An 'Oshi' is a mirror that reflects yourself. What I realized after losing my 'Oshi'.

Who is your 'Oshi'?
Is your 'Oshi-katsu' (supporting your favorite) going well?
Recently, I lost two of my 'Oshi' in quick succession.

One was Perfume, who ran for 25 years and chose the path of 'Cold Sleep'.
The other was my mentor from university.
I knew that neither Perfume nor my mentor would last forever.
Even so, the sense of loss was greater than I had imagined.
'It's this lonely.'
When I thought that, a question suddenly came to mind.

Why did I love these two so much?
When we talk about 'Oshi-katsu', we think of
'going to concerts,' 'buying merchandise,' 'participating in events.'
Of course, those are important parts of supporting your favorite.
But this time, I began to think,
'Perhaps the most important thing in supporting your favorite
isn't just cheering for them.'

It wasWhy do I like this person?
I realized this when I tried to put the reason into words.

I loved Perfume.
So, why did I love them?
Of course, for their lyrics and their synchronized, perfect dancing.
For their live performances and their costumes.
But when I think about it,
that wasn't what I was most attracted to.
It was their figure, constantly taking on new challenges for 25 years.
The way they chase the future and make it a reality, saying 'we can still take on the next challenge' even as they age
.
A relationship of trusting and respecting each other, and realizing the future together.And not just the three of them, but the professionals who support their performance from the shadows as 'Team Perfume'.
I realized that I was encouraged by the way Perfume and Team Perfume worked and lived.
That became even deeper after watching the documentary film 'Cold Sleep'.

And my other 'Oshi', my university mentor, was actually the same.
Did I like the professor's research?
Embarrassingly, even though I called them my mentor, I never took their class.
The professor was one of my interviewers for my university entrance exam.
After that, they treated me kindly both professionally and personally, and always worried about whether I was adjusting to university life.

A gaze that believes in people.
The mentor later fulfilled the important role of vice president and was still a professor emeritus.
In the field of research, they were active in various places.
But such a mentor did not show off their knowledge, but rather
would talk about their own research and their own life, saying 'Isn't life interesting?'
.Even after retiring from the university, they constantly took on new challenges, taught classes almost every day until they passed away at 96, and finally published books, leaving behind many achievements.
I think the professor

learned not only about their own research, but also about the gaze toward people throughout their life
as well.

Perfume and my university mentor operate in completely different worlds.
But there was a common thread in the reasons why I liked them.

Constantly taking on challenges.
Valuing people.
Believing in the future.

In other words, I liked the values that lay behind my 'Oshi'.
After all, for me, they are an aspiration.
An 'Oshi' might be a mirror that reflects yourself.

When you put into words why you like your 'Oshi',
you can gradually see 'what kind of person you want to be'.
Knowing your 'Oshi' was also knowing yourself.

That is why I have one thing I would like to recommend to those who have an 'Oshi'.
Tonight, please think about it for a little while.

'Why do I like this person?'

Because they are cute?
Because they sing well?
Try digging one step deeper.
'In what moments does my heart move?'
'What kind of way of thinking of that person am I attracted to?'
'What kind of feelings do I have when I look at that person?'
If you keep asking such questions, I feel that your 'Oshi' will surely become an even more beloved existence.

And one more thing.
Do not think that 'your Oshi will be there forever'.
I realized that painfully this time.
That is precisely whymeet them when you can. Go to a concert if you can go. I feel that will become a gift to your future self.

Having lost two of my 'Oshi', I feel like I have received a piece of homework along with the loneliness.
'What did you receive from your Oshi?'
And one more thing.
'Can you explain in your own words why you like your Oshi?'

Oshi-katsu is not just about the time you spend cheering.It is also a time to re-examine your own values and life through that person.

In marketing, they say
'People don't buy products, they buy the person they want to become.'In the same way,

people don't just like the 'Oshi' themselves, but perhaps they see what they want to value in the values and way of life that person expresses.

The illustration in the title is borrowed from tomo's work.
tomo-san, thank you always for your wonderful illustrations.