Oshi no Ko should not need any introduction. The white-hot anime has taken both Japan and the world by storm. I happened to read all of the manga's available chapters while over in Japan and have been keeping up ever since. It features Ai, an elite idol, and her children. An "Oshi" is an idol fan's main favorite. Gorou, and Sarina, both huge fans of Ai, after their ill-timed deaths, reincarnate as her children Aquamarine and Ruby. Hence, "Oshi no Ko."

Our Oshi no Ko events for the weekend officially started on Friday with Yurie Igoma (voice of Ruby) and producer Shinpei Yamashita granting a select number of attendees autographs. I had not originally intended to be getting up early for autographs this year but the late-breaking announcement on Thursday changed things. My squad got there at right before 8AM and was able to obtain tickets to the signing.

Sadly, autographs were limited to the HIDIVE promo cards being handed out. The cards feature the key art for season two of Oshi no Ko and are beautiful, but not quite what I wanted for an autograph. I saw people with tapestries, skate decks, and even an official Oshi no Ko print being sold at the Animate booth. Said person had rushed to the exhibit hall to make that purchase as soon as the hall had opened. 

I chatted with Yurie briefly, telling her that I go to Japan frequently (current count this year: six times). She asked what I went for, and I answered, "Concerts." I've been to at least a dozen, approaching two dozen, in just the last six months; I've honestly lost track. I rattled off a few names that I've seen (Ado, Hiroyuki Sawano, Yuki Kajiura). Yurie asked about Animelo Summer (shorthand "Anisama"). It's an event at the end of August that I've been on the fence about going to. She's set to perform onstage as part of B Komachi and you know what? Maybe I should make that trip. I gave her a "if I'm able to, I'll come see you."

Thinking about it now, I've been had.  She worked me perfectly. Damn, she really is an idol.

As part of Saturday's events, there was an anniversary screening of the first episode of season one followed by the first two episodes of season two later in the day. This was the world premiere of episode two, preempting even Japan.  Igoma and Yamashita would be at both screenings to add a little insight to the anime.

Before the anniversary screening began, HIDIVE's hostess Star asked how many people had seen it, and how many hadn't. The crowd was divided roughly in half.  "I'm excited to see you newbies' reactions," she commented. I don't know if that tipped any of them off as to what they were about to see.

I'm going to try to keep spoilers out of the next paragraph for those of you who are unfamiliar with the series but even sans spoilers, you can't mask my emotions.

You would think that knowing what is coming would make things not hurt as much. I wager it makes it even worse. There's a dread that fills you as the episode goes on. You know the happy times cannot keep going and you know that they're going to end. You can sense that end coming closer and closer up until it's undeniably right in front of you. There are tears and a shortness of breath, a tightening of the chest. You want to run away, or look away, but you know you have to bear witness to it once more. 

And it fucking sucked. I exclaimed, "Fuck" the first time I read it. Today, I wept silently. But we rip off that bandaid and keep going because that's all we can do, much like the episode keeps rolling.

Thankfully, this is what I consider the rock bottom point of the story.

For those of you who read the manga, Anime Expo replaying this bomb of an episode matches right alongside the bomb that was revealed in the most recent chapter of the manga. I'd like to think in an alternate universe things are much brighter.

As the episode ended, Yurie Igoma and Shinpei Yamashita came onstage.  Time to pick their brain a little.

Q: What are you thoughts about Anime Expo?

Igoma: It's my first time. I'm amazed by all the energy and enthusiasm of the fans.

Q: What was your favorite moment or scene in season one?

Igoma: The (original) B Komachi live concert in the first season, and later the remade B Komachi performance at the idol festival. I really liked seeing and comparing the two.

That was the first time I sang as a voice actress so it had a big impact on me. I hope everyone can sing along with the performance too.

Star: It didn't seem like your first time.

Igoma: Thank you!

Yamashita: In the episode when Ai and Gorou are on the roof of the hospital we wanted to do a transition between evening and night time. We made two scenes and transitioned them gradually. On the production side of things, that was my favorite, and I think we did well.

Star: Yamashita-san is an astrophotographer so the passion really showed.

Yamashita: Yes, that's my hobby. Night sky photography.

Q: We just watched part of season one. How does season two compare to the first season?

