This week the final episode for the anime adaptation of the manga of aka akasaka and Mengo Yokoyari, Oshi no Ko. While the immediate announcement of a second season came as a big surprise, there were some fans of the original work who noted certain omissions that they definitely would have wanted to see animated.
The omitted content in the anime adaptation corresponds to a side story about the idol Suzuhiro Mana, who resigns from the entertainment industry after witnessing the performance of the group B Komachi, made up of Ruby Hoshino, Kana Arima, and Mem-Cho, on stage. . Although it is a fairly simple situation, it becomes much more complex as Mana recounts her time in the world of idols: Before, I was a big fan of idols. When I was 17 years old, I passed a massive audition and joined an idol group. We were one of ten secondary groups. We were pretty popular. I considered myself a successful idol. At first, I kept aspiring for more. I tried all kinds of different things. But standing out from 200 other girls is not easy. Not knowing what to do, all my effort was for nothing.
And little by little we were falling into a complacent status quo. Both from the warm affection of our fans and having full plates just dealing with the current job we had. However, at some point I started to realize… Am I really okay with this?
I’m turning 24 this year… Well… I think I did a good job… Following my dreams of being an idol. I became an artist. She sang and danced before crowds…Sometimes she would take acting jobs or appear on variety shows… My dreams came true relatively soon. Now I only have reality. Once the novelty wears off, all that’s left is a mildly pleasant piece of work.
Just like at school, personal relationships were difficult. Just like in the business world, there was competition. If he was really nice, no one would leave him. But it seemed like every month someone dropped out. Instead of waiting for their “use by” date… They wanted to control their own destiny. I guess only a select few make it to the next stage. I have neither that talent nor that spirit. I have nothing left on this path. Once I decided to quit, I didn’t feel motivated at all. I felt quite satisfied, like I wanted to just disappear from the world. While looking at B Komachi, the idols who gave me this epiphany, I thought that this is the most difficult job in the world.

This side story of Oshi no Ko closes with the following notation:Suzuhiro Mana, who had spent six years in the entertainment industry, announced his final retirement from the industry just two weeks after the Japan Idol Festival (JIF) and later found a job at a popular clothing brand. That was the last information that was known about her on the Internet».

Yes, it seems like a rather “X” story, to put it that way, but in reality it is a testimonial about the competitive world of idols. Given the sheer number of girls in this industry, it’s impossible for all of them to achieve the same success. The difference then is made by talent, beyond charisma and any advertising strategy that can be devised. This was what ended up demotivating Suzuhiro Mana, who practically kept himself in the idol industry just by “inertia”, simply because he kept automatically doing everything he had been doing since before.
Mana also mentions that the idol industry in Japan is known for its competitiveness and the challenges female artists face throughout their careers. One of the issues that have been observed is that as idols get older, they may lose potential in terms of popularity and opportunities. There is a long-held belief in the industry that idols should be young and fresh, which can make it difficult for them to stay and succeed as the years go by.
Although it may seem like a separate story that has nothing to do with the main story, it does have to do with what Aka Akasaka wants to present in Oshi no Ko: the reality behind the idol industry in Japan. This is why fans of the original work regretted the omission of this section in the anime adaptation, since it would have been a sour note mixed with the successful first introduction of B Komachi within the story. Fountain: @annthrowapology on Twitter