Warning! Contains spoilers for Oshi no Ko #120!The shocking and tragic turn in Oshi no Kothe first volume is even sadder because of what the manga shows RubyWhat was its early life like? The manga by Aka Akasaka and Mengo Yokoyari is about two fans who reincarnate as the children of their favorite idol Ai only to witness her brutally murdered right in front of their eyes. This was already a tragic turn, but the manga somehow made it even sadder in its latest chapters by delving into flashbacks to the past life of one of these children.
In chapter #120, translated by Felicia Sumali, Ruby thinks about her past life as Sarina. She recalls her mother’s general indifference towards her despite her terminal illness. This indifference is proven to be more than just Ruby’s imagination, as Aqua’s encounter with Tendouji in the modern day proves that she still doesn’t care about her dead child. On the contrary, this makes Ai a much better mother to Ruby than her original mother and thus makes her brutal murder all the more tragic.
Ruby’s plot makes Ai’s death in Oshi no Ko more tragic
This storyline also reimagines Ruby’s devotion to Ai and proves that Oshi no Ko’s use of reincarnation is no gimmick. As Sarina, she was the one who turned the doctor who later became Aqua into a fan of Ai. Also, as a child, Ruby was easily the more devoted twin to Ai which made it annoying to admire her. Before Ai passed away, Ruby also had a bond with her new mother, learning to dance with her in an intimate moment she would never have with her original mother. . All of this makes Ai’s death even more impactful for Ruby and will likely play a major role in her portrayal of her new mother’s murder in the film. that Aqua is creating.
While some fans may complain about the timing of this flashback, these new revelations actually come in the perfect place. Ruby is currently preparing to play her mother in the biopic Ai, so she needs to understand Ai’s mind. Ai clearly has a problem with her mother and Ruby has trouble with this aspect of her personality. But by recalling her original mother, she is able to portray this more authentically. Also, on a meta level, Oshi no Ko is recreating Ai’s murder for readers while its characters are rearranging her death for their own world, which is one piece. Beautiful symmetry.
Oshi no Ko is using Ruby’s storyline to deepen the current story
Given Ruby’s backstory, she probably wouldn’t react well if she met her original mother in person. But with Ruby’s original mother working on the film, it’s likely the two will meet at some point. This can actually be helpful to help Ruby get more involved with the character, rekindling the hatred she has for her mother. However, it may also make her emotional. So by revealing Rubyearly life of, Oshi no Ko simultaneously made Ai’s death more tragic and created more tragedies in the future.
Chapter 120 Oshi no Ko available to read from Manga Plus.
