...is a very Otaku thing to say, huh? The title reflects the theme and purpose of this story quite well. But let's take it slow. Oshi ga Budoukan Ittekuretara Shinu is a manga created by Auri Hirao and published in the Seinen magazine Monthly Comic Ryū. The anime adaptation was produced by studio Eight Bit/8-bit.
I need to be honest about this to put my review into perspective: I am not a fan of idol culture or idol anime. I have watched the occasional season of Love Live or Idolm@ster, but that's about it. I however am keenly aware of real life idol culture in Japan and will compare the anime by that standard as well.
Now let us go through this anime category by category!
Plot:
The underground idol group ChamJam is the center of this anime, but the protagonist is in fact the idol fan that only goes by Eripiyo. The entire cast calls her that and the only hint of her true name we get is that Eri is somehow involved in it. This college age woman was once a normal member of society, but that all changed when she happened to pass by a small ChamJam concert inside a public park one day. She was instantly infected by a brain virus that turned her into a crazed idol Oshi (fan)! That explanation may not be accurate, but the result is the same. Eripiyo becomes obsessed with one of the members, the salmon pink wearing Maina, and abandons her humanity(!) to become a fullfledged idol Otaku.
From this point onward we follow Eripiyo and her idol Otaku friends Kumasa and Motoi as they cheer for their favorite idols on their journey to peak popularity, inching ever closer to the distant utopia: Budoukan. For those who don't know, the Budoukan is a large event hall that is the idol Valhalla, where only the greatest acts may perform after a long battle up the popularity ladder.
This could be considered the A plot, while the B plot is simply to see both Eripyio and Maina overcome hurdles along the way to become their perfect selves (which in Eri's case involves a lot of shouting Maina's name).
Characters:
This cast is rather humongous as expected of an idol anime and even though the idols are not the main characters for once, they are still all relevant. So in the interest of space I shall sum up the group like an idol otaku would!
Reo: Center of the group, the experienced and kind leader. She has a troubled past as an idol in another group and she looks out for everyone. Her signature color is PINK.
Sorane : The inofficial second in command and right handwoman of Reo. In many ways a newcomer with special charisma and infallible persuasion. Her color is BLUE.
Maki: A cool and stylish beauty. The definition of a calm extrovert. Her boundless confidence extends especially towards her support of Yume. Her color is YELLOW.
Yumeri: Shy and introverted, yet an incredible dancer! This is Yume who relies on Maki for support in more ways than one. Her color is DARK BLUE.
Yuuka: Idiot. No sense of tact. Cute. Light green.
A-ya: Tsundere, loli bait, a menace, but in a good way. Dark green.
Maina: Perhaps the least remarkable member of ChamJam with little presence, but a cute smile. Her color is Salmon Pink (why?).
Now forget all about those idols. What matters is that they are working hard and nice. The trio that we actually follow are
Eripiyo: A nutjob. Honestly, how did this woman manage to get by in her previous life? Now she spends all her money on Maina merch and her only clothes are a pink track suit. She has the vocal range of an Opera Singer with the vocabulary of a drunk poet. Every moment she doesn't spend raving about Maina she is doing part time jobs to finance her obsession. This protagonist is a joy to watch in action and never gets boring. With each passing episode she becomes less human and unlocks new supernatural abilities. She survives deadly accidents and heals from injuries in record time. As the show goes on she starts to evolve from a carterpillar into a carterpillar with glued on wings. Her love for Maina is boundless and in the few lucid moments seems to transcend mere idol devotion, but she would naturally deny that as a professional idol oshi. Ironically she is incredibly shy and awkward around Maina, but tries her best to close the gap (represented by their photoshoots where she barely manages to get close enough to Maina to be in frame).
Kumasa: A (teddy)bear of a man. He is an experienced idol Otaku who has been following Reo since her olden days in another group and has sworn to support her forever. He wants to see her at the Budoukan at all costs and is a constant supportive pillar for her. Despite his crude appearance he is quite kind and can read a room. He almost naturally plays the straight man to Eripiyo's antics, while also giving insight on idol culture at every turn for the newcomer Motoi.
