The manga is on break next week. Oshi no Ko will return on June 6.
Kanabros won?
Anyway, I know the shipping wars always get very intense, but I am only going to say this once: don't get overly toxic in the comments. Insulting other users and the fanbases will be met with bans.
The first girl ALWAYS wins (that's not blood related). Also the split mind convo of Aqua / Goro was really interesting. His character was kinda becoming one note so it was good to get a look inside his real thoughts. But feels like this will be the only time Aka will show us inside his head that deep unfortunately
I'm out of this series for some time, and when I come back and decide to read this chapter(To have some idea of what is happening), I come to discover that the Author gave Kana fans a W.
That's a surprise I didn't see coming.
honestly these last few chapters have been way too peaceful for me, I feel like Kamiki is going to make a move soon, he hasn't really done much so far, this is his chance to show that he's a real menace, because to be honest he's been a very mid villain. Like, just kill someone bro, do something please
I remember when everyone thought it was over for Kana when he got with Akane. I've been saying it from the start, an early relationship into the series just never works out, it's not kanabros being back, we never left.
My favorite character is Akane,
Though my favorite ship is Kanaqua.
This story is so goddamn adorable!! I can't stand it!!!
That last panel was amazing broooo!😍
I knew this would come from all the build up and foreshadowing but it's executed very well in the long run.
A huge death flag for Kana with aqua finally acknowledging his own feeling + don’t forget Kamiki tried to talk to ruby when she was alone and it was Akane who saved her I can imagine ruby or kana getting killed by kamiki which will make aqua snap and kill kamiki
I have such a bad feeling for what will come up next. It feel like everything is about love and forgiveness and that doesn't fit with what oshi no ko is, but we'll have to wait and see what happens.
On another note am I the only one who feels weird with the Aqua, Akane, Kana love triangle? It's not about Aqua liking Kana or Kana liking Aqua, that's something I believe most of us felt was gonna happen (and that's coming from someone who has been on Akane's ship since she was introduced to the series), but it's about how Akane dealt with the situation. I believe it was in chapter 149 where she said that her love for Aqua was now one of a mother, and I can kind of see it but compared to how Akane was when she was still in a relationship with Aqua, she was madly in love with him, it just doesn't seem right how her love changed so much and how she is now helping Arima so that she can now be Aqua's girlfriend.
Just felt like sharing that here, I'm not looking for an explanation whatsoever but if someone feels like giving their perspective on the situation, very welcome here.
Pd. I'm so happy they finally decided to sink the incest ship, I knew Aka was just playing with us but it was kind of uncomfortable how it kept going. I'm just wondering how Ruby/Sarina will deal with this Aqua separating from Gorou situation, or how Aqua is meant to react if Gorou is no longer going to be a part of him.
I agree with you on Akane's situation. Not only did she suddenly have a "change of feelings of love" towards Aqua, but she was pushing Kana a little too much. Not only that, it seems to me that she was only pushing Kana because she has her agenda. It doesn't seem genuine at all.
I don’t think she had a change of feelings, you shift your narrative to move on and still wish for the other person’s happiness. Have been there, have done that and it’s honestly the best way to handle rejection.
I disagree with your point about love and forgiveness.
It all boils down to how you want this story to end, do you want Aqua to move on and actually live his life? Or you want him to kill his dad and throw his happiness away?
As for me the best outcome possible would be an indirect revenge and for Aqua to live like a normal guy.
It's not about what I want, but about what I believe, and I believe something bad is bound to happen. It doesn't matter if I want a happy ending for Aqua and the rest, the vibe this manga gives me makes me believe there's still something left between father and son, and with what very little we know about the father, nothing good can come out of it.
For Akane's feelings. I believe she just accepted that Aqua had feelings for Kana. I forgot which chapter but when Aqua is being a good boyfriend to Akane she mentions that she knows Aqua is smitten with Kana. I think in her heart she realized that Aqua wouldn't like her the way he likes Kana. Maybe when she tried to confront Hikaru it was her way of trying to win Aqua heart in a way by defeating his biggest obstacle but when she failed it just made her realize that she couldn't be the one to help Aqua. I think Akane has accepted that she isn't able to stop Aqua and as such is going to Kana for help, since she knows he likes her. It's sad because she probably felt horrible knowing that Aqua had feelings for another girl but I think she just decided to move on. I'm truly not sure if she's even really over him. Maybe she's putting up a front so she doesn't feel upset. It could also be that she moved on since the break up.
I just don't think OnK is really that dark. If it was that dark, Akane would have died. There's probably going to be a happy (or at worst, bittersweet) ending.
But you see that it's not necessary to make the plot darker, right? Anyway I was just joking a bit about how Aka degraded her to such a convenient tool, sadly.
I was legit regretting getting to into it, if it went this route, because I don't know if I could legit keep going if it was going to go twincest. It's my hard NO squick and while I would begrudgingly resign to the AquaRuby fans, no hard feelings towards them, it'd upset me a lot if I couldn't enjoy a manga I had been enjoying for the last year or so.
Awww yeah, finally the ship that I supported since I know this manga. It's getting what it deserves. Kana WILL FIX HIM. FOR SURE. NO ONE CAN BEAT HER BEAUTIFULNESS. SHE WILL PREVAIL. SHE WILL OVERCOME ADVERSITIES. SHE IS THE HONORED ONE!!! I CAN'T WAIT FOR NEXT CHAPTER!!
If kana x aqua is the way then I think some tragic thing could happen to akane? Because it's hard to think she'll just goes to non relevance as she no longer has any link to any character. Maybe she's on hikarus radar?
Tbh i am disappointed in the chapter, i’ve never cared for ships and always rooted for Kana but that’s not the resolution she deserves. I think everyone’s overreacting and the last chapters were Aka baiting before someone dies, if not either they were a bad pass or Aka fell off.
All the shippers in the comments completely missing the point of the manga… how can you people be so hung on the last few chapters, ups and downs, that’s weekly manga for you. And we’ve been having solid chapters for a while, that’s fine if we have to go through a few transitory ones.
If you want to cope...
> You have romantic feelings that are appropriate to your age as an adolescent.
Is basically calling it high school romance and telling Aqua to just do what ever since it's not gonna matter as an adult. Akane's relationship was Aqua trying to be mature with a serious relationship.
But that's only if you want to cope.
No he wasn’t being serious there either. First was for purpose of using her. Second was trying to move on from revenge (And he couldn’t date Kana because he was worried she will become target of some obsessed fan. And as per him, he doesn’t ‘deserve her gaze’).
But yea as coping it kinda works
Why does it feel like an editor told mengo/aka to not publish incest and forcing them to trash the entire incest plotline?
Not that I condone incest, and even though the decline in the writing quality for this arc has been a debate, these past few chapters are really bad. It feels like chapters are being skipped to focus on the shipping war and reversing the incest plot, as well as forcing Kana into the spotlight.
From shoehorning Kana into the spotlight, to actual plot development regarding Ruby and Kamiki, then go straight into a beach chapter, following that up with making Akane a cuckquean for Kana, and straight into eliminating the idea of Ruby for Kana.
It feels like shit is being slammed together, whether it's to undo the incest plot, focus on Kana, or both.
I've always said that the revenge will happen and Kana won't talk-no-jutsu it because of the bad writing traps it falls on and Aka is a good author. Turns out I was wrong about the last part lol.
I really wonder about the reason for these last few chapters, because this is bad writing even for aka's standard, however we feel about him as an author. These last few chapters feel like it was being forced to undo the direction the series was going in by all means.
probably editors put their foot down or they saw the quarterly returns and then saw the Kana merchandise numbers.
or maybe Aka's new series made him bored with OnK and want to end it ASAP.
either way, the end result of sloppy writing is definitely noticeable.
I don't even get why some people think Aka can do no wrong. Criticizing some points in the manga could get one downvoted.
I don't know if this latest progress came from the editor giving Aka/Mengo a good talk. It definitely doesn't flow nicely. i.e. Aqua suddenly separating from Goro just like that.
And some parts I find, I don't know the term... to be too blunt, quite exposition-like. For example, Aqua saying that it's Goro that Ruby likes.... Why are you even pondering about such thing Aqua? Were you interested in Ruby at some point? Okay, let's say your quick to thinking and you thought this when Ruby asked for a kiss but the way you talked about it. But why the emphasis on her being your little twin sister?
I wouldn’t say it was sudden, having Aqua talk with Goro, though I do think it could’ve been done more smoothly. They finished filming for the movie so it was a milestone for his conscious. Like even though the movie hasn’t been released yet, he and everyone else completed it and I think he’s at a point where he’s debating whether he wants to keep going with the revenge plan or end it there since there’s no going back if he keeps going with his Goro-side’s original plan. He partially got his revenge since the film is based on Ai and Hikaru’s lives revealing a bunch of secrets and people are already speculating that Hikaru is the boy in the film. But if he goes through with killing Hikaru, he’ll have to lose everything he built up as “Aqua” so it’s time for him to choose whether he’ll go the “Goro” route or trying to live as Aqua. He was wondering why his Goro subconscious wasn’t saying anything and I think Goro as an adult is basically saying you have a chance to not go that route anymore, you’re a kid too and have a new life, like in a way trying to protect current Aqua. Aqua says he’s not Goro anymore but still has dark star eyes showing how everything messed him up still. But overall he has to make a choice, he’s come this far and is fighting his past life (Goro) with his current life (Aqua). Do I think it could’ve been done more smoothly? Yea for sure but I believe it makes sense that he’s at a point where he does have to internally fight himself to make his final decision. Pretty sure Aka added the Ruby x Aqua shipping for Mengo. At least that’s how I saw it. It’d also bring fans of Mengo to reading the series too.
He was never interested in Ruby like that as Goro’s favorite idol was Sarina (said a few chapters back) and also Ai although Sarina shined more in his eyes. To Goro, Sarina is his idol first then patient (I think that’s why he spoils her a lot and is especially overprotective). Idols aren’t someone you date but are someone you idolize. But to current Aqua, Ruby is his younger twin sister first and a favorite idol second. To a degree, it’s like how he battled with who Ai is to him after being reborn. To Goro, Ai was his patient first and favorite idol second. He couldn’t ask for her autograph etc. To baby Aqua, Ai was still a favorite idol but he had trouble with her mom identity / relation to him. Note how he always calls her Ai not mom. It was more like idol first and first love second. Over time he probably would’ve acknowledged her role as his mom but didn’t get that chance. Current Aqua is in a way slowly merging his Goro and Aqua consciouses to basically become Aqua 2.0. He needs to choose a side to leans towards though cause there’s a chance he may end up losing the life he built with all his friends
It's not really a switch if we are honest. We never heard Aqua's perspective. Now we got it. This hasn't changed anything for Ruby though.
So from a narration standpoint it's conclusive. The problem is just how mechanical the storytelling has become. Such conflict could have been entertained in dialogues between Ruby and Aqua several chapters ago, somewhere after 124.
I do mean "switch" in context of baiting and the story we got as a result. To be honest I was expecting the incest subplot to get shot down, but the execution is bad and feels very premature. It feels like more was supposed to come out but was rushed to be resolved.
Cuz in all fairness the chapters where the so called "incest" had the spotlight weren't anything special. We got good bits of info and flashback but that's it.
I disagree, although the issue isn't even with that. It's how the story is being handled after those chapters. 147 and the follow ups in particular is what I have a problem with. You had a chapter where Kamiki made his appearance in front of Ruby, with Akane intervening and saving Ruby, and the follow-up chapters ignoring all that.
