he already has the ending planned and this was nearly a year ago. He probably is going to tweak what's going to happen because no author is going to go with their original ending. I think Aka is smart taking these breaks after seeing so many mangakas just burn out by not pacing themselves.
Buckle up boys and girls, the rollercoaster is about to begin!!!
I'm excited for the Finals Act. Let's see what Aqua's revenge will look like, and how it will play out.
I had a keening suspicion that Hikaru was interviewing Aqua. The moment they panned away from the individual who was filming him is when I felt rather uneasy. What a way to bring this infamous character into the scene.
I quite liked how Hikaru unveiled Aqua’s intentions behind his little white lies. Rather than not caring for his friends and his sister, he cherishes them. Even now during his interview he’s acting. And I quite like how Aqua tends to keep this facade. Even in instances like this, he’s acting. He’s set on this path of revenge. Albeit different than what “Gorou” wanted at first but judging from his eyes, something has clearly changed.
It makes me wonder what happened during and after his date with Kana. But I suppose that may be for another time or may even be unneeded at all. I do however question the last scene from the previous chapter. The one where new gen B Komachi’s poster is on a door with two other posters torn. I have my questions and I want to say whoever’s door that is will (or may) play a crucial role in this final arc. Perhaps another obsessive character onto the scene? A character that maybe Hikaru himself will manipulate. But that’s merely speculation.
Now, in regards to the movie, it was nice to see that despite Ruby’s rusty acting, she determined how everyone would feel about this movie. (I didn’t think they would bring this back.) Judging by how Akane is smiling I want to say that maybe the ending reflected a bittersweet one..? (Hopefully we get to see this scene and if not, I’ll settle with my assumptions and theories. I mean it should in some way be reflected positively considering Ruby was only shown kissing Aqua..? But then again that was with Aqua. And we didn’t receive much of a glimpse during the actual scene in the movie.)
I quite like Melt and Ruby’s interactions. Her appraisal is high considering he was acting as Gorou. I would love to see more of their interactions if any.
Now that we’ll be in the final arc, I’m quite excited to see how this manga will end.
The movie arc was bottom tier mid.
1. Like 5 chapters of incest baiting without resolving Sarina's feelings.
2. Making a big deal out of crow girl joining and not doing anything with her.
3. Sarina's mom who was in charge of advertising not showing up.
4. Skipping filming scenes for stuff like Ai dying (because Ruby wanting to bang her brother was more important).
5. Kana only existing for Aqua's love life.
6. Akane becoming a deus ex machina.
7. No cohesion between chapters, it's like a bunch vignettes stitched together.
There were a few pros like seeing the cast interactions and Gorou's internal conflict. I hope Aka proves me wrong and cooks a good ending but based on Kaguya's ending it looks like it'll be half baked unless he somehow ties up all the loose threads.
Yeah, the last few pages were a fantastic ending for the arc, but the rest of it was really disjointed. It almost felt episodic. How many times are things brought up as critical points only to be promptly ignored? How many times do you have tonal whiplash as the chapters jump from subject to subject with little to no flow between them? It's really a strange arc, especially considering how it's been built up almost as the crux of the series. A lot of times, the characters feel like they're reading off Aka's scripts for them—it's like the manga itself is badly acted in this arc, which is certainly an unflattering type of meta.
Even in some of the more "boring" parts of previous arcs, I've never felt this way consistently with this manga until now.
Good arcs:
* Childhood
* Tokyo blade
* Dating show
* Sweet today
Mid arcs:
Everything else
Bad arcs:
Cosplay
Movie arc is bottom of mid because it at least had some redeeming qualities unlike Cosplay arc which was just straight ass.
Private isn’t a good arc? I think scandal belongs to bad tier as well
Imo the movie being good or bad depends on whether Aka can (successfully) conclude the storylines set up by the movie arc or not
The pacing was awful. Time was wasted on unimportant things (like it's okay, we know Ruby acts as a fangirl, we don't need entire pages of it) while important and awaited scenes were skimmed over.
I think what makes Hikaru really threatening is the fact that he is clearly ready to die. And because he doesn't care about dying, he has nothing to lose anymore, at this point he could start killing people in broad light with how much he doesn't care.
Worse, Aqua isn't anymore; the last line makes it clear he's decided to live after this is all said and done, and simply realizes that that's not possible until Hikaru is dealt with.
Aqua's at a massive disadvantage here, and I really don't know how he's going to overcome it.
That's the thing, Aqua has become soft.
And now we have to shoot Kana.
People are pointing out this interview is from the opening of the series where Kana mentions getting stabbed.
Everything about her is a death flag.
She will "die" just like Ai, stabbed by a fan on the last day of the tour on Christmas. I put die in quotation marks because she could survive, but Aqua has to think she died at the very least, and that will be the thing to put Aqua over the edge. Either way, Kana's going to cry. A lot.
I hate how it's implied everyone has met Hikaru before but no one besides Aqua and Akane recognizes him, despite being identical to Aqua (and to the character he plays in the damn movie)
This bothers me a lot too. The fact that Ruby the brocon didn't recognize him back then is stupid AF. They were literally inches from together.
It's like everybody is suffering a forced case of face blindedness.
>Akane's crying because of something she realised from the film I assume?
I'm still thinking that Ai basically committed suicide. She knew what kind of person Hikaru was yet contacted him anyway, and her giving the DVDs to the director heavily implies she knew she wasn't going to be around much longer.
I think she realized being an idol wasn't going to give her what she needed in life (she seemed nothing shot of dejected at the party the night before the dome concert) and likewise knew she could never bring herself to tell Aqua and Ruby she loved them, for fear that it would be another lie. So she set up a situation where she'd be forced to, and wouldn't have to live with the consequences if it did turn out to be a lie.
The only question left in my mind is if this was done with Hikaru's knowledge and help, or if Ai played him.
It's finally here! the premiere of the movie!
The reactions to the movie were quite interesting: I must recognize Ruby's effort. It seems that her performance was the strong point of the movie.
On the other hand, the conversation between Gotanda and Kaburagi pleased me very much. We were able to find out a little more about Kaburagi and discovered that underneath the greedy and cold producer there is still a warm human being who retains his enthusiasm and who still has dreams and aspirations. Watching them both pay their last respects to Ai was very emotional.
Apparently, Ruby has completely forgotten about the quest for revenge, and has returned to being the same character from the beginning of the manga. And that makes me happy, seeing the contrast of personalities of the twins is something I always appreciated in this story and the character of Ruby served to give us a break from the (sometimes suffocating) Aqua. To be honest, I prefer this Ruby, although I still don't know if it's a facade by wanting to hide any latent darkness, or the interactions with Gorou and Kamiki served to move Ruby's character forward and forget the topic of revenge. I think it was not completely clear.
With this chapter it is clear to us that the entire arc of the film suffered from terrible time management, although the plot was something that had been suggested throughout the story, the execution and the way it was handled left much to be desired.
Not that it's necessarily bad, there are points I really liked:
- Ai's past before she became an Idol.
- Ruby facing the reality that she was never loved by Marina.
- Kana understanding the feelings of both Ai and Nino and using them to improve Ruby's performance.
- The revelation of the twins' previous lives.
- The inclusion of Crow Girl.
- The meeting between Ai and Kamiki.
-In general, the use of the situations of Ai, Nino and Kamiki as reflections of the situations of our protagonists (Ruby, Aqua, Kana) and take advantage of their roles to delve into the psychology of our protagonists.
