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Sometimes, anime intersects into daily life in Japan, making an impression or showing up in unexpected places. Next February, the anime world and the world of Japanese fashion are going to meet. Apopular Japanese fashionmagazine,SPUR, has announced that they are going to feature a very special cover girl in the February 2025 issue. Rather than the usual fashion model, the cover girl will be none-other-than Ai Hoshino from the hit idol animeOshi no Ko.
This announcement came via the X (formerlyTwitter) accounts for bothSPUR, andthe manga’s artist, Mengo Yokoyari. Yokoyari has also designed the drawing of Ai that is going to be on the cover of the magazine, and the artwork is an all-new piece designed specifically forSPUR. Surprisingly, this is not the first time that anime characters have been the cover models forSPUR, butOshi no Kohas not been featured in over a year.
Ai the Cover Girl
From Anime Idol to Fashion Icon
On their X account,SPURreleased the full cover of their February 2025 issue featuring Ai. The post translates to, “The first appearance of Ai of B-Komachi from the mangaOshi no Ko, which was completed in November! This is the second time forSPURto feature this special drawing by Mengo Yokoyari. Check out the February issue ofSPURto see Ai in an outfit with a slightly mature look that you can only see here!”
The deeper plot ofOshi no Kois set off by the death of Ai Hoshino, who is a very famous idol at the beginning of the anime. After dying while delivering her twins, Aquamarine and Ruby. Her daughter Ruby carries Ai’s career, while her sonAqua devotes himself to solving her murder. Ai’s death is not the end of her legacy, though, as her influence continues throughout the remainder of the anime.
When it comestoSPUR, though, Ai’s children are the ones who paved the way rather than their mother. Back in August 2023,SPURfeatured Aquamarine and Ruby Hoshino on the cover, again with original illustrations by Mengo Yokoyari. Now nearly 18 months later, Aqua and Ruby’s mother is about to follow in their footsteps and have her chance to be a fashion icon as a magazine cover girl.
Re-imagining Ai
Giving Her the Chance She Never Had
Mengo Yokoyari is the artistfor the originalOshi no Komanga, which is why she has also created this special artwork forSPUR. They also posted the finished piece on their X account just one hour afterSPUR’s post. Yokoyari also commented on Ai’s “mature” style in the new piece, saying in their post, “I got to see her [Ai] as an adult.” There is even more information about Yokoyari’s design of Ai for the cover onSPUR’swebsite, which reads (translated byAnimeNewsNetwork),
I tried drawing Ai with the theme “working as a model after her career as an idol has settled down.” I like seeing former idols who get more [modeling] work after retiring and appear with a different aura than usual. I tried drawing her in an outfit she can wear now that she’s grown up and settled down a bit, and with a new expression. I feel like I’ve been reunited with the grown-up Ai.
This makes this new artwork of Ai extra special forOshi no Kofans, because they can also experience the character in a new way. Ai’s story iscritical to the entire plotofOshi no Ko, and her influence is felt throughout the series. Though she never got to have a peaceful retirement herself in the anime, it is nice to imagine how she might have looked if she had been able to have that chance. That is exactly what Yokoyari has given to fans with this artwork of Ai.
