#onk asks

[aihoshiino]

i think about the way they drew this scene in the anime sometimes

something about it is so visceral. the way they drew every hair out of place. only in death is she allowed to look imperfect

I'M COOOOOOOONSTANTLY THINKING ABOUT IT.... I said it during my ep 1 rewatch but I really am just so struck with the image of it every time. I have flat out never seen a drawn image that actually looks Like A Corpse with all the implied existential horror before. There's an almost uncanny sense of being unsure whether this is a Living Person or a Dead Object.

I just love her spooky dead eyes so much.................. something about the way the light bleeds in and highlights all her mussed up hair and eyelashes. Despite everything, she looks almost ethereal.

OnK episode 1 had some insanely good immediately iconic imagery but this frame is still the all timer, I think.

#oshi no ko #oshi no posting #onk spoilers #onk asks #ai hoshino #blood cw #death cw

[hamliet]

thoughts on how oshi no ko has portrayed what happened to hikaru (thus far) and any ideas for what his motives/role in the story is?

Honestly? I think it's doing a pretty good job of portraying it. TW for discussions of childhood sexual abuse below.

When it's first introduced to us that Hikaru was raped by the adult actress, Aqua doesn't have much reaction. On an intellectual level, he gets it, but on an emotional level in terms of what this means for Hikaru, for his development and for his pain, he doesn't get it at all. It's only when we get to Akane's expressed horror ("that's sick!") that we get an actual reaction.

The previous chapter was honestly acting and a flashback as it actually happened, and I appreciated that they showed it as violent.

That's something so often missing from stories of older women who rape younger boys (see Mary Kay Letourneau). It's not a love story. He's not lucky. It's violence.

Like, I spoke about this with a friend after the chapter, but the wiki literally says he was "implied to have been raped." Implied? He was ELEVEN.

I don't think the wiki writers are intentionally being obtuse or dismissive, but there is a subconscious way in which a lot of the world, across cultures, reacts to female predators of young boys in a way that is incongruent with how we react to men who prey on young girls. And to be fair, the latter is a far more prevalent issue but still.

So anyways, I was grateful the final panel of the flashback showed Hikaru being dragged, violently, away from a girl his own age whom he likes by an older woman who won't even introduce his son as his son. Anything Hikaru has, he cannot have.

I've written about Hikaru before, but yeah, he's a scary serial killer at this point who is likely going to target Ruby and/or Kana. He's a final antagonist, obviously, and his past abuses don't excuse him. He's somewhat modeled after Lucifer, and not the Hazbin Hotel version.

But I don't think Aqua's final challenge is stopping Hikaru.

Aqua playing Hikaru in these scenes is challenging him to do what playing Ai has provoked Ruby to do: to empathize and further understand their parents. But, the problem is that Aqua can relate to Hikaru's anger and hatred already.

Again, as I wrote previously, Aqua already is very much like Hikaru (albeit at a far earlier stage): trying to reenact and kill the perceived causes of his trauma and not able to see that he's not going to be happy with such an ending because you can't kill your way to peace.

What Aqua actually needs to do is to come to understand Ai. Ruby, imo, is the one who will come to understand Hikaru, and probably forgive him (not excuse, but this is very likely where it's going).

Ai seemed to, after all. She reached out to Hikaru's proxy (the stalker) and definitely recognized the white roses and knew who had sent him.

Yet she still reached out to her stalker as a human being and empathized with him after he had stabbed her.

If it had been Hikaru standing there himself, she would have done the same.

And lest we think this is solely an example of her toxic wanting-to-please-people trait taking control, this was also the moment--the only moment in Ai's life--where she was finally able to express herself without a lie. It can be both an indictment of the entertainment industry prioritizing pleasing others over your own life and pain and Ai's moment of triumph even amidst tragedy.

Hence again why Aqua's challenge is to understand his mother, not to kill his father as justice for her. He needs to recognize her love for him as her son. She wanted him to live. She wanted him to love. She didn't want him to obsess over her in death.

Ruby, on the other hand, needs to understand Hikaru... and Aqua. Thus far, while she's had the best growth of everyone in this entire series, she is still idolizing Sensei and Aqua thereby.