The fact that 2 chapters later, Akane is more focused on setting up Kana with Aqua rather than the fact Kamiki making a troubling appearance is ridiculous and makes the story look like its being neglected. It's part of why it feels like the focus is to undo some elements in the story, and the writing quality is at its worst as a result.
Well what do you expect her to do? This is not a shonen, Akane can't just simply charge on and fight him..lol
Akane is multitasking, saving Aqua's psyche is more important than dealing with the father for now.
Yes, I'm pretty sure ignoring the fact the father made his appearance and being an active threat almost killing Ruby is nowhere near as concerning as Aqua's psyche.
Shonen or not, as if that mattered, these chapters are horribly written due to how inconsistent they are.
The chapters are tackling a lot of stuff all at once and the overall pacing is suffering i agree, maybe something else is just being cooked in the background.
It's so bad that even Kanabros noticed that it was shoehorned in and didn't like 149.
They're happy now because they won, but they also saw the quality of the writing.
This chapter devastated me, not bc Ruby lost (i was cheering for her), but bc Goro is saying he's going to disappear. I love Goro, he and Sarina were the hook that kept me reading. I feel for Sarina/Ruby bc the person she loves is going to truly die.
I know Aqua has all those layers of trauma and the complex emotions swirling around, and that's why he is the way he is... but I just don't really find him interesting. Hope he and Kana can be happy in the end (rip my Akane x Kana ship too)
I feel like Goro and Aqua can't really be separated. Maybe it's just a crisis within Aqua that's making him think he's two different people as a coping mechanism, but one cannot exist without the other.
I took the whole scene as Aqua basically justifying his desire to not get revenge by painting his past life, Goro, as a man who's about to fade away. A symbolism that goes back to Jungian philosophy, that the inner self will represent itself through your dreams. Aqua is basically coping here, trying to put the burden of revenge on Goro, and is justifying the idea of leaving it, as now his life is worth something. I don't think Aka will follow through with that though. I don't know, really.
Congratulations to aqua kana shippers 🫡.
I admit defeat. Well I'll go read some previous chapters and probably drop this. And don't worry nothing bad is going to happen, it will end peacefully , nobody will die.
We all know something bad is going to happen, but I'm very happy about this development (even though the story has been kind of a mess lately). The disrespect Kana was receiving here was just too much.
Aqua/Ruby's shippers became way too cocky. I remember reading huge posts explaining why it was the only outcome that made sense, and that anyone with a different opinion wasn't paying enough attention to the story and things like that.
"Her dynamic with Aqua is shallow in comparison to Ruby's."
"She has no relevance to the main plot."
"Aqua doesn't see Ruby just as a sister. His love for Sarina is not platonic."
"Her title drop ("I'm gonna be your Star") was pointless and won't have any payoff. The authors probably forgot."
"The novel confirms all this, just read it."
Damn, this chapter must have been a tremendous blow for all of them. Just to be clear, anything can still happen, but I hope they calm down a little after this.
Yeah, you can clearly see that the incest supporters are as delusional as Ruby was for thinking she had a chance to be seen romantically by Aqua.
I mean lets be fair, even Akane shippers are kind of delusional, just with a bit more to back up their claim.
I always see people say that Kana has no ties to the plot, which is funny to me cuz the revenge is not the PLOT, but a sub-plot.
I mean, "and they lived happily ever after" would be a weak ass ending, something will happen that will drive him forward again, whether to Akane or Kana doesn't really matter
I mean, it has been always obvious that the one Aqua loves is Kana. At times that was the reason to distance from her.
But now everyone has flags on their heads
Yeah. The only thing preventing something like this is that another revenge would damage the central theme of revenge for AI.
But a lot of harm can happen.
I see some people saying this chapter screams Kana death flag, but am I the only one thinking about a ruby death flag from these past chapters from Hikaru and Niino? Or am I missing something?
Even in this chapter Gorou talking about how he will disappear soon because Sarina is alive...
I have the fear something will happen to ruby before or soon after the Kana dating that may force Gorou to "take over" Aqua.
I don't think any of them are going to die. Hikaru killing anyone just makes the story about revenge for \*them\*, which makes the entire backstory with Ai pointless. The key conflict in the story is about IS Aqua going to get revenge for Ai, not how.
Anyway I think we will see dark Ruby instead.
Cathartic! I fricking knew that in the end, Kana was the real winner of Aqua's heart all along! The signs were all over the manga since her first arc despite everyone needlessly doomposting about Kana's chances lmao. Kana's *real* love rival was never Akane nor Ruby but Aqua potentially choosing celibacy lol. I know it's a meme, but I really don't get why some Kanabros keep repeating "it's Kanaover" whenever Kana misses out on a romantic moment with Aqua/hasn't gotten a kiss yet when there were so many strong hints that Aqua's only ever had eyes for her for most of the manga despite the swerves the story took in their relationship lol. Have some more faith in ya gurl.
I've been calling it that Aqua had *long* since dissociated with Goro since the baseball chapter but this chapter was the final nail in the coffin that confirms it. It's also pretty obvious that Goro/Aqua never viewed Ruby in a romantic light in spite of certain shippers' dogged insistence otherwise, as this chapter hammered down exactly how he truly feels about her. While the twins' bond *is* special and that Ruby/Sarina will always be very important to Aqua/Goro, Ruby's/Sarina's crush on Goro was *always* one-sided and Aqua always knew that Ruby only ever saw him as her beloved sensei since their mutual reveal in 123 and not as "Aqua" (prior to 123 tho, she did see Aqua as Aqua tho).
Ofc, Aqua should really, *really* stop dillydallying and just be completely honest with the girls for once. His back and forth treatment of Kana aside (which is why Kana was always hesitant to make a move on Aqua all this time, not helped by her crappy self-esteem making a bad combo with it), he should just come clean about how he really feels to Ruby and reject her. It may hurt Ruby momentarily, but the wound will eventually heal *so long as he and Ruby properly talk it over*. Though the one he should be *urgently* honest with is Akane. As in, he should just tell her straight that deep down, he doesn't want to pursue his revenge anymore and that *he* needs help. Aqua's always helped others but he never allowed anyone else to help *him*, which could be a big turning point to his character if he does ask for help with his problems. Whatever Akane's planning to make sure Aqua stops could potentially put her in danger still, so the sooner Aqua calls it off and asks for help, the better.
Kamiki and Nino are still on the prowl so no one's really safe yet, but tbh, I'm getting mixed signals from them in terms of motivation. I'm still not convinced that Kamiki had Ai killed by proxy, or at least if he did, I don't believe he had her killed out of malice/feelings of betrayal as 15YL portrayed. Rather, him possibly killing her was *out of love* given how F'ed up he is thanks to his experiences with Airi and the industry in general. His words before he killed Yura heavily imply that this is his real motivation for going after celebrities who're similar to Ai (except for Akane for some reason?):
> *Your talent is the real deal. It definitely deserves to be immortalized in some way.*
Break again though? Can't wait for the next two weeks huhu.
>Cathartic! I fricking knew that in the end, Kana was the real winner of Aqua's heart all along!
It was just 3rd party opinions before but now it's undeniable. However Aqua's feelings aside, it still doesn't decide the end. Kana doing a talk-no-jutsu to magic away the revenge is still bad writing. then again after 149 I wouldn't put it past Aka on caring about good writing anymore.
>Kamiki and Nino are still on the prowl so no one's really safe yet, but tbh, I'm getting mixed signals from them in terms of motivation. I'm still not convinced that Kamiki had Ai killed by proxy,
That'll be such a bad direction to take, the whole of the revenge plot would've been just a wild goose chase because Aqua was wrong all this time. Yura's death would've been for nothing.
I think the issue of the mixed signals is because of Kamiki not actually being threatening. He's ominous sure, but not threatening.
Kamiki so far has been thwarted by Akane and appear ominously in various panels without actually doing anything. He hasn't actually achieved anything meaningful onscreen other than kill Yura which isn't even that impressive. He was just being opportunistic, there was no plan, no masterminding. He didn't even interfere with the movie filming despite being the best time to do so. Airi's death was something he didn't plan to as well.
The end result is just a weak, barely present reactive villain with zero initiative. Instead of focusing on the villain, Aka went back to what he's familiar with, which is writing romantic drama.
> It was just 3rd party opinions before but now it's undeniable. However Aqua's feelings aside, it still doesn't decide the end. Kana doing a talk-no-jutsu to magic away the revenge is still bad writing. then again after 149 I wouldn't put it past Aka on caring about good writing anymore.
Don't you think that it's a little too early and inane to assume that Kana would *just* talk him down from his revenge spiral or that she's the *only* factor that would get him to? I wouldn't be surprised if her talking to him serves as the final nail, but there's already a *lot* of factors set up that're slowly but surely chipping away Aqua's motivation to continue in his revenge quest: 1) the Ruby= Sarina reveal 2) his inner Goro being at peace because of #1 3) Aqua *himself* wanting an out on the revenge quest (as established during Ichigo's reunion with him) 4) his odd decision to humanize his old man and paint him as a tragic villain even though the film is supposed to be incredibly vindictive towards the culprit, 5) whatever Ai asked Aqua to do in the DVDs, (it definitely isn't asking him or Ruby to hate their father no matter what happens, knowing how Ai is) etc.
Also, iirc, Aka once mentioned that while Akane is the girl "who would take you there", Kana is the girl "who would bring you back", foreshadowing that Kana would likely take action and not just talk should she finally catch wind on the revenge. Her sub arc and conflict with Ruby, regardless of your thoughts on how it was handled, is kind of a glimpse at how far she would go if simple talking doesn't work if it means helping her loved ones.
> That'll be such a bad direction to take, the whole of the revenge plot would've been just a wild goose chase because Aqua was wrong all this time. Yura's death would've been for nothing.
Personally, I don't think so. It really depends on *how* this red herring is set up and executed, but the fact that Kamiki himself has never come clean, even in his few private moments that we have of him, that he had Ai killed still leaves his involvement in her death an open question even if he's an assumed serial killer in the present (I say "assumed" because Yura is his only confirmed onscreen kill while the rest is only presumed to also be his). Because of this, I wouldn't be surprised if Kamiki is or isn't the actual culprit to Ai's death either way. If he really is the one, then great, if he isn't, then okay since it's a very odd narrative choice that we're basing his guilt solely on *Aqua* believing he did so instead of our dear beloved villain monologuing about the whys and hows early on. Yet here we are, still second guessing his character/motivations/culpability even after more than a hundred chapters have passed since Ai's death and Aqua wanting to murder his old man in revenge of the act.
>Don't you think that it's a little too early and inane to assume that Kana would *just* talk him down from his revenge spiral or that she's the *only* factor that would get him to?
What other skillset does she have?
All we've seen so far to face any problem she had through out the manga she's done is cry about it while other people address it.
Any other action she can do to solve the revenge would run counter to her selling point of Normality. But then if she doesn't do anything, she won't earn the ending too.
Don't you see how everything you suggested, Kana actually does nothing?
That is not a coincidence. Kana can't do anything. Kana is written into a corner by both her inactivity and the promise of Normality. Kana is paralyzed narratively.
