An idol made what amounted to a startling revelation for her industry on a talk show appearance. And the announcement, once again, has manga and anime fans talking about how the series Oshi no Ko imitates life.
Fending off rumors, stalkers
23-year-old Fujisaki Nagi (藤咲凪) is one-half of the two-person idol unit Saishu Mirai Shojo (最終未来少女; “The Final Future Girls”) along with partner Ono Midori. Fujisaki was a guest on the talk show SUNDAY JAPON on August 20th, where the subject was resolving sleep issues. After an expert gave advice, MC Tanaka Yuji asked Fujisaki for her thoughts.
“Actually, I’m a single mother,” she revealed. “This is the first time I’ve said that, so I imagine the people watching and my fans must be losing it right now.” When pressed further, Fujisaki revealed she had two kids – a 3-year-old and a 1-year-old.
Later, on her personal Instagram, Fujisaki gave a fuller statement: “I’m a single mother,” she proclaimed. Fujisaki also revealed that she considered keeping her children a secret.
“However, there’s been a lot of speculation, and I’ve received bullying, anonymous accounts dropping my kids’ names, and sneak photos when we’ve gone out. I felt like I’d reached the limit of secrecy. I also feared misinformation being spread gradually, so I decided to announce it myself before it reached that point.”
Near the end of her post, Fujisaki exclaimed, “It feels good to say this from my own lips!”
The Oshi no Ko connection
Many fans in both Japan and abroad were quick to point out how the manga and anime Oshi no Ko mimicked Fujisaki’s real-life story. The series opens with a fan who continues supporting his idol, Hoshino Ai, after discovering she’s taken a break from performing to give birth to twins.
Following Fujisaki’s announcement, the term リアル推しの子 (riaru oshi no ko; real-life Oshi no Ko) trended on Twitter.
This isn’t the first time Oshi no Ko has been in the news for imitating life. In one episode, the authors depicted a case of vicious harassment and bullying by fans that nearly drove one of the characters to suicide.
The story was clearly based on the tragedy of Kimura Hana, the pro wrestler and Terrace House star who took her own life amidst a wave of harassment. In fact, it was so close to Kimura’s story that her mother, Kyoko, criticized the series for using her daughter’s life as content.
How will Fujisaki’s revelation be received?
The question now is: how will idol fans in Japan treat Fujisaki? As a rule, idols either don’t date or conceal what relationships they do have. In the past, those found to have broken this tacit rule have found themselves subject to online bullying and harassment. Last year, idol Okada Nana left the group AKB48 shortly after a magazine snapped photos of her with an actor.
But, times change. And Japan is also wrestling with a depopulation crisis that shows no signs of relenting. With politicians doing everything from suggesting the country loosen immigration to offering parents money to stave off the crisis, Japan is doing what it can to become more kid-friendly and hospitable to parents.
Still, some in Japan complain that, while the country wants more kids in theory, it doesn’t always appreciate them in practice. Japanese mothers often complain that people are intolerant of baby strollers on public transit. And one business drew backlash from childless customers when it announced it’d start offering free baby food.
For now, Fujisaki’s Instagram account contains messages of support from people urging her on and vowing to support her. (And the semi-occasional creepy message from guys wanting to date her.) And X threads on the announcement – like this one on LiveDoor News – seem generally positive, with fans saying they’ll stick with the working mom.
The news also only seems to have helped Fujisaki’s social media following. Three days ago, the artist thanked fans for bringing her to 80,000 followers on Instagram. As of this writing, she’s now up to 87,000 followers and closing rapidly on 90K.
If Fujisaki’s hard work and determination end up engendering greater acceptance and expanding the boundaries for idols in Japan…well, wouldn’t that be a beautiful thing?
What to read next
Kimura Hana’s Mother Criticizes Oshi no Ko for Using Daughter’s Story
Sources
藤咲凪、シングルマザーであると生放送で告白 放送後に打ち明けた悩み. LiveDoor News
藤咲凪、「サンジャポ」で突然、シングルマザーを告白…「２人います…今日、初めて言う」. Sports Hochi