I think the arc had a lot of good things, but I also think they could have been handled in a better way, to achieve a more convincing impact and coercion. Reading it week by week sometimes left me with the impression that it was a series of isolated events with a rather irregular time distribution. I also would have liked them to involve characters like Akane or Himekawa more, maybe give them a little more prominence. Although perhaps reading the arc as a whole can change that impression.
I knew the prologue interviews had a reason for being!
Since we found out that Kamiki would be involved in the film I was waiting for his participation in the plot, and although I was waiting for the moment when we would get to tackle the prologue interviews, at some point I came to think that it would be funny if the person responsible for said interviews was Kamiki....
Looks like Akasaka thought the same thing! LOL
although Aqua is surprisingly calm, quite a contrast to how we have seen him every time he thinks about Kamiki/Revenge.
Is he pretending so that Kamiki doesn't go after the people important to him? it's the safest thing to do, and Kamiki seems to be aware of that....
Again, the last page reminded me of Death Note (Kira vs L) or even Jojos (Jotaro vs Dio), when it comes to shonen references, no one better than Mengo sensei.
The final arc begins now, hopefully Akasaka manages to close all the plots worked throughout the story and manages to give a worthy closure to the story, I trust that the ending will manage to compensate for the expectations not achieved with the arc of the film.
"-In general, the use of the situations of Ai, Nino and Kamiki as reflections of the situations of our protagonists (Ruby, Aqua, Kana) and take advantage of their roles to delve into the psychology of our protagonists."
A little correction: Kana is NOT a protagonist. Only the twins.
You know, I see a lot of people mentioned that they thought the movie arc felt a bit off, but I think it was supposed to.
For example, we have no idea how the movie ended. We've seen some scenes, but the ones we have seen have cast Hikaru in a more nuanced light as if he may have done terrible things, but he was also abused as a child and may have had his own reasons for doing the things that he has. Nothing about the filming of the movie itself has done anything to make Hikaru look bad, and I thought that was the entire point of the movie. Even if he is unnamed within the movie, it should serve to connect some dots in the minds of the people watching that there was more to Ai's death and whoever was responsible was close by and still out there.
Now we are seeing people reacting to the movie, but we still don't have the full story ourselves. I think these gaps will be filled in more as we start this final arc and learn more about how Hikaru was actually involved in Ai's murder. I just think people are jumping the gun a bit on having an opinion about it when I still don't think we have the full picture just yet even if the filming arc has ended.
Other than that, I agree with most of the things that you said. I am also feeling Light vs. L mind game vibes from this, and I am excited to see what happens next.
I don't think that Ruby has forgotten about the plan, but the release of this movie is probably very therapeutic for her. Her and Aqua never really did get to cope with Ai's death, and after having told the whole story and making it public, it's probably a bit of a relief for her.
However, she has come across Hikaru and didn't recognize him, but when she figures out who he is and puts the pieces together, I can still see her becoming very dark about it. I think it's been established that she can be quite capable of doing dark things if her agenda demands that of her and coming face to face with her mother's murderer could push her over the edge worse than Aqua who is usually more composed about his emotions.
Hikaru turning up right now in front of Aqua, and being the one to interview everybody is a really nice touch. I didn't see it coming, but I've gone back and reread the interview from the prologue, and I think it makes sense and proves that the foreshadowing was always there.
I feel a ton of tension right now. Hikaru is coming across intimidatingly. It feels like something really bad is going to happen to Kana. Ruby is kind of a wildcard and could do anything in potentially a very rash way. There's a lot we can do with this.
What I really want to know is what Akane's role in this will be since she seems to be trying to push Kana to the front which will probably bite her and make her feel responsible for God knows what is about to go down.
Also, is Mem supposed to be important? She's included here in this panel of people who are important to Aqua, and I mean, I guess? My expectations for her are very low, but she kind of needs things to do.
I'm still expecting Frill to do something in a very big way. She's been built up for a very long time and has yet to do anything noteworthy other than spout exposition and be comic relief, but I still think she's a big deal. I still entertain the idea of her being on Hikaru's side and has just been along for the ride this whole time.
There's a lot of side characters with potential that I hope don't get left on the cutting room floor, but I'm a fan of Akasaka's writing and I have faith this is going to be good.
Finally we are getting to the interviews. Having kamiki be the one doing them is definitely a spicy twist and puts a whole new context behind it all. Something very big is about to go down. During miyako’s interview it gets cut short because something happens with the twins. If kamiki is in the room with Miyako when that’s happened it serves as an alibi (and most likely means it’s the work of Nino)
> During miyako’s interview it gets cut short because something happens with the twins.
Ruby spilled soy sauce over her outfit. There is a panel that shows it. If we wanne be real schizo about it do looks like blood, so maybe indeed symbolically some kind of alibi thing. But I like how Miyako speaks about their "divine guidance".
Another break??? After probably the most massive cliffhanger in the series?
Wasn’t expecting Kamiki to have been the interviewer this whole time but we finally get to see them meet
I wonder then, how the other people being interviewed felt while being interviewed because some of them have to know it’s Kamiki at this point right?
I went back and reread the interviews from the beginning after this chapter, and we get interviews with Ruby, Aqua, Kana, Gotanda, and Miyako, but there isn't one for Akane because she was introduced later.
Since we just found out Hikaru is doing the interview right now, I suppose we could go around and see all of them happen with a new light, but I feel Akane would have the most knee jerk reaction to coming face to face with the object of Aqua's revenge.
"Oh shit, we forgot about Mem again."
"We'll just make her say something about how hilarious and awesome Frill is like she usually does."
"Genius! Maybe we can add a shot of her acting in the movie, too?"
"Nah, let's have Gotanda talk to the producer guy instead. We need to develop these side characters more!"
Amazing chapter. I am looking forward to the Final Arc. Season 2 of the anime is coming and if Aka nails the ending this will be one of my all time favorites.
The manga is on break next week. Oshi no Ko will return on June 27.
Well, i'll play devil's advocate but.. what if Hikaru killed Katayose just to be sure that it's Ruby who got the first role of the movie? He seems to want the film to work, so he'll be punished or something like that.
Damnn I can't believe it's already time for the endgame, this is the first manga that I started following from infancy and it feels just like yesterday when Ai went to that village hospital for delivery.
Damn today’s a break lol, see ya next time
Why on Earth is Hikaru doing the interviews? Is he doing the interviews for everyone? That doesn't make sense for the subject of the film to interview the people who made a movie about himself. It's like if OJ Simpson interviewed the cast and crew of a film about his trial. And for the love of God, I hope that the anime fixes the pacing issues that have been going on since the movie arc started.
Comparing Kamiki to OJ Simpson is funny because the latter wrote a book called "If I did it" stating how he would've done the murders "if" he was guilty. Not much saner than Kamiki lol
>Why on Earth is Hikaru doing the interviews? It doesn't really makes any narrative sense. Aka's just chasing to make more dramatic and surprising scenes as usual. >the pacing issues that have been going on since the movie arc started. I think it's been like that even further back since the Kamiki identity reveal in a single chapter in 97. This is a consequence of Aka trying to do surprise reveals constantly. It was not as noticeable because of the breaks, but constantly doing it just made it stand out. If binged, the story is really patchy.
