For readers wanting to catch up on the manga story after the point where the anime adaptation's second season left off, volume nine is the place to start. Oshi no Ko's anime maintains close fidelity to its manga source, and the four volumes covered in this review contain the material I expect to be adapted by the currently-running third season.

Following her turn to the dark side in the last volume, triggered by the mysterious, supernatural “Crow Girl,” Ruby Hoshino has changed dramatically. She's switched places with her brother Aqua, who, since relinquishing his quest for revenge, has lost the star in his eye he inherited from his luminescent mother. Instead, it seems to have transferred to Ruby; both of her eyes glisten with black abyssal stars that prove hypnotic to anyone watching her. Hence, the runaway success of her idol trio B Komachi's first original single, Pop in 2. B Komachi is jetting its way to the stratosphere, and Ruby's their engine.

Fascinatingly, revenge-motivated Ruby is even more Machiavellian than Aqua. Although she's guided along the way by the long-absent manager of Ichigo (strawberry) Production, many of her more twisted machinations spring from her own imagination. Aqua's horrified by his sister's complete personality change, perhaps seeing himself reflected in her blackly incandescent eyes. Ruby engineers a situation involving the internet TV show, in which she and her brother are involved, that makes its director deeply indebted to her, and over the multiple time-skips covered in these arcs, she uses her other industry connections to break into the mainstream. Suddenly, the idea of B Komachi playing the dome performance, which her mother was unable to, seems more likely.

Ruby's not the only character who intuits that Aqua's given up on his revenge quest too soon. Genius actor Akane, Aqua's now real (rather than pretend) girlfriend, has spent so long putting herself in Ai's shoes that she's developed an intimate understanding of the deceased idol's thought processes. This leads her to identify Aqua and Ruby's true father, a character who's been floating around on the periphery for a while. The revelation of his identity isn't exactly Earth-shattering, but that's not the point. There are enough unsettling details about his backstory and behaviour to give readers the creeps. He is very much not a good guy. However, Akane's failed attempt to protect Aqua from himself tears a deep fissure between them.

Poor Aqua can't maintain a normal life for long. The specter of his past identity remains in his consciousness, berating him for being soft, for desiring a normal life, for giving up on his revenge. Our insight into his psyche is a nightmarish place, the shadow of his former self, obsessed Ai fan Dr. Gorou Amamiya, looming, speaking in ominous black speech bubbles. “Just let your hatred drive you,” he commands. “I should suffer. I just watched Ai die. How could I relax and enjoy my life?” With such murky, swirling, negative emotions in his subconscious, there was no way Aqua could exit this story unscathed. Once he returns to his previously driven self, two stygian stars returning to his eyes, there is further foreshadowing of his ultimate fate, as he plans for his sister's future without him. It's painful to read this flawed yet sympathetic character slide further towards self-destruction, but that's all part of the dark appeal of Oshi no Ko.

The character I continue to feel the most for is Kana Arima. For much of this story, she has seemed lost. A former talented child actor, no longer in demand as she's too old, she holds deep insecurities about herself, exacerbated by her abandonment by all of the adults in her life. Aqua pairing off with Akane was one more abandonment too far, and it made her depressed. Even when Aqua's relationship implodes, Kana can't help but sabotage her opportunity with him. As Mem-cho intuits, Aqua may be even more obsessed with Kana than she is with him, yet their chances of happiness seem remote. Kana's unhappy with her life as an idol, as both Ruby and Mem-cho outshine her, and her attempts to break back into acting lead to a significant lapse in judgment that threatens a major scandal. Poor Kana. So cute and amusing, yet she seems created only to suffer.

Gradually, all of the series' disparate cast begin to converge on what's likely to be the final major entertainment industry-related arc: Aqua and his director mentor's biopic of the life (and death) of Ai Hoshino. Almost every actor we've met in each preceding arc is tipped for a role in the movie that Aqua thinks will somehow facilitate his revenge against his father. Although there's a certain pleasure in seeing recurring characters return, the cynic in me feels this is more like pieces being arranged on a chessboard rather than organic storytelling. However, if we go back to the very first volume, at the beginning of multiple chapters, there are flash-forwards with various characters being interviewed about their connection to this film. It's been author Akasaka's plan since the beginning to reach this point. (He's on record stating that he had the first and final arcs all mapped out before he started writing.)

There is some good character work in these volumes, though apart from the first arc about Ruby's TV show machinations, the entertainment industry aspect of the story becomes less engaging. Even the arc where Kana almost becomes prey to an older man and his “casting couch” is cut short by the needs of the meta-plot, and it feels unexplored, even if it's not exactly an innovative plotline for this kind of drama. Perhaps that's why Akasaka decides to go in an unexpected direction with it? Again, it feels like the author is moving pieces around on a board to reach his desired outcome.

Mengo Yokoyari's art remains tremendously effective, from the effervescently cute idol performances to the darker, creepier psychological scenes. The way she draws Ruby with eyes that both sparkle, yet seem dead, gives me shivers. It's an exaggerated, sometimes ridiculous story full of heightened emotions, and her style absolutely does it justice. While this isn't Oshi no Ko at its best, it remains a compelling soap opera, a deliberately contrived car crash in slow motion, as our revenge-driven characters elevate themselves towards success, whilst sealing their own inevitable downfall.