【OSHI NO KO】 (【推しの子】)

There once was a great war.

Renowned warriors, with their own convictions

and ambitions in their hearts, continued to fight,

but the conflict saw no victor.

The 21 swords that would decide the fate of the world

were scattered across the Far East.

This story begins with a certain man

obtaining a certain single sword.

BLADE

TSURUGI

KIZAMI

MONME

TOUKI

PRINCESS SAYA

OSHI NO KO

Princess Saya...

Touki...

This story is a work of fiction.

AQUA HOSHINO (16) AS TOUKI

AKANE KUROKAWA (17) AS PRINCESS SAYA

2.5D STAGE PLAY TOKYO BLADE FIRST DAY OF REHEARSALS

Let's stop there. We'll take a ten-minute break.

KANA ARIMA (17) AS TSURUGI

MELT NARUSHIMA (16) AS KIZAMI

SAKUYA KAMOSHIDA (22) AS MONME

Akane, can I have a word?

Of course!

It's been four months

since the new B-Komachi's first live show,

but we continue to work hard.

HOSHINO FAMILY GRAVE

Since then,

we've held a number of small concerts.

Periodically, we upload videos online,

and we're gaining fans little by little!

As for my brother, he keeps taking on acting work

despite saying he doesn't want to be an actor.

And to be honest,

I never really know what he's thinking.

Oh, right! He's got a girlfriend now.

She's really cute.

They started dating because of a TV show,

and now they're going to act together

in a play that my friend is also in.

He claims they're only a couple for publicity reasons, though.

Gah, he's absolute trash. An enemy of all girls.

That's how I feel.

HOSHINO FAMILY GRAVE

As for me, I'm doing well.

I'll keep giving my all as an idol,

until I'm one day standing on a stage at a dome.

Something you never got to do.

RUBY HOSHINO (16) FROM IDOL GROUP B-KOMACHI

Mama, I'll make you proud.

Tokyo Blade is a popular manga,

with over 50 million copies in circulation.

It's an orthodox battle manga

featuring various groups all over Japan.

They fight one another, as their friendship

and affection for each other deepen.

Arima is a member of the protagonist Shinjuku Faction.

And the Shibuya Faction,

which Akane and I belong to, stands in their way.

The play unfolds mainly based on the Shibuya Conflict arc,

in which these two groups clash.

It looks like I only act with Arima in the last part.

Are you disappointed you don't have many scenes with Kana?

I mean, it seems like you get on quite well with her.

You even came to the preliminary meeting together.

Just the opposite.

When it comes to acting,

she sometimes gets so overzealous, it's scary.

Performing at different times

means there's less opportunity for her to nag me,

-which is good. -I see!

Still, isn't it fun, talking about acting?

I mean, I could go on about it forever!

You must be joking.

Only people who are passionate about acting

would be on board with that.

You don't have passion for it?

Nope.

Those who appear on stage fundamentally love acting,

and they're all serious about performing.

I'm different.

Acting is just a means to get closer to the truth about Ai.

TOSHIROU KINDAICHI (56): LEADER OF THEATER COMPANY LALALAI,

DIRECTOR OF TOKYO BLADE

Director of Theater Company Lala Lai,

Toshirou Kindaichi.

He may have had some kind of influence on Ai.

This is my chance to get closer to him.

Looks like our break will be over soon.

Hold on a sec.

Let's go.

It seems a single man has united the long,

lawless Shinjuku under a common banner.

If I recall, his name was Blade.

Oh, very intriguing.

I'll go and see what kind of man he really is.

Keep your composure!

Please don't go starting fights without thinking first.

May I accompany him?

There aren't any poor actors this time.

SUMIAKI RAIDA (35) CEO OF MAGIC

FLOW AND EXECUTIVE PRODUCER OF TOKYO BLADE

My oath sword is Iwadachi. Oath sword...

It's a given that Kana, with her extensive career,

and everyone at Lala Lai can act.

With Melt, I had my doubts

when I saw his performance in Sweet Today,

but he's really risen to the challenge.

I hear this is Aqua's first play,

but he's perceptive and leaves no room for error.

When Kaburagi sends people out,

he makes sound selections for sure.

The showdown between Arima and Akane,

the former and present young prodigies

of their generations, is exciting!

An immersive type who throws herself into her role,

and an adaptive one who skillfully responds

to others' acting.

Even their performance styles contrast.

By the look of things, I'd say Akane is a step ahead.

...by your swords and bringing ruin...

But I worry that Arima will get outshined.

I don't know about that.

This sword is far too powerful

for a mere country samurai!

After all, we have Himekawa.

-Uh... - Arima, right?

You don't need to hold back.

TAIKI HIMEKAWA (19) AS BLADE

Ha! So, you want to fight?

Well, it doesn't seem like

we're gonna be able to talk this out.

The stronger of us will be the sword's companion.

-How about that? -

Certainly! That's easy to grasp!

No grumbling if you end up dead!

Right back at ya!

Is that all you've got? You don't stand a chance!

Enough of your nonsense!

- -What's the matter?

Do you surrender?

Better watch your mouth!

I will end this!

What's so funny?

-Pretty strong, aren't you? -Hmm?

Back off!

Hmm.

Hey, Kana. Want to grab some dinner?

Yeah. Sounds good.

I've got a lot of stuff I want to talk to you about anyway.

-You're coming with us, Melt! -Huh? I am?

We share a lot of scenes together,

so, of course you are.

Kana Arima.

Until recently, she prioritized supporting others,

and wasn't the sort to do such assertive acting.

She wasn't the type who could pull off that egotistical,

"Look at me!" kind of performance.

Confidence? Resolve?

Did she strike on something while being an idol?

Lala Lai has been a bit stagnant lately.

We took on a 2.5D play and brought in an outside cast,

because I believe some kind of stimulus is necessary.

Every last one of these kids hates losing.

Having seen that performance,

there's no way their minds aren't churning.

They're frantically thinking about

how they can compete with that.

Well, if they're truly actors anyway.

2.5D STAGE PLAY TOKYO BLADE THIRD DAY OF REHEARSALS

Stage plays generally set aside

about one month for rehearsals.

It's six or seven hours a day,

starting around noon and ending at night.

Many of the actors have busy lives,

so it's rare for everyone to be present.

In particular, the lead actors

often can't make rehearsals due to other jobs...

BLADE

...so rehearsal substitutes,

that is, stand-ins, are commonly hired.

Nevertheless, theater people love plays.

So many of them will join in, if only for a couple of hours.

-Good morning. -Good morning.

- Kana. -Hmm?

-Have a minute? -What is it?

This word. How do you say it?

FRONTIER GUARD

- "Sakimori". -Right. Got it.

Huh? I assumed the word was "boujin".

-You're so smart, Kana. -

Reading that is nothing special.

Why are there so many theater people

who can't read kanji?

Have you not considered reading more books?

I'm no good with all the tiny print in books.