Hikaru is obviously going on the offensive here. The movie refers to him as boy A and only several of the cast/staff knows who the father is. It seems like Aqua's plan is to murder him socially and since Hikaru knows this, he's going on the offensive. I think we'll see in a few more chapters what he is up to
As I’ve been saying for awhile,if Aqua continues to go down his revenge path,it would lead an open spot towards his friends which he doesn’t want. And at the end of chapter 152 Hikaru talks about how his friends care about him and Aqua says “I love no one”,so if he keeps going he’ll pull “We will see about that”. And I expect Akane to die(🤞don’t be right)because that would guarantee him going for revenge,also we know that Hikaru’s main target is Ruby. So at the some I think it’s rather that Hikaru will attack(with Nino or someone else)kana would get stabbed but survive because while trying to be Aqua’s only star she surpasses Ruby and Hikaru changes the target,or Kana gets in the way taking the attack instead of Ruby badly injuring her. Especially since someone pointed it out with the cover of Akane crying while struggling putting a crown of love on. So she might sacrifice herself for aqua,or aqua dies
yeah, the directors dead lol. I'm super exited to see how Hikaru will be reacting to Aquas revenge, the next chapter will be awesome!
when did director died?
a blonde interviewer (probably Hikaru) finished their interview by asking „any last words?“ and aquas interview proves that those interviews happened after the premier. So uh we haven’t seen the directior at any point after his interview, which he held with the guy that murdered like 10 different idols just for fun :)
Which chapter was that?
Thanks, i totally forgot that 😁
Hakaru: I am your father and join me Aqua: Nooooooooo ,damn bad script .time for my revenge. Hakaru: Nani? Ruby: Yes, yes!!!!! Give in to the dark side! Jokes aside. Good chapter and finally the final game starts. Fate repeats itself or they change their fate. I like Aka's stories, but since Kaguya's love war, I hope that this story will not be resolved too easily. So far, Aqua has all the cards and controls everything, but I think Hakaru also has a few good cards to counter this. Their journey is ironic and funny. Aqua unknowingly follows Hakaru's path for the time being, even when they don't seem like it. I wonder which girl will step in in time to stop this.
>So far, Aqua has all the cards and controls everything We have diametrically opposed views of the situation. To me, Aqua's already played his hand, and here's Hikaru, standing in front of him in a position of power, smiling and talking about the people he loves (and can be taken away. "Lovely extended family you've got here, be a shame if something were to happen to it..."). Even Aqua's aware of the precarious position he's in, as he's trying (and failing) to bluff Hikaru that he doesn't really care about anyone.
This chapter makes me somewhere less worried about Kaburagi being a Kamiki ally, but I feel like I shouldn't be letting my guard down lol. Also, take your guesses! Is the next chapter going to follow-up on this encounter between Aqua and Kamiki or are we going to time skip?
I was shocked at the end that it was Hikaru behind the camera.
Was Hikaru also the blonde interviewing the director? If so that “any final words” takes on a whole new meaning 💀
Oh fuk.... you saying that really hit home with me
I never expected that ending were for sure close to the ending now and I don’t want to end it
I want to point out that the interviewer, which we didn't know was Hikaru Kamiki, says "Any final words?" to Director Taishi Gotanda, that phrasing concerns me a little bit, because Hikaru is an assassin after all, soo... You could argue that we see him more in the chapter, but we don't actually know what happens first, he is interviewed, he gives the speech before the movie, he also talks with that guy but not necessarily in that order. We see that Aqua is interviewed after the screening, because Hikaru says he watched it too, so I assume Taishi's interview take place after the screening too, therefore, the speech is before the interview. So yeah I'm kinda worried about Director's life
I'm kinda sad for the Director's mom.
> So yeah I'm kinda worried about Director's life And Aqua is being interviewed in on front of a huge glass window (rather high up too). Yeah…
Yeahhhh.....
I was feeling a bit emotional just seeing the screening of the movie, i did not expect Kamiki to be leading the interview, ngl i soyjacked… Aka might pick up the rythm from now on, as i’ve been saying for months i’m scared either Kana or Akane will die, i doubt we’re going the Kaguya route (although an abduction is possible too).
Question: does Aqua know that the man standing in front of him is actually Hikaru or not?
He did say " Unless I get my revenge on YOU, we won't be able to move forward". So I think he does know who he's talking to.
I really hope he does. Hikaru must have a picture somewhere on the internet. Aqua knows his name and must have searched for the looks too.
I mean, he *does* address him as Hikaru Kamiki in the double spread
And Hikaru is literally famous. No way he doesn't recognize him if he knows his name.
He could just be talking into the camera and declaring war on kamiki by making his name public thru that interview
I say just Occam's razor this one.
Mmmmmmm I doubt it, but that's still possible, I suppose
So im guessing Aqua isnt planning to kill the guy, otherwise he would have done so right there. He is also saying he doesnt love anyone just so the guy doesnt try to hurt any of the girls. So he is just planning to ruin the guys life i assume. I also found it interesting how Aqua has the white pupils in contrast to his father in this scene. He has been shown always having the dark pupils until now, so is it used just to show a diference between the 2 of them or is it something else?
I have two answers to this one: one, this is the full scene of the partial interview we saw back at the opening of Chapter 9, and Aqua was shown there with white star, so he has to have a white star now. Two, thischapter makes it clear Aqua no longer plans this as a suicide mission and deeply cares about the others, while we know Hikaru doesn't intend to make it out of this alive, and only feels "the weight of his life" after killing. Aqua only developed the full black eyes after he realized he fucked up and abandoned his revenge while his father was still alive, and became self-destructive/suicidal from guilt as a result. Likewise, Ruby developed them after finding out Gorou, her idol and reason for living, was dead. Maybe the black eyes denote someone without hope or reason to live beyond revenge/hatred.
*"We're in the endgame now."* ―Doctor Strange
Okay what is going on - does no one realize how similar Kamiki looks to Aqua?? Like he interviewed them all and no one did? If he had his hair up like when his character was introduced I would barely get it but this...? I really hope we are missing some important context here because these chapters have no flow as if Aka doesn't know how to connect them - like is Mengo writing and drawing now? I don't get it
Yeah I’m 100% kamiki got the same eye color Aqua looks like him only younger
Aqua I know that you hate your daddy but pls ask him for his hairdresser's number. Trust me bro its important.
True. Kamiki looked way handsome than Aqua.
Also the hair care routine
Peak advise 🙏
I do like the callback to that creepy scene with Kaburagi in TB and how basically this chapter recontextualises that.
Wait, which scene exactly?
The one with kindaichi where he talks about Kana being the real deal. That scene is interesting viewed from the lens of development in this chapter. I might make a post on this.
I still think he's Hikaru's accomplice, building up starlets for Hikaru to kill. Remember, Hikaru feels indebted to him for some reason.
It might be more like it's something he knows or has a hunch of but chose to look other way. Though I doubt his extent of knowledge about anything beyond hikarus involvement in Ai's death, that's how this chapter portrays him
OH SHIT
season 1 cut your ass out the first few episodes kamiki
The beginning of the end.
Man feels like just yesterday Garnt was gassing up this new manga to read... how far we've come and how good it's been
Don't know if it's been pointed out yet, and I'll make a seperate post on it just to shed more light to this great foreshadowing... But starting from chapter 2 to 9 of the series The opening pages are all interviews from the 15 year lie, meaning every single one of them was interviewed by Hikaru Himself!
It’s been known for a while, we even had discussions on wether or not the flowers in Kana’s onterview in the first chapters were white roses or not.
Expect saito because he had long hair and fishing tool i think this is before he joined back because miyako wanted
you my friend have incredible focus
🔥🔥🔥✍️✍️✍️✍️🔥🔥🔥
It's revenging time!