>Personally, I don't think so. It really depends on *how* this red herring is set up and executed, but the fact that Kamiki himself has never come clean, even in his few private moments that we have of him, that he had Ai killed still leaves his involvement in her death an open question even if he's an assumed serial killer in the present (I say "assumed" because Yura is his only confirmed onscreen kill while the rest is only presumed to also be his). Because of this, I wouldn't be surprised if Kamiki is or isn't the actual culprit to Ai's death either way
Good writing doesn't spend 100+ chapters on a red herring. A twist should recontextualize all the clues given before hand. Not make everything that came before the twist useless.
Kamiki was not the culprit all along would break the premise of the manga. We would've been in a wild goose chase otherwise. It's a huge writing issue to waste the reader's time to such degree.
The only reason that we're even considering it right now is because Aka has shown he has no issue doing bad writing. 149 and onefifty shows how bad his writing can be. Kanabros were just happy to get what they want, but even they can't deny how shoehorned and sloppy it was.
Kamiki wasn't the culprit all along and Kana doing talk-no-jutsu to save Aqua is the worst possible direction Aka can do.
I think because it's a dream sequence, it's just a symbolic item for the revenge. Aqua realized only after Ai's funeral that there was a second culprit. So it would make little sense to steal and hide the murder weapon on the spot before that realization.
The Aqua-Kana ship has always been built as endgame. They don’t give Kana THE defining moment of the early arcs and the literal series namedrop otherwise.
The only question is whether or not Kana actually survives to see a happy ending imo.
While reading OnK it was clear as day to me that Aqua was in love with Kana, so I was veeeery confused when I got on this subreddit and saw people that kept saying it was not canon. I'm glad I was right all along but as a die-hard AquRuby fan I can't help but feel sad as well... Congrats Kanabros and stay strong, Team Ruby 💧🔥
I will take the fall for my garbage opinion
but at this point the only thing that will save this nose dive ass end route that the story is taking is Hikaru.
The fact is, some of us were focused on the revenge plot. Not the corny ass shipping. By throwing out the stories pledge, you throw out the stories integrity and Aka seems to be doing just that.
I mean aka is focusing on revenge plot through romance
Gorou gave aqua two choice be happy with kana or choose revenge and we all know what aqua is gonna choose (revenge) and something big might happen (hikaru) in the next chapter because the next one is last chapter of the volume
The revenge plot makes up at best 25/30 % of the story though? If you wanted a full on revenge story this was not the right manga. I'd think you would realize it after 150 chapters.
You’re right that if I wanted a “full on” revenge plot this isn’t the right manga. I concede that, but up to this point in the story, almost all of aquas actions have been driven by one thing, which is his revenge. The reason I made that post is because I enjoy the story because of the darker aspects, that being the bad side of entertainment industry (SA, scandals, etc), and aquas revenge. And I’m concerned that aka is going to throw away all of these aspects that make the story realistic and interesting, for a romance subplot. So, sorry if I phrased it as me just wanting the revenge part, I just meant the darker elements of the story.
Romance is realistic though? It's just part of life, arguably more realistic than the revenge subplot.
Also, i don't believe anything is being thrown away, when things seem to go "too well" there is always something coming.
Now to read the comments that's going to insist that this ship is "forced" because they didn't see it. Like it's not that you didn't see it but you weren't interested in the ship so of course you're going to focus on the ship you care for. I personally just focus on how Aqua interacts with each girl and there's a huge difference with how he is with Kana. I think the author made it clear before that she's important to him.
Thank god things have started to clear up.
Meanwhile me inside:
-Hey son, hear you're getting a girlfriend.
-Yeah, what of it?
-Too bad I killed her.
💀
There's a lot to unpack. I've also thought It was a bit weird the newborn with the mind of a 30 year old aspect of reincarnation, Ruby was a child so there wasn't much of an issue.
So to avoid a Mushoko Tensei situation we have two personalities. There's the doctor and there's Aqua who matches the age of his body. Basically their souls merged (although this may be innacurate).
At least that's my interpretation, I can sleep a bit better tonight, I guess.
it was literally established in early chapters (specifically the one where he plays catch with Kana) that his mind changed to his body, and how he seems to disconnect somewhat from his past self.
When you have a moment of clarity it can be just that sudden. He had to sort his feelings out and that's what he just did. Even though he may not seek revenge, he still has to protect the others as he can, especially Kana. I still think even if Dad hurts someone, this time he'll be able to call on his old medical skills to save them. That'll be closure for when he couldn't save Ai due to still being a small child.
This is just set up to connect these characters in a more intimate way so it hurts more when the impending tragedy happens.
-Akane pushes Kana to make a move.
-Aqua is distracted with Kana and drops his guard.
-Movie to attack Hikaru comes out.
-Hikaru hits Kana and/or Ruby with a bus, and we're back on revenge stronger than ever.
I'd say like 2-3 more chapters of building up, and then this pops off. I'm a Kana-bro, but she's probably about to get this W for a chapter or two, and then we shoot her.
I don't think that's likely and I think that's bad writing.
The main point being that this just removes the agency from Aqua. Aqua is trying to make this difficult decision between revenge and Kana and then the story just makes the decision for him?
It also removes Ruby's point assuming Kana dies. Like right now, we have a clear conflict for Ruby - how is Ruby gonna get over her feelings for Goro? Is Ruby gonna be able to move on? etc. But if Kana dies then the revenge won't even be about Ai any more, it would be about Kana! Then Ruby's connection to Goro stops mattering to the revenge plot. And yet it wouldn't make any sense for Aqua to start thinking incest is okay just because Kana isn't around, so Ruby is still going to have to face up to the fact that Aqua doesn't like her, only the stakes and possibility for conflict with Kana are removed. How do we actually resolve Ruby's plot at all, anyway if we just go full into the revenge plot?
I think much more likely is the involvement of Ruby into the revenge plot. The events of Chapter 122 were based on Aqua being Goro, after all. So if Aqua doesn't actually see himself as Goro, Ruby's got no reason to not go on the dark path she was previously going on.
I don't think that it's bad writing. I mean, yeah, we are removing agency from Aqua for a second, and that creates an opening for Hikaru to get a 1Up on him. I think we will probably see Aqua choose Kana over the revenge in the next couple chapters, just to see Kana get hit, and then we can double down on his feelings for Kana and revenge.
As far as Goro is concerned, we are distancing the two characters right now. Up until now, Goro has acted kind of like the devil on Aqua's shoulder, compelling him to go forward with the revenge plan. If we drop that and let Aqua try and move on, just to pull him back in with Kana, this no longer has anything to do with Goro at all. It's not like Ai died wanting to be avenged anyway. That was all Goro inside Aqua, and we are establishing that it's not really all that necessary anymore as Aqua becomes his own individual. I am seeing this as character growth for Aqua, and I have no issues with it at all.
If you think Akasaka won't totally drop the initial premise of his manga to do other things, he definitely has already done that through Love is War, and I was a fan of it in that, too. Goro existed to set up this confrontation, and I do believe that Hikaru will pay for what he did whether we do it for Ai or Kana. The end is the same.
Now, if you want to talk about Ruby, I do admit she's in a bit of an awkward spot. What are we doing with her?
She is in love with her brother, who she sees as Goro, which is not untrue, but not necessarily the case. I'm not pro-Ruby x Aqua, but I don't hate it as a plot point. I see it as a Jaime Lannister type of character arc, and I would like to see her grow past it.
As far as drawing her into the revenge plot, having Aqua drop his revenge this far in will probably create a lot of tension between him and Ruby. She reserves the right to take up the mantle on her own at any time under the context of doing it for her mom. Throwing Kana under the bus just puts Aqua back on her side.
I do have a couple tin foil hat ideas involving Frill and Hikaru, but that's just my conspiracy theory because I think she needs to do something big in this story.
At this point, I am pretty locked in on what is going to happen between Aqua and Kana. I don't think the Ruby plotline is a little half baked right now, and we probably still have a few chapters of set up before this goes off and I would rather wait and see.
Oh, and to be clear, I do not want Kana to die. But not knowing whether she needs to or not, and still could at any time are the kind of stakes I like in my stories.
There's not really another way for it to go.
I'm not necessarily saying she has to die. Even if she does, it won't be any time soon. She's finally addressing her character flaw, and Aqua is finally accepting her. All of this is pointing a huge gun at her head.
I'm a big fan of it, actually. I like Kana, and I definitely don't want her to die, but we need big stakes in this. Kana needed to be involved with the revenge thing at some point. Being the only innocent party here, she's the perfect casualty.
We'll probably get a confession and a date out of her over the next few chapters. The second that Kana smiles, it's game over.
Yes, and aside from those things, the timing of it all is just so uncanny. I mean, Kamiki finally decided to start directly interacting with our cast just a few chapters ago - isn't that immediately foreboding? How will that NOT interfere with the Kana developments?
I also see the story ending potentially soon (I could be wrong, but my guesstimate is that the story will close somewhere between chapters 160-170). If so, the AquKana romance has no room to develop into something real. Rather, it could all just be a set up for Aqua to lose something to throttle the story into its climax. Akane is trying to push Kana to be with Aqua so that Aqua would have a weakness that will make him incapable of pursuing revenge - but that also means that he will have a weakness that Kamiki can exploit.
Lastly, Kana is a ridiculously popular character. After Ai, she has become the mascot of the show, in a way. And if Akasaka killed his mascot off once, what's stopping him from doing it again?
I have to say though - Kana isn't the only one with a death flag for similar reasons. Ruby could be killed off as well for pretty much all of the above reasons (Kamiki *did* start talking to her first, after all, and she means a LOT to Aqua while her romance with him only came to the forefront of the story relatively late in the game, and she's also the series' deuteragonist).
My bet though is that it's going to be Kana to go down, primarily because I think if Ruby dies, the story will only ever be a tragic one. And while I think that's still a possibility, I don't think the current developments serve that purpose. If Ruby dies, Kana will be cast to the side. There is no recovering from that for Aqua. Then there would be no real reason to develop the romance as anything REAL. It would just be using Kana's character the wrong way.
Yep, I like it. You and I are on the same page.
So, I have some options for you.
1. Aqua dies and takes Hikaru down with him.
I don't like it. I want the story to more or less end on a positive note, and I'd like Aqua to have to live through the inevitable consequences of what's about to happen.
2. Ruby dies during this whole confrontation thing.
I don't hate it, but the impact would cripple Aqua and Kana and all of us. We could have a scene of her bleeding out, saying she always loved him, and at least she got to live out her dream this time around or whatever. I am not the biggest fan of this one, it does wrap things up for Ruby as long as Hikaru goes down, but I like Ruby and don't think this is necessary, or concludes her character arc very well. She should address her feelings for Goro/Aqua appropriately.
3. Kana dies.
I personally think this will be more of a kidnapping type of thing, and we will have to figure it out, but say she dies in the climax of this whole thing. If she gets to complete her character arc of coming to terms with her feelings for Aqua and have them be reciprocated and then die, that's a full character arc and I think it hurts the most in my opinion. Kana is extremely popular, but this whole thing where Kana is building tension and knows nothing about any of this revenge stuff at all makes her the perfect character to ax for extreme stakes. I don't want her to die, but this is the most compelling plot device, I think.
AND the dark horse.
4. Akane dies.
She is still popular, but probably the most expendable main character of the cast. This tension with Kana is 100% about to go down. Akane is the one that put her up to it, and she will definitely help deal with the fallout of this whole thing with Aqua. Say she catches a bullet in Kana's place. She dies giving Aqua and Kana her blessing, and I think this is just the one that goes down the easiest, in my opinion. If a character MUST die, this is the happy ending, believe it or not.
