oshi no ko vol 2 by aka akasaka

Illustrated by Mengo Yokoyari
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The twins are about to begin school at a prestigious academy for teens who are part of Japan’s entertainment industry, but in order to do so, they need to contracted entertainers. Ruby is determined to become an idol, but Aqua wants to protect her from that devastating industry. To help keep away from predatory agencies, Aqua convinces their adoptive mother, Miyako, to sign Ruby to Strawberry Productions as their first idol since Ai. Aqua’s contract comes from his constant mentor, Director Gotanda. Once they begin school, Aqua reconnects with Kana Arima, the genius child actor he starred alongside in volume one. She once again wants Aqua to join her on screen, this time for a campy tv drama where the studio is pushing male models and ruining her career. From this roll, Aqua now finds himself a reluctant contestant on a dating show!

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There is quite a lot of story packed into these 200 pages! Akasaka knows how to lay out and pace a story while not being overwhelming. This volume also contains a lot of insights about the Japanese entertainment industry, which I found very interesting. While including plenty of content, Akasaka also devotes decent amount of time to developing a few side characters, especially Kana. Aqua and Ruby are the perfect foils of each other, and readers are bound to have a favorite twin they want to see have more page time. Aqua is fairly dark and twisty as he plots his revenge, but he still has a soft spot for his sister, while Ruby is bright and optimistic about life, and determined to use her reincarnation to its fullest. 

There are some darker themes here - murder, revenge, and adults taking advantage of children in the entertainment industry - so this might be best for high school readers.

Sara's Rating: 10/10
Suitability Level: Grades 9-12

Reviews of previous volumes in this series: vol 1*

Publisher: Yen Press
Publication Date: May 23, 2023​
ISBN: 9781975363192 (Paperback)

​Tags: Rating: 10/10, Suitability: High School, Manga, Family, Mystery, School Life, Yen Press