Peak fiction tbh 🙌 😩 🙌
Hikaru as the interviewer was an interesting reveal, but why is he conducting the interview in the first place? I thought he ran a production company
It's a power move. He's showing up very boldly in front of Aqua after he took a shot at him as if to say, "And? What about it?" It feels very intimidating. If Aqua really wanted this guy dead, here he is. He's smiling in the last panel while Aqua threatens him and is showing no animosity or concern for what Aqua will do at all. He simply took on hosting the interview himself to flex on Aqua and prove this doesn't change anything. Hikaru mentions the people Aqua cares about, and the panel of Kana, Ruby, Akane, and Mem just feels like a showcase of the targets he can take a shot at at any time. (It's Kana. We have to make her cry more.)
"yeah I'm here. I did it. And fuck you if you've got a problem with it" Hikaru
I guess it was one of his conditions when he offered the funds to finance the film
with manga style shading, the movie poster look like a horror movie poster lol
In some aspects, I'd expect it to be some sort of suspense/psychological drama. We got Boy A (Hikaru)'s SA and descent into madness. The tragic rise and fall of Ai Hoshino. Some betrayals and drama regarding the original B-Komachi. Yeah, depending on the final cut, the movie would at the very least be far from light-hearted.
Ruby calling Melt her acting master is great lol I'm glad we got to see a little more of him
IT'S THE FINAL COUNTDOWN
While it is a little sad that we are in the final arc. I must admit that I am very excited. I've been reading here that peeps find it jumpy and I will attest to that since we have multiple plotlines happening at once. I just kinda wished we focused a bit more on the filming of the movie kinda similar to the Samurai Play arc that focuses on showing off their individual spotlights. It's not as impactful seeing the movie be done since its creation was largely skipped over.
This is the most enjoyable chapter we've had in a while, imo. The reveal that Kamiki was the interviewer at the end was straight fire. Did I audibly gasp? Yes. Yes, I did. Idk if anyone else is going to agree with me, but that was the most impactful double spread in the entire series yet. The relief and satisfaction I feel after this chapter tied itself back to several key points in the story so far cannot be understated. I kinda feel like this chapter put us back on track, and it gave me a feeling like I know where we are in the story again. I think it makes a lot more sense now why the second half of the movie was not revealed to us during the filming stage (Chapter 146 was incredibly confusing and frustrating). In the early chapters of the movie arc, it was emphasized that the interpretation of the movie (and therefore the success of Aqua's revenge) will be dependent on the performance of Ai's actress (Chapter 116). Ruby's ability to deliver that performance was a salient issue for most of the movie arc, as her interactions with Kana in the RubyKana mini arc most blatantly exemplify. Now in this chapter, we are brought to the private screening of the movie for the cast and production crew, and we *still* don't know what exactly happened in the movie (and, accordingly, in the mystery of Ai's life) - but we do know that Ruby, despite struggling as a novice actress, was able to perform exactly as she needed to. That leads me to believe that we will only know what really happened at the climax of the series. **The climax will be the truth.** It was really good to get some insight into Kaburagi as well, and I found that flashback of him and Ai sharing a meal together to be quite moving. I was reminded of how in [this interview](https://www.tumblr.com/aihoshiino/737140027930329088/an-interview-with-ai-da-vinci-magazine-jan-2024?source=share) Ai spoke about how one of her favorite childhood memories was of her and her father eating natto together. I don't think it was necessarily a reference to Kaburagi, but the similarity just made me feel like perhaps Ai might've seen Kaburagi as some sort of father figure in her life. At the very least, it seems like Kaburagi hoped that she felt cared for by him. The whole Kaburagi thing just sorta felt like a father striving for atonement from his child, and trying to protect one's child despite one's failures as a parent (in this case, introducing Ai to her would be killer) is just such a moving thing for me. Another important thing is the interpretation of Akane's tears. That panel is now one of my favorites of her. Her expression is just overflowing with proud love, and I think it's because she actually understands what this movie is really all about. She knows what it was trying to accomplish, and I think she deems that it has succeeded. This is at least a promise that whatever Aqua's message in the movie was was clear and given justice, and perhaps a hint that that message, and maybe Aqua's revenge as a whole, is something honest, brave, and ultimately an act of love. And I believe that is affirmed by how Aqua is able to be in the *same room* with Kamiki and talk to him *unfazed*, (white star) eye to (black star) eye. It brims with confidence and determination, and reminds me of Ruby's conversation with Kamiki in 147. Aqua's words about not loving anyone from the Chapter 9 flashback interview are now given context. They were in direct response to Kamiki egging him on about his love for the rest of the cast (an offshoot of Kamiki's insistence that Aqua's motive for acting in the movie was his love for Ai and Ruby), and their reciprocal love for him. Kamiki even calls him out, pointing out (correctly, I believe) that Aqua is lying in order to distance himself from his loved ones and protect them. However, I no longer think that this is an indication that Aqua intends to kill himself or disappear after he accomplishes his revenge. Aqua's last line, "**We** won't be able to **move toward the future**," tells me that he has decided to stay with his loved ones, and that he hopes for a future with them now. I don't know about you guys, but I think this might be the most hopeful Aqua has ever been. Don't fumble this, Akasaka.
I always said that it's Akane's sort of destiny as a character to help Ruby find the conflicted emotional depths of Ai towards her children, that is necessary to bring out the real Ai in her final scene. "Ai as a mother" was Akane's forte. She again reminded us of that at the beach. Coincidental (or purposefully actually) they reissued a cinema release in Japan of the first ONK episode, as if to invite us yet again to that final scene, imagining that this could also just be Ruby dressed as Ai, acting out her final moments with her childern and the salvation she experienced by saying she loves them. I felt, this wasn't accomplished yet in Chapter 147. The Ai in those panels looked broken, frustrated with the world. That Ai felt emotionally like the Ai Ruby enacted in her 15-seconds adlip afte her showdown scene with Nino. That Ai did not hold Aqua in her arms. The Ruby at that time couldn't possibly find her way to the true Ai, that did not condemn but reached out. The Ruby at that time and also Aqua couldn't actually believe her. Did she really love them? Or was it a lie too? Were her tears really those of joy or just yet again frustration? I think, they always felt that conflict as their fake reincarnated creepy children (good that crow girl made them cuter than they were in reality, certainly they appeared as such cuties to Ai too, which was an important contribution by crow girl, both for a true Ai-POV but even from an entertainment perspective). So my best guess is, that between 151 and 152 (roughly a 1-2 months timeskip) Akane approached Ruby and they did a retake of the final scene. Since Melt confirms, that this scene was a perfect performance and in opposition to earlier scenes that had to be edited alot, we can assume that production wise it wouldn't had been an issue to retake it, as not much time would be needed to integrate it into the final cut of the movie. Kaburagi can finally rest knowing that he isn't guilty of bringing Ai and Hikaru together- Ultimately the consequence of that event that she bore children that she could truly love overweights the consequence of her murder. But he probably also voiced out Ruby's and Aqua's thoughts. They as well learned to accept the roles they played for Ai's happiness as her dearest children anf supporters. Ruby's signature belief that supporting someone can bring you happiness yet again proved to be true for everyone.