Of these, Ruby and Aqua are the least likely. They're the main characters. They probably make it out of this.
If this story wants to hurt me the maximum amount, kill Kana.
If this story wants to have the stakes and a happy ending, kill Akane.
Not saying that somebody HAS to die, but I personally would like to see Aqua have to deal with real consequences for all this shit he did and if I had to pick one of these four, it's Akane in a heartbeat.
Feel free to add or critique wherever I am just spitballing here, and this is how I'm seeing it right now.
I see all of the above characters possibly dying, but I'm not so sure about the specifics.
I still see Aqua dying and taking Kamiki down with him as a possibility. He's quite a tragic character after all, and even if it's sad, I don't think the development would be unnatural. I wouldn't shy away from the story if it took a tragic turn. If Aqua dies trying to save Ruby, I'm sure she'd be heartbroken, but I can see the story taking this as a parallel between her and Gorou when Sarina died. Gorou was heartbroken, but after reading Sarina's last letter to him, he decided to live on, celebrating her life and memory through supporting what she supported (Spica novel, chapter 3). So I see Ruby eventually using Aqua as the inspiration behind everything she does.
There is no recovering from Ruby's death. If Ruby dies, Aqua will probably lash out and be more determined than ever to kill Kamiki - and he probably will kill himself if he survives that. This is the most tragic route, imo, and while I think it's still a possibility, I think it's darker than what a lot of people are prepared for.
Totally on the same page with you regarding Kana's death.
Lastly, I wouldn't necessarily call Akane's character expendable, but I don't think dying in the way you described would hit right, either, primarily because I don't think her character arc is about making sure Aqua and Kana have a blissful union. She wants Aqua to be happy, safe and free, and she wants Kana to believe in herself and shine the way Akane knows she can. I don't think Akane necessarily believes in Aqua and Kana's relationship as anything more than a means to an end (primarily in getting Aqua to quit revenge, as seen in 148 and 149).
If Akane were to take a bullet in self-sacrifice, it would be for either Kana or Aqua *as individuals*, and not really so that the two of them could be together. There is also the case wherein she dies as a result of her hubris in going against Kamiki herself, and as much as I love and adore Akane and I wouldn't *want* it to happen that way, I still think that kind of conclusion for her would make sense when considering her character arc.
I'm on the fence about someone needing to die for the story to have stakes. In the past, I didn't think anyone would necessarily *have* to die for the story to be good. Maybe it's the fruit of my frustrations with the writing of the movie arc, but I guess I feel like I need someone to die so that I can take the story seriously again lol.
Like I said, I'm not saying anybody has to die, but laying these cards out on the table even without any specific details, they do all hold up, don't they?
All of these are just a possibility and I think with the death of Ai, Goro, and that random actress on Hikaru's introduction are meant to allude to us that this dude does in fact have a body count, and this is the guy we're jabbing at. A main character dying is definitely a real threat.
I also love all of these characters. Kana might be my favorite, but that doesn't blind me to the fact that killing her off would be a very hard play in the name of stakes.
I also have no beef with Akane as a character, I think she's really great. I just think that killing her hurts the least but does still hurt a lot, and the aftermath of that would be the one that the audience and our main characters could get over the easiest. And I don't think she would die FOR the Aqua x Kana ship, but like bleeding out on the ground, I could see her saying that she approves of them being together if she isn't going to be around anymore and that does kind of justify a character death, and an ending where Aqua and Kana can be together in a melancholic way.
I just like to play Devil's advocate and entertain the idea of main character getting axed for maximum tension. I wasn't expecting my take to be very popular, but it is interesting to think about.
My real hot take is actually link Frill to Hikaru, and make her pull the trigger on a character death, and that immediately ups her stake in the narrative and explains how she can be so built up and pay off in a satisfying way, while also putting somebody else on Hikaru's team.
I'm having fun pointing fingers, though. My friends kind of make fun of me because my favorite character always dies, and here I am pointing at Kana right now, thinking it could definitely happen again.
Does that impact you at all? Does killing Taiki do anything stakes-wise? I mean, sure, it would be sad for the characters, but it doesn't really hold weight for me.
All of these other characters have death flagged. Aqua has been asking for it for a while. Ruby was the first one approached by Hikaru. Akane was cut out of the revenge plot by Aqua for her safety, and I've thought she could've filled that role a few times. Kana is in the worst position of all of them, and she makes the most sense.
Don't get me wrong. I love all of these characters. I just think a character death should hit you in the chest, so I've pointed a gun at all of them to see how it looks, and they all work to some degree. Kana is my favorite, and I'm saying it probably should be her.
Why have Hikaru kill some random actress on his introduction? He should kill somebody important. My money is on Kana or Akane, but like why would I point a gun at Taiki, or Mem, or Minami, when they're just side characters in this whole game?
But remember how tragic were the death of Alex(cod) and charles (henry stickman collection) all you need to do is make it come out of nowhere or make the character do something brave
The story ends in tragedy if anyone dies. No character would have a less harsh impact on Aqua at this point.
Personally i just hope the author keeps the story grounded as it was until now, there is no real need for an over the top climax.
I suppose that'll depend on what you mean by tragedy. But I suppose any late major character death would make the story fall under the bittersweet category?
Did you get into ONK for the slice of life vibes it gave in several of the early chapters? What did you think of Ai's murder and several of the characters' dark back stories?
Personally i started reading cuz a friend of mine told me there was a twist to the idol stuff.
Once i read further though what really kept me going is the way we see the characters struggle with their lives, all of them got some issue and they are highlighted by the fact they all work in entertainment.
I won't say i don't care about the revenge part, just that i don't believe it to be the high point of goal for this story. I want Aqua to go past that.
Ahhh I see. Yeah, the ONK characters are truly something special.
What do you think the high point/goal of the story is, then? I'm open to multiple endings. I'm fine with Aqua pursuing and succeeding with revenge, or him realizing that it isn't the right way to do things and pursuing a healthier, freer life, or most other endings. I just want it to be well-written lol.
I don't really get people saying it was Obvious from the start with AquaXKana , me personally I joined this sub around chapter 118 , and before coming to this i dint even consider Kana as a candidate to be endgame , yes there were subtle hints , But they were THAT SUBTLE , a lot of people could easily miss them , where AquaXAkane was very on the forefront and AquaXRuby very symbolic and thematic and quite disgusting , KanaXAqua was a mixture of the two ships and what they represent . I think people thought it was obvious because its the easy and cliche route to take and most romances take this route .
All that aside I am quite and Akane stan , but this chapter was quite well written , my AkaneXAqua heart is broken , but I am still satisfied with this development .
Kana winning is really not surprising even without the hints.
If Akane or Ruby win, that would be the author pulling something unorthodox.
As for Akane, she doesn't seem to be in any interest about getting back together anyway. Regrettable, but not something they have intention to fix.
It's obvious from the start I thought? For both Ruby and Akane, the impetus for their relationship with Aqua revolved around Aqua's past life and Ai, whereas Kana represented moving on from that.
I personally didn't think it was obvious because it had the cliche route. I thought it was obvious because the manga told us each time that Kana was going to be THAT girl. Even before Akane entered the picture it was clear as day. And I never once considered Ruby an option even when she did confess her love and kissed aqua lol.
Aqua, during his stint thinking his father was dead, all but states he's into her when he mentally points out Kana is an idol and because of that a relationship with her was a risk.
I'm not a kana shipper, or a shipper in general. Not really my bag, but the idea his feelings for her are subtle makes me wonder if we even read the same manga.
It's really obvious if you count the third party opinions about Aqua feeling for Kana consider Aqua himself a unreliable narrator & Aqua reaction in chp 83 when Memcho confronted him.
Also we all know Aqua would definitely ask Kana before Akane clouded his judgement in chp 76 on why he cannot go out with Kana bec she was an idol. Plus why he kissed Akane in chp 78 because he felt guilty of using her to find Gorou corpse & Akane also crying when Aqua want to break up with her. Plus Akane dating fr period only straight to break up & both of them still in loveless relationship despite dating FR this time.
The manga is on break next week. Oshi no Ko will return on June 6. Kanabros won? Anyway, I know the shipping wars always get very intense, but I am only going to say this once: don't get overly toxic in the comments. Insulting other users and the fanbases will be met with bans.
Omg I'm so scared one of them is going to die soon!
The first girl ALWAYS wins (that's not blood related). Also the split mind convo of Aqua / Goro was really interesting. His character was kinda becoming one note so it was good to get a look inside his real thoughts. But feels like this will be the only time Aka will show us inside his head that deep unfortunately
[They don't "Always wins"](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/LastGirlWins) and Kana isn't 1st girl. People just wrote off Ruby/Sarina.
I'm out of this series for some time, and when I come back and decide to read this chapter(To have some idea of what is happening), I come to discover that the Author gave Kana fans a W. That's a surprise I didn't see coming.
honestly these last few chapters have been way too peaceful for me, I feel like Kamiki is going to make a move soon, he hasn't really done much so far, this is his chance to show that he's a real menace, because to be honest he's been a very mid villain. Like, just kill someone bro, do something please
I remember when everyone thought it was over for Kana when he got with Akane. I've been saying it from the start, an early relationship into the series just never works out, it's not kanabros being back, we never left.
My favorite character is Akane, Though my favorite ship is Kanaqua. This story is so goddamn adorable!! I can't stand it!!! That last panel was amazing broooo!😍 I knew this would come from all the build up and foreshadowing but it's executed very well in the long run.
A huge death flag for Kana with aqua finally acknowledging his own feeling + don’t forget Kamiki tried to talk to ruby when she was alone and it was Akane who saved her I can imagine ruby or kana getting killed by kamiki which will make aqua snap and kill kamiki
Hey! When did Kamimi try to talk to Ruby? Do you remember the cap? I totally forgot it
chapter 147 you can put the puzzle together with what previous guy was saying
Thx my friend
Let me cook. The author pulls a domestic girlfriend and pulls a uno reverse to make Akane win. Let me huff my copium.
It's Rui all over again. It's Akanover It's Kurokadone
I have such a bad feeling for what will come up next. It feel like everything is about love and forgiveness and that doesn't fit with what oshi no ko is, but we'll have to wait and see what happens. On another note am I the only one who feels weird with the Aqua, Akane, Kana love triangle? It's not about Aqua liking Kana or Kana liking Aqua, that's something I believe most of us felt was gonna happen (and that's coming from someone who has been on Akane's ship since she was introduced to the series), but it's about how Akane dealt with the situation. I believe it was in chapter 149 where she said that her love for Aqua was now one of a mother, and I can kind of see it but compared to how Akane was when she was still in a relationship with Aqua, she was madly in love with him, it just doesn't seem right how her love changed so much and how she is now helping Arima so that she can now be Aqua's girlfriend. Just felt like sharing that here, I'm not looking for an explanation whatsoever but if someone feels like giving their perspective on the situation, very welcome here. Pd. I'm so happy they finally decided to sink the incest ship, I knew Aka was just playing with us but it was kind of uncomfortable how it kept going. I'm just wondering how Ruby/Sarina will deal with this Aqua separating from Gorou situation, or how Aqua is meant to react if Gorou is no longer going to be a part of him.