Motoi: A newborn baby giraffe, stuffing his head into the idol hole. He supports Sorane with all his love (which he is too new to hide) and is not too familiar with idol culture yet. He often serves as the grounded perspective on the weirdness, but also serves as reminder of mistakes a newbie can make. HIs sister Rena also becomes relevant later as the only other female idol fan in the show.
Music & Dance:
This category is apparently important for idol shows, so here goes. The music is good. Honestly, I can't say much more about it. All the songs are catchy and the opening and ending theme are sung by the cast as is tradition. Eripiyo's voice actress (Ai Fairouz) in particular did an amazing job on the cover of「Momoiro Kataomoi」for the ending, which really shows her insane range. Have a listen yourself!
And the OP:
The insert songs are the standard idol fare, although the texts are... quite unique. I would suggest looking at the lyrics for a good laugh. As for the dancing, it is almost entirely naturally animated and the anime does not rely on CGI. This seems to be a rarity among idol shows, so I thought it was worth mentioning. Such a niche anime using such nice choreography really shows the effort and love the staff put into it.Voice acting:
We have a nice mix of newcomers and old talent here. Maina is voiced by the soft-spoken Hina Tachibana (Nagi from Cinderella Girls) and Reo is voiced by Kaede Hondo who was in pretty much everything (e.g. Aoba from Keijo!!!). Eripiyo is voiced by Ai Fairouz, who does an insanely good job with her. I cannot praise her enough, because no manner of vocal exercize can prepare you for Eri's primal mating calls. Kumasa is also voiced by a well beloved VA, Tomoaki Maeno (Decim from Death Parade). The girls all sing of course, so they can shine in both areas. There is not one miscast character here.
Theming & Pace:
Let's get real here; idol shows aren't supposed to be like this. Because this anime is focused on the fan perspective, it allows itself to show a lot of the different sides of idol culture that shows like Love Live will never display. It is not all pretty, in fact it can get quite ugly. Negative themes like boyfriend rumors causing a drop in popularity, people who switch favorites for petty reasons, the truth that sometimes hard work does not grant success and the idea that ultimately otakus may never get truly close to their idol are actively addressed. Idol culture is toxic, but the fans are still people. In many ways the anime may glorify it at times, but it also tries to convey something. These people love their idols and fight for them, just like the idols keep working hard to become stars.
Despite all this the show keeps up its comedic tone, especially because of the protagonist Eri, who is after all a kind of ephemeral anomaly, as one of the only female fans following female idols. Just like in real live female idol oshis are rare and the show is quite brave for this. There is more weight on the fact that Eri is here, becaue it is not an all-girls cast. Her journey to getting closer to Maina is almost like a different story sometimes, but it fits in so well. It has cyclical aspects which can interfere with the pace, but there is still always a sense of progression.
Yuri:
This isn't a real category you say? I don't care! This is an idol anime, so it better deliver the goods. This show has more Yuri subtext than it can handle, which causes it to spill over into nearly texty territory. Of course our protagonists Eri and Maina are the main pairing. It's not even a question really. Eri's obsession is one that has clearly romantic inclinations, as is common for idol fans after all. Except that she actually does get closer to Maina over time and her progression is mainly to overcome her anxiety to get closer.
Maina is a shy girl with little confidence, but as Eri supports her she begins to bloom (like a salmon pink lily). It soon becomes apparent that Eri is indeed the most important person to her and propels her to really want to be a top idol. Her view of Eri is not like any normal fan and has romantic inclinations as well.
There are also some side-pairings that I should not spoil, but let's just say one relationship is all but confirmed in anything but words.
This anime really is a lot more concrete about this theme and not baity like most idol shows. As expected of Auri Hirao.
Conclusion:
I've rambled on long enough. This show is both gorgeous (my god, the art is so pretty) and funny. It has idol antics and fan antics at a very good balance and doesn't leave anyone behind. It does end mid-story, so either hope for a season 2 or a manga translation, but I am honestly satisfied with what we got in these 12 episodes. For an idol show with a unique perspective that takes some risks, but also never loses its sense of humor, you must check it out. It is not mindblowing, but it is one of the best anime of this season and a breath of fresh air for the genre.
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