Episode 1

* Episode
* Title Card

**Mother and Children** is the first episode of *Oshi no Ko* anime adaptation.

## Synopsis

Gorou, an ob-gyn, is faced with a patient who is his idol, Ai. Gorou is shocked, but supports her as a doctor. But just before the birth, Gorou is attacked by someone...!?

## Summary

Doctor Gorou Amamiya watches a DVD in a patient's room in a hospital revolving around his favorite idol Ai of B-Komachi until a nurse politely rebukes him over it. The nurse then informs Gorou that Ai has gone on hiatus due to poor health, which he is devastated to hear. Gorou gets asked why he is so obsessed with Ai, and he recounts when he first started as a doctor in the hospital about a patient named Sarina who changed his life forever.

A flashback involving Gorou and Sarina shows that Sarina was a cancer patient obsessed with the idol group B-Komachi. She told Gorou her favorite was Ai and talked about the possibility of being born a celebrity's child if she were to die. Though Gorou coldly dismissed the idea of being reborn, he claimed that Sarina could become an idol when she gets discharged and that he would become her fan. Sarina embraced him and asked him to marry her, which he flatly declined, but stated he would consider it when she became sixteen.

In the present, Gorou reveals that Sarina died at age 12 of anaplastic astrocytoma; if she were alive, she'd be 16, the same age as Ai. However, the nurse continues to believe that Gorou is a lolicon, much to Gorou's chagrin.

Dodging a question from the nurse, Gorou heads to see his next patient, and to his astonishment, it was Ai, who, accompanied by her agent Ichigo, was 20 weeks pregnant. When Gorou steps outside to wrap his head around the situation, he overhears Ichigo asking who the father is of Ai's child, which she claims was a secret.

After performing an examination on Ai, they learn that Ai is pregnant with twins. Ichigo claims that Ai's idol career would be ruined if word got out about her pregnancy, and when Ai asks for Gorou's opinion, he states that the final choice lies with her.

Afterward, Gorou grabs a drink from the waiting area and overhears two men watching a news story about a marriage between two celebrities who were expecting. One of the men claims that if he were to die then and there, he'd be reborn as the celebrity's child.

On the hospital rooftop, Gorou reflects on the self-centered nature of idol fans. Moments later, Gorou is joined by Ai, and they have a heart-to-heart about why she's in the countryside rather than Tokyo, about Sarina, a former patient of his that was a big fan of Ai. Ai tells Gorou that she has decided to keep her unborn children, all while continue being an idol and withholding said information from the public. Ai then explains that lies are the most exquisite form of love. Listening to this resolves Gorou to ensure that he safely delivers Ai's children for her.

The following day, Gorou explains the process of Ai delivering Ai's babies either by C-section or Sophrology, which concerns Ichigo. However, Ai is confident in her health and believes she will deliver her babies without trouble.

On Ai's expected delivery day, Gorou walks outside, where an elusive man confronts him about Ai being hospitalized there. When Gorou questions the man about where he got his information from and if he's related to Ai, the man rushes off, and Gorou pursues him. Gorou's pursuit of the man leads him to a cliffside by the mountains, where he's pushed off to his death. As Gorou's consciousness fades, he recalls what Sarina said about being reborn as the child of a celebrity.

As it turns out, Gorou was reborn as one of Ai's twins Aqua, aka Aqua. To Aqua's perplexion on why he was reborn with his previous life's memories intact, he, as a former doctor, hopes to figure out how and why. Until he does, Aqua plans on enjoying his life with Ai to the fullest. Aqua's twin sister, Ruby, is also introduced, and as Ai cradles her two children, Ichigo and his wife, Miyako, visit them. Ichigo announces his plans to have Ai return to the Idol scene; furthermore, Ichigo refuses to allow Ai to bring her children to the studio or any public place.

That night, while Miyako begrudgingly babysits Aqua and Ruby, Aqua turns on the tv to see his mother nearly flub an interview where she reveals she had a "baby." After this, B-Komachi performs one of their songs, and Aqua watches intently while seeing a positive side to his death from a murderous fan of his mother. Immediately, Ruby learns that their mother is on TV and fawns over her performance. It is revealed through Aqua that Ruby is another reborn individual after he found her having a flame war with some fans using their mother's smartphone. Unbeknownst to the two, Ai's stalker, who killed Gorou, was visibly upset that she lied to her fans and, more importantly, him.

