2.5D Stage Play

ARC 2.5D Stage Play2.5D Stage Play (2.5次元舞台) is the fifth arc of Oshi no Ko manga series. It spans the fifth, sixth, and the first six chapters of the seventh volume of Oshi no Ko. It covers the preparation and rehearsals for the stage play adaptation of "Tokyo Blade", a manga made by mangaka Abiko Samejima, and it also covers the opening night of the play.

Part 1: Rehearsals
To get close to the Lala Lai Theatrical Company, where his mother allegedly met his father, Aqua joins the cast for 2.5D stage play adaptation of the popular manga Tokyo Blade. However, the whole project soon risks being canceled due to a conflict between the original author and the play writer.

Because of this, Sumiaki Raida, the lead producer for the play, and many other higher-ups worked around the clock to get a revised script ready on time. Abiko Samejima, the mangaka, was very demanding and overtly rejected the many revisions -- disliking them to the point that she didn't want Goa, the scriptwriter, to be involved further in the play. Raida tried to console him as Abiko's negative sentiments dejected him.

Thanks to Aqua's intervention, Abiko was given a ticket for a stage play at Smash Heaven for reference material. A guise this was; Aqua orchestrating a chain of events that would lead to several interactions saving the stage-play as repayment. The news reached Raida -- He was surprised by her sudden visit and immediately accommodated her. Raida used this as an opportunity to negotiate with her regarding the script. On the condition that all parties must use collaboration tools to share text data in real-time and edit on the fly while communicating via video chat, Goa would remain as a scriptwriter and collaborate with Abiko.

Part 2: Opening Night
With the writing conflict resolved, the play's opening night was set to commence. However, this brings several participating actors on a collision course with their demons -- including Aqua, who must learn to act using his emotions, forcing him to face his trauma regarding his mother's death. A trauma he struggled to deal with during preparations. The stakes were high as the weight of expectations burdened the actors. Many revelations about themselves and others reveal in one fell swoop -- exemplifying their performances dramatically.

The talent displayed by the actors was not for naught. The play was a success. The audience gave thunderous applause and left with smiles as they left. As the curtains fell the stage for the next act is set. Aqua gathering DNA and materials furthered his goal of finding his biological father.

Characters Introduced

 * Toshirou Kindaichi
 * Goa
 * Sakuya Kamoshida
 * Norio Mita
 * Mei Adashino
 * Koyuki Yoshidomi
 * Kiiro Hayashibara
 * Ryouma Funato
 * Taiki Himekawa
 * Abiko Samejima

Trivia

 * This is the longest arc of Oshi no Ko manga series so far, covering 26 chapters and spanning across three different volumes.
 * Many characters from previous arcs have been featured in this arc, including Melt Narushima and Yuki Sumi.