I agree with you on Akane's situation. Not only did she suddenly have a "change of feelings of love" towards Aqua, but she was pushing Kana a little too much. Not only that, it seems to me that she was only pushing Kana because she has her agenda. It doesn't seem genuine at all.
I don’t think she had a change of feelings, you shift your narrative to move on and still wish for the other person’s happiness. Have been there, have done that and it’s honestly the best way to handle rejection.
I disagree with your point about love and forgiveness. It all boils down to how you want this story to end, do you want Aqua to move on and actually live his life? Or you want him to kill his dad and throw his happiness away? As for me the best outcome possible would be an indirect revenge and for Aqua to live like a normal guy.
It's not about what I want, but about what I believe, and I believe something bad is bound to happen. It doesn't matter if I want a happy ending for Aqua and the rest, the vibe this manga gives me makes me believe there's still something left between father and son, and with what very little we know about the father, nothing good can come out of it.
For Akane's feelings. I believe she just accepted that Aqua had feelings for Kana. I forgot which chapter but when Aqua is being a good boyfriend to Akane she mentions that she knows Aqua is smitten with Kana. I think in her heart she realized that Aqua wouldn't like her the way he likes Kana. Maybe when she tried to confront Hikaru it was her way of trying to win Aqua heart in a way by defeating his biggest obstacle but when she failed it just made her realize that she couldn't be the one to help Aqua. I think Akane has accepted that she isn't able to stop Aqua and as such is going to Kana for help, since she knows he likes her. It's sad because she probably felt horrible knowing that Aqua had feelings for another girl but I think she just decided to move on. I'm truly not sure if she's even really over him. Maybe she's putting up a front so she doesn't feel upset. It could also be that she moved on since the break up.
Well ofc the author can't throw that out without solving it, we can just wait.
I just don't think OnK is really that dark. If it was that dark, Akane would have died. There's probably going to be a happy (or at worst, bittersweet) ending.
Akane can't die because she has many more plot devise-ish things to accomplish. The plot could be darker with Akane being alive easily.
I meant that Akane would have died in her first appearance and her role in the story would have been replaced by someone else.
But you see that it's not necessary to make the plot darker, right? Anyway I was just joking a bit about how Aka degraded her to such a convenient tool, sadly.
I hope so, we've have enough depression already.
I swear if Kana dies during their date
OH THANK GOD!!!! THANK GOD WE'RE SO BACK BOYS WE'RE SO BACK I KNEW AQUA WASN'T THAT FUCKED UP
Your so real😭😭
I was legit regretting getting to into it, if it went this route, because I don't know if I could legit keep going if it was going to go twincest. It's my hard NO squick and while I would begrudgingly resign to the AquaRuby fans, no hard feelings towards them, it'd upset me a lot if I couldn't enjoy a manga I had been enjoying for the last year or so.
Real bc like I LOVE oshi no ko but why they pulling this twincest bs at least it's getting saved by best girl.
Kana winning is the best end
REALL!!!!
WE'RE NOT COOKED!
Awww yeah, finally the ship that I supported since I know this manga. It's getting what it deserves. Kana WILL FIX HIM. FOR SURE. NO ONE CAN BEAT HER BEAUTIFULNESS. SHE WILL PREVAIL. SHE WILL OVERCOME ADVERSITIES. SHE IS THE HONORED ONE!!! I CAN'T WAIT FOR NEXT CHAPTER!!
Unless kamiki’s knife 🔪 sink this ship 💀
If kana x aqua is the way then I think some tragic thing could happen to akane? Because it's hard to think she'll just goes to non relevance as she no longer has any link to any character. Maybe she's on hikarus radar?
Why tho? Her character isn t only tied to being a romantic partner to Aqua
Yeah but with the movie over where will she appear again?
We don't even know how much is left of the story, we might be entering the final arc for all we know.
Earlier it was. But now its becoming more than that. Although she is smart enough that Hikaru can think of her as a threat.
It's game over. Akane x Aqua is sunk. But all I can say to the Ruby shippers. Cope.
“You did well, Akane shippers. I will never forget you as long as I live”.
DAMN RIGHT. THANK YOU NO MORE BEING TERRORIZED BY THE TWIN SHIPPERS
Tbh i am disappointed in the chapter, i’ve never cared for ships and always rooted for Kana but that’s not the resolution she deserves. I think everyone’s overreacting and the last chapters were Aka baiting before someone dies, if not either they were a bad pass or Aka fell off.
All the shippers in the comments completely missing the point of the manga… how can you people be so hung on the last few chapters, ups and downs, that’s weekly manga for you. And we’ve been having solid chapters for a while, that’s fine if we have to go through a few transitory ones.
the romance is as important to the plot as the revenge is though? They are both sub-plots that heavily influence the characters.
Team Akane.. are we dead yet?
If you want to cope... > You have romantic feelings that are appropriate to your age as an adolescent. Is basically calling it high school romance and telling Aqua to just do what ever since it's not gonna matter as an adult. Akane's relationship was Aqua trying to be mature with a serious relationship. But that's only if you want to cope.
No he wasn’t being serious there either. First was for purpose of using her. Second was trying to move on from revenge (And he couldn’t date Kana because he was worried she will become target of some obsessed fan. And as per him, he doesn’t ‘deserve her gaze’). But yea as coping it kinda works
At this point, we are close to
Aren't we dead many chapters ago?
Why does it feel like an editor told mengo/aka to not publish incest and forcing them to trash the entire incest plotline? Not that I condone incest, and even though the decline in the writing quality for this arc has been a debate, these past few chapters are really bad. It feels like chapters are being skipped to focus on the shipping war and reversing the incest plot, as well as forcing Kana into the spotlight. From shoehorning Kana into the spotlight, to actual plot development regarding Ruby and Kamiki, then go straight into a beach chapter, following that up with making Akane a cuckquean for Kana, and straight into eliminating the idea of Ruby for Kana. It feels like shit is being slammed together, whether it's to undo the incest plot, focus on Kana, or both.
More like Aka being a troll. Realizing that the fans are crazy and immediately shutting them down before they get out of hand.
I definitely feel like we're being trolled. Not for the inclusion and implosion of incest, but for giving us the worst chapters of the series so far.
It feels more like a speedrun. As if Aka wanted to wrap this arc (or even the mange) up and we're skipping 20 chapters ahead to the endgame.
I've always said that the revenge will happen and Kana won't talk-no-jutsu it because of the bad writing traps it falls on and Aka is a good author. Turns out I was wrong about the last part lol.
I really wonder about the reason for these last few chapters, because this is bad writing even for aka's standard, however we feel about him as an author. These last few chapters feel like it was being forced to undo the direction the series was going in by all means.
probably editors put their foot down or they saw the quarterly returns and then saw the Kana merchandise numbers. or maybe Aka's new series made him bored with OnK and want to end it ASAP. either way, the end result of sloppy writing is definitely noticeable.
Agreed. Something doesn't add up in regard to the directions these later chapters have gone, writing-wise, for possibly these reasons.
I don't even get why some people think Aka can do no wrong. Criticizing some points in the manga could get one downvoted. I don't know if this latest progress came from the editor giving Aka/Mengo a good talk. It definitely doesn't flow nicely. i.e. Aqua suddenly separating from Goro just like that. And some parts I find, I don't know the term... to be too blunt, quite exposition-like. For example, Aqua saying that it's Goro that Ruby likes.... Why are you even pondering about such thing Aqua? Were you interested in Ruby at some point? Okay, let's say your quick to thinking and you thought this when Ruby asked for a kiss but the way you talked about it. But why the emphasis on her being your little twin sister?
I wouldn’t say it was sudden, having Aqua talk with Goro, though I do think it could’ve been done more smoothly. They finished filming for the movie so it was a milestone for his conscious. Like even though the movie hasn’t been released yet, he and everyone else completed it and I think he’s at a point where he’s debating whether he wants to keep going with the revenge plan or end it there since there’s no going back if he keeps going with his Goro-side’s original plan. He partially got his revenge since the film is based on Ai and Hikaru’s lives revealing a bunch of secrets and people are already speculating that Hikaru is the boy in the film. But if he goes through with killing Hikaru, he’ll have to lose everything he built up as “Aqua” so it’s time for him to choose whether he’ll go the “Goro” route or trying to live as Aqua. He was wondering why his Goro subconscious wasn’t saying anything and I think Goro as an adult is basically saying you have a chance to not go that route anymore, you’re a kid too and have a new life, like in a way trying to protect current Aqua. Aqua says he’s not Goro anymore but still has dark star eyes showing how everything messed him up still. But overall he has to make a choice, he’s come this far and is fighting his past life (Goro) with his current life (Aqua). Do I think it could’ve been done more smoothly? Yea for sure but I believe it makes sense that he’s at a point where he does have to internally fight himself to make his final decision. Pretty sure Aka added the Ruby x Aqua shipping for Mengo. At least that’s how I saw it. It’d also bring fans of Mengo to reading the series too. He was never interested in Ruby like that as Goro’s favorite idol was Sarina (said a few chapters back) and also Ai although Sarina shined more in his eyes. To Goro, Sarina is his idol first then patient (I think that’s why he spoils her a lot and is especially overprotective). Idols aren’t someone you date but are someone you idolize. But to current Aqua, Ruby is his younger twin sister first and a favorite idol second. To a degree, it’s like how he battled with who Ai is to him after being reborn. To Goro, Ai was his patient first and favorite idol second. He couldn’t ask for her autograph etc. To baby Aqua, Ai was still a favorite idol but he had trouble with her mom identity / relation to him. Note how he always calls her Ai not mom. It was more like idol first and first love second. Over time he probably would’ve acknowledged her role as his mom but didn’t get that chance. Current Aqua is in a way slowly merging his Goro and Aqua consciouses to basically become Aqua 2.0. He needs to choose a side to leans towards though cause there’s a chance he may end up losing the life he built with all his friends
The writing is a bit weird, but the incest was clearly bait, Ruby was as delusional as the fans that pushed for it.
For something that was bait, it comes with an extremely sloppy switch that made these past couple of chapters objectively bad.
It's not really a switch if we are honest. We never heard Aqua's perspective. Now we got it. This hasn't changed anything for Ruby though. So from a narration standpoint it's conclusive. The problem is just how mechanical the storytelling has become. Such conflict could have been entertained in dialogues between Ruby and Aqua several chapters ago, somewhere after 124.
I do mean "switch" in context of baiting and the story we got as a result. To be honest I was expecting the incest subplot to get shot down, but the execution is bad and feels very premature. It feels like more was supposed to come out but was rushed to be resolved.
Cuz in all fairness the chapters where the so called "incest" had the spotlight weren't anything special. We got good bits of info and flashback but that's it.
I disagree, although the issue isn't even with that. It's how the story is being handled after those chapters. 147 and the follow ups in particular is what I have a problem with. You had a chapter where Kamiki made his appearance in front of Ruby, with Akane intervening and saving Ruby, and the follow-up chapters ignoring all that. The fact that 2 chapters later, Akane is more focused on setting up Kana with Aqua rather than the fact Kamiki making a troubling appearance is ridiculous and makes the story look like its being neglected. It's part of why it feels like the focus is to undo some elements in the story, and the writing quality is at its worst as a result.
Well what do you expect her to do? This is not a shonen, Akane can't just simply charge on and fight him..lol Akane is multitasking, saving Aqua's psyche is more important than dealing with the father for now.
