This month the special exhibition dedicated to the franchise of Oshi no Koin the facilities of the Ikebukuro PARK in Japan. While it was a long-awaited event with never-before-seen illustrations and material from the franchise, as well as limited-edition merchandise, it seems to have caught the attention of the commentary forums because it once again demonstrated a trend that cannot be ignored: Ruby Hoshino is the least popular girl in the franchise.
Inside the facility, fans could stick a note (also known as “Post-it”) with a short message to their favorite character. Here we were able to confirm that Ruby Hoshino was the character with the fewest messages received (at least until the moment the photograph was taken). We can also notice that MEMcho has few messages, in the same way as Akane Kurokawa.
There are many reasons why Ruby Hoshino isn’t really popular within the franchise’s lore, but the most likely is the fact that she’s not a romantic interest at all. Because she is the sister of the protagonist Aqua Hoshino, there is no chance of her becoming a member of the “girl harem” that surrounds him. Consequently, fans don’t feel the need to support her in any way.
It’s also worth noting that the manga never really fleshed out Ruby Hoshino’s story or background in “her afterlife,” but is only just doing so in the most recent chapters. For the latter, it seems that only the fans are remembering the existence of this character. Anyway, for one reason or another, it is clear that the support for Ruby Hoshino is the least notable within the franchise. We had already seen this reflected in the popularity listings of Anime Trending, where Ruby’s position was falling with each new episode.
And of course, all this did not go unnoticed in the comment forums: «Akane is also slightly weak in popularity.»; «Ai, a woman who only appears in one episode, is too popular»; «MEMcho will be out in many episodes next week, so it will be surpassed…»; «Is this not going to run out of places to put it tomorrow and the day after?»; «Why do you think they are promoting Kana Arima?».
Synopsis of Oshi no Ko
16-year-old Ai Hoshino is a talented and beautiful idol who is adored by her fans. She is the personification of purity, but all that glitters is not gold… Gorou Honda is a gynecologist from a rural area and a big fan of Ai. So when the pregnant idol shows up at her hospital, he is beyond taken aback. Gorou promises him a safe delivery, but little does he know that an encounter with a mysterious figure would result in his untimely death, or so he thought. Opening his eyes, Gorou finds himself in the lap of his beloved idol and discovers that he has been reborn as Aquamarine Hoshino, Ai’s newborn son! With his world turned upside down, Gorou soon discovers that show business is full of thorns, and that talent doesn’t always breed success. Will he be able to protect the beloved idol’s smile from him?
(c)赤坂アカ×横槍メンゴ/集英社・【推しの子】製作委員会
