Tatsuki Ryuzaki's admiration for Ryoma Echizen came to an end in the summer before her third year of middle school.
The young samurai's path would eventually lead to a wider world that belonged to him, and it was time for her to rethink where her own world lay.
For the first two years of middle school, so much of her life had revolved around that boy. If she erased the keyword "Ryoma" from her life, it seemed all that would be left was an empty version of herself.
"But my life belongs to me."
So when she saw a recruitment notice for a wildly popular girl idol group, she tried submitting an application.
A group where dating was forbidden, bright and vibrant young idols, grueling live performances and handshake events, the double burden of work and school... The once-shy girl grew up fast. Timidity and hesitation were no way to survive in the group. She fell flat on her face, then stumbled onward all the same.
She knew every position in every performance. She memorized the lyrics to obscure songs. She could quickly find the camera for close-ups. And her handshake line stretched on and on.
Then, thanks to her family background, she became the MC of a sports variety show, whose guest was a Japanese tennis prodigy making waves on the American circuit.
Someone joked about their shared school connection, but she said, "Please don't tease members of a no-dating idol group about romance."
1. This idea came from my dissatisfaction with how the original portrayed its female characters. Female friendship and establishing an independent sense of self are the main themes. Romance is minimal and only appears at the end. There will be some reflection on the girl idol industry, but it won't be portrayed as all good or all bad.
2. No revenge-and-reconciliation arc.
3. The plotlines are far apart, so original characters make few appearances.
4. The idol group model is based on the 48/46 groups, but there are no specific real-life counterparts.
Theme: The process of gradually building a sense of self after having once devoted far too much attention to a boy you liked.
