Oshi no Ko Volume 2, written by Aka Akasaka and drawn by Mengo Yokoyari, continues one of the most unique premises I’ve seen in manga following a truly great cliffhanger. With Ai having been killed we see how things have changed in both Ruby and Aqua’s lives after more than ten years have passed. Ruby has become an aspiring idol while Aqua now works under director Taishi as an assistant.  Aqua however, has a goal to find out who their mysterious father is and kill him using connections he makes in the industry. They are both on the verge of entering high school at a place focusing on young entertainers.

The art style continues to be very good. One aspect that sticks out still is the focus on the characters’ eyes. They each have a sort of light to them that really helps make the designs distinct. Ai had stars in both of her eyes while the twins have a star in one individual eye. I foresee that there will be a pivotal moment in the future that makes both have stars in both of their eyes. The general connection between the stars and what they represent are a mystery so far, however, to me.

The story is gripping. The previous volume focused on the mystery of who killed Goro and now with the mystery of who Orchestrated Ai’s death, the story has become far more interesting. Aqua is a very entertaining character to follow while investigating this mystery. We see how dedicated he is to this goal and to the people around him with how overprotective he is to Ruby and the intensity he has for his goal. Yokoyari focuses on the star in his eye in moments of intense emotion which helps convey the intensity here. He seems obsessive even and I’m interested in seeing how he develops from here and the lengths he’ll go for his revenge.

Ruby is an interesting character, especially given who she reincarnated from but this volume I found that she took a major backseat to Aqua’s acting story. With the beginning of the formation of the Idol group towards the end of this volume however I think that next volume will feature her more. One of the aspects of the last volume I enjoyed was Ai’s rise to fame, so I have a lot of anticipation to seeing this journey through Ruby again.

Overall, the side characters were interesting, particularly Kana. I can’t wait to see how she develops. Her backstory was one of the highlights of the volume and I see her being very central to the story in the future. The other characters like Miyako and Taishi were very interesting. They feel very fleshed out and provide much needed exposition and a healthy amount of comedic relief.

I liked this volume a lot. Even more than volume one.

I’d rate this a 4.8/5.

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