【OSHI NO KO】 (【推しの子】)

Look!

We were featured in Playboy!

And we've been appearing on U Station's idol show from time to time.

I finally feel like I fit into this class.

I can call myself a full-fledged entertainer, right?

You were still worried about that?

Of course I was.

I felt alienated and left out every time you guys talked about work.

I actually feel more awkward talking to people in the same industry.

Oh, I get what you mean.

Really?

Even when I'm just whining about my work,

other models think that I'm bragging.

I want to casually tell someone that the actor, Douyama, DM'd me yesterday

to ask me out for dinner.

That is bragging.

Busted.

Frill, your story is on a different level.

So, are you going?

I'm not sure.

I hear that he's a player.

Oh, yeah. NANAMI, who was in that morning drama,

also said she got a DM from Douyama.

So, the rumors are true.

Miyaemon! Give me more work!

I want to work so much that I can complain about work too.

I don't know what you're talking about.

Do you want to ask Pieyon to collaborate with us?

That's fine too, but I want to do another concert!

We can't do concerts until Arima's stage play is over.

It seems like it'll be quite a while.

What?

Oh.

Your rehearsal's over already?

They've been postponed, to be precise.

The original author and the staff are arguing.

We could be on break for weeks.

For real?

Oh, where's Aqua?

That guy is...

There are so many people.

I'm glad they still had tickets.

This is a pretty popular stage play.

This is...

Wait and see.

Huh? What is this? Wind?

Is this 4DX? No, it's not.

Is this for real?

COLLABORATION DRINK

What did you think?

Well, to be honest,

it was 50 times better than what I expected.

Right?!

First of all, their curtains were screens.

That way, they can use plenty of video production.

What surprised me the most was that the seats rotated 360 degrees.

With this, they can prepare several stage sets beforehand

and change the scenes swiftly and seamlessly.

That's right.

They're physically solving the structural restraints of the theater.

Not just the facilities, but the stage play was really good too.

The staging was filled with ideas that people in film couldn't come up with.

That fascinated me, so I was able to enjoy the actors' performance as well.

The story was pretty good too.

To be honest, it was great. It was awesome.

I understand why you called it experience-based content.

You can't experience this by watching a movie.

That's a huge smile. Why are you so happy?

Because I was worried that you might not enjoy theater.

But I knew you'd appreciate the quality of it.

Of course, this is one of the most luxurious theaters in Japan.

So, like you said, there are still a lot of traditional theaters.

But I also find their use of originality and creativity to solve issues appealing.

I'd be happy if this helped you to enjoy theater more.

Well, I've become a little more interested.

That's good enough.

You're a movie guy to begin with.

Hi there, love birds.

-Mr. Raida. -Why are you here?

Why? Because I'm in charge of this play.

When I'm depressed, I come to see the audience's faces as they leave.

Their expressions are honest.

They smile if they enjoyed it.

If not, they'll have a straight face.

Watching them motivates me.

Your face was priceless, Aqua.

You made this old man very happy.

Oh, I wish I'd seen that. What kind of face was it?

-Do it again. -No.

I came after you to say hi because I saw you two,

but did I disturb you?

No, you didn't.

Mr. Raida, how's the script going?

I went to convince the publisher side again today,

but the original author seems to be very determined.

She wants GOA off this project

and wants to rewrite the script herself.

But she can't. I can tell after watching today's play.

Tokyo Blade 's script was

filled with ideas to make full use of this stage's strengths.

Even cheesy long lines would've looked great here.

The original author probably knows nothing about theater or this stage.

She'll write a script assuming it'll be performed in a high-school gym.

This play was a work of a pro,

where the script and equipment came together beautifully.

She may be a popular manga artist,

but I doubt she could come up with a script of that level.

Well, we'll help her out in that area.

Did you notice?

GOA wrote the script for today's play too.

He really is good at his job.

He loves theater deeply and is studious.

He's also patient with the rewriting process.

When he writes a script for a play,

the audience always leaves the venue with a smile.

I really didn't want him off the project.

Can't you do something about it?

That'll be difficult.

We're not strong enough to go against a major publishing company.

But,

you're the only one who can do something.

That is true, but...

I wonder if Mr. GOA is going to be removed from the team.

From the original manga's perspective,

I'd be lying if I said I was happy with his script.

But overall, it was a good script. That's why I went along with it.

Yeah.

I guess they both have their opinions.

The problem is the existing miscommunication.

If we can solve that, this might become an even better stage play.

Well, you did bring me to a great show today.

As a thank you, I guess I could give them a nudge.

Thank you for having us!

Oh, welcome everyone!

I'm sorry. I have nothing to do with Sweet Today , and still...

It's absolutely fine. I'm happy you came.

It's my first time coming to a manga artist's house.

This is my first time too...

I've been to one several times when we were shooting a movie.

Yeah? Good for you.

How do you draw?

This is called an LCD tablet.

It lets me draw directly on the screen.

So it's all digital.

That's the standard nowadays.

I-I think manga artists are amazing.

Doing both illustrations and coming up with the story.

Yeah. I guess.

She's giving me the cold shoulder, isn't she?

Well, you do have quite the nerve coming here.

I'd like to say, "Let's drink," but how old are you guys?

I'm 16.

-17. -16.

I'm 17.

So young. Makes me want to die a little.

Sorry. Then I'll go ahead and drink.

I bet she's a heavy drinker.

There's a bar that serves great sake.

Their fish dishes are great too.

I love fish!

Hey, I thought we were going to help Mr. GOA out.

What does visiting her have to do with that?

Someone who took care of me once said...

Not just manga artists,

but any creator who became successful once

thinks they are the best at what they do.

They'll stop listening to their editors.

They're surrounded by suck-ups, so they'll ignore any advice.

They'll only listen to people in the same profession.

Even better if that's their seniors or mentors.

"If you want to kill the General, aim for his horse."

She's the only one who can convince Abiko Samejima.

I see.

Sensei, thank you for having us when you're so busy.

I do monthly serialization, so I'm free when my work is done.

I'm guessing Ms. Abiko can't make it after all?

Well, yeah. She's doing weekly serialization.

Even for that rehearsal visit,

she had to adjust her schedule and make time for it.

Basically, weekly serialization is not a job for human beings.

It's a job for soldiers, whose brains are tuned up specifically for that job.

That's scary.

Only those who'd think about storyboards while on a date

are fit for the job.

No way.

Ms. Abiko must be especially busy right now.

With the anime adaptation and everything, she has color illustration work,

merchandise to supervise, and tons of other things to do.

Have you been friends with Ms. Abiko for a long time?

Well...

She was my assistant for Sweet Today .

She's always been eccentric.

Socializing isn't her strong suit.

She didn't even speak much to other assistants.

But her manga speaks for her.

Manga artists can tell

what kind of person another author is by reading their manga.

How can you tell?

Mostly by their art.

Like, which parts they're fixated on and where they cut corners.