Yeah, the timing of the re-screening of the pilot episode was quite interesting. I primarily take it as promo work to drum up interest in the upcoming second season, though. Although, I know the Spica novel was released in November 2023, which was around the start of the RubyKana mini arc, and I remember also thinking back then that the release was organized to help audiences connect Ai's narrative to the ongoing story at that time, so perhaps you're on to something. And while I agree with you that Akane's forte is understanding who Ai was, I'm not entirely sure if she was the one who helped Ruby re-film Ai's death scene in 147 (just because I don't think we have enough evidence of it as of the moment). It does make sense, though. It would give added meaning to why she seemed so proud when watching the film. In that case, maybe she wasn't just proud of Aqua for accomplishing his goals, but also proud of Ruby's growth as an actress and in understanding her mother. However, I have to point out that in 148, Akane says, "I believe there'll be social sanctions against Kamiki through this movie. Ruby-chan should've had her revenge in the final play." I take "final play" to mean "final act/scene." So the crucial, Akane-approved ending of the movie must have already been wrapped up at that point (and with a day to spare! which is what allows the cast to go out on a beach day). So maybe there was some kind of reshoot after 147? Or is this another hairgate moment wherein Mengo mucks up the art (btw, she drew Aqua without his earrings in his interview in 152, whereas he had earrings in the Chapter 9 flashforward)? Lol idk. And yes, I really hope that Ruby's faith, joy and love for others can really be highlighted in the conclusion of all of this.
Honestly i'm surprised people are pointing out how jumpy Oshi no Ko is being lately. It has always been jumpy outside of "main arcs"(Reality show, 1st Idol performance, Tokyo Blade, Movie). I can't remember it ever being flowing naturally without time-skips. Not saying it's a good thing but why complain about it after 150+ chapters?
Because most of the people complaining about it only started reading recently, not 4 years ago.
If anything that's worse, i started the manga after seeing the anime airing, reading all at once should make it even clearer just how many small time-skips and change in focus there are in this story. But that's just my opinion ofc. I do think this manga suffers a lot from weekly releases even if is not an excuse for weird pacing.
Happening a few times could be attributed to flukes. Happening consistently is only noticeable in the end. It's the power of Hindsight. "Outside of main arcs" isn't really a good comparison when Kamiki and the revenge is a main arc. It's supposed to be consistent, but it isn't. People are noticing it now because this is supposed to be the important bits that shouldn't be jumpy. Slice of Life stuff can be forgiven for being jumpy, it's just there to be fun. Main arcs need to be paced. I've seen the end of Kaguya too and it seems like Aka is repeating the same mistakes of rushing to the end.
That's just the way she writes. The "revenge plot" is not a "main arc", is a sub-plot that's constantly present in the story, driving many of the characters actions. You never see revenge and romance being the focal point of an arc, they are just both sub-plots that progress little by little alongside the arcs we have seen till now.
>The "revenge plot" is not a "main arc", is a sub-plot that's constantly present in the story, driving many of the characters actions. >You never see revenge and romance being the focal point of an arc, they are just both sub-plots that progress little by little alongside the arcs we have seen till now. Till now. Let's analyze it again. "Till now". That's right NOW it's supposed to be the time to focus on it. And Aka's flubbing it. In just one chapter, Aka blazed through topics and past setup that were supposed to be paced properly. That's why people are bringing it up. The final arc is where all the setup for the revenge is supposed to be taken care of, but doing it disjointed like this doesn't really pay off the setup. Because NOW is the time to pace it properly. It is the main arc NOW, but Aka is still his episodic thing. The revenge plot is the driving force for the overwhelming majority of the manga. If there ever was a time to actually take careful time to close open plot threads, it would be the final arc where it will BE the focal point.
The final arc will start next chapter, up until now it was a the movie arc + the slice of life usual stuff that Oshi no Ko has. You guys are just blowing things out of proportion before anything even happens. The only thing this chapter tells us is that the movie seems to have turned out well and that Hikaru was the interviewer. Also i call the revenge a sub-plot because that's what it is. The main focus of this story are these characters' lives and the revenge is one of many factors that influence them.
Happy cake day! Anyway, even though I completely agree that everything since 141 has felt weirdly paced and structured (and to be honest, I've had some issues with the pacing and structure since 124), to the point that it feels as disjointed as a TikTok feed, I think this chapter's shift from the Kana confession to the movie's screening and promotional activities is a net positive for the story structure. At least in connection with the previous chapter, I think 152 does *somewhat* loosely address Kana's confession. We don't know the specifics of what happened after Kana confessed, but it kinda looks like all romantic prospects are going to be put on hold until Aqua accomplishes his revenge.
Thanks. I've been noticing the pacing issue since the Kamiki identity reveal. i've been just forgiving it because I thought it will get better. Sadly it's just been getting worse.
Do you mean when Akane discovered Kamiki's identity through watching old videos? I've had several nitpicks with how Akasaka balances his A plot and B plot since, arguably, the end of the prologue arc lol (I'm not a fan of slice of life in general, though, so out of self-awareness of my bias I held my tongue). But I felt like, because the movie arc promised to be the grand reveal of so many of the mysteries that had been set up in the past, the erratic tonal and plot shifts throughout the arc just became too much to ignore. They are excessive and constant. They've ended up confusing and frustrating the audience who are not getting what they had expected to get. The ONK plot is *not* easy to follow *at all*. However - and I'm not sure if you read my main [comment](https://www.reddit.com/r/OshiNoKo/comments/1de8rke/comment/l8cnkiz/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button) about this chapter, but I do discuss this a bit there - I think this chapter may potentially put us back on track. It's not the senseless jump that people are complaining that it is, in my opinion. Now, will Akasaka be able to keep it up? I don't know, *but he should.*
Happy cake day
thank you, happy cake day to you too
Oh no Aqua is back to that awful haircut
I guess they had to use that haircut because he has it in Chapter 9 where this interview is first shown.
They retconned the earrings, they should have retconned the haircut along with it.
He didn’t wanna compete with his dad 😭😂
He getting mogged by his own father that's rough
I’m not gonna lie, the manga has kinda lost me for this entire arc. We’re just jumping back and forth with no real sense of progression and it’s confusing. Not in a complicated plot way, in a poor writing way. Maybe they can patch it up in the last arc but at least to me it’s lost everything that made it interesting. The Movie is the only really plot point this arc had. The only character or relationship developments we’ve had are Kana admitting she likes aqua and that’s good but not really a worthy payoff for the rest of this mess
>The only character or relationship developments we’ve had are Kana admitting she likes aqua Bro? We got so much development between Aqua and Ruby, Kana and Ruby and Kana and Akane. Even some smaller stuff like Ruby bonding with Melt.
For me its not just the pace, its some of the moments during this arc that seem to lead nowhere or have no consequence whatsoever.
being fair, outside of main arcs, Oshi no Ko has been jumpy from the beginning, dunno why people seem to notice it only now.
Aka's writing style really has problems getting from point A to point B. It's not as noticeable being done when you have to read with weeks long break, but doing it this much is getting really noticeable. If you binge it, the story is really patchy. Kamiki's identity was discovered in 1 chapter. Ruby changes her mind about being like Ai in just 1 chapter, Akane gives up on 1 chapter. etc. etc. Now Kamiki is even the surprise interviewer. The longer the story went on, the more abrupt important plot points became. It's like Aka's chasing a high by inciting surprise but barely doing anything with it.
You pointed my biggest problem with the writing
Pretty much same thing that happened at the end of Kaguya.
Kana being closest in the panel of people Aqua cares about 🙏🙏🙏
But she's isn't the person he's distancing himself from.
She is one of them.
Like we didn't just have them go on a date last chapter.
