Long misunderstood and underrated, the manga Oshi no Ko written by Aka Akasaka and drawn by Mengo Yokoyari since 2020 in the Weekly Young Jump (published in France by Kurokawa) – which takes us behind the dark and hidden scenes of the world of idols, finally saw its popularity soar this year, and this in a deserved way, thanks… to its anime adaptation.
From April 11 to June 28, the Doga Kobo studio (Dumbbell nan-Kilo moteru? / My Senpai is Annoying) indeed animated the first chapters of this story, in a series available from us on the DNA platform. And despite a very short season 1 (only 11 episodes), it had a huge hit all over the world, then allowing the manga to explode with an audience eager to discover the sequel.
Aka Akasaka puts his manga on hiatus
Good news ? Yes, but that is not without consequences. With the massive arrival of new fans and therefore, at the same time, of haters (the license found itself at the center of a controversy last May, accused of having profited from the death of Hana Kimura, a former wrestler and reality TV contestant, to imagine a plot around cyberbullying and suicide), Aka Akasaka seems to be struggling today to manage all this attention.
Also, after seeing his health deteriorate in recent weeks, the mangaka has decided to temporarily move away from his work to breathe. “I haven’t been feeling well for a while and, after discussing it with the people concerned, I have decided to take a long month offhe said in a statement. I apologize in advance for this pause.“
A tiring success for the mangaka
Nevertheless, in order to reassure the fans, aware of the dangerousness of the profession towards the health of the artists, victims of difficult working conditions, the mangaka made a point of specifying: “As I write this message, I am already in better health and I look forward to being able to offer you the best of what I can do.“.
Then, he then promised, although necessary to recharge his batteries, evacuate the pressure linked to the hype of the moment and find inspiration, this break has no impact on his motivation and his passion for Oshi no Ko : “I will continue to do my best as I move forward and I hope you will be eager to discover the rest!“
In other words, if all goes well and if Aka Akasaka really manages to recharge his batteries, Oshi no Ko will resume publication on September 14 in Japan.
Oshi no Ko is published in France by Kurokawa. The anime is available on DNA.