One day, Ai leaves to perform her idol duties again with Ichigo, leaving Miyako in charge of babysitting her twins again. Then, Miyako has a meltdown that despite being the president's wife, she's tasked with babysitting. Miyako decides to make some money by exposing the twins through a scandal, taking pictures of Ai's health records. Aqua, however, confronts Miyako sitting on top of the coffee table, claiming he's a "Divine Messenger" to stop her. At first, Miyako believed that Aqua talking was some prank, but when Ruby, who also played along with Aqua's fabrication, claims that the God of Entertainment chose Ai. She also claims that Aqua and herself were the ones who bore a monumental destiny, and if she were to ruin it, Miyako would perish. The revelation makes Miyako tearfully remorseful, and Ruby asks that she protect them and keep their ability to speak a secret. Miyako believes it after hearing that a second marriage to a handsome actor is possible.

After this, Aqua asks Ruby if she was an actress in her previous life, but Ruby denies it, claiming she was raised in an "unusual" environment. Aqua then claims that Ruby may have the talent to be in the entertainment industry, giving Ruby contemplation about her future.

One night, Aqua tucks in a sleeping Ruby with a blanket and thinks aloud that the way she talks about Ai is just like Sarina. Ruby wakes up shortly after, and as she heads to her bed, she reveals in her thoughts that she was Sarina in her previous life.

Despite the fervent return of B-Komachi, the group's profits weren't lucrative, which Ai complains about. Miyako then opines on the downsides of being associated with a small talent agency. Hoping to provide her children with a good life and education, Ai vows to do her best to earn more money for her kids. Ai then leaves, and Aqua explains to Ruby about the average pay of idols and how the profits they make are split between various factors. The two then vent their frustration to Miyako, who explains the life of idols who go solo and, if they fail, they end up taking other jobs like becoming waitresses at high-end bars in Roppongi or hostesses in Minato.

After finishing a lesson, Ai does some egosurfing and finds a fan commenting on her fake smile. Later, the twins convince Miyako to bring them a mini-concert where they watch Ai's group perform. During her performance, Ai reflects on the comment made about her and thinks about how she has worked to craft an ideal self that people want. Her thoughts are interrupted by seeing the twins, who unintentionally draw attention to themselves by cheering with the crowd, and she is overjoyed by how cute they are. The twins and Ai's reaction end up going viral with a 2 million viewed video. Ai looks through the comments and finds the same fan praising her smile, which she decides to use to her advantage.

One year passes, and the twins can walk and talk without secretly needing to do it. Also, during that time, Ai accrued new jobs, and her latest one was a minor part in a TV drama series.

At the scene of the set, Director Taishi leaves an intense impression on the twins due to his appearance. Aqua later runs into Taishi, who is impressed by his vocabulary ability. Taking an interest in Aqua, Taishi offers him his business card, and Aqua claims that instead of him, he'd rather have the job offers go to Ai. Taishi then explains the difficulty of the entertainment industry with three types of actors—the main ones, natural talent, and newcomers. They then watch Ai's performance, and Taishi claims that her acting was average, but notes it at least draws attention.

That evening, Ai and her children watched the show where Ai performed but were shocked to see that she only appeared in a small scene. Aqua contacted Taishi over this, who explained that the lead actress' agency had Ai's scenes cut back due to her not stealing the limelight with her beautiful looks. Despite this outcome, Taishi says he'd like Ai to participate in an upcoming film he'll be directing on the condition that Aqua appears in it too.

On the day of the film's first recording, Taishi explains the contrast between a high-budget and a low-budget production to Aqua. Taishi also reveals that the film they're doing that day is low-budget. Aqua believes his sister is better suited to act in the film, but Taishi wants Aqua as part of his bargain to allow Ai a part of the film.

Later, Ruby has a tantrum for not being able to enjoy Ai's loving embrace since the days of her filming didn't correlate with Aqua's. A little girl, who was also in the room, scolds Ruby for her inappropriate manner and introduces herself as Kana Arima. It's revealed that Kana is a genius actor, and she complains that Ai was an impromptu addition to the film. Before leaving, Kana chastises Ai as a talentless hack who got her role thanks to nepotism, leaving the twins with a negative impression of her.