Igoma: Season two starts with a stage play but it's a different tone. Aqua continues striving for revenge, and Ruby continues wanting to be an idol. The 2.5D stage play is shown well and I want to watch it along all of you.

Yamashita: Have any of you read the manga? [about half the room raises their hands] All of you know what is coming. This is episode twelve overall.

As Igoma-san said season one is about TV production and Ruby's idol life, Aqua will face new challenges with the stage play.

Q: Final thoughts?

Igoma: Thank you so much for watching with us. I'm thrilled to be here and can't wait for the season two screening. We worked hard and I think you'll enjoy it.

Yamashita: Thanks to all of you season one was a success and because of that success we were able to come to America. We feel the pressure to make season two just as good but I think we've done so.

HIDIVE likes to give away goodies and for this screening they had some big ones.  One lucky fan got a slew of signed shikishi by the cast of the show.  As mentioned, I wanted to get my own shikishi signed, so I was pretty jealous.

One of Oshi no Ko's prevailing themes is the dark side of the Japanese entertainment industry. Stalker fans, having to hide relationships, your status as a sellable product based upon purity, the lies you tell your fans, and many other things. To be a celebrity is to be a liar, and Ai was one of the highest degree.

After the anniversary screening I actually spoke to a fan who may have just had the blindfold pulled away from his eyes. He asked me, "Did this actually happen?" And while there is no one-to-one mirror of real life events, there are plenty of others that match the piecemeal framework that is portrayed in Oshi no Ko. There have been obsessive fans, there have been idols who have hidden their romantic relationships, and there has been backlash if those relationships were found out prematurely. Idols are supposed to be "everyone's."

This was one of author Aka Akasaka's objectives. As a mangaka, he has a number of friends in the entertainment industry. After speaking with them, he learned just how far the depths go and wanted to shine a light on it. These are things that you don't see if you're on the surface but for those of us keyed in, they are ever present.

After a couple of hours, it was time for the season two screening. The JW Marriott's Diamond ballroom is larger than the room we were in for the anniversary screening at the LACC and it was packed to the gills. There was only a scant few seats available throughout the room and in my particular section I had to get much closer than preferred to the people around me.

As mentioned in our pre-show coverage, season two of Oshi no Ko is focused around the 2.5D stage play arc of the story. Stage plays are a growing part of Japan's multimedia landscape. They're basically inaccessible to foreigners except for those who happen to be in Japan. "2.5D" refers to the bridging of the 2D animation and drawings we are used to and the 3D of a theater play. As stage plays are done live, there are different challenges compared to movies and anime. Everything is done on the fly and a different sort of acting is required. Your viewer might be in the front row, or they might be in the back of the room. You have to move and act for all of those viewers no matter where they might be. There's no variable perspective or scale like you have with movies and anime.

The stage play is for an in-universe franchise called "Tokyo Blade." It is set in a Japanese mythological fantasy world and Aqua, Kana, Akane, and many other members of the Lala Lai Theatrical Company as the players. Aqua and Akane play as the antagonists Touki and Sayahime, respectively.

The stage play arc delves into the delicate balance between the original source creator and those who create deriviative works based on the source. In these first two episodes, the author of Tokyo Blade, Abiko, is extremely displeased with the stage play's scriptwriting and assumes direct control, stating that she will rewrite the play in a way she finds acceptable. With just under three weeks until the opening performances of the play, this creates a huge barrier as without a finished script it will be impossible for the cast to practice. The stage play's original scriptwriter, Goa, is revealed to be a dedicated fan of Tokyo Blade and is absolutely devastated when Abiko pans his work. He is the victim of a many-layered game of telephone between Abiko, her editors, and various inbetweens. Abiko's suggestions for script changes go unanswered as each person in the chain dumbs down the messages to the point where their original intention is completely lost by the time they reach Goa.

By the time we end episode two, Akane is fixing to bring Aqua on a date with her to see a stage play.  Aqua has no idea what he's in for, and Akane, as a star actress, wants to show him just what he's missing out on.

Oshi no Ko's second season looks to be just as good as the first, and while it might not have the impact of season one's initial episode had, will build upon what has come before. Aqua continues his quest for revenge. There will be many more arcs and seasons to come for as long as Oshi no Ko continues. The manga seems like it might be approaching an end game but there is plenty of material to work with.