She needs to see him as a person just as Aqua needs to see Ai as a person. Seeing Hikaru's anger and pain and seeing Aqua's go hand in hand for Ruby (again, not a coincidence Aqua is playing young Hikaru in the movie).

As for where Hikaru goes from there, I don't know. He might end his own life like the stalker proxy did, but I think the fact that that's already happened makes it less likely. He might find new life even if like, in prison, or he might die sacrificing himself for his kids. It's too early to make those exact predictions... but I think Ruby understanding him and empathizing is key.

#ask hamliet #oshi no ko #onk meta #oshi no ko meta #hoshino ai #kamiki hikaru #hoshino ruby #hoshino aqua #oshi no ko theory #onk theory #tw

[skania]

I've seen people criticize Akane's reply to Aqua in Chapter 52, but I think Akane actually said exactly what Aqua needed to hear.

Because she once again saw through Aqua.

Akane promises Aqua that she will always be his ally. That no matter what happens, she will be by his side; that she will understand him.

This really touches Aqua, but he can't bring himself to believe her. After all, Aqua, cynical and self-deprecating as he is, doesn't think it's "easy" to find someone who will acknowledge you as you are and appreciate you for it.

Of course, it doesn't help that he hides himself and his heart under multiple layers.

Despite that, he does open up to Akane in this chapter. You wouldn't understand, not that I'm going to tell you anyway, he says, before proceeding to do just that (lol).

He gives it his best shot, even turning his dark stare on her.

He is testing her. Laying a trap so that when she naturally judges him for his less than noble intentions, he can convince himself that that moment of comfort she gave him was nothing but a mirage. Of course she wouldn't understand, no one can understand.

He is doing the same thing Ai did when she met Saitou, being honest with the goal of scaring Akane off.

However, Aqua, who is always at odds with himself, is simultaneously also hoping Akane will prove him wrong, because he wants to believe her. He really does want to believe someone out there can understand him.

And Akane sees through the trap into what Aqua truly wants, and tells him exactly what he needs to hear.

She doesn't encourage him, neither does she tell him that he's wrong. She listens to him without judgement and tells him, in no uncertain terms, that she is willing to share that burden with him. Just like she told him she would.

And that kind of companionship and acceptance means the world to Aqua, who thinks so little of himself. It even chases the darkness from his eyes, turning the black star back into its usual white.

This is all highlighted later. First in Chapter 65, where Goro reveals that finally finding someone who understands him is one of the reasons that makes Aqua start to believe he can be happy.

And of course, in Chapter 97, where Aqua has a monologue about how Akane acknowledging him and accepting him as he is has saved him little by little.

#akane kurokawa #kurokawa akane #aqua hoshino #oshi no ko #aquakane #aquaka #me: onk #fandom: onk #my aquakane meta #the last ask I got reminded me I had this in the drafts #thank you anon!! #all this to say that I keep seeing people judging this scene as if aqua were a healthy individual #he isn't #in the context of the story and of his emotional and psychological needs akane said exactly what she needed to say to help him #because for once aqua doesn't feel like he's alone

[mazojo]

@ onk writing team

#if onk has ten haters I am one of them if onk has one hater I am that hater #if onk has no haters then I am no longer here because I am the ultimate onk hater #why like what's the reason for this like ??? hello ? #guys somehow someway it went from worse to worser #do not even try to debate me or come to its defense on the comments or my ask I genuinely dont wanna hear it #as I said on my previous post I will PRAY Kana and Melt from the writers I will literally take them away from this they are MY oc's now #kana melt I am SO sorry ugly ass onk would do this to you #onk #oshi no ko spoilers #oshi no ko #manga

[reunalordi]

https://www.instagram.com/p/C3r3naMNfw6/?igsh=MWwwbjhsYnB4MHk4NQ==

näin tän ja ajattelin sua

:D

mulle voi kyl lähettää lordin! otan mielelläni vastaan!!

#ask #onks mul joku kysymystägi ees?? munko se pitäs tietää

[skyflyinginaction]

What did Ai mean to Gotanda to film the real her?

