This is an English translation of a conversation with yuri mangaka Amano Shuninta regarding her new manga, I Wouldn’t Mind Being Loved (ai saretemo iindayo). It is currently only available in Japanese, so I’ve chosen to go with its most popular English name.
This one is a particularly interesting conversation due to the story’s subject matter – the lesbian sex service industry in Japan. While most people probably hadn’t realized the industry existed prior to the release of the popular My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness by Nagata Kabi, one of the longest-running companies, Lesbian Girls Club, has been around for over a decade. Amano Shuninta sits down with Obou, the owner of the establishment, to discuss the industry and the people in it.
The original article was published in two parts on July 25th, 2020 on the news website, Gendai Business. You can find it here.
“-” denotes the interviewer. Hirao refers to Hirao-sensei, and Nemoto refers to Nemoto Nagi.
I’ve left certain idol otaku terms as they are instead of translating or localizing them because they’re commonly used in English-speaking idol fan communities as well. For those unfamiliar with these terms, please refer to the footnotes.
The original articles can be found here: Part 1, Part 2
(Part 1) Interview Between Oshibudo’s original creator Hirao Auri and Real Idol Nemoto Nagi: “Why Idols Aim For Budokan”
Ichii Maina, a member of “ChamJam,” a local, underground idol in Yamaoka. Eripiyo, the awkward idol otaku who lives solely for her. If My Favorite Pop Idol Made It to the Budokan, I would Die (Oshibudo for short), by mangaka Hirao Auri, is a comedy manga about the relationship between idols and their fans that is at times hilarious, and at times moving. It began serialization in 2015 in Gekkan COMIC Ryu (Tokuma Shoten), and was voted 12th in the men’s poll for “This Manga Is Amazing! 2017,” causing people to take notice of it. Finally, its animation adaptation began airing in January 2020. One of the cornerstone winter anime of this year, it’s gaining more attention.
To celebrate the anime adaptation, here is a special interview with the original creator Hirao Auri, and Nemoto Nagi, who is a member of both idol groups Niji no Conquistador, which is currently aiming for Budokan, as well as Dempagumi.inc., and who loves 2D and beautiful girls. Nemoto has supported the original manga and its anime; will Hirao-sensei be able to accept her love?!
– Oshibudo is a series which, (it goes without saying) NijiCon’s members, as well as Wada Rin-san from the group Maison book girl, recommends highly. Idols are paying attention to it. What did you think after watching the anime?
Nemoto: First off, as a huge fan of the original manga, being able to see Auri-sensei’s delicate art come to life totally WOWED and moved me. Eripiyo-san actually moves, and ChamJam’s members are actually dancing! I was impressed with how well Kumasa-san was portrayed as well. Right now, he’s my number one favorite otaku.
– From your point of view, is Kumasa-san the ideal otaku?
Nemoto: That’s right. Eripiyo-san and Motoi-san are leading extremely wonderful otaku lives as well, but the figure Kumasa-san cuts as he single-mindedly supports (Igarashi) Reo-chan shines brilliantly. He doesn’t try to assert his presence, but whenever he sees Reo aim a pose at him during an event, he quietly and passionately receives it. I can’t help but respect him and feel moved. As an idol, when I’m watching Oshibudo, my feelings of “I respect the fans so much!” float to the surface.
Hirao: Thank you so much for watching. I’m so happy to hear that.
Nemoto: When I see Eripiyo-san and company wait in line on a scorching day, or when I see her buying a ticket for an event in hopes that Maina-chan will appear even if it’s not certain she will, I think about how our own fans are probably also giving their all in ways we don’t see, and I love them even more deeply. I’m so thankful to Oshibudo for helping me notice that!
Hirao: To think an actual idol would say that to me… Sorry, I’m too speechless to say more. I’ve just been listening to you talk while thinking the whole time, “Man, her face is cute…” I got so entranced by you face that the words didn’t really reach me (*sheepish laughter*).
Nemoto: Wow, thank you!!
– Nemoto-san, what parts of the Oshibudo manga really stood out to you?
Nemoto: There are way too many. First off, when Eripiyo-san gave her speech about gachikoi1 to her mom, who was making traditional New Year’s food, I laughed super hard and thought she made a good point. Another thing is definitely the deep bonds between Reo-chan and Kumasa-san apparent during the popularity ranking polls. Reo-chan wasn’t first place when she was in her previous group, but Kumasa-san told her that he’d make it happen this time around. When she saw how Maina-chan was faltering, she remembered Kumasa-san’s words and told her, “Believe in your fans.” Geez, their relationship is so much, I love it.