Much like the earlier screening, afterwards we had some Q&A.  

Q: Ruby was the first anime role you auditioned for and first leading role on top of that. What was it like?

Yurie Igoma: I didn't know what was going on. It was a tape audition and they asked you to do a slate. I didn't know what I was supposed to say. When I went back for the final call I thought I had done all I could and that was my best. When I heard back from them, they said I was actually extremely nervous.

Star: I believe the author (Aka Akasaka) even said, "This is the real Ruby" after seeing your audition.

Igoma: Being Ruby makes me feel really happy and positive. Her emotions are very simple and she's like the sun, very direct and strong. I get happiness by playing her.

Shinpei Yamashita: We all immediately agreed that she was the only one who could be Ruby.

Q: Describe the role of a producer and what they do for an anime.

Yamashita: It's difficult to say but for Oshi no Ko it's the person who makes all the major decisions for the show. That's the cool way of describing it. What we're realling doing is errands and taking care of everyone and whatever they need.

You can see a lot more information about what producers do on the Oshi no Ko channel. There are also interviews, so please watch it.

Q: has your role changed since season one? What have you been doing since last year?

Yamashita: My role hasn't changed but since the anime has gotten popular there's ten times more work because of merchandising and approving of other things. I am happy that is the case.

Q: You were a fan of the manga before getting the role. How did you prepare?

Igoma: I loved the original so much I thought of how I would act as Ruby, and realized that me and Ruby are very similar. Rather than try to think of something new, I tried to take things straight forward and integrated myself.

Q: How is it to be in such a huge role?

Igoma: I'm really grateful and happy for the experience. There is a lot of pressure but it's a good thing. I want to be the best Ruby possible and want to focus on doing the best I can.

Star: You really are the best Ruby.

Q: How did the production of season two differ from season one?

Yamashita: It's the same but because it's so popular there's a lot more pressure on the staff. We are adding much more detail and quality to the work. Please watch it until the last moment because we are working hard on it.

I'm also amazed at the people doing the subtitling and typesetting. I'm amazed they finish on time for broadcast.

Q: Compared to other characters, Ruby seems simple but manga readers know there is more. Without spoilers, what can people look forward to?

Igoma: Without spoilers... I'll do my best. Ruby's life goes on and continues to change as a human.

How many have read the manga? [about half the room raises their hands]. A lot of you know the ending but with B Komachi and school, things will change. There are a lot of upbeat parts and I'm excited for you to see the rest of the season.

You never know what's going to happen, though! Please look forward to it.

Q: Season one broke records. Was it intimidating to know there were that many expectations placed on you?

Yamashita: As mentioned, there is a lot of pressure but all of us on the cast and crew love it and are happy to continue the story. Now we can show it to you and this screening is a special experience for us, to watch it alongside you all. I want Oshi no Ko to continue onwards.

Q: What about the upcoming season are you most excited or looking forward to?

Igoma: It starts with the stage play but I want you to pay attention to B Komachi and their new songs.

Yamashita: I was worried up until now because the first two episodes show a lot of rehearsals for the play and it's not the most interesting since it's about the Japanese entertainment industry. After hearing the crowd's reactions, I felt a sigh of relief.

There's a lot of rehearsal until the stage play opens in the anime. Each character has their own conflicts and demons to handle, so that's one thing to look forward to. The musical score is added afterwards and I would like you to enjoy that too.

Q: Final message?

Igoma: Season two is a rollercoaster. Will Aqua complete his goal for revenge? Will Ruby be a fully-fledged idol? Please look forward to it.

Yamashita: The second half of the season escalates quickly and there will be a lot of excitement. And as for Ruby, there will be more of her too.

And also like the earlier screening, one lucky fan walked out with a stack of signed shikishi.  This time it went to a girl cosplaying Ai, fittingly enough.

That's that for Anime Expo and Oshi no Ko.  I hope you stick with it and if you're up to it, read ahead in the manga.  There are a lot more things to look forward to and hopefully we'll get to see the entire story animated.

I'll be watching too.

HIDIVE will be streaming Oshi no Ko once a week every week for the season, so do be sure to check it out.