In an interview on Gotanda, Ai stated that she trusts him because of how much he values authenticity so she thought that he might be able to see and accept the real her.

However, she already knew that the director would like others whom she reached out to before would get rejected when she showed her vulnerability. ai was testing him to see if he would accept the real her but she knew right away that he would reject her when she showed the real her. 

Ai was smart, not dumb so she knew that Gotanda would do this just like with many adults before her. 

#my asks #asks #ask #oshi no ko spoilers #oshi no ko #onk spoilers

[andstuffsketches]

[Hoshino Ai from Oshi no Ko in a pink and white idol costume, smiling brightly at the camera and making a finger heart around a stab wound in her chest, dripping blood.]

Top 10 girlies haunting the narrative

#oshi no ko #hoshino ai #blood #ask to tag #ai is such an interesting character.. when you learn her backstory and the stuff about saying i love you...... #i like how it doesnt take away from her earlier characterization but kind of unfolds her character for you #anyway onk is. an interesting manga. soon to be anime. a lot of heavy topics and some hm distasteful topics..? ymmv on the exectution #but ill be interested to see how the anime handles it #oshi no ko spoilers #2023 #image described #eye contact

[iridescentscarecrow]

Can you tell me why you like oshi no ko so I can decide if I wanna read it? You know.... Advertise it to me a bit

it's my special little idol manga which makes me mentally ill.

#tbh the premise is. wack no one reads it for the premise so just trust me and dont make? early judgements #its a neat exploration of the entertainment industry on one level? and the characters and art (especially the eyes) are very cute #on another level it discusses lies esp. in relation to media and personhood as well as how that informs how you percieve your own identity #but like. if you think you rlly need to look up a content warning list before starting it u shld! its a tad spoilery though #so only do that if u Need to #tldr everyone should read onk #i havent described it too much here bcos its. rlly hard to describe also! spoilers grr grr #oshi no ko #crow.txt #asks #entertainment industry: manga theatre film idols cosplay streaming! #onk

[drugsforaddicts]

"I wrote the lyrics in Helsinki! 😁😄😍 For Šta bih ja specifically! 🥰💚" he says and we're supposed to be normal or what 😭

Anon, my friend, we haven't been normal for a whole goddamn year. There's no going back to normal ever again 🫠

#ask #just imagine what Jere is cooking for us #I'm scared #not to mention the goddamn collab #ONKS KELLÄÄ DENSSII?

[aihoshiino]

With the umbrella scene I’m starting to notice that Hikaru only has ever really given attention to Ruby and barely if any to Aqua. Maybe I’m reading way too much into it idk, but I’m just wondering why Ruby?? Like is he actually making sure she doesn’t surpass Ai, or is it something else? I have one idea, which is that he’s using Ruby to get to Aqua, which seems so convoluted, so idk if I’m confident in it lol 😅😭

anon i'm so sorry but because of the way you phrased this all i could think was -

#oshi no ko #oshi no posting #onk asks #onk spoilers #kamiki hikaru #hikaru kamiki

[hamliet]

I have a question you said in a review the eyes in the characters of oshi no ko when I read about it design wise I am intersted in the eyes of Akane, Kana and Mem-cho mean something about there role and character in the story I was wondering if you can elabortate on it.

Okay, so! To start with this topic, though, we actually have to talk about Ai first and foremost.

Hoshino Ai breaks down into several meanings. For one thing, it breaks into “hoshi no eye,” which literally means “starry eye” in Japanese. Ai’s eyes notably have stars in them, and Aqua and Ruby have one starry eye each.

Of course, this breaks into several meanings itself. "Starry eyed" is an English idiom for an idealistic, childlike view of the world. If we break the "star eye" idea down further, "star" references Ai being a "star," an idiom for a famous person.

"Hoshino" also contains a homonym for the Japanese verb "hoshi" (欲しい), which means "to want." This also indicates a huge part of Ai's character. The kanji used to write Hoshino means "star" and "indigo"--indigo is the color that you get when you combine aqua and ruby, by the way.