Hirao: *grinning*
Nemoto: …Huh?! I can’t believe I’m getting so worked up in front of the original creator, and plus, I basically can’t talk properly at all! So sorry! (*nearly prostrates herself*) But it must’ve been really hard to construct such a wonderful relationship. Idols simply exist, and fans are the ones doing the supporting in the relationship, and under the surface, money might be playing a role as well. The fact that they’ve become able to rely on each other is wonderful. It feels like a new type of couple.
– From your point of view, what parts of the relationships between idols and fans in Oshibudo are ones you’re familiar with, and which ones are new?
Nemoto: I really relate to how some passionate fans will get in the handshake line over and over again to make sure there are always people in line. When the line goes empty, it really goes empty (haha…). When I see Eripiyo-san shaking Maina-chan’s hand again and again, it warms my heart.
Hirao: So it does feel bad when there’s no one in your handshake line.
Nemoto: Yes, it really does! There’s an empty space appearing before your very eyes.
– Is there anything you try to do to prevent the line from running out? In the manga, for example, Yuuka calls out, “I’m free over here~” when her line looks like it might disappear.
Nemoto: I’m not especially aggressive about it, but I do try to shorten the distance by starting conversations by saying things like, “You came to see me before, too, right?”
– Hirao-sensei, have you ever had an experience in which you had a conversation like that and it made you happy?
Hirao: I feel happy when they tell me to come back next time, too. If they just say, “Thanks!” it feels like they’d be fine if I didn’t show up next time. In this particular space, hearing a few words that connect us in the future makes me want to keep on going more than hearing a simple “thank you.”
Nemoto: I see… That’s really helpful to know.
– When did you starting thinking about writing a series that featured idols as the main topic?
Hirao: I didn’t think about it at all! I had planned to write a series that would cover a variety of topics 4 pages at a time, and this was just one storyboard out of a bunch. It was decided when the chief editor told me, “We should turn this into a book.”
– Since it was in your manuscript, it could be said that in some corner of your brain, the “idols and otaku” theme was quite strong.
Hirao: Honestly, I was trying to avoid this topic for a long time. Idols are my hobby, so I wanted to properly separate my hobby from my work.
Nemoto: I totally get it (*nods vigorously*). I always loved Dempagumi.inc. Now that I’ve become a member of the group, though, I still love them of course, but the feeling of that “love” has changed a bit.
Hirao: Exactly. When my editor told me to use this material, I majorly upset about it. “Well, it won’t sell well at all, so whatever!” was how I tried to spin it in my head. To think it’d continue for so long… (*wry laugh*)
Nemoto: You’re being a real downer, you know! Haha!
– Haha. Why did you choose “Budokan” for this work?
Hirao: The title came up when I was talking to one of my higher-ups. They asked me, “What place do idols aim for?” and the first thing that came to mind was the Budokan. For some reason, I didn’t think about any dome or arena venues.
Nemoto: I totally get it. That’s the first place that I think of too when someone asks me where I want to perform a live. It’s kind of, like, a holy place.
Hirao: Yeah, yeah! My oshis up to this point have all quit before being able to get to Budokan. To fans, getting to go to Budokan is one of their greatest wishes.
Nemoto: Both fans and idols hold a special regard towards Budokan. Though, I do wonder, why exactly is everyone aiming for it?
– You boldly proclaimed that your New Year’s resolution last year was to get into Budokan. Have you changed your mind now? Haha.
Nemoto: It’s just that I’ve never exactly thought about why it’s so sacred before, haha.
Hirao: Maybe it’s because “Nippon Budokan” just has a wonderful ring to it?
Nemoto: This is really only my personal thought process, but during a 2012 Dempagumi.inc. live in LIQUIDROOM in Ebisu, (Furukawa) Mirin-san declared, “Our goal is performing at Budokan!” And after 2 years, they really made their dream come true and were able to stand on the stage there. I was so moved by the story of how they were able to attain their dream. It left such a beautiful impression on me that it might be why I view Budokan as holy. I just want to stand in the same place my super cool sempai did.
Hirao: I see. It’s a place where stories and personal dreams converge.
(Part 2)Interview Between Oshibudo’s original creator Hirao Auri and Real Idol Nemoto Nagi: “I Just Didn’t Want To Draw Depictions That Would Make People Hate Otaku”
This is a special interview with original mangaka of the currently airing “If My Favorite Pop Idol Made It to the Budokan, I’d Die” Hirao Auri, and member of both Niji no Conquistador (a group currently aiming for Budokan) and Dempagumi.inc Nemoto Nagi. In this second half, we dive deep into topics ranging from each character’s secrets to Hirao-sensei’s otaku story. Nemoto’s love for Oshibudo also explodes to the surface.
– Why did you decide to make a super otaku like Eripiyo the protagonist?
