The third season of the TV anime series "Oshi no Ko," based on the popular manga serialized in "Weekly Young Jump" (Shueisha), will begin airing on TOKYO MX and 36 other stations nationwide from 11:00 PM on January 14th. The final part of the second season, which aired from July to October 2024, depicted Ruby, the daughter of genius idol Ai, vowing revenge after learning that the murderer who killed Ai and obstetrician Goro was the same person. In the third season, Ruby will rise up the ranks in the entertainment industry as she pursues the truth behind Ai and Goro's deaths. We spoke to voice actress Yurie Igoma, who has been playing Ruby since the first season began airing in April 2023, about her thoughts on Ruby and what it's like to be her character and what goes on behind the scenes during recording.
◇Ruby's Eyes: Black Stars - Behind the Scenes of the Shocking Finale of Season 2
"Oshi no Ko " is a popular manga created by Aka Akasaka , known for " Kaguya-sama: Love Is War, " and Mengo Yokoyari , known for " Scum's Wish ," and was serialized in Weekly Young Jump from April 2020 to November 2024. It tells the story of a genius idol named Ai, who suddenly dies, and her twin siblings. The younger twin, Ruby, admires her mother and enters the entertainment industry, while the older brother, Aqua, vows to seek revenge and find the culprit behind Ai's murder.
The second season featured the "2.5-Dimensional Stage Arc," in which Aqua and others attempted a 2.5-dimensional stage production, and the "Private Arc," in which Ruby and B-Komachi headed to Miyazaki to film a music video. In the "Private Arc," Ruby learned the truth behind Ai and Goro's deaths, and with black stars in her eyes, she vowed to take revenge on the culprit, saying, "I'll definitely kill them," shocking many viewers.
"As someone who plays Ruby, I was really impressed by how a different side of Ruby emerged in the second half of the second season. From the time we were recording the first season, I knew that if the anime series Oshi no Ko continued, there would of course be a scene in the second season where she finds Goro-sensei, and I was prepared for that from the moment I received the role, or rather, I felt that I had to go for it."
Ruby is the reincarnation of Sarina Tendoji, who died at the young age of 12 due to illness, and Goro was someone Sarina adored and called "Sensei" while she was hospitalized. Ikoma-san acted out the scene in which Ruby vows revenge, and said she felt it "made sense."
"Not only the line, 'I'll definitely kill you,' but the whole sequence was very memorable, and the music and visual acting were also very strong, so I recorded it with the feeling that I had to express it as well as possible, considering how everything would fit together. We recorded a variety of different versions, and in the end, we chose the one we wanted to convey the most, but I think the take that everyone saw on TV was a strong expression of Ruby's feelings toward her teacher and her inner resolve. Ruby is basically a girl who expresses her emotions honestly, but when you see a different side to her, when she is faced with something she can't bear alone, you see a resolve that wasn't visible before, and it made sense to me. I think it was a scene that we all really created together."
◇ The role of Ruby, who has a variety of experiences on her shoulders: "I'll play the role as if it were life-sized"
Ikoma's first anime audition was for "Oshi no Ko," where she was selected to play the main character Ruby. Since the first season, she has valued the idea of "acting life-sized."
"I think one of the reasons I was chosen for the role of Ruby is because they saw the future and chose me. The studio audition was where I gave it my all to express what I had at the time, so I want to make sure I don't forget what I have now in the work as well, and I value accepting emotions honestly. That's something I still think the same way in the third season. I think that the Ruby that everyone sees seems to have changed from the first season to the third season, but personally, I just want to play the role honestly."
Ruby is a difficult character to play as she also has memories of her past life as Sarina. Furthermore, she was conscious of the fact that her mother is Ai while acting.
"Of course, emotionally, the past is connected to the present, and living as Ruby with that past is something I've always thought about. In the third season, the events of Sarina's time were revealed, and I felt from the original work and the script that those events were deeply reflected in Ruby's thoughts, or rather, that they were the source of her thoughts. I think that's something that can't be separated. In playing Ruby, I feel like I'm shouldering the weight of many different lives."
◇New discovery in season 3: "I don't want to lose to Ruby"
In the third season, Ruby uses lies as a weapon to climb the entertainment industry. Ikoma says, "I was really impressed that she was different from the Ruby I'd seen up until now."
"However, as humans, we all get mixed up in society, and our world becomes more visible. I think the world that Ruby lives in is particularly special, so I often find myself wishing that she would live happily. In that sense, the story of the third season is quite painful. When I think about the path that Ruby will take, it feels like the pieces of a puzzle are falling into place, and when I act, I feel like I am unraveling Ruby's thoughts at each moment."
There were also new discoveries about rubies.
"There's a scene where Ruby acts as a reporter for a variety show, and at that time, I felt like I was watching something a little different, like she was playing someone else. She was thinking about the behavior that was required on this show, and it was like she was doing something similar to Aqua and the others who appeared on the romance reality show in the first season. So, I don't think I interpreted the script that way literally, but rather expressed it as a reflection of Ruby's thoughts on the show. It made me think that maybe this is what the other cast members were doing in the 2.5-dimensional stage versions of the first and second seasons! It made me realize once again how amazing my seniors are."
For Ikoma, the role of Ruby has been a series of challenges, and she says, "Every time I play it, I feel like I want to try harder."
"So many people, including the cast and staff, are working to make this production , Oshi no Ko. The dubbing only takes a few hours, but the feeling you get from it is incredibly powerful. It has the power to move your heart; there have been times when I couldn't stop crying even though I wasn't in a scene. I absorbed the music and the characters' feelings in my own way, and there have been times when I was unable to move. Everyone is really approaching the production with an extraordinary amount of passion, so it's very encouraging to be in an environment where I can see that up close and act. Every day I keep thinking about what I can do for Ruby and for the production."
In the third season, both Ruby and Ikoma, who plays her, will have a heavy burden to carry.
"In the third season, Ruby will be the main character, so it's a pressure in a good way. I thought a lot about what I have to do here, as well as the feelings of everyone involved in the production and those waiting for the broadcast. But I also think that there are some parts that overlap with Ruby. Ruby also lives her life carrying many things, so I hope that the part where I myself am carrying something and facing it will be reflected in the production. Just as Ruby is working hard in the entertainment industry, I also want to work even harder as a voice actress, so I don't want to lose to Ruby."
Ikoma-san is linking herself to the role of Ruby and throwing herself into it. It will be interesting to see what kind of face Ruby will show in the third season. (Shiroinu/MANTANWEB)
