The Japanese website Myjitsu published an article pointing out that the controversy sparked by the similarity between the suicide of Hana Kimura and the near-suicide of Akane Kurokawa in the story of Oshi no Ko still continues. In fact, it has worsened because fans continue to harass and cyberbully Kyoko Himura, the mother of the deceased who expressed her concerns about it, while the production remains silent on the matter.
A fierce debate has erupted on the Internet regarding the fact that the anime adaptation of "Oshi no Ko," which has become a trend in Japan and abroad, included a storyline referencing Hana Kimura's suicide following the "Terrace House Incident." There are no signs that this controversy will come to an end, and it appears that it could hinder the future development of the multimedia franchise.
The controversy stemmed from the narrative development depicted in the sixth and seventh episodes, where the characters participate in a romance reality show, and Akane Kurokawa begins to be attacked on social media, leading to extreme mental pressure. This episode sparked the controversy as it resembled what happened to the late Hana Kimura in the Terrace House incident in 2020. The fact that the airing date was close to the anniversary of Hana Kimura's death also contributed to the uproar.
Hana Kimura's mother, Kyoko Kimura, questioned on Twitter the way the anime adaptation was carried out, which triggered a furious reaction from fans of the franchise. It has been almost two weeks since the tweet that started it all, but the offensive responses continue without stopping. The irony is that, despite "Oshi no Ko" strongly criticizing online cyberbullying on social media in the episodes in question, fans are doing exactly what they shouldn't be doing.
There is no doubt that "Oshi no Ko" is one of the most popular anime series of the season, but it seems that its fan base is becoming increasingly difficult to control. An industry critic commented on the matter: "Ultimately, as it is a highly successful franchise so far, many are also looking forward to a live-action adaptation of 'Oshi no Ko.' Just like what happened with 'Kaguya-sama: Love is War,' starring Kanna Hashimoto and Sho Hirano. The works of author Aka Akasaka have characters that fit perfectly in live-action adaptations. However, the controversy surrounding 'Oshi no Ko' is having repercussions and cannot be ignored. There probably won't be a green light for a live-action adaptation until this is resolved."
"The biggest problem so far is the fact that the production has not issued any statement regarding the matter. The same critic commented, 'So far, there has been no communication from the 'Oshi no Ko' production, not even requesting their followers to stop harassing Kyoko Himura, the mother of Hana Kimura. It no longer matters whether the episodes were inspired by Hana Kimura's actual suicide or not; the production must address the behavior of its followers.' It seems that if the 'Oshi no Ko' production continues pretending that nothing is happening, things could escalate too much."
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