413th G-View: “If My Favorite Pop Idol Made It to the Budokan, I Would Die”

There is something very important readers need to know before deciding to pick up this show. The main romance is a “slow burn” kind, meaning it takes time to develop. There are misunderstandings and mistakes aplenty. Patience is key while watching the main couple growing closer one step at a time. With that in mind the following is a romantic comedy about the love story of an underground idol member and her diehard fan. Question is whether their story is worth watching. Find out as we take a look at Oshi ga Budoukan Ittekuretara Shinu, aka OshiBudo.

Alternate Title: “If My Favorite Pop Idol Made It to the Budokan, I Would Die” (English)

Genres: Comedy, Romance, Yuri

Theme: Idols

Number of Episodes: 12

G-Rating: 9/10

Plot Summary: Eripiyo is initially a woman leading a normal life until it is turned upside down after watching a performance of the minor idol group ChamJam, which leads her to becoming obsessed with one of its members, Maina Ichii. Despite Eripiyo’s enthusiasm towards her, Maina is consistently the least popular member of the group, leaving Eripiyo to take it upon herself to buy a lot of Maina’s merchandise. Due to her using almost all of her money to buy this merchandise, Eripiyo has only a single tracksuit she wears all the time. She goes to ChamJam’s concerts with her friends and fellow ChamJam fans Kumasa whose favorite is Reo Igarashi and Motoi who prefers Sorane Matsuyama. Eripiyo proclaims that “if Maina made it to Budokan, she would die” and works herself to exhaustion to help her achieve this goal, much to Maina’s growing concern.

Eripiyo’s killer pickup line.

Besides being a romantic comedy the show gives viewers a look at the how hard it can be for underground idols (Similar to independent wrestlers or street performers) and their most devoted fans. It is very difficult to garner a larger following than the most loyal of fans. Promoting yourself is a major hassle. Being briefly shown on television, even if it is in a photograph, is considered a godsend. Despite the hardships Cham Jam do their very best to soldier on, each having their own personal struggles to overcome from lacking in confidence, questioning their effort and past performances to name a few examples. Meanwhile loyal fans do all they can to help their favorite idols grow from buying their merchandise to voting for them as much as they can. The show also gives viewers a glimpse into the mind of idol fans. It may come off as stereotypical, both the good and bad parts, but there are indeed super fans that are this devoted in front of crowds and at home. The things our three mega fans say are believable in real world context despite how hilariously over the top Eripiyo is. Despite her devotion being creepy at times it is nowhere near as bad as a certain Sorane fanboy.

Eripiyo, Kumasa and Motoi, aka Other Guy.

Eri, aka Eripiyo herself is an excellent protagonist, provided the viewer is comfortable watching a charismatic, determined, devoted, lovesick, kind (Mainly to girls and people helping Maina), tough, single-minded (When it comes to Maina), injury prone loudmouth.

Kumasa is one of the best bros in a yuri anime since Natsumi and Komari’s brother. He is very knowledgeable in the field of idols and her undying loyalty to Reo is admirable. Of the three super fans he is the most stable. He has his crazy moments of course but he is a very caring friend.

Other Guy for the most part exists to show viewers an example of how not to be an idol fan.

The fourth friend does not appear as often (The reason is understandable) but next to Kumasa is one of the best side-characters.

From left to right: Sorane (Blue), Reo (Pink), Maki (Yellow), Aya/A-Ya (Green), Yumeri/Yume (Purple), Yuka (White), Maina (Salmon Pink).

 

Next up are the lovely members of the underground idol group Cham Jam:

Sorane is the cool one. She knows she is sexy and how to get fans to pay attention. Of course she was not always this way. Her story has a struggle that not only idols have to face.

Reo is the Center and charismatic leader. Being the oldest and most experienced idol she often knows how to help the others find their footing though she is far from perfect despite often being in control.

Maki is the sexy one. She does not flaunt her beauty, instead having a calm and mature aura. There is one person she uses her true power on though.

Aya, aka A-Ya is the “loli”. She is older than she looks but her main charm is her loli appearance. Besides being older than she looks she is also the tsundere of the group, acting like she is the most serious performer but is just as willing to have fun as the others.

Yumeri/Yume is the beautiful princess of the group. Not shy in front of the public but not assertive either. She is timid but capable, especially when alone with a certain someone (Actually even in front of her teammates).

Yuka is the blunt one, meaning she always speaks her mind. When she thinks something, regardless of how it affects people around her, she says it anyway.

Maina is the shy cutie. Whether it is because of Eripiyo’s legend or her having difficulty standing out she is the least popular member among fans. However, when she finds the right motivation, be it Eripiyo or helping her teammates, she has the potential to become one of, if not the most powerful. Her cuteness under the right circumstances is a lethal weapon.

The animation is interesting. It has a distinct style I am not used to seeing, specifically the characters showing their teeth. Not just fangs, all of them. The girls’ eyes sparkle like beautiful gems and the motions look fluid. It is difficult to describe. The show on multiple occasions does not faces during far off shots. In most anime this is seen as a flaw but here it does not feel out of place (At least not to me). It may seem like a classic cost cutting measure (and maybe it is here too) but here it was not distracting at all. Other than that the rest of the animation is pretty good. The soundtrack fits into the background with no particular outstanding tune. The Cham Jam songs though, all excellent. Same goes for the OP and ED.

One of Eripiyo’s best moments.

As mentioned in the introduction Eripiyo X Maina is a slow burn kind of romance. The two clearly love each other but have great difficulty expressing their true feelings from Eripiyo trying to discern fangirl devotion and romantic love to Maina being too shy to express herself in front of Eripiyo (though surprisingly becomes stronger when her love interest has difficulty speaking). The most logical obstacle is their fan X celebrity dynamic. That alone is a great obstacle to overcome considering how seriously fans take their idols in both the positive and negative sense. More often than not though it comes down to classic rom-com misunderstandings.

Aya X Yuka. The HimaSaku of the show.

Aya denies it but she thinks about Yuka a lot while Yuka is the one who understands Aya the most.

Reo X Sorane.

Reo X Sorane have the least development of the couples but there is a VERY small ray of hope it can happen in the future.

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Overall it is the combination of Eripiyo’s charismatic and insane love for Maina, Cham Jam’s performances and interactions with each other along with their fans, two of Eripiyo’s close friends (one not so much) and the yuri goodness that make this show one of my favorites of 2020. Whether newcomers enjoy the show depend on how patient they are and if they like seeing a crazy fangirl gushing over her favorite idol to a sometimes creepy extreme. The side-couples are good too. Speaking of…

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Maki X Yumeri, aka OG’s life threatening duo.

Maki X Yumeri. I want to leave it at “Watch the anime and see for yourselves”. Words cannot do this couple justice. Think something along the lines of Kotone X Shizuku from Sakura Trick. They are THAT…DAMN…GOOD…TOGETHER. I mean pay close attention to their colors. It took me till episode 10 to notice this most obvious of hints on how much they love each other. I am dead f’in serious. Watch them in action and hopefully you will understand.

PS:

 

 

As a comparison:
Maina (Salmon pink) 17 year old.
Reo (Pink) 22 year old.
Sorane (Blue) 18 year old.
Maki (Yellow) 19 year old.
Yumeri (Purple) 18 year old.
Yuka (White) 16 year old.
Aya (Green) 18 year old.

Eripiyo (school jersey) 20 year old. pic.twitter.com/r8RY4RiwKi

— Luzeri☃️🌿 (@luzeriP) January 25, 2020

Season 2 need.