Afterward, Aqua and Kana play out their roles as "creepy children" who greet the main character at the village entrance where the film's setting takes place. As Aqua cogitates on playing his role, he acts in a way he hopes would impress Taishi. When Taishi calls it a scene, Kana walks away feeling envious and in disbelief, and the leading actress details Aqua's acting sent chills down her spine. Kana then asks Taishi to reshoot the scene; however, he declines, saying it was perfect. In an outburst, Kana proclaims that it wasn't as her acting wasn't up to par with Aqua.

That afternoon, Taishi and Aqua have a heart-to-heart about Kana's tantrum, communication skills are a big part of acting, and how having a big ego early in life can ruin one's future as an actor. Although Taishi has high hopes for him being an actor, Aqua says he has no intentions of being one.

As she is driven home, Kana finds Aqua's name on the script and vows that he won't get the best of her next time.

Now age three, it's shown that Taishi's film was a hit, and he was nominated for an award. As for Ai, who carried the film, her popularity grew because of it, and she started to become an up-and-coming media personality. Still, Aqua's previous life's corpse has yet to be discovered.

Enrolled in preschool, Aqua asks Ruby about her identity in her previous life. However, Ruby deflects the question with a lie to avoid being looked down upon because she was young when she died.

When their teacher announces it is time for dance class, Ruby runs away in fear and is soon approached by Aqua, who learns that Ruby considers herself a terrible dancer. Ruby then briefly recalls her time as Sarina, having mobility issues.

Eventually, Ruby accompanies her mother in doing some dance practice, where she points out that Ai's choreography is wrong. This earns her mother's praise for remembering something like that. Trying to recreate the proper pose, Ruby falls down, and Ai says that whenever Ruby moves, it's as if she's ready to fall at any time. Ai then tries to cheer her child up, and Ruby recalls being bedridden for the remainder of her previous life. Her only solace was being enamored by watching Ai perform her spectacular dance moves and hoping she could move like her. As Ruby started practicing her dance routine, Aqua secretly watched, noting she had talent as an actress and a dancer.

On a whim, Ai contacted the twin's father asking if he'd like to see their children. Ai trying to reconnect with their father was brought up after she eavesdropped on a conversation between the twins concerning who their father was.

Recent news of Ai's popularity as a tv drama star and idol had increased, which Ichigo drunkenly relishes in. B-Komachi was also scheduled to perform at the Tokyo Dome, which was one of Ichigo's dreams. In Ai's internal monologue, she confesses that she's a liar and sometimes can't distinguish whether the emotion she portrays is genuine or not. A brief flashback depicts Ai being first scouted by Ichigo, who conveys her checkered backstory to him. However, Ichigo persuades her to accept his offer, claiming that lying is an essential talent in the idol field.

One day, someone visits the Hoshino residence, and the person holding a bouquet of flowers congratulates Ai and asks if the twins are doing well. He then proceeds to stab Ai in the stomach and then proclaims that he lied to him and her fans. Although wounded, Ai goes on a monologue about dishonesty as an idol and admits that lies are a form of love to her. Ai's confession leaves the man startled and perplexed, and then Ai recognizes him as Ryosuke Kaihara, someone who frequently attended her "Handshake" events. Panic-stricken, Ryosuke leaves the scene as Aqua contacts an ambulance for his mother. As Ai bled out, she embraced Aqua while lamenting that her scheduled events would soon be canceled. Blocked by the doorway leading into the hallway, Ruby demanded what was happening, and Ai complimented Ruby's performance at her preschool event. Ai then thinks that Ruby will become a popular dancer, and Aqua, a famous actor, while then wondering what her children will be as adults. In her final moments, Ai sincerely tells her children that she loves them and is elated that her words were not lies.

Days after Ai's murder, news of death is announced, and her murderer tried to commit suicide and was pronounced dead at the hospital. Her death drew sympathy from the public. Ruby especially took the public's dark opinions on Ai's death with great disdain, noting how cruel and insensitive it can be.

Time passes by, and Ai's death soon fades from the news, and Ichigo and Miyako adopt the twins. During their mother's funeral, the twins sit in the backseat of a car, and Ruby says that Ai told her that she too has the talent to become an idol, but Aqua details the dark side to her of that lifestyle. As for him, he finds no reason to live this second life with Ai gone. Aqua then realizes that Ryosuke Kaihara is the same man who killed him in his previous life. He questions how he was able to do this, nor would he have located Ai's location without an informant. From his deductions, Aqua concludes that the informant is his father and vows to murder him with his own hands.

