Summary
From Buddhism’s cycle of reincarnation, to Shinto’s legend of Amaterasu,Oshi no Ko’s story is far from lacking. Seeing how Aka Akasaka’s previous work,Kaguya-sama: Love is Warwas loosely based onThe Tale of the Bamboo Cutter(orThe Tale of Princess Kaguya), it’s safe to assume thatOshi no Komay have a similar dilemma.
In episode 1, we can already conclude that the series does indeed carry supernatural elements - and what’s more, an omake chapter even confirms that both of Akasaka’s works take place in the same universe. Perhaps there’s a much larger narrative at play.
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White Roses
A reoccurring motif ofOshi no Kois white roses. In Japan, white roses are symbolic of innocence, hope, and starting anew. In every instance we see them, a major plot point is occurring. For example, we see white roses gifted to both Ai and Akane as congratulatory gifts, but it’s in those two scenes where the story takes a dark turn. In Ai’s case, it was her death. For Akane on the other hand, it was her realization of the true culprit.
White roses also have a special name for themselves in Japanese: 白い薔薇 (“shirobara”), which translates to what was stated previously, but with another implication; it canalso imply “silence”. When Ai gives birth to her children, a bouquet of white roses are in the background in her hospital room. With two symbolic meanings they carry in mind, starting anew and silence, this visual may have more weight than we’re led to believe.
In chapter 79, we’re introduced to a new character that fans dub, “the crow girl”. She demonstrates copious amounts of knowledge about both Ruby’s ordeal, and the entire narrative of the story. This leads to many theorizing that she’s amessenger of Amaterasu, the goddess of the sun. In legend, it’s said that Amaterasu’s messengers were crows, who spread truth. While this is arguably an “exposition” chapter, Crow Girl says that Ai’s children were initially “soulless”, implying that she would have given birth to stillborns.
It’s because of Sarina and Goro’s deaths, that Aqua and Ruby were alive. Going back to how this ties into the white roses, babies are supposed to come out of the womb crying, and making sounds. But if a baby is not making noise, that implies one of two things: they came out asleep, or they’re stillborn - thus silence. Aqua and Ruby’s births had two destinies: one of renewal, or one of silence. Moreover, their birthplace is in Takachiho, which is said to house the cave that Amaterasu sealed herself in for 3 days.
Amaterasu
Inepisode 1, when Aqua and Ruby try to dissuade Miyako from exposing their secret, Ruby states she’s the embodiment of Amaterasu. But throughout the story, we see Kana is a closer resemblance than Ruby is. In Japanese legend, Susanoo, Amaterasu’s brother became bitter after losing a bet with her and destroyed the land she oversaw. As a result, she hid herself away in a cave - more specifically the Amano Iwato Cave in Takachiho. For 3 days, the other gods tried to get her out of the cave and return to them, but to no avail.
It wasn’t until Ame-no-Uzume drew her out with a performance so extreme and out of the blue, did she finally come out. After Kana reached her “peak” in her career, she took up small acting jobs here and there to continue acting, but still remained on the down-low. Even when she agreed to become an Idol, she was down on her hope and confidence, until Aqua danced for her in the crowd during her debut concert, cheering her up and finally bringing Kana out of her shell.
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Susanoo
In Japanese legend, Susanoo had a more direct connection with Amaterasu, being her brother. But we can’t overlook how similar he is to Hikaru. First off, the bet that was made between them was whocould create better gods. After Amaterasu’s success, Susanoo retaliated by destroying the daughters she had sent to earth.
Manga readers will be aware that Hikaru was sexually assaulted in his childhood, and his attacker became pregnant with his first child. Years later, he targets rising actresses and kills them, in classic serial killer fashion. This is similar to Susanoo seeking revenge on Amaterasu. But because of Amaterasu’s reliance, she appoints Ame-no-Uzume to protect her children. And Aqua, on his path to stop Hikaru and keep Kana safe, is just that.