Hirao: Quite simply, it’s because I’m an otaku, not an idol, haha. Naturally, I’d understand the feelings of an otaku better. That’s why, starting from Eripiyo, I depicted my experiences and the experiences of my otaku friends. A lot of people say these are pretty uncommon characters, but personally, they’re quite normal for me. These kinds of otaku do exist.
– Feel free to elaborate as little or as much as you’d like, but do you base the anecdotes of the manga on real things that have happened?
Hirao: Yes, most of them are based on reality. For example, that scene where Eripiyo gets too excited over Maina and gets a nosebleed. That actually happened to one of my friends.
Nemoto: Which ones are the episodes based on your own, personal experiences?
Hirao: Well, um… if you look at Eripiyo’s various fail moments, a lot of them were actually my own failures during direct greetings, haha. I wanted to make people laugh with manga versions of my own experiences. If I can make people laugh with them, then I can turn my failures into something better.
Nemoto: Wow, this is super classified information! Did you also, like, put on a moustache or wear stilts to a live and stuff?
Hirao: Aha, well, I don’t go that far…
– Hahaha. Eripiyo sells all of her clothes and works part-time jobs night and day for Maina’s sake, and Kumasa quit his job to support his oshi. Oshibudo uses these anecdotes to depict the labors of the idol otaku. Nemoto-san, you’re in NijiCon and Dempagumi. Do you have any fans who have thrown their entire life into supporting you the same way?
Nemoto: I don’t know if it gets to the level of Eripiyo-san and Kumasa-san, but there I’ve seen some fans who’ve come to lives so often that they’ve had to repeat years in school, haha.
Hirao: That is truly some heavy lifting, haha.
Nemoto: Sometimes I can hear some fans say, “I had to repeat a year again~” During those times, I feel like we’ve committed some serious crimes… I feel a bit sorry about it.
– Eripiyo shows an excessive love for Maina, but you don’t really show any yakkai. Is that intentional?
Hirao: Yes. I hate the idea of otaku hate. That they’re connected with yakkai2, or got violent. Who would be happy if I drew things like that? In the end, there were many people who asked me to draw the bad parts, but I don’t want to draw those things critically and make people hate otaku, and I don’t want to be hated myself, haha.
(They all laugh)
Hirao: That’s why I started off with the basic framework of, “There are no bad people among otaku.” Besides, honestly, aren’t there a lot of works that already depict those bad parts? It’s more fun for me to draw a happy relationship between idols and otaku that exists between fantasy and reality.
Nemoto: How nice! In the middle of the manga, a handsome otaku character who keeps on doing taboo things at idol lives. However, Auri-sensei immediately wrote a disclaimer that read, “There will be no uncomfortable moments resulting from this,” so I felt reassured.
Hirao: I thought it would be unnatural to not have a handsome character who stirs up the fans at a live just with his presence. It’s just that he doesn’t really get anywhere.
Nemoto: In fact, whenever he appears in the story, I remember your disclaimer and actually feel a little bad for him. He’s frustrated about it, but he’s turned into some nice eye candy, haha.
Hirao: Well now, I didn’t think he’d be a character that’d evoke such a detailed reaction, so now I’m surprised, haha.
– As for the other main roles – how did you go about making the idols for ChamJam?
Hirao: I wanted to make ChamJam the kind of group that could actually exist in any location. You could say they’re very standard… This is a tough question. It’s the first time anyone’s asked me this, haha.
Nemoto: Wow! We’re first!
Hirao: Let’s see, they don’t sell very well, even in Yamaoka, but they have enough influence to gather 30 passionate otaku every week. They’re a small-scale local idol group. Although, when I’m actually drawing the manga, I kinda make it look like there are a lot of fans at the live, haha.
Nemoto: In the anime adaptation, there are clearly more than 30 fans.
Hirao: Yeah! They looked like a really popular group in the first episode.
Nemoto: The stage even has a projector screen. They’re putting on a live that’s more high-spec than most NijiCon lives! That’s what I thought at te time, haha.
– In what order did you make the characters?
Hirao: Maina was first. Then it was Reo and Sorane. To be honest, I hadn’t planned for anyone beyond those three. The rest I haphazardly came with during the first real manuscript. I proceeded while hoping that I could see other characters as I drew.
– Were there any model idols or groups you used for reference?
Hirao: I had a lot of models for their faces, but not as a group. I didn’t get the material from anywhere in particular. They’re an idol group I produced completely on my own in my head.
Nemoto: From your point of view, do you think ChamJam could actually sell well?
Hirao: (immediately) Nope, definitely not. In fact, if they did, it would be terrible.
– But they’re aiming for Budoukan!
Hirao: Yeah, so if they sell well, they’ll actually get there! Haha.
