Archive for the Hirao Auri Category


If My Favorite Pop Idol Made It to the Budokan I Would Die, Volume 4

November 26th, 2023

Seven female pop idoss, dressed in slight different iterations of yellow chinese-dress style costumes face us. No one thinks that the life of a pop idol is a free and easy life, not any more. We all know that – even aside from abusive management companies – it’s a hard life. It’s a lot of work that is rewarded by the whims of fans. If the fans don’t show up for the idols, no matter how much they do, it’ll never be enough.

But what does that make the life of a fan? You show up to the shows, you buy the merch, you get a handshake and, maybe, a kind word. Does the idol remember you among the many fans they have? In If My Favorite Pop Idol Made It to the Budokan I Would Die, Volume 4 we see this overtly transactional relationship from many different angles.

Cham Jam’s participation in the Okayama Idol festival is finally announced, but the fans already knew…which takes away a bit of the energy. While the idols toil to be their best selves, we get a glimpse of their motivations. Yuka’s only real desire is to be liked, while Maki really wants Yumeri to surpass her. Maina is happy where she is, Aya is not happy where she is. Sorane looks to Reo who is having a small crisis. Cham Jam will be on the same stage as Maple Doll, a popular group from Hiroshima, which features another member of Reo’s former group. It’s hard for Reo to see Mei’s group and not feel as if she’s lost something.

From the other side, the fans are struggling with just how best to support Cham Jam. Kumasa and Eripyo visit a Maple Doll concert to see the competition where they are spotted by Yuka and Aya. This causes all kinds of miscommunication that they are “two-timing” Maina and Reo. I’m gonna admit that that this section made me rage. People can like more than one thing at once, folks. It is really not at all okay for companies or other fans to make that taboo. Like, really, fandoms, get a grip.

Eripyo invites a coworker over to watch a promotional clip for the Idol Festival, only to accidentally create a rabid fan in another fandom. Woops.  She also becomes incoherent whenever she’s near Maina and it annoys her as much as it does me.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – Painful, but poignant at times
Character – 8
Service – 1
Yuri – Argh

Overall – Argh

I know I struggle with the “comedy” aspect of this series. Maybe if you read it, you’ll think it’s hilarious. I hope you do and let me know in the comments!

Thank you very much to the folks at Tokyopop for their excellent work making this convoluted tale of business and love make sense and for the review copy!





If My Favorite Pop Idol Made It to the Budokan I Would Die, Volume 3

November 9th, 2023

Seven girls in red pop idol costumes pose on the cover of If My Favorite Pop Idol Made It to the Budokan, I Would Die, Volume 3 by Auri Hirao.Phew. Now that Christian took us over the hump of Volume 2, in which neither Maina nor Eri act in any way approaching the way normal humans might, We arrive at Volume 3 of If My Favorite Pop Idol Made It to the Budokan I Would Die, where they are marginally less not human. 

The first-ever ranking contest results are in and through an amazingly tortured and unreal set of circumstances, Eri comes too late to make a difference in the rankings. Main is, yet again, disappointed for the wrong reasons, until she learns that Eri bought her CDs anyway and runs after her Number 1 fan, but missing her because of an amazingly tortured and unreal set of circumstances. But the Christmas concert comes and although Reo is still center, the girls make their best efforts at giving their fans the kind of service they want – callouts, special gestures, handshakes – and, for the holiday a fraught gift a three shot! Why an idol group would sow dissension among their otaku by requiring them to pick a second fave is beyond me, but perhaps management forgot that otaku live and die by single-minded, creepily possessive obsession?

Importantly, Eri and Maina make each other very happy by saying something mostly-incoherent, but this time at least positive to one another! Yay! Maybe we past their inability to communicate? Hahahah, no, obviously not. This is a Hirao Auri manga and no one important will ever have a meaningful conversation.

The manga ends with the Cham Jam girls and their fans accidentally being at the local shrine at the same time for New Year’s…and the news that Cham Jam will be participating in this year’s Okayama Idol Fest…and so will with the girls who were in Reo’s old group. shock!

I said we’re “over the hump,” and in one sense we are. There will be less torturing of Eri from Volume 4 onward, but this volume is still firmly rooted in the idea that hurting Eri, and Eri and Maina not managing to talk is super hilarious, and not massively stressful. On the other hand, the members of Cham Jam are actually lovely when they are together. You can really see how much they like one another and really believe in themselves, which is incredibly charming. The shrine scene is a reminder that whoever they are up on stage, idols are people, too.  Cham Jam seems like a group you could really get behind.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story –  Still frustrating but I know there is a light at the end of the tunnel, even if I can’t see it yet.
Character – 8
Service – Pleasantly, 0
Yuri – 4 Hovering at “I think I feel something for you, but can’t put a finger on it,” to “I can’t look you in the eyes, but don’t know why” with potential

Overall – 8

Tokyopop does a very good job of making this series as fun as possible which, at least for a few more volumes, is not very much. But IF you love idol culture and love insights into both sides of the struggle – what idols and their fans go through – this is probably one of the most realistic manga out there. Idol culture is a niche of it’s own and has it’s own language and rituals. Thanks very much to Tokyopop for today’s review copy and for the excellent work by the entire team for bringing this title over.

