Since this week has sort of naturally slipped into “manga that vaguely annoy/disappoint/vex me” week, I think this is a perfect time to review Oshi ga Budokan Ittekuretara Shinu, Volume 5 ( 推しが武道館いってくれたら死ぬ ). ^_^;

Being an otaku takes a lot of work and a lot of money, as we’ve learned in the previous 4 volumes, but it also takes a kind of compulsion, a need to be there for the singers you’ve all but adopted as yours. In Volume 5, the Cham Jam otaku follow their idols to an overnight camp, where they get to do camping chores and sit at the campfire with them and get commemorative pictures and to Tokyo for their first show in the big city.  It’s not at the Budokan, but the group does get to take a picture outside the Budokan, so that’s something.

I was going to be really snarky and say “and then a thing happened,” but as I think about it, a number of things happened, it’s just that the scale of “happen” is so small for this series. There’s always a side story within the group itself,  this time, it mostly focuses on the group in Tokyo and them trying to keep their energy up after a 10-hour van ride into the city. I’m more and more convinced that two of the group are a couple, but just not telling anyone (Yumeri and Yuuka, maybe, I have a hard time keeping them all straight. I only recognize Maki and Maina of the 7 Cham Jam members at a glance. I am a terrible otaku and Hirao’s art leans slightly more realistic than fantastic. The Cham Jam members all have hair that looks normal and is varying shades of black and gray. Maina wear twin tails, when she takes them out, I have no idea who she is.)

In the meantime, we’re still watching Eri and she’s definitely changing, albiet very slowly. We get to see her at her bakery job, which she genuinely enjoys and which gives her time later in the day to do the otakuing she needs. We also get a glorious moment when Motoi brings along his younger sister Rena, who used to be a Cham Jam otaku, too and we can see Eri in the company of another woman her age outside the otaku world. It felt very refreshing, even as, of course, Eri, Motoi and Kumasa mostly talk about the group.

Most importantly, during handshake time, Maina and Eri *finally* have a short conversation with no mishaps. It’s banal and keeps to the established territory of fan/idol interaction, but they manage a whole few minutes together.

The more I read this story, the more I desperately hope it’s meant to be a cutting commentary on the utterly brutal idol industry, and the equally brutal hobby of being an idol group otaku. Otherwise, it fills me with despair. (Yeah, I know, I know, I keep bringing it on myself.) The idea that this manga is getting an anime is already annoying, but it will probably be meant to be a comedy and I will just want the world to burn. 

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – I don’t even know anymore~~~~
Character – 8
Service – 1
Yuri – 2 Their eyes meet, they have a conversation, no plants fall and Eri doesn’t end up injured. They are practically married.

Overall – 7 

If the crushing awfulness of idol/otaku relations is an intentional target, I would like it so much more, but I think crushingly awful is just what the artist does.