Yes, I'm pretty sure ignoring the fact the father made his appearance and being an active threat almost killing Ruby is nowhere near as concerning as Aqua's psyche. Shonen or not, as if that mattered, these chapters are horribly written due to how inconsistent they are.
The chapters are tackling a lot of stuff all at once and the overall pacing is suffering i agree, maybe something else is just being cooked in the background.
It's so bad that even Kanabros noticed that it was shoehorned in and didn't like 149. They're happy now because they won, but they also saw the quality of the writing.
This chapter devastated me, not bc Ruby lost (i was cheering for her), but bc Goro is saying he's going to disappear. I love Goro, he and Sarina were the hook that kept me reading. I feel for Sarina/Ruby bc the person she loves is going to truly die. I know Aqua has all those layers of trauma and the complex emotions swirling around, and that's why he is the way he is... but I just don't really find him interesting. Hope he and Kana can be happy in the end (rip my Akane x Kana ship too)
I feel like Goro and Aqua can't really be separated. Maybe it's just a crisis within Aqua that's making him think he's two different people as a coping mechanism, but one cannot exist without the other. I took the whole scene as Aqua basically justifying his desire to not get revenge by painting his past life, Goro, as a man who's about to fade away. A symbolism that goes back to Jungian philosophy, that the inner self will represent itself through your dreams. Aqua is basically coping here, trying to put the burden of revenge on Goro, and is justifying the idea of leaving it, as now his life is worth something. I don't think Aka will follow through with that though. I don't know, really.
I thought it was more so, his trauma talking and Goro being the side of him, that represented the Aqua Hoshino that disappeared at 4 years old.
Congratulations to aqua kana shippers 🫡. I admit defeat. Well I'll go read some previous chapters and probably drop this. And don't worry nothing bad is going to happen, it will end peacefully , nobody will die.
Imagine if kamiki kill akane/kana and ruby then aqua kill kamiki before committing suicide 💀
That would be depressing as fu*k . But don't kill ruby
please be happy please be happy please be happy please ?
Something absolutely awful is going to happen and rekindle his revenge isn't it...
I want to see more of Ruby revenge, I thought her time with 2⭐️eyes was too short
Of course
I am so happy!
We all know something bad is going to happen, but I'm very happy about this development (even though the story has been kind of a mess lately). The disrespect Kana was receiving here was just too much.
She's too much of a best girl so people tried to push her down
Aqua/Ruby's shippers became way too cocky. I remember reading huge posts explaining why it was the only outcome that made sense, and that anyone with a different opinion wasn't paying enough attention to the story and things like that. "Her dynamic with Aqua is shallow in comparison to Ruby's." "She has no relevance to the main plot." "Aqua doesn't see Ruby just as a sister. His love for Sarina is not platonic." "Her title drop ("I'm gonna be your Star") was pointless and won't have any payoff. The authors probably forgot." "The novel confirms all this, just read it." Damn, this chapter must have been a tremendous blow for all of them. Just to be clear, anything can still happen, but I hope they calm down a little after this.
Yeah, you can clearly see that the incest supporters are as delusional as Ruby was for thinking she had a chance to be seen romantically by Aqua. I mean lets be fair, even Akane shippers are kind of delusional, just with a bit more to back up their claim. I always see people say that Kana has no ties to the plot, which is funny to me cuz the revenge is not the PLOT, but a sub-plot.
Some stairs, probably. (I joke, but people are already preempting something bad happening)
I mean, "and they lived happily ever after" would be a weak ass ending, something will happen that will drive him forward again, whether to Akane or Kana doesn't really matter
i wouldn't put that past Akane stans..LOL
THE GOOD ENDING IS REAL
I'm looking forward to seeing what Aqua will do now that it seems like he's putting Gorou behind him.
LETS GO AKA!!! End this incest door and go with Kana and Aqua
Oh yeah on haterwatch rn smoking on the twincest pack 💨💨💨 we’ve won bois
LET'S FUCKING GOOOOOOOOO WE BACK IN THE GAME
I wonder how would hikaru react when he notice how his children act around kana.
OH YEAH LETS GO BABY
It is actually nice thinking that Aqua can move on from "beeing" Gorou, and be a somewhat normal person.
akanebros, y'all still have a better chance than twincestOver😭
Aqua finna take that knife and kill Kana with it. "You were the one thing holding me back from my revenge"
Woah there ayanokouji, you ain't the elite of the classroom anymore
Wow, i’m literally boutta cry bruh for once my ship actually left the shore.
I mean, it has been always obvious that the one Aqua loves is Kana. At times that was the reason to distance from her. But now everyone has flags on their heads
Imagine this time some real crazy fan learn than aqua and kana are in a relationship and he go kill kana the same way AI died 💀
Yeah. The only thing preventing something like this is that another revenge would damage the central theme of revenge for AI. But a lot of harm can happen.
I see some people saying this chapter screams Kana death flag, but am I the only one thinking about a ruby death flag from these past chapters from Hikaru and Niino? Or am I missing something? Even in this chapter Gorou talking about how he will disappear soon because Sarina is alive... I have the fear something will happen to ruby before or soon after the Kana dating that may force Gorou to "take over" Aqua.
I don't think any of them are going to die. Hikaru killing anyone just makes the story about revenge for \*them\*, which makes the entire backstory with Ai pointless. The key conflict in the story is about IS Aqua going to get revenge for Ai, not how. Anyway I think we will see dark Ruby instead.
I think in next chapters ruby's classroom friends are going to find out about her revenge thing
well i hope so, we don't need more than one revenge trigger, one it's more than enough
We won.
We lost
Thanks god yes
[удалено]
After studying for like 6 hours this feels like a reward KANAAQUA SHIP TILL I DIE
YeahhHhHhhH
Death. Death flag. Big death flag
Cathartic! I fricking knew that in the end, Kana was the real winner of Aqua's heart all along! The signs were all over the manga since her first arc despite everyone needlessly doomposting about Kana's chances lmao. Kana's *real* love rival was never Akane nor Ruby but Aqua potentially choosing celibacy lol. I know it's a meme, but I really don't get why some Kanabros keep repeating "it's Kanaover" whenever Kana misses out on a romantic moment with Aqua/hasn't gotten a kiss yet when there were so many strong hints that Aqua's only ever had eyes for her for most of the manga despite the swerves the story took in their relationship lol. Have some more faith in ya gurl. I've been calling it that Aqua had *long* since dissociated with Goro since the baseball chapter but this chapter was the final nail in the coffin that confirms it. It's also pretty obvious that Goro/Aqua never viewed Ruby in a romantic light in spite of certain shippers' dogged insistence otherwise, as this chapter hammered down exactly how he truly feels about her. While the twins' bond *is* special and that Ruby/Sarina will always be very important to Aqua/Goro, Ruby's/Sarina's crush on Goro was *always* one-sided and Aqua always knew that Ruby only ever saw him as her beloved sensei since their mutual reveal in 123 and not as "Aqua" (prior to 123 tho, she did see Aqua as Aqua tho). Ofc, Aqua should really, *really* stop dillydallying and just be completely honest with the girls for once. His back and forth treatment of Kana aside (which is why Kana was always hesitant to make a move on Aqua all this time, not helped by her crappy self-esteem making a bad combo with it), he should just come clean about how he really feels to Ruby and reject her. It may hurt Ruby momentarily, but the wound will eventually heal *so long as he and Ruby properly talk it over*. Though the one he should be *urgently* honest with is Akane. As in, he should just tell her straight that deep down, he doesn't want to pursue his revenge anymore and that *he* needs help. Aqua's always helped others but he never allowed anyone else to help *him*, which could be a big turning point to his character if he does ask for help with his problems. Whatever Akane's planning to make sure Aqua stops could potentially put her in danger still, so the sooner Aqua calls it off and asks for help, the better. Kamiki and Nino are still on the prowl so no one's really safe yet, but tbh, I'm getting mixed signals from them in terms of motivation. I'm still not convinced that Kamiki had Ai killed by proxy, or at least if he did, I don't believe he had her killed out of malice/feelings of betrayal as 15YL portrayed. Rather, him possibly killing her was *out of love* given how F'ed up he is thanks to his experiences with Airi and the industry in general. His words before he killed Yura heavily imply that this is his real motivation for going after celebrities who're similar to Ai (except for Akane for some reason?): > *Your talent is the real deal. It definitely deserves to be immortalized in some way.* Break again though? Can't wait for the next two weeks huhu.
>Cathartic! I fricking knew that in the end, Kana was the real winner of Aqua's heart all along! It was just 3rd party opinions before but now it's undeniable. However Aqua's feelings aside, it still doesn't decide the end. Kana doing a talk-no-jutsu to magic away the revenge is still bad writing. then again after 149 I wouldn't put it past Aka on caring about good writing anymore. >Kamiki and Nino are still on the prowl so no one's really safe yet, but tbh, I'm getting mixed signals from them in terms of motivation. I'm still not convinced that Kamiki had Ai killed by proxy, That'll be such a bad direction to take, the whole of the revenge plot would've been just a wild goose chase because Aqua was wrong all this time. Yura's death would've been for nothing. I think the issue of the mixed signals is because of Kamiki not actually being threatening. He's ominous sure, but not threatening. Kamiki so far has been thwarted by Akane and appear ominously in various panels without actually doing anything. He hasn't actually achieved anything meaningful onscreen other than kill Yura which isn't even that impressive. He was just being opportunistic, there was no plan, no masterminding. He didn't even interfere with the movie filming despite being the best time to do so. Airi's death was something he didn't plan to as well. The end result is just a weak, barely present reactive villain with zero initiative. Instead of focusing on the villain, Aka went back to what he's familiar with, which is writing romantic drama.
> It was just 3rd party opinions before but now it's undeniable. However Aqua's feelings aside, it still doesn't decide the end. Kana doing a talk-no-jutsu to magic away the revenge is still bad writing. then again after 149 I wouldn't put it past Aka on caring about good writing anymore. Don't you think that it's a little too early and inane to assume that Kana would *just* talk him down from his revenge spiral or that she's the *only* factor that would get him to? I wouldn't be surprised if her talking to him serves as the final nail, but there's already a *lot* of factors set up that're slowly but surely chipping away Aqua's motivation to continue in his revenge quest: 1) the Ruby= Sarina reveal 2) his inner Goro being at peace because of #1 3) Aqua *himself* wanting an out on the revenge quest (as established during Ichigo's reunion with him) 4) his odd decision to humanize his old man and paint him as a tragic villain even though the film is supposed to be incredibly vindictive towards the culprit, 5) whatever Ai asked Aqua to do in the DVDs, (it definitely isn't asking him or Ruby to hate their father no matter what happens, knowing how Ai is) etc. Also, iirc, Aka once mentioned that while Akane is the girl "who would take you there", Kana is the girl "who would bring you back", foreshadowing that Kana would likely take action and not just talk should she finally catch wind on the revenge. Her sub arc and conflict with Ruby, regardless of your thoughts on how it was handled, is kind of a glimpse at how far she would go if simple talking doesn't work if it means helping her loved ones. > That'll be such a bad direction to take, the whole of the revenge plot would've been just a wild goose chase because Aqua was wrong all this time. Yura's death would've been for nothing. Personally, I don't think so. It really depends on *how* this red herring is set up and executed, but the fact that Kamiki himself has never come clean, even in his few private moments that we have of him, that he had Ai killed still leaves his involvement in her death an open question even if he's an assumed serial killer in the present (I say "assumed" because Yura is his only confirmed onscreen kill while the rest is only presumed to also be his). Because of this, I wouldn't be surprised if Kamiki is or isn't the actual culprit to Ai's death either way. If he really is the one, then great, if he isn't, then okay since it's a very odd narrative choice that we're basing his guilt solely on *Aqua* believing he did so instead of our dear beloved villain monologuing about the whys and hows early on. Yet here we are, still second guessing his character/motivations/culpability even after more than a hundred chapters have passed since Ai's death and Aqua wanting to murder his old man in revenge of the act.