 





If My Favorite Pop Idol Made It to the Budokan I Would Die, Volume 2 Guest Review by Christian LeBlanc

October 11th, 2023

Seven-member pop idol group makes their signature gestures at us, wearing cute outfits of white blouses and blue accents and skirts.Like finding a big ol’ slice of salmon in the special parfait you ordered at the maid cafe*, volume 2 of If My Favorite Pop Idol Made It to the Budokan I Would Die is an ugly volume of a very sweet and poignant series. 

Admittedly, I know very little of idol culture outside of what Erica’s written about it in her reviews of the Japanese volumes of this series. Maybe Auri Hirao is satirizing and/or critiquing some of the darker parts of idolatry, which would mean the negative impression I get is not a bug, but a feature. Regardless, I can only react to what’s on the page, with the background that I bring to it. 

So, what is my background? Well, as an awkward fan, I feel like I have a lot in common with Eripiyo, “the number one stan for Maina, a sidelined member of the underground idol group Cham Jam.” The desire to show support, coupled with a clumsy, almost debilitating awkwardness around those I admire, makes me feel comradery when I see fellow trash like Eripiyo, Kumasa and Motoi being too fan to function around their faves.

On the other hand, I have trouble understanding why fans and performers, especially on this small, local-group scale, can’t just be friends if they want to be. I think that’s why I liked the chapter where Eripiyo and Kumasa run into Aya moonlighting at a maid cafe: it just feels like how things *should* be, imho. An idol and a few fans just casually shooting the breeze and messing around, unbeholden to the forced interactions imposed on them by management. They’re all just people, free to interact with each other. As if they were humans.

I especially can’t relate to the idea that idols aren’t allowed to have a personal life outside of fan interactions. When a member of Cham Jam is rumored – not spotted, but rumored – to have been seen with a man, her popularity within the group drops, she loses fans, and even some of her fellow idols are disappointed in her. 

And I’m not even going to get started on how Maina is able to ignore Eripiyo’s signs of suffering to ask her why she isn’t buying many CDs. I don’t think it’s just because Eripiyo says things like “I eat salmon while thinking of you, Maina!”

This all being said, there’s still a lot to recommend this volume. Eripiyo manages to clearly communicate to Maina why she likes her, a feat rarely seen in volume 2 of anything I’ve read. Cham Jam holds a track and field event for some reason, with references to brutal violence happening when they tried this the year before. We spend some time with Yumeri and Maki, who are always a delight to see together. Eripiyo is shown eating a guardrail, and – I said this before, but it bears repeating – is able to tell the girl she likes that she eats salmon while thinking of her. I realize that most Yuri manga would close up shop at that point, but luckily for us, the third book comes out in print…today!

Ratings:

Art – 7
Characters – 6
Story – 5 Rather disjointed volume, in spite of the thread of a popularity contest tying things together.
Service – 1
Yuri – 6

Overall – 7

*Yes, this happens, and yes, Eripiyo is absolutely here for it.





Oshi ga Budokan Ittekuretara Shinu Live-Action (推しが武道館いってくれたら死ぬ)

September 27th, 2023

For various reasons I have spent the last few weeks playing catch-up with everything I have meant to watch and read and listen to but never got around to. At the behest of folks on the Okazu Discord, I *finally* watched Sound Euphonium all the way through and Sean Gaffney suggested that, but for one episode, I might find Management of a Novice Alchemist worth a try. Why is Ep. 9 always the absolute worst? I’m looking at you, Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha.

And, finally, spurred on by my recent read of Oshi ga Budokan Ittekuretara Shinu, Volume 9, I finally managed to sit down and watch all ten episodes of the Oshi ga Budokan Ittekuretara Shinu Live-Action series (推しが武道館いってくれたら死ぬ).  And wow do I have some opinions about it. ^_^

First of all, the acting was really quite excellent. Matsumura Sayuri as Eripyo was outstanding. In all her pathetic  and inappropriate enthusiasm, she was absolutely perfect.  Jitsukata Takao as Kumasa and Toyota Yudai as Motoi were likewise absolutely spot-on for their roles. If you’ve been following this series, you’ll know that Kumasa is very much our otaku godfather and mentor. He’s balanced and wise and deeply moved. Motoi is a fuckup that I am never going to like, but that’s pretty much the point. LOL Motoi’s sister Reina is so normal and nice in comparison.