Approaching Taishi, who was at the funeral, Aqua asks that he raise him, leaving him astonished. Years pass, and Ruby and Aqua are now grown as teenagers. The episode ends as Aqua begins his new life of vengeance.

In the after-credits scene, Ai films a videotape of the twin's 1st birthday, where she talks about their future while cradling them as they sleep.

## Characters

* Ai Hoshino (debut)
* Fuyuko Niino (debut)
* Ari (debut)
* Kyun (debut)
* Watanabe (debut)
* Takamine (debut)
* Meimei (debut)
* Gorou Amamiya (debut)
* Sarina Tendouji (debut)
* Ichigo Saitou (debut)
* Ryosuke Kaihara (debut)
* Aqua Hoshino (debut)
* Ruby Hoshino (debut)
* Miyako Saitou (debut)
* Masaya Kaburagi (cameo)
* Taishi Gotanda (debut)
* Kana Arima (debut)
* Toshirou Kindaichi (cameo)
* Yuki Sumi (cameo)
* Nobuyuki Kumano (cameo)
* Akane Kurokawa (cameo)
* Kengo Morimoto (cameo)
* Mem-Cho (cameo)
* Minami Kotobuki (cameo)

## Gallery

### Illustrations

Second Week Theater Screening Illustration by Kanna Hirayama (Kappe)Episode 1 Release Illustration by Mengo Yokoyari
## Trivia

* Episode 1...
	+ ...marks with the most death occurrences of the main characters, with (in chronological order) Sarina, Gorou, Ai, and Ryosuke, though of the four only Gorou and Ai died onscreen.
	+ ... is the longest-running episode in the anime adaptation series, lasting around ~82 minutes.
* Ai Hoshino's death caused by Ryosuke Kaihara became a pivotal moment; it led to the radical change of Aqua's personality, whom he subsequently became cold, calculated, and vengeful, pursuing his goal to bring harm on those responsible for his mother's death, whilst Ruby would set out to carry Ai's legacy in pursuing to be an idol.
* Aqua and Ruby are currently the only known reincarnations of their previous lives; Gorou Amamiya and Sarina Tendouji, respectively. It is not explicitly known/confirmed whether if any of these deceased characters after Gorou and Sarina, may return as reincarnations of their past lives.
* The anime original scene depicting Kana licking baking soda is referencing a painting of Akaname, the filth licking yokai by Utagawa Yoshikazu.
* The scene near the end, in which Ruby lets Ai know they're leaving for their first day at high school, is reused in Episode 4.
* The technology shown in this episode are changed from the ones depicted in the manga such as CRT television set at the hospital and 3G and flip phones being used by Gorou and Sarina respectively, this corrects the somewhat contradictory depiction in the manga as the technology used after time skip are still the same kind as the ones used before the time skip.
* **Spoilers Ahead!** Ai's death resembles the real-life stabbing of Mayu Tomita, a 20-year-old Japanese singer and actress, in May 2016. Tomita originally became famous by playing a fictional idol named Ai Takano in the web drama *Secret Girls*. The perpetrator in Tomita's stabbing was a 27-year-old fan who had harassed her online and sent her unsolicited gifts. Twelve days before the attack, Tomita reported the harassment to the police out of fear for her safety, but they dismissed the case. Tomita survived the attack, but received lasting physical and psychological injuries. The incident led the Japanese national government to revise its anti-stalking laws to include online harassment.

## References

1. ↑ Official anime website synopsis of Episode 1.
2. ↑ Kanna Hirayama [@kaaaaaappe] (March 23, 2023). "『【#推しの子】Mother and Children』全国劇場にて大ヒット上映中！ 明日から2週目です" – via Twitter.
3. ↑ Mengo Yokoyari's Official Twitter (@Yorimen). Reference link: " あまりにも関係各位の皆様が素敵な絵を描き下ろしてアップしてくださっているので…自分も突発ですが描きました🐰沢山の方の才能が、この作品を推してくれた一人一人の声援が、アイを最強アイドルにしてくれました。感無量です。。" (in Japanese) (Retrieved April 12, 2023).

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