Anime Review:
If My Favorite Pop Idol Made It to the Budokan, I Would Die Season 1
Rating: 6.5 out of 10 stars
Overview
Pros
- Offers a glimpse into the lifestyle of a hyper-dedicated fan
- It’s kind of nice to see idol-fan relationships that are not toxic
- Maki and Yumeri are super cute together
- It was often funny
- Interesting characters
Cons
- Eripiyo has an unhealthy lifestyle that is treated positively
- A bit slow at times
- The ending was expected, but not wholly satisfying
Warning: Spoilers Ahead!
Review and Reflection
The lives of celebrities have never been of much interest to me. I’ve never paid any attention to celebrity news, with its frequent marriages, divorces, and deaths. I’ve never had a celebrity crush.
The main character of this anime, Eripiyo, is the exact opposite. Ever since she first encountered the pop idol group ChamJam, she has been obsessed with Maina Ichii. Maina is consistently the least popular in the group, with Eripiyo and later one other girl being her only obvious fans. As a result, Eripyo tries to offer as much support to Maina as possible by buying huge stacks of her singles and always going to see her at the end of a show.
It was interesting to see how the fans were able to interact so much with the idols. At the end of each show, fans could purchase the chance to speak to their idol individually in a timed session. During this session, the fan and the idol hold hands. It all seems very personable and builds the fan-idol relationship. After their new year’s concert, they even let their fans record them saying whatever is requested, as long as it is not creepy or inappropriate. That also seems much more personal than what most celebrities are willing to do.
I appreciated the humor of the show. Each idol has a color that represents her, and Maina’s color is salmon–so in one publicity venture, she is shown holding a salmon. It’s really goofy and shows how poor Maina’s public image is. Also, Eripiyo posts on Maina’s blog with various aliases, making eighty comments. My favorite bit of humor was when the pop idols are playing tug of war, and someone comments that the side with the highest weight would have a clear advantage. Both sides immediately attempt to lose.
Eripiyo works herself to the bone to support Maina. She spends all of her money on concerts and merch, so she is very poor despite working multiple jobs. She only owns a single track suit, which she wears all of the time. Because she works so hard, she frequently gets sick or injured. I believe that the lifestyle shown for her is depicted positively for the most part. In my opinion, glorifying her unhealthy habits under the banner of devotion is not a good choice for an anime.
While both Maina and Eripiyo seem to be in love with each other, they keep strictly to a fan-idol relationship. I guess it is for the best, since Eripiyo really needs to work on herself before she is ready for a romantic relationship. Eripiyo even dresses as Maina’s “type” to be more appealing to her. She is constantly looking at the pictures Maina posts online to check if Maina has a partner, even zooming in on her eyes to see if there is a reflection of someone. Maina is dependent on Eripyo’s support, and is seriously concerned if she does not see Eripiyo at a performance.
The two idols Maki and Yumeri are a cute couple, even though they are never acknowledged as such in the actual anime. They are constantly close and push each other to succeed. Maki even bought Yumeri’s singles to make her ranking go up. I love them, but I wish their relationship was not just suggested.
I learned the word “wota” from this anime, which is a fan of Japanese idol singers. I love learning new words.
I won’t spoil the ending, but it was neither surprising nor completely satisfying. I would say it was acceptable.
I would recommend this anime for people who enjoy slice of life and comedy anime.
The Queer Schizophrenic 