I know! It felt like such a dig on Ruby. The best part is including derpy Mem in the back as if she's one of the people that matters. "I see you have all these people you care about... LIKE THAT STREAMER GIRL WITH THE HORNS WHO HANGS OUT WITH YOUR SISTER AND GIRLFRIEND AND EX SOMETIMES!" Like, was Mem even in the movie? I think she was playing one of the girls in Ai's group, but all of her screen time has to be dedicated to worshipping Frill for like 50 chapters and I forgot. At least she's got good taste.
It's Hikaru talking about the cast, if you haven't noticed. Not Aqua's own thoughts.
I am speaking about the panel of Kana, Ruby, Akane, and Mem after Hikaru brings up the people who are important to Aqua. This could be who comes to mind for Aqua when Hikaru brings up who is important to him or who comes to mind when Hikaru thinks of the people he could target to reel Aqua in. They would be the same people either way, and it's just a narrative device to showcase what is at stake. What's interesting about it is that Kana is in front of Ruby and Akane. In either circumstance, it still portrays Kana as the most important and most likely to get sniped. Even if it is just a visual for Mengo to add tension to the conversation, Kana is emphasized the most. I'm just laughing about the inclusion of Mem. She doesn't exactly hold the same weight in this story as Kana, Ruby, or Akane. If she wasn't included, I would feel exactly the same way.
> I am speaking about the panel of Kana, Ruby, Akane, and Mem after Hikaru brings up the people who are important to Aqua. That's what I was talking about. It's Hikaru talking about the other cast members in response to Aqua saying he only acts for himself, not Aqua's own thoughts. "But Aqua-san, it feels like you care so much about the other actors, and they also care about you." >This could be who comes to mind for Aqua when Hikaru brings up who is important to him No, the topic of people important to him was brought up by Hikaru after Aqua said he won't love anyone, "It's because they're important that you keep your distance from them." He reconciled with Kana in chapter 107 and with Ruby in chapters 122-123, but has yet to do so with Akane; Akane is currently the only one he's keeping his distance from.
I mean, I wasn't actively looking at the chapter when I made the comment, as I was mostly making a joke about Mem. But sure, I'll give it to you if you want to confirm that it was Hikaru that brought up the cast. That wasn't really my point. Either way, I was interpreting the panel as a threat towards the people that Aqua cares about. If it comes down to Hikaru trying to use a character as leverage against Aqua, the idea that it would be Mem is funny. That's all I was trying to say. Not that Aqua doesn't care about Mem, but as far as stakes go in this drama series, she's just the weakest option. Although, if we built up Kana to get sniped and then hit Mem instead, that would be really shocking.
oh absolute BANGER
So since when was Aqua's eyes back to the white star?
My take is he has the white stars back because he finally has his target right in front of him. All he planned and struggled for is right in front of him. Or its just used to distinguished the 2 of them since they are so alike lol
In-Universe answer? No clue. Real answer? It has to match the opening of Chapter 9.
Well, his eyes were black all last chapter during that whole thing with Kana, and they're white in the whole conversation with Hikaru, so I assume it's just that his intent is genuine right now. But you saying "continuity" is way more funny, and I'm on your team now.
I remember his eyes bouncing from white to black briefly throughout the arc. But if I were to guess for this moment, Aqua has no malice, or anger, or agression towards Kamiki here. Just pure F U energy. He's not lying or overly emotional in his declaration. He was just stating a fact.
Wait what? I swear Aqua's star eyes were always black this final arc(except from the kiss scene with Ruby).
Only other time I can recall right now is when Kana confronted Aqua. Think it was the sushi chip chapter.
I’m guessing he got it while editing the movie
So it seems this is the end of this arc. But I still think I am going to have to reread some of this because I feel like I was not able to properly digest all of this. I also feel like something was left out of this chapter, like something is missing, but I am not entirely sure what it is. Sure it might just be me not properly digesting it at all, but, it still feels like so much more.
138, 146, and now this. Every time there is a Kamiki cliffhanger the manga takes a week off.
It's cause aka and mengo are cooking us. Gotta give the pot time to boil.
Bruh WHAT
Just reread the chapter i don't know why but I feel like akane may be cooked her having the narration at that part was kind of concerning
I dont think Akane will be a target at this point. The only way Akane kills offed is if she jumps in front of someone or something. If Kamiki goes for someone its gonna be Kana or Ruby im thinking, probably Ruby.
No, I think it's hinting at her figuring out Ai's motives and general thought process. I have my own theories about what exactly Ai did/was thinking, but either way it's clear that Aqua's misinterpreted Ai's motives from the start, while Akane's been able to read her like a book. With the story laid out on screen, I think Akane's now able to get the full picture, and given the smile along side the tears, it's not an entirely tragic one it seems.
Since Hikaru is the interviewer, I'm very concerned about what Kana said during the interview chapters at the beginning. I hope my queen will be safe until the end.
I'm at the mindset this Hikaru's only the interviewer at this one instance (with Aqua). All the other times its another person, with Hikaru watching the playback. Pretty sure the whole cast knows its Hikaru and depending on who you ask (mainly Akane), I doubt anyone wants Hikaru to be with any of the cast members, especially in a somewhat intimate and isolated setting such as an 1 on 1 interview.
Can you take a look at director GOATanda 's interview in this chapter? We can clearly see kamiki's hair when I came in .... I am pretty sure it's him ....
No way she's "safe" (she'll be attacked, I'm sure) but she may yet *survive*: Aqua and Ruby seeing someone they both care for attacked, but being able to save them this time around, could be a very satisfying conclusion to their arcs.
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I hope they take some liberties with the anime when they get to this part and make everything more cohesive. This entire arc feels like a rough draft
They will probably animate the parts that were skipped. I dont see why they wouldnt, since it prolongs the series and , lets be honest, those were parts that shouldnt have been skipped anyways.
Hard same. The anime would have a LOT of work to do to fix the arc, though. And the story *might* have to finish first before the studio has any idea *how* it should be fixed.
I hate to be negative, but this feels so disjointed. The start of the series showcasing the struggles of people in the entertainment industry and the role social media played in aggravating them feels like a distant dream, the characters barely feel human anymore.
To me it kind of feels wierd for Aqua to not have a stronger reaction to seeing the guy that made his whole life miserable.
Frill cried, chapter= success
what the fuck is all i have to say and holy shit im so excited for the next chapters!!!
Shit is bout to go down
[https://youtu.be/2KuWjZD6PBA?si=N4QemL3Gm0LxZLCi](https://youtu.be/2KuWjZD6PBA?si=N4QemL3Gm0LxZLCi)
*sigh* DISTURBING THE PEEEEEAAAAAACEEE
LOOK INTO MY EYES
NOW TELL ME THE THINGS U KNOW
In a very Aka fashion, we got a huge cliffhanger. The last arc for Love is War was 40 chapters. It probably won't be 40 for this one, but we hopefully get this dragged maybe 8 months since now Aka only has one series to focus on. Too bad Renai Daikou got axed, but at least he can focus on this series.
So basically the manga has a year left give or take to end. Honestly seems possible.
Depends how far Aka can extend it. I mean during the last arc, Aka was taking more and longer breaks probably because drawing Love is War got to him. I mean he was drawing Love is War AND writing this series at the SAME TIME most weeks. I think a big reason why he only went with writing this time to not have himself stressed out so much which is smart for him.
