Idols, and idol-related media, has been becoming ever more popular in Japan and other Asian countries. Groups like AKB, NMB48, and Hello! Project are poping up and quickly growing in both size and popularity. This idol-culture is now spreading in North America too, fueled in part by the number of idol anime and manga being released and translated. IdolM@ster, Love Live, Aikatsu, and AKB0048, are some examples of recent idol shows, each one using a different angle to explore the lives of female pop idols. I personally enjoy idol anime, but idol manga is something new to me; AKB49 is my first idol manga experience!
AKB48 is one of the largest and most popular idol groups, and they have been getting some North American attention from their sci-fi anime (AKB0048) and numerous manga titles. AKB49 is their largest manga to date, and it's the one I decided to check out. The series is still on-going, but I've read over 130 chapters and will admit, I'm hooked!
AKB49 follows a high school student named Minoru Urayama who is one of the few in his class who is not interested in idols (AKB in particular). One day when he discovers his secret crush, Hiroko Yoshinaga, is suposed to meet up with “someone special” he follows her out of a mix of jealousy and curiosity. His stalking leads him to a live AKB concertm where it is revealed that she has a strong passion for AKB, and spefically the 'center' Atsuko Maeda. Soon after the concert, Minoru discovers a nervous Hiroko is attending an audition to join one of AKB's junior teams. Wanting to help Hiroko, he comes up with a plan to support her in secret: by cross-dressing! Disguised as “Minori Urakawa”, Minoru joins the audition to provide moral support to the nervous girl. In a predictable, yet amusing twist, Minori and Hiroko both pass the audition and join AKB!
The beginning chapters of the series follow the pair as they are introduced to the hard-working world of idols. Mironu must not only survive his dance lessons, but he consistantly has to worry about his true identity, and gender, being exposed.
Although is series could have taken a pure comedy approach, I'm glad it decided to reply heavily on drama, which allows the series to evolve and become more mature as Minoru becomes more and more attached to AKB and its members. For a series probably created for the sole purpose of creating AKB fans and selling merchandise, this series holds up very well, especially when compared to other idol anime and manga. It is able to cover certain issues (physical chalenges, respect for fans, the dark side of the entertainment industry, etc.), in more detail than any other idol media I've seen. My only issue with the series is not many from the huge cast of characters are developed well and a large number of the plot points/twists are predictable. Overall, AKB49 is a very enjoyable series. 7.5/10