"Seishun Butayarou wa Siscon Idol no Yume wo Minai" by Kamoshida Hajime

2019-08-30 : previous : next : index : [books]


"Seishun Butayarou wa Siscon Idol no Yume wo Minai" (rascal does not dream of sister complex idol) by Kamoshida Hajime. This is volume 4 of the series, featuring a character swap.

More specifically, only the outer appearances of Mai and Nodoka were swapped. Not their mind nor their body, just their appearance. This explanation by Rio seemed oddly specific even though the net result is roughly the same as other stories of this sort. Despite that bit of detail, Rio simply pulled out a book titled "Quantum Mechanics for Gorillas" and did not try as hard as previous volumes to explain this phenomenon. Basically, we have reached a point where the sci-fi details hardly mattered once we got the general plot device going. In this sense, this series lost one of its notable features from prior volumes.

Even without the sci-fi flavor, the main story is still a wholesome romantic comedy. The idea of temporarily exchanging roles and gain a deeper understanding of each other in the process is not a new concept, but it is very well executed to highlight all the differences between a rising idol and a superstar. It was also a great opportunity to see a more expressive Mai, in contrast to her generally calm and composed disposition. Extra effort were taken in illustrating these rare shots of Mai through text, or you can watch a reasonably faithful rendition of it through episodes 9-10 of the anime series. In addition to the usual witty dialogues, all details about the backstage life of idols totally made this volume worth reading.

This volume also features Kaede in a school uniform, as a preview for Kaede's great developments in the next volume.


Previous (2019-08-10): "Kino no Tabi 22" by Shigusawa Keiichi
Next (2019-09-14): "Seishun Butayarou wa Orusuban Imouto no Yume wo Minai" by Kamoshida Hajime

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