[Oshi No Ko] (Light Novel) Volume 1 Review

Despite the original manga having wrapped up its serialisation last year, [Oshi No Ko] is gearing up for its third season of anime airing in January, and its popularity only continues to grow as time goes by. Amidst all this, Yen Press have brought the first volume of the spin-off light novel to the West. But does it prove a worthwhile addition to the franchise? I take over from our regular series reviewer, Darkstorm, for a closer look.

The [Oshi No Ko] light novel is a prequel to the main series and offers a collection of three short stories and an epilogue chapter. The first of these follows Ai when the idol group B-Komachi was just starting to earn any kind of popularity. Due to pressure from the other members of the group, who are angry that Ai has taken the centre spot and her general lack of interest in the business, Ai asks manager Ichigo Saitou to let her quit. Saitou’s no idiot, and he knows how stubborn Ai is once she makes up her mind about something, so he sets about putting a plan into action that should ensure she’ll change her mind…

The second and third stories in the collections are more connected to one another. Chapter 2 follows Sarina Tendouji as she meets Gorou Amamiya for the first time while trying to break out of the hospital so she can go to an idol show. After her attempt is stopped by Gorou, the two begin discussing idols. Despite his initial scepticism about the whole concept, she slowly but surely converts him into a fan of Ai and B-Komachi.

For Chapter 3, we swap to Gorou’s perspective on the night of Sarina’s passing. Having spent so much time with her and, frankly, having his life changed by their meeting, her death (while inevitable) has hit him hard. Now more than ever, he needs a guiding light in his life. Perhaps it’s the idols he once scoffed at that will prove to be a major support as he muddles through his feelings.

As Darkstorm often talks about in her manga reviews, one of the most appealing aspects of [Oshi No Ko] is how it shines a light on the entertainment industry and looks at the good and bad sides of it. This deep dive into how things work is something not as present in this light novel, largely due to when it’s set. Instead, it’s built on the strength of its character writing, and if you’ve followed the manga or anime so far, you’ll certainly find yourself curious to know more about the protagonists’ past lives.

Ai’s story has perhaps the least impact on the narrative at large, but it’s the one that helps solidify her personality the most (given we didn’t spend a lot of time with her in the main series). Just like how she had no idea what true love was up until her death, she doesn’t fully understand what it means to be an idol when she asks Saitou to let her quit. Not only is this consistency in her personality important, but the tale also makes a lot of sense in showing us why she became so serious about her job.

The fact that these are short stories really helps prevent them from overstaying their welcome, particularly in the case of Sarina and Gorou’s, which more heavily overlap with story elements we’ve seen in the main series. And while Ai and the epilogue are interesting from the perspective of being focused on the idol industry, Sarina and Gorou’s are going to depend on how much you care for Aqua and Ruby.

Another factor to consider is that these stories (except the epilogue) are not written by series author Aka Akasaka. Instead, it’s Hajime Tanaka who takes the lead. He’s known for writing light novels under the Jump J Books imprint (which this was released under in Japan), although this appears to be the first one of his to make it to the West. Considering that, I think Tanaka has done a good job of keeping the stories attuned to how Akasaka normally writes for the manga, and readers won’t necessarily notice a difference.

[Oshi No Ko]’s first light novel comes to the West thanks to Yen Press under their Yen On imprint and has been translated by Taylor Engel, who also works on the manga. The release reads well and is consistent with the existing work when it comes to terms, names, etc. There’s a fold-out colour page to open the book, which features a clean version of the cover art as well as a piece featuring Aqua and Ruby. This is drawn by manga illustrator Mengo Yokoyari, so again, a lot of consistency with the original work. However, there are no other internal illustrations, which I thought was a shame.

There is a second volume of this that came out in Japan in December last year, this time focusing on Kana and Akane. From the synopsis, it sounds like it primarily takes place in the past, but there are some current-day elements that take place after the end of the manga. Perhaps because of that, this isn’t currently in the schedule for an English release, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Yen Press are waiting until they’ve finished the manga themselves. Still, hopefully it will follow in due time!

Overall, the first [Oshi No Ko] is a welcome addition to the franchise that shines a lot on the former lives of our two leads, as well as Ai. While I did miss the laser focus on the entertainment industry that the manga offers, this was still well worth reading as additional material.

Our review copy was supplied by the publisher Yen Press.