Author Aka Akasaka's hit seinen manga series Oshi no Ko has announced a hiatus for now, right in the middle of the manga's final and most dramatic story arc yet. Fans will have to wait to find out how Ruby Hoshino's idol aspirations will pan out, and the series' biggest mysteries will also have to wait. But it's not all bad news, since artist Mengo Yokoyari will keep fans busy with the Interlude series in the meantime.
It's not uncommon for manga authors to take breaks in the modern era, with more and more people becoming aware of how stressful and exhausting this line of work can be. Fortunately, manga authors like Eiichiro Oda, Kohei Horikoshi, and now Aka Akasaka are freer than ever to give themselves some breathing room. Until Mr. Akasaka is ready to resume work, Oshi no Ko have plenty to enjoy, and this is also a fine time for new fans to dive into this story, too.
Oshi no Ko's Hiatus & Mengo Yokoyori's Side Project
According to online sources, the Oshi no Ko hiatus is expected to be relatively short. The manga is set to resume publication on September 14th, 2023, in Issue 42 of the Young Jump seinen magazine in Japan. In today's busy manga industry, with countless top-tier series to read, manga fans in Japan and the West alike surely won't mind a relatively short hiatus like that, and will have plenty else to read and watch during that 40+ day hiatus. Also, author Aka Akasaka has his hands full not just with Oshi no Ko, but his next series, titled Rentai Daiko, and it was only a few months ago that his juggernaut series Kaguya-Sama: Love is War finished in November 2022. A short hiatus may be exactly what Akasaka needs to keep up the good work and not exhaust himself.
In the meantime, Osho no Ko's illustrator, Mengo Yokoyari, will write a short series called Interlude to keep fans busy, and will likely run for 5-6 chapters in Young Jump. However, this will not be a spinoff series contained within the Oshi no Ko universe or even the possible shared universe between Oshi no Ko and Kaguya-Sama. The Interlude series will take place in the real world, and focus on author Mengo Yokoyori personally. Potentially, this Interlude series may serve as "behind the scenes" bonus material to show how a great manga like Oshi no Ko is written and drawn, which may appeal to fans of series like Bakuman, which is all about writing for magazines like Shonen Jump. Fans of Mengo Yokoyori's work are sure to enjoy it, and they can also check out another full series she wrote and illustrated, titled Scum's Wish.
What is Oshi no Ko About?
New fans who haven't yet read or watched Oshi no Ko are in for a dark, dramatic treat like no other. At first, Oshi no Ko presented itself as yet another idol anime series, with the starry-eyed Ai Hoshino taking the lead, but Aka Akasaka had plenty of subversive ideas in mind, and made Oshi no Ko far more than a biographical story about a girl who can sing. Ai Hoshino knows that the idol industry and even the entire entertainment industry is all about glamorous lies, with Ai lying to everyone about loving them so she can win fans over with her false persona. On the inside, Ai has never known love and feels empty inside, but all that may soon change when she becomes pregnant with twins.
At the same time, Dr. Gorou and his young patient, a girl named Sarina Tendouji, are huge fans of Ai's and often watch her performances or talk about her during their time together. Soon, Gorou and Sarina will get much closer to Ai than they ever expected when tragedy strikes, and Ai's newborn son and daughter won't be the innocent babies Ai expected them to be. What follows will be a bizarre, darkly funny, achingly tragic, and even vaguely isekai-eque story about love, loss, twisted found families, revenge, and the burning desire to become a great pop idol despite the exploitation of the industry. Aqua and Ruby Hoshino are no ordinary kids, and their journey into the musical world will change their lives and those of their friends and classmates in ways none of them could have ever imagined.
What is Happening During Oshi no Ko's Hiatus?
This hiatus in Oshi no Ko's story is taking place partway through the manga's final arc, where everyone's character arcs will converge for whatever big finale Akasaka has in mind. So far, Ruby Hoshino is the star, forging ahead in her busy career while her foster "momager" Miyako Saito is tirelessly supporting her both out of professional duty, and out of sympathy. When the hiatus is over, Oshi no Ko fans will soon find out whether Ruby's about to make it big, or finally crash and burn, having bit off more than she can chew. This arc will make or break Ruby and her foster mother, while Ruby's twin brother Aqua will either find new meaning in his life at last, or else. Aqua has been struggling to find meaning in his life ever since his revenge quest stalled out, but there's still time for him to get a happy ending. Around this time, fans may also see whether Ichigo Saito can mend ties with Miyako, or wander off and fade into obscurity.
Where to Read and Watch Oshi no Ko
The current hiatus for Oshi no Ko's manga is a wonderful opportunity for new fans to dive right into the series and get caught up by the time the hiatus ends in the middle of September. Manga fans can find the print and digital volumes online from retailers such as Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com, while Rightstufanime.com also stocks the print volumes only. Currently, Volumes 1 and 2 are available for purchase, with Volume 3 slated to release on August 22nd, and Volume 4 should release on November 21st. The free Manga Plus app also has digital chapters of Oshi no Ko with a limited release, with the first six and most recent six chapters available to read, while all chapters in between may be viewed once each.
Anime fans can visit HIDIVE to stream the Oshi no Ko anime, which completed its first season in the Spring 2023 anime season. The anime is 11 episodes long, with Episode 1 being more than triple-length to launch the story in spectacular fashion. A second season of the Oshi no Ko anime has already been confirmed, though it's not yet confirmed on what date or in what future anime season the second season will start airing.