Plus, Ai is written in katakana (アイ), not kanji as would be typical for a name. Katakana is the Japanese script for loan words, which reinforces the literal translation of “eye.” But, it's also a homonym for the Japanese word for love (愛), which is pronounced like "eye." In turn, the story explores love as a major theme--for example, Ai’s final thoughts are about her finally understanding love.

So, from Ai, we see that eyes and particularly starry eyes matter.

In the OP, we see a progression of five eyes--Aqua, Ruby, Kana, Akane, and Mem-Cho.

Hikaru, Aqua, and Ruby

Aqua and Ruby share one starry eye that goes black when they are in a bad mental state (Hikaru's eyes are also starry eyes that have turned black, again reinforcing that he never had a childhood).

The implication of both Ruby and Aqua having one starry eye each and switching between looking more like their mother's eyes and their father's eyes is to emphasize their internal conflict. They both bear the legacy of their parents, and have their own legacies in their past lives and a blank slate, a chance for a new start (the unstarred eye). What they do with this life and which legacy they want to focus on (Ai's love and life, or Hikaru's focus on trauma and repeating a cycle of violence) is their choice.

If we take the saying "the eyes are the window to the sopul," then we also see that as much as Ruby and Aqua are Sarina and Gorou, they are also Ruby and Aqua, children of Ai and Hikaru. That's why I actually am not so sure about the common fan presumption that Crow Girl saying the children had no souls meant they were supposed to be stillborn. They aren't Sarina and Gorou any more so than they are Ruby and Aqua.

Now let's finally move onto your characters.

Kana

Kana’s eyes resemble galaxies.

What this means isn't entirely clear, but instead of a single star, she has hundreds in her eyes. This presumably indicates her potential as a human being, and her way of reminding both Aqua and Ruby (in her better moments, anyways) that they are part of a huge world and a huge cosmos, and don't have to focus on just one aspect of life--namely, revenge on Hikaru for Aqua and revenge for the doctor for Ruby. Other people around them also contain their own light.

Akane and Mem-Cho

Akane’s look like an evening sky.

Mem-Cho’s resemble daytime, complete with light reflections forming clouds as shown below:

Again, I'm not entirely sure what this means per se, but I would guess it emphasizes, thematically, the reality of life. People live, and they die. Day comes, and then night.

Death (something repeatedly associated with Akane--no I don't think she's going to die) is a part of life. I would guess Akane will help Aqua and Ruby accept this part of themselves somehow, as written by @aspoonofsugar here.

Mem-Cho, on the other hand, shines brightly, illuminating their need to grow in some ways and offering wise advice. She's not as complex a character at the moment, but her role so far seems congruent with this idea.

#ask hamliet #oshi no ko #oshi no ko meta #onk meta #hoshino ai #hoshino aquamarine #hoshino ruby #kurokawa akane #arima kana #mem cho #kamiki hikaru

[skania]

Has Akane ever made aqua smile? He always act like the perfect high school boy to kana and smilies sometimes but with akane he never does. And that’s why most people prefer aqukana than aquakane.

Smiling Aqua

Happy Aqua

Childish Aqua

Playful Aqua

Old man Aqua

Akane has seen those sides of Aqua, too. You know what else she has seen?

Flustered Aqua

Vengeful Aqua

Edgy Aqua

Vulnerable Aqua

Honest Aqua

Goro Aqua

Just to name a few. This is actually one of the reasons why I, personally, prefer AquaKane lol

#aquakane #my aquakane meta #I can't tell if this was sent by someone who thought they were dunking on the ship #or someone playing devil's advocate #in either case aqua is the furthest thing from a perfect high school boy lmao #onk asks convos

[beanghostprincess]

Whenever you post anything other than OP I wish you could imagine small me, somewhere in the crowd of your followers, having no idea what are those series, but still loudly cheering in the background

Thank you so much small you, I appreciate your support. I imagine you like a tiny creature now! <3

#i mean tbh i usually post mostly op #but if it's not op it's either fmab / mp100 / onk / bsd / dunmeshi / frieren / csm / jjk etcetcetc #surprisingly enough i do like more mangas #in fact i even like more than those #amazing #ask-bean!

