This article contains spoilers for the manga “Oshi no Ko.” Reader discretion is advised.
In chapter 159 of “Oshi no Ko“The plot continues right where the previous chapter left off. Fuyuko Niino apologizes to Ruby Hoshino for stabbing her, revealing that her goal was to prevent anyone from surpassing Ai. However, 'Ruby' reveals that the knife had not injured her thanks to a stab-proof vest she was wearing. At that moment, Ichigo Saitou immobilizes Niino, while Akane Kurokawa, disguised as Ruby, takes off her wig and explains her plan.
Ichigo then confronts Niino, who had been dating a fan, Ryosuke Sugano. Although Ryosuke committed suicide after switching his admiration from Niino to Ai, Niino had forgiven Ryosuke and was not seeking revenge. All she wanted was for Ai to remain the best. Hearing that Ai wanted to be friends with Niino, the latter becomes excited. Finally, Akane asks who manipulated them into committing their crimes.
The episode moves to B-Komachi's concert, where everything is going on as normal, including Kana Arima's farewell message. Hikaru Kamiki watches the concert on his phone, and Aqua Hoshino approaches him, wishing to save him like her mother Ai wanted. However, Hikaru displays a dismissive and confused attitude.
It was definitely a chapter full of surprises, from the revelation of Akane Kurokawa as a double of Ruby Hoshino, the capture of the traitor and the confirmation that Hikaru Kamiki cannot be forgiven. However, Japanese fans were left confused by a development they deemed rather 'strange':
- «Some review groups mentioned the theory that Akane Kurokawa had disguised herself, and they were right. Congratulations on getting it right.».
- «Is it possible to disguise yourself as someone else with just a wig in this manga?».
- «I didn't want Ruby to die, but I'm starting to get annoyed that they made us wait two weeks for this.».
- «Kamiki is not the bad guy! It's all Nino's fault! ↓ Nino is not the bad guy, it's all Kamiki's fault! What is this?».
- «I wish he would say “this is a bulletproof vest” while blood is pouring out of his neck.».
- «Don't use Akane for that. If she gets cut anywhere other than her abdomen, her acting career will be over.».
- «Oh, it seems they took appropriate measures! Thank goodness it wasn't a bad ending.».
- «What if they were aiming for his face or neck? Why is it assumed that they would only hurt his abdomen?».
- «Well, Kurokawa cutting her hair and acting like Ai is a clue, but it wasn't necessary to take it all the way to the moment she was stabbed. If they had aimed at her neck, she would have died.».
- «What is this cheap plot? You wouldn't find anything worse even in a soap opera.».
- «In the end, it's Young Jump, so there's not much to do.».
- «Do this one and Kaguya-sama have really bad endings?».
- «This anime really only made waves in the first episode of the first season and the theme song.».
- «Is there a rule that forces the author of this manga to make it ridiculous in the second half?».
- «Targeting the neck is difficult because it is a small area of just a few centimeters. Also, it takes a lot of force to pierce the arteries. For beginners, it is best to use a knife on the abdomen and push the body with the weight to cause damage. If the knife sticks in, move it to damage important organs and blood vessels.».
- «Akane is really pathetic, poor thing.».
- «Depending on who you ask, this chapter is either great or completely bad.».
- «I still have no idea what's going on».
- «This writing is horrible».
- «It would have been more believable if they had involved the police instead of playing heroes and risking Akane. She's an actress, it would be bad if she ends up with a scar.».
- «Rushed chapter, all my emotions about Ruby getting stabbed quickly went down the drain. How the fuck Akane planned everything and how it all went pretty smoothly, it was all resolved in 10 pages too. Now for another twist, Kamiki will have another fit of rage».
- «This has to be the worst manga to ever make it to the mainstream.».
- «We're reaching soap opera levels of nonsense here, I don't even know what's going to happen.».
- «“Knife-proof vest”, this is the same guy who wrote First Kiss Never Endswhat the hell happened?».
- «So Aka brought back Kamiki as the main villain, did she plan it from the beginning or did the fans' reaction change her mind? I mean, Kamiki was calling Nino in the previous chapter telling her that they should turn themselves in, what would have happened if she had said yes?».
- «Honestly, this feels like Aka is trying to erase the elements that fans didn't like (Nino being the villain, Kamiki being a sad boy, the idol fan who killed Ai being a representation of the dangers of the industry).».
Fountain: Hachima Kikou