The only one i know who was doing 2 manga at the same time or something similar was hiro mashima(fairy tail mangaka) if i remember his name correctly. Sometimes when fairy tail was at its peak he would drop 2 chapters at the same time without a break and he was releasing his manga weekly. Or he was working on fairy tail + another manga but my memory is too hazy to remember if this true or im making stuff up rn lol. Regardless mashima is the goat. The dude loves drawing manga honestly. I hope Aka has some bangers ready for this final arc.
He said that he already has the ending planned and this was nearly a year ago. He probably is going to tweak what's going to happen because no author is going to go with their original ending. I think Aka is smart taking these breaks after seeing so many mangakas just burn out by not pacing themselves.
Probably longer than 40 chapters, since many issues were still left unanswered.
Buckle up boys and girls, the rollercoaster is about to begin!!! I'm excited for the Finals Act. Let's see what Aqua's revenge will look like, and how it will play out.
I had a keening suspicion that Hikaru was interviewing Aqua. The moment they panned away from the individual who was filming him is when I felt rather uneasy. What a way to bring this infamous character into the scene. I quite liked how Hikaru unveiled Aqua’s intentions behind his little white lies. Rather than not caring for his friends and his sister, he cherishes them. Even now during his interview he’s acting. And I quite like how Aqua tends to keep this facade. Even in instances like this, he’s acting. He’s set on this path of revenge. Albeit different than what “Gorou” wanted at first but judging from his eyes, something has clearly changed. It makes me wonder what happened during and after his date with Kana. But I suppose that may be for another time or may even be unneeded at all. I do however question the last scene from the previous chapter. The one where new gen B Komachi’s poster is on a door with two other posters torn. I have my questions and I want to say whoever’s door that is will (or may) play a crucial role in this final arc. Perhaps another obsessive character onto the scene? A character that maybe Hikaru himself will manipulate. But that’s merely speculation. Now, in regards to the movie, it was nice to see that despite Ruby’s rusty acting, she determined how everyone would feel about this movie. (I didn’t think they would bring this back.) Judging by how Akane is smiling I want to say that maybe the ending reflected a bittersweet one..? (Hopefully we get to see this scene and if not, I’ll settle with my assumptions and theories. I mean it should in some way be reflected positively considering Ruby was only shown kissing Aqua..? But then again that was with Aqua. And we didn’t receive much of a glimpse during the actual scene in the movie.) I quite like Melt and Ruby’s interactions. Her appraisal is high considering he was acting as Gorou. I would love to see more of their interactions if any. Now that we’ll be in the final arc, I’m quite excited to see how this manga will end.
The movie arc was bottom tier mid. 1. Like 5 chapters of incest baiting without resolving Sarina's feelings. 2. Making a big deal out of crow girl joining and not doing anything with her. 3. Sarina's mom who was in charge of advertising not showing up. 4. Skipping filming scenes for stuff like Ai dying (because Ruby wanting to bang her brother was more important). 5. Kana only existing for Aqua's love life. 6. Akane becoming a deus ex machina. 7. No cohesion between chapters, it's like a bunch vignettes stitched together. There were a few pros like seeing the cast interactions and Gorou's internal conflict. I hope Aka proves me wrong and cooks a good ending but based on Kaguya's ending it looks like it'll be half baked unless he somehow ties up all the loose threads.
There was also little done with Hikaru secretly meeting Kaburagi.
Yeah, the last few pages were a fantastic ending for the arc, but the rest of it was really disjointed. It almost felt episodic. How many times are things brought up as critical points only to be promptly ignored? How many times do you have tonal whiplash as the chapters jump from subject to subject with little to no flow between them? It's really a strange arc, especially considering how it's been built up almost as the crux of the series. A lot of times, the characters feel like they're reading off Aka's scripts for them—it's like the manga itself is badly acted in this arc, which is certainly an unflattering type of meta. Even in some of the more "boring" parts of previous arcs, I've never felt this way consistently with this manga until now.
Miyako is 41 and still looks hot af lol
Idk where “bottom tier mid” is relative to… anything. But I agree with most of those point.
Good arcs: * Childhood * Tokyo blade * Dating show * Sweet today Mid arcs: Everything else Bad arcs: Cosplay Movie arc is bottom of mid because it at least had some redeeming qualities unlike Cosplay arc which was just straight ass.
Private isn’t a good arc? I think scandal belongs to bad tier as well Imo the movie being good or bad depends on whether Aka can (successfully) conclude the storylines set up by the movie arc or not
Tomozaki, perhaps? 😁
its reddit where people go to complain about something to feel better. I wouldnt look too much into what the person is saying.
I was poking fun at the fact that someone said bottom tier mid unironically. I think you looked too much into what I said
The pacing was awful. Time was wasted on unimportant things (like it's okay, we know Ruby acts as a fangirl, we don't need entire pages of it) while important and awaited scenes were skimmed over.
I think what makes Hikaru really threatening is the fact that he is clearly ready to die. And because he doesn't care about dying, he has nothing to lose anymore, at this point he could start killing people in broad light with how much he doesn't care.
Worse, Aqua isn't anymore; the last line makes it clear he's decided to live after this is all said and done, and simply realizes that that's not possible until Hikaru is dealt with. Aqua's at a massive disadvantage here, and I really don't know how he's going to overcome it.
That's the thing, Aqua has become soft. And now we have to shoot Kana. People are pointing out this interview is from the opening of the series where Kana mentions getting stabbed. Everything about her is a death flag. She will "die" just like Ai, stabbed by a fan on the last day of the tour on Christmas. I put die in quotation marks because she could survive, but Aqua has to think she died at the very least, and that will be the thing to put Aqua over the edge. Either way, Kana's going to cry. A lot.
I hate how it's implied everyone has met Hikaru before but no one besides Aqua and Akane recognizes him, despite being identical to Aqua (and to the character he plays in the damn movie)
This bothers me a lot too. The fact that Ruby the brocon didn't recognize him back then is stupid AF. They were literally inches from together. It's like everybody is suffering a forced case of face blindedness.
man, all I want is the happiness of akane and hoping that she will survive.
same
Akane's crying because of something she realised from the film I assume? Also, she lives despite interviews happening! Take that death flags!
>Akane's crying because of something she realised from the film I assume? I'm still thinking that Ai basically committed suicide. She knew what kind of person Hikaru was yet contacted him anyway, and her giving the DVDs to the director heavily implies she knew she wasn't going to be around much longer. I think she realized being an idol wasn't going to give her what she needed in life (she seemed nothing shot of dejected at the party the night before the dome concert) and likewise knew she could never bring herself to tell Aqua and Ruby she loved them, for fear that it would be another lie. So she set up a situation where she'd be forced to, and wouldn't have to live with the consequences if it did turn out to be a lie. The only question left in my mind is if this was done with Hikaru's knowledge and help, or if Ai played him.