[mazojo]

how do you feel about the writing / pacing of oshi no ko? any criticism you have for as far as you've read?

I tried reading the first few 5ish chapters, and I know some spoilers, but I just can't connect with the mc or narrative. It feels really shallow (?) Or maybe the pov is too detached? I also feel like some of the characters just say things like mouthpieces, but it doesn't feel like natural dialogue ? Not sure...

All I see is praise for it / very little criticism & I don't understand...maybe I'm not a fan of the authors writing idk! Kinda wish I could see what others see and enjoy it lol

HI ANON THANKS FOR ENABLING ME TO RANT ABOUT OSHI NO KO LY

asdfgkhgf I.... I agree with what you say and as much as I want to love onk and say its a masterpiece I think it has many flaws people tend to overlook or simply ignore because of the visuals. The story is beautiful dont get me wrong, the style and the character design looks amazing and that's what drew me in the first place but as for the story...

I am gonna try not to comment on any spoilers but I just think that the characters are very detached. I dislike most characters (except Kana go queen go bestie my entire world if you wish) because they are all so.... Not real people sometimes. Like I want to connect with them and feel the story they are telling but sometimes they feel to detached and it just kind of ends up going in circles.

The story is interesting I think it has a nice hook but I dont think its enough to keep the reader going sometimes. There is the whole supernatural element behind it that I dont want to spoil too much of but it has been a few chapters since it was last commented upon and we are back to the same cycle of the story where Aqua is just there manipulating the people around him and everyone running behind him to his every beck and call. I think Aqua is an interesting character because of his complexity but I think people really overlook how much of a shitty person he can be too imo

Anyways I guess what I am trying to say is that yes I see where you are coming for. What kept me going is the curiosity behind the story and I hope all the dead ends are tied in the end because I feel like we are slowly reaching the climax up to date but I overall dont know how to feel about the whole story and I am excited for the anime mostly for Kana, Melt and the visuals and the Akane x Kana moments who are we kidding

#I hope no one gets mad adsdfjhg like if you like the story that's awesome its just not for me #I like character driven stories where I connect to them and unfortunately I hate most people here #i do think the message behind the toxic environment in Hollywood is nice to see in a story and an interesting exploration #but overall not for me tho I will still scream about it for the 2 characters I am cheering for SKSKKS #onk #oshi no ko #manga #anon #ask

[saph-yells-into-the-void]

what the fuck am I watching

#ASDKLFJFFFSD😭😭 #if someone asks what oshi no ko is about im gonna show this screenshot #WHAT IS GOING ON IDK ANYMORE 😭 #onk #onk spoilers

[skyflyinginaction]

in the Interview with Ai: Da Vinci Magazine Jan. 2024 did you get full context on Ai’s character and backstory when you read the interview?

Yeah

you can tell how much there is a subtle in her true desires in her words in her answers in the interview like she trusts Gotanda since he is passionate about authenticly. Ai calls idols hard workers since they have to constantly act as idol 247 even in their daily lives Ai follows people's expectations of her she never reveals her true self in the interview. 

ai is smart, not dumb this is seen in the way Skillful evades the question by preventing details from surfacing. Ai didn’t understand things that a regular person would do since she never had an idea of it.  She never had aspirations or wishes for the future she never thought about these things 

When we got to her backstory we got more details and the full conext, 

ayumi didn’t pay attention to Ai when she was young only spending time with her boyfriend. 

If you think back at what she said to Saitou,

"I don't remember ever being loved."

Ai has no memory of ever being loved by Ayumi this is because Ayumi neglected her in her childhood and largely ignored her for the majority of her childhood.

Ayumi started noticing Ai when she was eight only when her boyfriend was making eyes at her that was when Ayumi started abusing Ai when she was eight out of jealousy. 

none of her parents see each other as a family which is right since Ayumi saw Ai as another woman instead of her child this is why she abused her daughter. For her father, he was mostly absent in her life and didn’t properly take care of her. 

#my asks #asks #ask #oshi no ko #oshi no ko spoilers #onk spoilers