This review will contain spoilers for the previous volumes of the manga as well as the anime of [Oshi No Ko].

Its been six months since the filming of B Komachi’s new music video, and their popularity has skyrocketed. It’s also been six months since Ruby started her path on revenge to find the murderer of both her mother Ai, and the doctor she loved in her previous life, Gorou. She has been talking with Ichigo Saitou, the former manager of Ai and former president of Ruby’s talent agency, who refuses to help…but can Ruby’s determination sway him? Meanwhile, having given up on his revenge quest, Aqua is now co-hosting a popular variety show, whilst also seriously dating Akane, much to Kana’s dismay. But will Ruby’s quest end up awakening the lust for revenge in Aqua once more?

If you’re an anime watcher of this series, Volumes 9 and 10 will be completely new material for you (as Season 3 isn’t due until 2026). Both volumes cover the ‘mainstay arc’ and it isn’t clear from the name itself what it entails, unlike other adeptly named arcs such as the ‘dating reality show arc’. The arc itself contains many elements, with a core focus on Japanese variety shows, but also with elements of V-Tubers, cosplayers, idols and the current state of the television industry. This also means we get the spotlight on multiple characters across the books, which makes for a nice variety, if a bit unfocused at times. There’s a lot to get through, so let’s break it down.

The variety show is a very popular television show format in Japan, but it isn’t explained very well in the manga, which is a shame as previous volumes have been very helpful in explaining the media it’s diving into. For example, the ‘dating reality show’ arc showed the complications of filming, editing and creating dynamics between the contestants, as well as the drama that can impact the cast. The 2.D Stage play arc explained exactly what that was, the trouble caused by an adaptation clashing with the mangaka’s original vision and the problems that can arise from that. In this arc, whilst we get an interesting look at what the various production roles in a variety show (like the difference between a director and a creative director) it also doesn’t actually show or tell us what a variety show is. This is fine if you’re in Japan, or at least very aware of them, but even the translation notes aren’t helpful. In the UK, one of the closest examples would be the Royal Variety Performance, but even then we have that show annually, whilst in Japan the concept seems to be very popular, with multiple shows and versions on air. On top of this, Aqua seems to have joined this panel off-page, so we’re not privy to how he got the job or why he decided to go in that direction after the 2.D play.

What the arc DOES do well however, is showcase the declining relevance and increasing issues of the TV industry, and as someone who had a career in TV, it’s a very relevant read. Even though the characters are talking about the Japanese TV industry, a lot of what the characters go through also applies to the UK TV industry; from the decline in ratings, the reduction of staff (meaning the remaining staff have to do more work, often with unpaid overtime) and the clashing between the ‘old guard’ and the new generation of TV employees. It’s another win for [Oshi No Ko], which continuously looks at the very complicated and often darker sides of various media, without coming off as preachy or out of their depth, because it centres it on the characters and how they experience it. This time we follow Shun Yoshizumi, an assistant director who’s caught between his huge work load and the director, who’s a controversial long-time TV employee who represents the ‘old guard’ in this manga’s case. Shun has to juggle working around the clock, researching and calling in favours to try and get the guests they need for each show, whilst also putting up with a hot-headed director who makes last-minute changes. It all comes to a head when the said director ends up asking extremely inappropriate questions to a cosplayer for a segment of the variety show, only for the cosplayer to tweet about sexual harassment, bringing in bad reviews for the show itself. It’s a conflict of generations and media, with one side not really understanding the other, and it’s eventually solved in a very clever way when the variety show decides to centre its next episode completely on examining itself and said controversy, rather than try to bury their head in the sand or just issue a generic, insincere apology.

Aqua’s one of the co-hosts of the variety show, but it’s actually Ruby who steals the show in these two volumes. Yes, we’re finally giving some limelight to the other twin here; Ruby not only works herself into the variety show, but also impresses the directors with ideas to help save the show when it sparks controversy. She also demonstrates her ability to adapt, as she puts on an ‘energetic, ditzy’ persona for the variety show, bouncing off Aqua’s ‘quick-witted, cool guy’ persona very well, getting audience and production staff eyes on them both, to help make Ruby more popular and famous than ever before.

I also really liked how Ruby decides to begin her revenge quest. Aqua is a lot more internal, willing to play the long game and work his way behind the scenes of the entertainment industry to find the killer, looking at all avenues and leads at one time. Ruby however goes straight to her mother’s former manager, and basically harasses him until he gives her the information he needs. The twins are not the same character, and Ruby is not a subtle person, so it makes sense that she would go about finding Ai’s murderer in a different way.

Even though Aqua isn’t given too much focus in these volumes (which makes sense considering he’s given up his quest for revenge) we do get some great moments involving him. One is when Mem-cho reaches out to Aqua and asks why he’s been avoiding Kana, and his monologue is not only creepy but also another look into his psyche. He’s not just avoiding Kana to be a ‘good boyfriend’ to Akane, but because the cause of his mother’s death haunts him. The thought of dating Kana, potentially being caught and putting her in danger (as she’s an idol) is literally triggering for him. Then later on, when he’s given the slightest hint that his quest for revenge is not so put to bed as he thought, he has a mental breakdown; his past life and child self haunt him to pick up where he left off. This leads up to Aqua seemingly breaking up with Akane, and choosing to get revenge above all else once more. He calls it the ‘wrong path’ in the manga, so he knows he can never come back from it. It is a tragic turning point for him, but I personally wished we got just a little bit more of ‘at peace’ Aqua, to see more of what could have been a mentally healthier Aqua before jumping back on the revenge path, to have that tragedy hit just a bit more than it currently does. It would have also given Akane longer time in the limelight too, because her finding out who could be Ai’s real killer seems to come by pretty fast. It would have been nice to see her researching more before coming to the name (which I won’t spoil) and then have Aqua realise what she’s been doing behind his back.

The ending of the ‘mainstay arc’ focuses on Kana, who’s given a little page time before that, but mostly in regards to Aqua and her being depressed that he’s avoiding her. Eventually she begins to feel left out as Ruby starts shooting up the popularity ladder, getting all the best gigs, with nothing for Kana and she starts to lack confidence in herself again. I will admit I wasn’t as engaged with this section of Volume 10, because at this point it’s the third time we’ve had Kana dealing with feeling insecure in her career. The Concert Arc had her doubting her place in the idol group, only for Aqua’s cheering for her to give her the boost she needed, and the same goes for the 2.D arc where she felt outshone by the other actors, only for once again Aqua to boost her ego to perform the show. Here, because of her doubts, she decides to strike out on her own and try to land acting gigs by pursuing a famous director by going out drinking with him, all on her own and without anyone else knowing. I don’t mind what she actually does, as I can understand her drive to find work by any means necessary, but she’s becoming a repetitive character, and if Aqua saves her AGAIN this time, then it’ll come across as poor writing, when the character deserve better.

Art continues to be very good; like the previous volume, there aren’t many set pieces or actions that show off the technical skills on a spread or anything like that, but when the series get dramatic or serious, it’s very good with setting the scene with shading, tight framing and darker colours. Translation by Taylor Engel continues to be great, with many excellent translation notes (like providing the difference between the Nippon Budokan and the Tokyo Dome in terms of scale, I thought it was interesting!)

[Oshi No Ko] may not be hitting every story and emotional beat exactly perfectly, but it’s still a wildly entertaining ride with excellent commentary on the entertainment industry, engaging characters and driving this long series with strong story arcs overall. Next time we will be looking at the ‘Scandal Arc’…

Our review copies were supplied by Yen Press.