[MANGA] Oshi no Ko (2020)
While Oshi no Ko had an incredibly impressive run over the course of its 166 chapters, I think the manga never really hit the peaks of the opening arc and the reality show arc. Both storylines were devastatingly well put together, exploring themes of fame, celebrity culture and mental health. In fact, watching the first episode of the anime, which is an adaptation of the opening arc, left me so shocked that I ended up immediately picking up the manga and reading the 100 or so chapters that were available at the time in several sittings.
Much like the author's previous work, Love is War, Oshi no Ko is an exploration of the mental states of some truly emotionally broken people - but unlike Love is War, which opens as a rom-com, Oshi no Ko pretty much immediately dives into drama and mystery. I would love to see Akasaka try his hand at an even darker work at some point in the future.
The overaching question posed by the manga's opening arc kind of falls away as the story progresses - by the time we got our answers, I didn't really care and was more concerned with what was going to happen with the core characters instead. Having said that, there is plenty of foreshadowing that you can spot on a re-read, so it was clear that the overall direction of the narrative was planned from the start.
It's hard to say whether or not I prefer this to Love is War, but both are excellent examples of how a well-trodden genre can really shine with well done character work.