Oshi no Ko Idol Song: According to the latest Oricon weekly streaming ranking chart, the opening theme song “Idol” by YOASOBI, which serves as the soundtrack for the television anime adaptation of Aka Akasaka and Mengo Yokoyari’s Oshi no Ko manga, has remarkably achieved a total of 403,127,806 streams. Impressively, this song garnered an impressive 16,618,575 streams in just the past week.
Maintaining a remarkable position, “Idol” has held the top spot on the chart for an incredible 19 consecutive weeks since April. This achievement secures the song as the third-longest duration at #1 on the chart, with only Official HiGE DANdism’s “Pretender” (34 weeks) and Aimyon’s “Marigold” (20 weeks) ranking higher in this regard. An additional accomplishment is the fact that “Idol” is the quickest track to surpass 400 million streams, outpacing even Official HiGE DANdism’s “Subtitle,” which took 32 weeks to achieve the same feat. The song also holds records for rapidly accumulating 100 million (five weeks), 200 million (nine weeks), and 300 million (13 weeks) streams. These notable achievements have been tracked by Oricon since December 2018.
Also Read: The Silent Service Manga film cast, trailer and release date
An interesting highlight is that Oshi No Ko “Idol” marks YOASOBI’s fourth song to exceed the 400 million stream threshold, following the success of “Yoru ni Kakeru/Racing Into the Night,” “Kaibutsu/Monster,” and “Gunjō/Blue.” This establishes YOASOBI as the second artist with the most songs surpassing this milestone, trailing only Official HiGE DANdism, which boasts five such songs.
What’s worth noting is that “Idol” has consistently achieved over 10 million streams each week for an impressive span of 19 weeks. This continuous streak is now the longest in the history of the chart, surpassing even Official HiGE DANdism’s “Subtitle,” which managed this feat for 18 consecutive weeks. Additionally, during 12 of those 19 weeks (from May to July), “Idol” remarkably achieved over 20 million streams.
Shifting focus to Oricon’s separate weekly digital single chart, “Idol” has remained within the top 3 for an astounding 19 consecutive weeks since its release. In the most recent week, the song secured the #2 spot with 11,499 downloads. Overall, the single has accumulated an impressive 455,293 downloads.
It’s important to highlight that the widespread popularity of “Idol” extends beyond Oricon’s charts. The song achieved the prestigious position of #1 on Apple’s Music Top 100: Global chart as of June 21. Moreover, upon its debut on April 19, “Idol” immediately soared to the #1 spot on Billboard Japan’s streaming song chart. This achievement occurred during its first week on the chart, and notably, the song had initially been digitally released on April 12, followed by its CD single release on June 14.
Also Read: Official Soccer Manga Crunchyroll global release dates
Notably, “Idol” reached a pinnacle by claiming the #1 spot on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart (dated June 10). This is a groundbreaking achievement as it marks the first time a song originally performed in Japanese has secured this top spot. The English version of the song was introduced on May 26, propelling it to #6 on the chart. In the US, “Idol” reached an impressive #7 on Billboard’s Global 200 chart (dated July 1), setting a historic record for the highest rank achieved by a Japanese artist in the chart’s history.
The song’s triumph continues with its position as the #1 song on YouTube’s Global Top Song music chart for the June 30–July 6 week. Impressively, the song witnessed a notable 22.3% surge in views during that week, totaling an impressive 41.9 million views.
This remarkable journey began when the anime premiered in Japan on April 12, capturing the audience’s attention with a compelling 90-minute first episode. The season concluded with its 11th episode on June 28, and fans can anticipate a second season as well. HIDIVE streamed the anime’s debut season as it aired in Japan, offering an English dub as well. Notably, this anime launch became the streaming service’s “#1 series launch in the streamer’s history.”
Of particular interest is the inspiration behind YOASOBI’s “Idol” song. A short story titled “45510,” penned by the original author of the manga, Aka Akasaka, provided the basis for this captivating track.
The first season of the anime was helmed by directors Daisuke Hiramaki (Selection Project) and Chao Nekotomi (Love is Like a Cocktail) at Doga Kobo. Jin Tanaka (The Misfit of Demon King Academy) skillfully handled the series scripts, while character design was masterfully executed by Kanna Hirayama (Rent-A-Girlfriend). The ending theme song, titled “Mephisto,” was beautifully performed by Queen Bee.
The manga’s creators, Akasaka (Kaguya-sama: Love is War) and Yokoyari (Scum’s Wish), launched the manga in Shueisha’s Weekly Young Jump magazine in April 2020. With its compelling narrative, the manga garnered significant attention and acclaim. English-speaking audiences can enjoy the manga’s digital release through Shueisha’s MANGA Plus service. Furthermore, Yen Press secured the licensing rights for the manga’s English version.
Described as an intriguing tale, the manga follows the journey of Gorou, a gynecologist and devoted idol fan who experiences a shock when his favorite star, Ai, unexpectedly announces a hiatus. Little does Gorou know that this turn of events will forge a connection that defies conventional wisdom. Lies become a powerful tool for idols in this captivating manga authored by Aka Akasaka (Kaguya-sama: Love is War) and brought to life by Mengo Yokoyari (Scum’s Wish).
The manga has garnered a series of prestigious awards, reflecting its remarkable impact and quality. It secured the top spot in the seventh “Next Manga Awards” (Tsugi ni Kuru Manga Taishō) in 2021. Additionally, it clinched victory in the Best General Manga category at the 46th annual Kodansha Manga Awards. The manga earned nominations for the 26th Annual Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize, as well as the 14th and 15th Manga Taisho Awards. It ranked at an impressive #7 on the top 20 list of manga for male readers in the 2022 edition of Takarajimasha’s Kono Manga ga Sugoi! (This Manga Is Amazing!) guidebook. With over 3 million copies in circulation, the manga’s popularity is undeniably soaring.