The members of ChamJam are, likewise, absolutely fantastic in their roles. Like the manga, the best scenes are those with the members and their relationships. While the story centers Eripyo’s obsession with back-row member Maina, the slow building relationship between Yumeri and Maki is really quite sweet.

It’s hard for me to not see the idol ecosystem as an non-sexual form of human trafficking and the bits where the otaku bankrupt themselves to “support” their favorites will always make me angry – especially when the story positions that behavior as honorable. But slowly, almost as slowly as the manga, the members of ChamJam and their otaku have their worlds widened.  One of the strongest bits of the live-action was to give me a reminder of everyone’s personality and finally, I may be able to remember Yuka’s name now. ^_^;  I don’t know why…but I just keep forgetting her. Maybe that’s why Aya is so annoying, so people remember her. The support Sorane shows leader Reo when she’s feeling pressure was quite nice. And we get a glimpse of Maple Doll, which features the lead in Reo’s former group. As I have repeatedly said in reviews of the manga, the moments spent with the group members, getting to understand them has been the best part of the story.

Ratings for the adaptation, not the story:

Acting – 10
Story – the beginning volumes can be harsh, let’s say 6 at the start and 8 at the end
Characters – 10 Everyone was perfect.
Service – 0
Yuri – Eri x Maina  – an uncomfortable 7  Maki x Yumeri  – a comfortable 5

The live-action picks a solid place to end, thankfully, so my guess is that they did not let Hirao-sensei pick the stopping point. ^_^ We’re left with some hope that Eri and Maina might one day communicate appropriately and that ChamJam will one day be in an even bigger venue….

…which reminds me of the day my wife and I saw a bunch of boy idol groups at a Japanese mall, and all their fans came to shout and wave things at the right times. It was really interesting to watch these not-that-popular groups performing. We did not buy any CDs, although we considered getting one song that wasn’t bad.

This series is streaming on Hulu Japan, if you have access. I wish Crunchyroll would pick it up, since they have the anime (via their Funimation merger.) I think I’ll write them and ask.

 





Oshi ga Budokan Ittekuretara Shinu, Volume 9 (推しが武道館いってくれたら死ぬ)

September 25th, 2023

Three female pop idols dressed in "cute" costumes that are reminiscent of Nara deer dance on a stage.When we left this series in Volume 8, there were rainbows and doves flying because an entire volume had passed without making me feel unpleasant thoughts in the mangaka’s direction. This was a genuine achievement in the uncomfortable relationship I have with creator Hirao Auri’s works. As a reminder, Volume 8 of Manga no Tsukurikata was dire. So for there to be an entire volume that did not make me want to die or cause something else to be destroyed was a miracle. Well, here we are in Volume 9 of Oshi ga Budokan Ittekuretara Shinu (推しが武道館いってくれたら死ぬ) and a miracle has occurred once again. ^_^.

The volume has a rough start, though, as a collector’s photo event with special, super special and super special rare photos is going on and, of course, Eripyo does not get one of the SSRs. (Why the management doesn’t just make sure she gets one, after all the money she spends is beyond me.) But Motoi does. And he doesn’t just give it to Eripyo, which has me solidly annoyed for a few chapters. Kumasa and Eripyo are pathetic otaku, but Motoi, wtf, he is such  loser. Thankfully, his sister Rena is not  a loser and makes sure Eripyo gets it. Rena is turning out to be a good friend to Eri.

But even that becomes fragile, when Eripyo learns Rena has fans of her own (fans who ultimately get Motoi the SSR photo he wanted.) Eri explains that, as an otaku she can’t be friends with someone like Rena. Thankfully, Rena is a perfectly decent human being and insists on being friends anyway.

And then we head into the endgame and I tensed up…

Maina has fans! This is a brand new development and Eripyo is ecstatic. Because that means for the first time ever, the group will be holding a Maina birthday event. Eripyo and Rena talk about what they should do for the event and of course Eri’s ideas are too too much. In the mean time Maina has an idea for the birthday concert that actually gets everyone in Cham Jam fired up – they’ll sing in front of a cardboard stage set that is reminiscent of the Budokan. Everyone is stoked.

We’ve actually learned a bit about Maina in recent volumes – shes in this group because she really wants to be for one thing. In this volume she admits to be eating bread a lot recently, because it reminds her of Eripyo, who always smells like bread from working in a bread factory.

And then…and then…Maina and Eripyo have a nice, extended conversation in which Maina’s nail color is the exact color Eripyo wanted for her birthday celebration. And they smile at one another happily.

I almost collapsed with relief.

There is drama on the horizon, though, Reo is about to retire and Kumasa is in despair.

The final chapters follow other idol groups including Reo’s former group Maple Doll, whose “deer costumes” grace the cover.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 9
Character – 9, except Motoi who was a 5. WTF dude.
Service – 0
Yuri – They had a conversation and made each other happy. 10

Overall – 9

Another good volume? No, no, I can’t relax until it’s all over. Not possible.