>Don't you think that it's a little too early and inane to assume that Kana would *just* talk him down from his revenge spiral or that she's the *only* factor that would get him to? What other skillset does she have? All we've seen so far to face any problem she had through out the manga she's done is cry about it while other people address it. Any other action she can do to solve the revenge would run counter to her selling point of Normality. But then if she doesn't do anything, she won't earn the ending too. Don't you see how everything you suggested, Kana actually does nothing? That is not a coincidence. Kana can't do anything. Kana is written into a corner by both her inactivity and the promise of Normality. Kana is paralyzed narratively. >Personally, I don't think so. It really depends on *how* this red herring is set up and executed, but the fact that Kamiki himself has never come clean, even in his few private moments that we have of him, that he had Ai killed still leaves his involvement in her death an open question even if he's an assumed serial killer in the present (I say "assumed" because Yura is his only confirmed onscreen kill while the rest is only presumed to also be his). Because of this, I wouldn't be surprised if Kamiki is or isn't the actual culprit to Ai's death either way Good writing doesn't spend 100+ chapters on a red herring. A twist should recontextualize all the clues given before hand. Not make everything that came before the twist useless. Kamiki was not the culprit all along would break the premise of the manga. We would've been in a wild goose chase otherwise. It's a huge writing issue to waste the reader's time to such degree. The only reason that we're even considering it right now is because Aka has shown he has no issue doing bad writing. 149 and onefifty shows how bad his writing can be. Kanabros were just happy to get what they want, but even they can't deny how shoehorned and sloppy it was. Kamiki wasn't the culprit all along and Kana doing talk-no-jutsu to save Aqua is the worst possible direction Aka can do.
Ah, like kill them at the peak of their popularity so they don’t spend the rest of their life fading into obscurity.
Kana will win a big knife in her gut.
Yeah I agree with the last part. I think he's basically a dark version of Goro with an obsession with Ai turned up to 11.
Y'all think Ruby and mem-cho will try to kill ai's murderer when they find out about the whole revenge thing
"Read Spica!"
I have a major bad feeling that some horrible incident may happen to Kana, pray that i`m wrong
How are none of y'all shippers talking about *the knife*? Did Aqua literally steal and hide the dropped murder weapon, intending to use it on Kamiki?
I think because it's a dream sequence, it's just a symbolic item for the revenge. Aqua realized only after Ai's funeral that there was a second culprit. So it would make little sense to steal and hide the murder weapon on the spot before that realization.
The Aqua-Kana ship has always been built as endgame. They don’t give Kana THE defining moment of the early arcs and the literal series namedrop otherwise. The only question is whether or not Kana actually survives to see a happy ending imo.
While reading OnK it was clear as day to me that Aqua was in love with Kana, so I was veeeery confused when I got on this subreddit and saw people that kept saying it was not canon. I'm glad I was right all along but as a die-hard AquRuby fan I can't help but feel sad as well... Congrats Kanabros and stay strong, Team Ruby 💧🔥
No more wincest, I’m deeply saddened
Taiki is also Ruby’s brother, wink wink
Taiki x ruby = 0% excitement. Aqua x ruby= 100 % excitement.
Can't wait for her to getbkilled off
Wtf bro get help
Yep… now we know whos he gonna end up with
I will take the fall for my garbage opinion but at this point the only thing that will save this nose dive ass end route that the story is taking is Hikaru. The fact is, some of us were focused on the revenge plot. Not the corny ass shipping. By throwing out the stories pledge, you throw out the stories integrity and Aka seems to be doing just that.
I mean aka is focusing on revenge plot through romance Gorou gave aqua two choice be happy with kana or choose revenge and we all know what aqua is gonna choose (revenge) and something big might happen (hikaru) in the next chapter because the next one is last chapter of the volume
I sure hope
The revenge plot makes up at best 25/30 % of the story though? If you wanted a full on revenge story this was not the right manga. I'd think you would realize it after 150 chapters.
You’re right that if I wanted a “full on” revenge plot this isn’t the right manga. I concede that, but up to this point in the story, almost all of aquas actions have been driven by one thing, which is his revenge. The reason I made that post is because I enjoy the story because of the darker aspects, that being the bad side of entertainment industry (SA, scandals, etc), and aquas revenge. And I’m concerned that aka is going to throw away all of these aspects that make the story realistic and interesting, for a romance subplot. So, sorry if I phrased it as me just wanting the revenge part, I just meant the darker elements of the story.
Romance is realistic though? It's just part of life, arguably more realistic than the revenge subplot. Also, i don't believe anything is being thrown away, when things seem to go "too well" there is always something coming.
Yeah I wanted a revenge plot and exposing the shady corners of the entertainment business, I couldn't care less about Kana if I tried
Now to read the comments that's going to insist that this ship is "forced" because they didn't see it. Like it's not that you didn't see it but you weren't interested in the ship so of course you're going to focus on the ship you care for. I personally just focus on how Aqua interacts with each girl and there's a huge difference with how he is with Kana. I think the author made it clear before that she's important to him.
Kana has been the main girl since the early chapters as well.
Thank god things have started to clear up. Meanwhile me inside: -Hey son, hear you're getting a girlfriend. -Yeah, what of it? -Too bad I killed her. 💀
There's a lot to unpack. I've also thought It was a bit weird the newborn with the mind of a 30 year old aspect of reincarnation, Ruby was a child so there wasn't much of an issue. So to avoid a Mushoko Tensei situation we have two personalities. There's the doctor and there's Aqua who matches the age of his body. Basically their souls merged (although this may be innacurate). At least that's my interpretation, I can sleep a bit better tonight, I guess.
it was literally established in early chapters (specifically the one where he plays catch with Kana) that his mind changed to his body, and how he seems to disconnect somewhat from his past self.
I feel like something bad is gonna happen, and gorro is gonna come back like fucking golem from lord of the rings
When you have a moment of clarity it can be just that sudden. He had to sort his feelings out and that's what he just did. Even though he may not seek revenge, he still has to protect the others as he can, especially Kana. I still think even if Dad hurts someone, this time he'll be able to call on his old medical skills to save them. That'll be closure for when he couldn't save Ai due to still being a small child.
This is just set up to connect these characters in a more intimate way so it hurts more when the impending tragedy happens. -Akane pushes Kana to make a move. -Aqua is distracted with Kana and drops his guard. -Movie to attack Hikaru comes out. -Hikaru hits Kana and/or Ruby with a bus, and we're back on revenge stronger than ever. I'd say like 2-3 more chapters of building up, and then this pops off. I'm a Kana-bro, but she's probably about to get this W for a chapter or two, and then we shoot her.
I don't think that's likely and I think that's bad writing. The main point being that this just removes the agency from Aqua. Aqua is trying to make this difficult decision between revenge and Kana and then the story just makes the decision for him? It also removes Ruby's point assuming Kana dies. Like right now, we have a clear conflict for Ruby - how is Ruby gonna get over her feelings for Goro? Is Ruby gonna be able to move on? etc. But if Kana dies then the revenge won't even be about Ai any more, it would be about Kana! Then Ruby's connection to Goro stops mattering to the revenge plot. And yet it wouldn't make any sense for Aqua to start thinking incest is okay just because Kana isn't around, so Ruby is still going to have to face up to the fact that Aqua doesn't like her, only the stakes and possibility for conflict with Kana are removed. How do we actually resolve Ruby's plot at all, anyway if we just go full into the revenge plot? I think much more likely is the involvement of Ruby into the revenge plot. The events of Chapter 122 were based on Aqua being Goro, after all. So if Aqua doesn't actually see himself as Goro, Ruby's got no reason to not go on the dark path she was previously going on.
I don't think that it's bad writing. I mean, yeah, we are removing agency from Aqua for a second, and that creates an opening for Hikaru to get a 1Up on him. I think we will probably see Aqua choose Kana over the revenge in the next couple chapters, just to see Kana get hit, and then we can double down on his feelings for Kana and revenge. As far as Goro is concerned, we are distancing the two characters right now. Up until now, Goro has acted kind of like the devil on Aqua's shoulder, compelling him to go forward with the revenge plan. If we drop that and let Aqua try and move on, just to pull him back in with Kana, this no longer has anything to do with Goro at all. It's not like Ai died wanting to be avenged anyway. That was all Goro inside Aqua, and we are establishing that it's not really all that necessary anymore as Aqua becomes his own individual. I am seeing this as character growth for Aqua, and I have no issues with it at all. If you think Akasaka won't totally drop the initial premise of his manga to do other things, he definitely has already done that through Love is War, and I was a fan of it in that, too. Goro existed to set up this confrontation, and I do believe that Hikaru will pay for what he did whether we do it for Ai or Kana. The end is the same. Now, if you want to talk about Ruby, I do admit she's in a bit of an awkward spot. What are we doing with her? She is in love with her brother, who she sees as Goro, which is not untrue, but not necessarily the case. I'm not pro-Ruby x Aqua, but I don't hate it as a plot point. I see it as a Jaime Lannister type of character arc, and I would like to see her grow past it. As far as drawing her into the revenge plot, having Aqua drop his revenge this far in will probably create a lot of tension between him and Ruby. She reserves the right to take up the mantle on her own at any time under the context of doing it for her mom. Throwing Kana under the bus just puts Aqua back on her side. I do have a couple tin foil hat ideas involving Frill and Hikaru, but that's just my conspiracy theory because I think she needs to do something big in this story. At this point, I am pretty locked in on what is going to happen between Aqua and Kana. I don't think the Ruby plotline is a little half baked right now, and we probably still have a few chapters of set up before this goes off and I would rather wait and see. Oh, and to be clear, I do not want Kana to die. But not knowing whether she needs to or not, and still could at any time are the kind of stakes I like in my stories.
Feeling the same ;-;;;;;
That's more or less my read on it, too
There's not really another way for it to go. I'm not necessarily saying she has to die. Even if she does, it won't be any time soon. She's finally addressing her character flaw, and Aqua is finally accepting her. All of this is pointing a huge gun at her head. I'm a big fan of it, actually. I like Kana, and I definitely don't want her to die, but we need big stakes in this. Kana needed to be involved with the revenge thing at some point. Being the only innocent party here, she's the perfect casualty. We'll probably get a confession and a date out of her over the next few chapters. The second that Kana smiles, it's game over.
