A Mark「爪痕, Tsumeato?」 is the twenty-third chapter of the Oshi no Ko manga series. It is written by Aka Akasaka and illustrated by Mengo Yokoyari. It was released in Weekly Young Jump on October 29, 2020.[1]
Summary[]
On LoveforReal, Yuki announces her intention of leaving the show, explaining that the pressure of appearing on the show is getting to her. In response, Nobuyuki says if she quits, he will follow suit. And the latest episode ends on the cliffhanger, leaving audience to wonder if Yuki is going to follow through her intention. Off camera, Yuki explains to Akane that she cannot quit if she wants to and the whole charade was just a ploy to garner ratings.
As the casts have grown closer during the filming, Aqua has identified the smarts ones, like Yuki and Mem-Cho, the one who is being genuine but fun to watch nonetheless in Nobuyuki and those who struggle due to a lack of presence such as Kengo and Akane. As the day goes on, Nobuyuki invites Aqua for dinner after filming, who declines at first. However he eggs him on, saying that Mem-Cho promised to treat them to barbecue. Although she did not, Mem-Cho was ultimately pressured to do so. During the barbecue Akane prepares the steak for others without eating any as she explains that she is a vegetarian. Aqua also takes note of Akane jots down the tips she overhears Mem-Cho giving Yuki tips.
When Aqua returns home, Ruby scolds him for breaking their promise to eat together on Sunday and complains about the show's staged nature. Aqua explains to her that reality shows are not as staged as she thinks and that they often show the true personalities of the cast. So Ruby asks if any of the romance are real, which Aqua responds that it is a bit of a mixed bag. While that may be a good thing for viewers, Aqua states that lying is the best way to protect oneself.
As the show continues, Yuki and Nobuyuki becomes the focus of the show but over time a love triangle with Kengo begins to forms. Mem-Cho asks Aqua if he wants to join in but he decides to stay on the sidelines to avoid attention. Aqua then the same question back to Mem-Cho, but for her, she is fine playing a role. Besides her aim was to attract more viewers for her YouTube channel, which she has successful at doing so. However she cannot help but be concerned about Akane.
At her agency, Akane overhears her manager getting berated by their president over the little screen time she has on the show. Furthermore there were others competing to go on that show and he ultimately picked her, so she needs to do better. As she begins to feel their pressure, she weeps and promises to try harder.
Characters[]