Nemoto: It would totally disrupt the core of the story, huh? Haha. I understand that feeling. Motoi-san struggles with the conflict of knowing that if ChamJam get more popular, they’ll become unreachable. Part of me also feels like I want to keep my idols for myself.
Hirao: So the story is still continuing while we have these feelings, and the idols must struggle just a little longer.
Nemoto: So that’s how you feel from your perspective, haha.
– As an idol fan yourself, Nemoto-san, what do you think is charming about ChamJam?
Nemoto: There are way too many points. First off, each character has their own unique personality. If there’s the sexy Maki-chan, then there’s also the loli Aya-chan. There’s no gap in the range. Also, they create an atmosphere where the fans are also contributing. They’ve got a front and backline system, which is frustrating for the idols themselves as well as the fans. Even so, the fans get pumped, wanting to help their oshi stand in the front. It’s wonderful how the fans and the idols work together, like in a three-legged race. It’s really difficult to share that passionate heat. There are times when the fans’ fervent wishes don’t reach us, and vice versa. But the ChamJam fans are able to properly fan those flames.
Hirao: (*listening quietly*)
Nemoto: Also, their activities take place in Yamaoka, so I thought it was great that when they did their first live in Tokyo, they couldn’t gather enough people at their venue in Gotanda. The physical distance between them and Tokyo was a great parallel to the distance between their current circumstances and achieving their dream for Budokan. To use a cliche, “They’re starting from behind.” I could definitely become their fan. Oops, now that I mention it, I guess I can’t support idols that are blessed with popularity, haha.
(Everyone laughs.)
Nemoto: Each character is working diligently as well, so even if they have any conflict amongst them, they’ll face each other head on in their own metaphorical wrestling rings. If Aya-chan does something to make Sorane-chan angry, then Sorane-chan will tell her to cut it out. I really respect that!!… Oops, I’m sorry for getting so worked up right in front of the official creator!
Hirao: No, not at all! I’m just so happy that a real, popular idol is getting so fired up about my work.
Nemoto: I’m in like a cold sweat right now, haha.
– By the way, who’s your oshi, Nemoto-san?
Nemoto: (immediately) All of them. If I like an idol, I usually support the whole group. Because everyone is cute.
– Now that you mention it, there’s not a single hako-oshi3 character in the entire series.
Hirao: That’s right! I’ve never supported an entire group before, and most of my friends have only one oshi, so I didn’t think about making a hako-oshi character at all. I only remembered that hako-oshi otaku even exist because you’re talking about it now. It’s unnatural not to have one in the series, isn’t it?
– So maybe you’ll learn the art of hako-oshi from Nemoto-san, and create a hako-oshi character…
Hirao: That could totally happen.
Nemoto: For real? I’ll answer any questions you have!
– Well, it’s about time to wrap up. Lastly, could you both please tell us some things you’re looking forward to in each other’s futures?
Hirao: I think that a brilliantly shining group like NijiCon could totally take the stage at Budokan. Just talking like this today, I was thinking that you’re so cute, if you keep up that passion, you’ll definitely be able to go. I really hope your dream comes true.
Nemoto: Thank you so much for those words! It took 5 years just to perform at ZeppTokyo, so I might need to be prepared for another 5 years, but I’ll definitely make it! My wish is for ChamJam to perform at Budokan as well. The road there may be difficult, but with the support of Eripiyo and co., with their full group, without any difficult or painful feelings, and without getting hurt, I want them to obtain their dream stage!
– So in the end you two are just giving voice to your otaku wishes, haha.
Nemoto: Also, I want Eripiyo-san to be happy. I hope she doesn’t push herself too hard at her part-time jobs, and I hope she doesn’t die… (*folds hands in prayer*)
Hirao: I’ll do my best to make sure she won’t die!
This is an English translation of the second part of an interview conducted on November 26th, 2019 by Marumoto Daisuke for Excite News featuring Nakatani Nio, author of Bloom Into You. This part of the interview was released a little more than a week after the first part and includes major spoilers for the final volume. Please read it only if you have finished the series, unless you’re okay with spoilers.
This is an English translation of the first part of an interview conducted on November 26th, 2019 for Excite News featuring Nakatani Nio, author of Bloom Into You. This part of the interview was released several days prior to the final volume and will be (almost entirely) spoiler-free for readers who have read up to volume 7 of the series. The second half will be published at a later date.
This is an English translation of an interview conducted on November 16, 2019 for Animate featuring Fragtime voice actresses Itou Miku (Moritani Misuzu) and Miyamoto Yume (Murakami Haruka). It’s a spoiler-free overview of the OVA, which came out in Japanese theaters on November 22nd.
The original interview (which includes some nice photos of the actresses!) can be found here.
Wolf Translations 