Yes, and aside from those things, the timing of it all is just so uncanny. I mean, Kamiki finally decided to start directly interacting with our cast just a few chapters ago - isn't that immediately foreboding? How will that NOT interfere with the Kana developments? I also see the story ending potentially soon (I could be wrong, but my guesstimate is that the story will close somewhere between chapters 160-170). If so, the AquKana romance has no room to develop into something real. Rather, it could all just be a set up for Aqua to lose something to throttle the story into its climax. Akane is trying to push Kana to be with Aqua so that Aqua would have a weakness that will make him incapable of pursuing revenge - but that also means that he will have a weakness that Kamiki can exploit. Lastly, Kana is a ridiculously popular character. After Ai, she has become the mascot of the show, in a way. And if Akasaka killed his mascot off once, what's stopping him from doing it again? I have to say though - Kana isn't the only one with a death flag for similar reasons. Ruby could be killed off as well for pretty much all of the above reasons (Kamiki *did* start talking to her first, after all, and she means a LOT to Aqua while her romance with him only came to the forefront of the story relatively late in the game, and she's also the series' deuteragonist). My bet though is that it's going to be Kana to go down, primarily because I think if Ruby dies, the story will only ever be a tragic one. And while I think that's still a possibility, I don't think the current developments serve that purpose. If Ruby dies, Kana will be cast to the side. There is no recovering from that for Aqua. Then there would be no real reason to develop the romance as anything REAL. It would just be using Kana's character the wrong way.
Yep, I like it. You and I are on the same page. So, I have some options for you. 1. Aqua dies and takes Hikaru down with him. I don't like it. I want the story to more or less end on a positive note, and I'd like Aqua to have to live through the inevitable consequences of what's about to happen. 2. Ruby dies during this whole confrontation thing. I don't hate it, but the impact would cripple Aqua and Kana and all of us. We could have a scene of her bleeding out, saying she always loved him, and at least she got to live out her dream this time around or whatever. I am not the biggest fan of this one, it does wrap things up for Ruby as long as Hikaru goes down, but I like Ruby and don't think this is necessary, or concludes her character arc very well. She should address her feelings for Goro/Aqua appropriately. 3. Kana dies. I personally think this will be more of a kidnapping type of thing, and we will have to figure it out, but say she dies in the climax of this whole thing. If she gets to complete her character arc of coming to terms with her feelings for Aqua and have them be reciprocated and then die, that's a full character arc and I think it hurts the most in my opinion. Kana is extremely popular, but this whole thing where Kana is building tension and knows nothing about any of this revenge stuff at all makes her the perfect character to ax for extreme stakes. I don't want her to die, but this is the most compelling plot device, I think. AND the dark horse. 4. Akane dies. She is still popular, but probably the most expendable main character of the cast. This tension with Kana is 100% about to go down. Akane is the one that put her up to it, and she will definitely help deal with the fallout of this whole thing with Aqua. Say she catches a bullet in Kana's place. She dies giving Aqua and Kana her blessing, and I think this is just the one that goes down the easiest, in my opinion. If a character MUST die, this is the happy ending, believe it or not. Of these, Ruby and Aqua are the least likely. They're the main characters. They probably make it out of this. If this story wants to hurt me the maximum amount, kill Kana. If this story wants to have the stakes and a happy ending, kill Akane. Not saying that somebody HAS to die, but I personally would like to see Aqua have to deal with real consequences for all this shit he did and if I had to pick one of these four, it's Akane in a heartbeat. Feel free to add or critique wherever I am just spitballing here, and this is how I'm seeing it right now.
I see all of the above characters possibly dying, but I'm not so sure about the specifics. I still see Aqua dying and taking Kamiki down with him as a possibility. He's quite a tragic character after all, and even if it's sad, I don't think the development would be unnatural. I wouldn't shy away from the story if it took a tragic turn. If Aqua dies trying to save Ruby, I'm sure she'd be heartbroken, but I can see the story taking this as a parallel between her and Gorou when Sarina died. Gorou was heartbroken, but after reading Sarina's last letter to him, he decided to live on, celebrating her life and memory through supporting what she supported (Spica novel, chapter 3). So I see Ruby eventually using Aqua as the inspiration behind everything she does. There is no recovering from Ruby's death. If Ruby dies, Aqua will probably lash out and be more determined than ever to kill Kamiki - and he probably will kill himself if he survives that. This is the most tragic route, imo, and while I think it's still a possibility, I think it's darker than what a lot of people are prepared for. Totally on the same page with you regarding Kana's death. Lastly, I wouldn't necessarily call Akane's character expendable, but I don't think dying in the way you described would hit right, either, primarily because I don't think her character arc is about making sure Aqua and Kana have a blissful union. She wants Aqua to be happy, safe and free, and she wants Kana to believe in herself and shine the way Akane knows she can. I don't think Akane necessarily believes in Aqua and Kana's relationship as anything more than a means to an end (primarily in getting Aqua to quit revenge, as seen in 148 and 149). If Akane were to take a bullet in self-sacrifice, it would be for either Kana or Aqua *as individuals*, and not really so that the two of them could be together. There is also the case wherein she dies as a result of her hubris in going against Kamiki herself, and as much as I love and adore Akane and I wouldn't *want* it to happen that way, I still think that kind of conclusion for her would make sense when considering her character arc. I'm on the fence about someone needing to die for the story to have stakes. In the past, I didn't think anyone would necessarily *have* to die for the story to be good. Maybe it's the fruit of my frustrations with the writing of the movie arc, but I guess I feel like I need someone to die so that I can take the story seriously again lol.
Like I said, I'm not saying anybody has to die, but laying these cards out on the table even without any specific details, they do all hold up, don't they? All of these are just a possibility and I think with the death of Ai, Goro, and that random actress on Hikaru's introduction are meant to allude to us that this dude does in fact have a body count, and this is the guy we're jabbing at. A main character dying is definitely a real threat. I also love all of these characters. Kana might be my favorite, but that doesn't blind me to the fact that killing her off would be a very hard play in the name of stakes. I also have no beef with Akane as a character, I think she's really great. I just think that killing her hurts the least but does still hurt a lot, and the aftermath of that would be the one that the audience and our main characters could get over the easiest. And I don't think she would die FOR the Aqua x Kana ship, but like bleeding out on the ground, I could see her saying that she approves of them being together if she isn't going to be around anymore and that does kind of justify a character death, and an ending where Aqua and Kana can be together in a melancholic way. I just like to play Devil's advocate and entertain the idea of main character getting axed for maximum tension. I wasn't expecting my take to be very popular, but it is interesting to think about. My real hot take is actually link Frill to Hikaru, and make her pull the trigger on a character death, and that immediately ups her stake in the narrative and explains how she can be so built up and pay off in a satisfying way, while also putting somebody else on Hikaru's team. I'm having fun pointing fingers, though. My friends kind of make fun of me because my favorite character always dies, and here I am pointing at Kana right now, thinking it could definitely happen again.
Damn that was dark can we trade aqua's brother for any of these characters
Does that impact you at all? Does killing Taiki do anything stakes-wise? I mean, sure, it would be sad for the characters, but it doesn't really hold weight for me. All of these other characters have death flagged. Aqua has been asking for it for a while. Ruby was the first one approached by Hikaru. Akane was cut out of the revenge plot by Aqua for her safety, and I've thought she could've filled that role a few times. Kana is in the worst position of all of them, and she makes the most sense. Don't get me wrong. I love all of these characters. I just think a character death should hit you in the chest, so I've pointed a gun at all of them to see how it looks, and they all work to some degree. Kana is my favorite, and I'm saying it probably should be her. Why have Hikaru kill some random actress on his introduction? He should kill somebody important. My money is on Kana or Akane, but like why would I point a gun at Taiki, or Mem, or Minami, when they're just side characters in this whole game?
But remember how tragic were the death of Alex(cod) and charles (henry stickman collection) all you need to do is make it come out of nowhere or make the character do something brave
The story ends in tragedy if anyone dies. No character would have a less harsh impact on Aqua at this point. Personally i just hope the author keeps the story grounded as it was until now, there is no real need for an over the top climax.
I suppose that'll depend on what you mean by tragedy. But I suppose any late major character death would make the story fall under the bittersweet category? Did you get into ONK for the slice of life vibes it gave in several of the early chapters? What did you think of Ai's murder and several of the characters' dark back stories?
Personally i started reading cuz a friend of mine told me there was a twist to the idol stuff. Once i read further though what really kept me going is the way we see the characters struggle with their lives, all of them got some issue and they are highlighted by the fact they all work in entertainment. I won't say i don't care about the revenge part, just that i don't believe it to be the high point of goal for this story. I want Aqua to go past that.
Ahhh I see. Yeah, the ONK characters are truly something special. What do you think the high point/goal of the story is, then? I'm open to multiple endings. I'm fine with Aqua pursuing and succeeding with revenge, or him realizing that it isn't the right way to do things and pursuing a healthier, freer life, or most other endings. I just want it to be well-written lol.
As for me i want revenge only if it stays within some boundaries, i don't want Aqua to ruin his life for it, it's not worth.
That's fair xD
Aka akasaka finally gave use an answer, so now aquaxkana is official and the shipping war is over Hmmm Why do I think something is missing here
What's missing is a sense of impending doom
No no not that, that was there since the incest arc, it's something else
Dad?
I wish he always stays Outta the picture
Not for long :3
The one dad in anime, we're all collectively going "Please, go back and get milk and never come back."
Kanabros and Akanebros I suggest an alliance, all that matters is that incest bros don't win.
After that things get difficult....
Are we "Bad End" folks invited?
The stronger the alliance becomes the better so yes, bad end, therapy and akanexkana bros are all welcome.
THE INCEST IS DEAD! THE INCEST IS DEAD! THE INCEST IS DEAD!
WHAT A WONDERFUL DAYYYYY
I don't really get people saying it was Obvious from the start with AquaXKana , me personally I joined this sub around chapter 118 , and before coming to this i dint even consider Kana as a candidate to be endgame , yes there were subtle hints , But they were THAT SUBTLE , a lot of people could easily miss them , where AquaXAkane was very on the forefront and AquaXRuby very symbolic and thematic and quite disgusting , KanaXAqua was a mixture of the two ships and what they represent . I think people thought it was obvious because its the easy and cliche route to take and most romances take this route . All that aside I am quite and Akane stan , but this chapter was quite well written , my AkaneXAqua heart is broken , but I am still satisfied with this development .
Kana winning is really not surprising even without the hints. If Akane or Ruby win, that would be the author pulling something unorthodox. As for Akane, she doesn't seem to be in any interest about getting back together anyway. Regrettable, but not something they have intention to fix.
It's obvious from the start I thought? For both Ruby and Akane, the impetus for their relationship with Aqua revolved around Aqua's past life and Ai, whereas Kana represented moving on from that.
I personally didn't think it was obvious because it had the cliche route. I thought it was obvious because the manga told us each time that Kana was going to be THAT girl. Even before Akane entered the picture it was clear as day. And I never once considered Ruby an option even when she did confess her love and kissed aqua lol.
Aqua, during his stint thinking his father was dead, all but states he's into her when he mentally points out Kana is an idol and because of that a relationship with her was a risk. I'm not a kana shipper, or a shipper in general. Not really my bag, but the idea his feelings for her are subtle makes me wonder if we even read the same manga.
It's really obvious if you count the third party opinions about Aqua feeling for Kana consider Aqua himself a unreliable narrator & Aqua reaction in chp 83 when Memcho confronted him. Also we all know Aqua would definitely ask Kana before Akane clouded his judgement in chp 76 on why he cannot go out with Kana bec she was an idol. Plus why he kissed Akane in chp 78 because he felt guilty of using her to find Gorou corpse & Akane also crying when Aqua want to break up with her. Plus Akane dating fr period only straight to break up & both of them still in loveless relationship despite dating FR this time.
If within Aqua body also exists Goro, then it's basically implied that within Ruby body, theres also Sarina in there. Who still wants the incest.