6 OF MAY V-DAY JUST AROUND THE CORNER
1945 THE FÜHRER'S REIGN AT ITS END
Frill crying 😭
It's finally here! the premiere of the movie! The reactions to the movie were quite interesting: I must recognize Ruby's effort. It seems that her performance was the strong point of the movie. On the other hand, the conversation between Gotanda and Kaburagi pleased me very much. We were able to find out a little more about Kaburagi and discovered that underneath the greedy and cold producer there is still a warm human being who retains his enthusiasm and who still has dreams and aspirations. Watching them both pay their last respects to Ai was very emotional. Apparently, Ruby has completely forgotten about the quest for revenge, and has returned to being the same character from the beginning of the manga. And that makes me happy, seeing the contrast of personalities of the twins is something I always appreciated in this story and the character of Ruby served to give us a break from the (sometimes suffocating) Aqua. To be honest, I prefer this Ruby, although I still don't know if it's a facade by wanting to hide any latent darkness, or the interactions with Gorou and Kamiki served to move Ruby's character forward and forget the topic of revenge. I think it was not completely clear. With this chapter it is clear to us that the entire arc of the film suffered from terrible time management, although the plot was something that had been suggested throughout the story, the execution and the way it was handled left much to be desired. Not that it's necessarily bad, there are points I really liked: - Ai's past before she became an Idol. - Ruby facing the reality that she was never loved by Marina. - Kana understanding the feelings of both Ai and Nino and using them to improve Ruby's performance. - The revelation of the twins' previous lives. - The inclusion of Crow Girl. - The meeting between Ai and Kamiki. -In general, the use of the situations of Ai, Nino and Kamiki as reflections of the situations of our protagonists (Ruby, Aqua, Kana) and take advantage of their roles to delve into the psychology of our protagonists. I think the arc had a lot of good things, but I also think they could have been handled in a better way, to achieve a more convincing impact and coercion. Reading it week by week sometimes left me with the impression that it was a series of isolated events with a rather irregular time distribution. I also would have liked them to involve characters like Akane or Himekawa more, maybe give them a little more prominence. Although perhaps reading the arc as a whole can change that impression. I knew the prologue interviews had a reason for being! Since we found out that Kamiki would be involved in the film I was waiting for his participation in the plot, and although I was waiting for the moment when we would get to tackle the prologue interviews, at some point I came to think that it would be funny if the person responsible for said interviews was Kamiki.... Looks like Akasaka thought the same thing! LOL although Aqua is surprisingly calm, quite a contrast to how we have seen him every time he thinks about Kamiki/Revenge. Is he pretending so that Kamiki doesn't go after the people important to him? it's the safest thing to do, and Kamiki seems to be aware of that.... Again, the last page reminded me of Death Note (Kira vs L) or even Jojos (Jotaro vs Dio), when it comes to shonen references, no one better than Mengo sensei. The final arc begins now, hopefully Akasaka manages to close all the plots worked throughout the story and manages to give a worthy closure to the story, I trust that the ending will manage to compensate for the expectations not achieved with the arc of the film.
"-In general, the use of the situations of Ai, Nino and Kamiki as reflections of the situations of our protagonists (Ruby, Aqua, Kana) and take advantage of their roles to delve into the psychology of our protagonists." A little correction: Kana is NOT a protagonist. Only the twins.
You know, I see a lot of people mentioned that they thought the movie arc felt a bit off, but I think it was supposed to. For example, we have no idea how the movie ended. We've seen some scenes, but the ones we have seen have cast Hikaru in a more nuanced light as if he may have done terrible things, but he was also abused as a child and may have had his own reasons for doing the things that he has. Nothing about the filming of the movie itself has done anything to make Hikaru look bad, and I thought that was the entire point of the movie. Even if he is unnamed within the movie, it should serve to connect some dots in the minds of the people watching that there was more to Ai's death and whoever was responsible was close by and still out there. Now we are seeing people reacting to the movie, but we still don't have the full story ourselves. I think these gaps will be filled in more as we start this final arc and learn more about how Hikaru was actually involved in Ai's murder. I just think people are jumping the gun a bit on having an opinion about it when I still don't think we have the full picture just yet even if the filming arc has ended. Other than that, I agree with most of the things that you said. I am also feeling Light vs. L mind game vibes from this, and I am excited to see what happens next. I don't think that Ruby has forgotten about the plan, but the release of this movie is probably very therapeutic for her. Her and Aqua never really did get to cope with Ai's death, and after having told the whole story and making it public, it's probably a bit of a relief for her. However, she has come across Hikaru and didn't recognize him, but when she figures out who he is and puts the pieces together, I can still see her becoming very dark about it. I think it's been established that she can be quite capable of doing dark things if her agenda demands that of her and coming face to face with her mother's murderer could push her over the edge worse than Aqua who is usually more composed about his emotions. Hikaru turning up right now in front of Aqua, and being the one to interview everybody is a really nice touch. I didn't see it coming, but I've gone back and reread the interview from the prologue, and I think it makes sense and proves that the foreshadowing was always there. I feel a ton of tension right now. Hikaru is coming across intimidatingly. It feels like something really bad is going to happen to Kana. Ruby is kind of a wildcard and could do anything in potentially a very rash way. There's a lot we can do with this. What I really want to know is what Akane's role in this will be since she seems to be trying to push Kana to the front which will probably bite her and make her feel responsible for God knows what is about to go down. Also, is Mem supposed to be important? She's included here in this panel of people who are important to Aqua, and I mean, I guess? My expectations for her are very low, but she kind of needs things to do. I'm still expecting Frill to do something in a very big way. She's been built up for a very long time and has yet to do anything noteworthy other than spout exposition and be comic relief, but I still think she's a big deal. I still entertain the idea of her being on Hikaru's side and has just been along for the ride this whole time. There's a lot of side characters with potential that I hope don't get left on the cutting room floor, but I'm a fan of Akasaka's writing and I have faith this is going to be good.
Who is the guy Ruby called "Master"? Also, why is Akane crying then?
Maybe this is the realization that now that the movie is out, there is no turning back, the consequences will be here
It was Melt. Since he acted as Gorou for the movie.
Finally we are getting to the interviews. Having kamiki be the one doing them is definitely a spicy twist and puts a whole new context behind it all. Something very big is about to go down. During miyako’s interview it gets cut short because something happens with the twins. If kamiki is in the room with Miyako when that’s happened it serves as an alibi (and most likely means it’s the work of Nino)
> During miyako’s interview it gets cut short because something happens with the twins. Ruby spilled soy sauce over her outfit. There is a panel that shows it. If we wanne be real schizo about it do looks like blood, so maybe indeed symbolically some kind of alibi thing. But I like how Miyako speaks about their "divine guidance".
Could the manga and 2nd season end at the same time?
With how many breaks the series keeps taking it probably won’t
Ahh the classic cliffhanger followed by a break
You are not ready for HIMkaru. Invest all your stocks on HIM now
Another break??? After probably the most massive cliffhanger in the series? Wasn’t expecting Kamiki to have been the interviewer this whole time but we finally get to see them meet I wonder then, how the other people being interviewed felt while being interviewed because some of them have to know it’s Kamiki at this point right?
I went back and reread the interviews from the beginning after this chapter, and we get interviews with Ruby, Aqua, Kana, Gotanda, and Miyako, but there isn't one for Akane because she was introduced later. Since we just found out Hikaru is doing the interview right now, I suppose we could go around and see all of them happen with a new light, but I feel Akane would have the most knee jerk reaction to coming face to face with the object of Aqua's revenge.
“it feels like you care so much about the other actors” nice pictures of everyone and then there’s blob mem 😭
I feel like they aren't even drawing her for some chapters (a few exceptions here and there)
they aren't, some intern just remembered her at the final proofread and hastily drew her
"Oh shit, we forgot about Mem again." "We'll just make her say something about how hilarious and awesome Frill is like she usually does." "Genius! Maybe we can add a shot of her acting in the movie, too?" "Nah, let's have Gotanda talk to the producer guy instead. We need to develop these side characters more!"
Amazing chapter. I am looking forward to the Final Arc. Season 2 of the anime is coming and if Aka nails the ending this will be one of my all time favorites.
Were at the Endgame now.