In Oshi ga Budokan Ittekuretara Shinu, Volume 6 ( 推しが武道館いってくれたら死ぬ ), we meet another local idol group, the Starlights, when the two groups end up in a double show out in the Starlights’ home, Kagawa, across the Mizushima Gulf from Cham Jam’s home base in Okayama. The Starlights are a perfect foil for Cham Jam.
As the Cham Jam members start to do some research, they wistfully notice that the Starlights have a lot of female fans. It turns out that two of the members, Ryoka and Kana, are an apparent couple. On stage they are all love-love, but it’s an act, it’s business Yuri.
Eri bribes a coworker to attend a show with her, in response to a canned request from Maina. At the Kagawa,show Eri pretends to be from Kagawa in order to shake Maina’s hands for free, at which point something occurred to me. A great deal of manga and anime – especially what passes for romantic comedy in anime and manga – is predicated upon the idea that two people just never have the conversation they need to have. This series is exactly like that, obviously. But it also is complicated by the fact that both Eri and Maina overthink things in oddball kind of way. It reminds me a lot of National Lampoon’s Doon.*
“Then-”
“Yes,” he said.
“So therefore-”
“Exactly, Mother.”
Her eyes widened in horror. “You cannot!” she hissed.
Every conversation sounds exactly like this to me. Maina says something banal and Eri misinterprets it, then vice versa.
That aside, this book is the closest to being a reasonable facsimile of a mockumentary about provincial idol groups. And! For the very first time, I laughed out loud at a joke in a Hirao Auri manga. The top three of the Starlights get all bent out of shape at the Momotarou connection in Okayama, and when during the post-performance Q&A Yumeri mentions that Okayama has a Momotarou festival, I actually laughed at “wtf” expressions on the faces of the Starlights top three. It’s a single panel buried way deep in the book and the page, but I laughed.
The trip to Kagawa makes everyone appreciate Okayama more. Reo is really an outstanding character. Surrounded by everyone else’s issues, she just gets more and more solid. There’s no doubt why she’s the lead.
Ratings:
Art – 8
Story – 8
Character – I really like Kumasa. He seems like a decent dude, Motoi is beginning to worry me. Eri is Eri.
Service – 1
Yuri – 4 Ryo-chan and Kana are “yuriple” (ゆりプル)
Overall – 8
* This book is the greatest parody of all time, far surpassing its better known sibling, Bored of the Rings and if you have not read it, you will never get any of my references about “being a bicycle” and quite probably 57% of all my other references. It’s super way out of print, but if you have ever read Dune, you will howl like a hyena at Doon.
Akegata Yuu’s Tsuki to Suppin, Volume 1 (月とすっぴん) is an absolutely delightful odd couple romance story. Shiho is a quiet, reserved photographer for bands, with a fondness for quirkily awful band t-shirts, Akari is fashionable and outgoing. Although they couldn’t be less similar, they are very sweet together and it’s a pleasure to be able to meet them and learn their history.
