ICHIGO PRODUCTION SAITOU
Maybe I should've hired you as a talent scout.
A popular YouTuber as well as an influencer, Mem.
I was surprised to know you were interested in idols.
You have 370,000 subscribers on your YouTube channel.
And 638,000 TikTok followers.
You seem to be very popular online.
First, I'd like to first ask what agency you are with, Ms. Mem.
I'm actually self-employed as an online streamer.
Currently, I'm with an agency called FARM,
but I'm not registered with them, I work as a business partner.
I'm under a contract where I can freely take on jobs myself with no problems.
I see.
In that case, Ichigo Production will be offering idol work to you.
We have many internet personalities too, so there's no problems with the contract.
It would be perfect for us.
But your expression tells me that there's something you need to say.
Well, I've got a hunch.
You're lying about your age, aren't you?
Can you tell?
Yes, you look very young based on your build,
but you can't fool my eyes.
But you don't need to worry.
It's very common for freelancing girls to lie a few years about their age.
I don't really mind.
Are you sure?
I'm so glad.
So, how old are you really?
Um... well...
I'm actually...
Mm-hm.
You really stretched it!
I apologize!
If you're officially 18 years old, you got some major guts.
Please don't count!
How many years did you subtract? Like three?
Double that.
You sure stretched it!
Wait, so you're 24?
I was 24 until spring.
Which means you're 25. Don't try to struggle your way out at this point.
So you were on the show as a teenager at 25? You got monstrous mental strength.
There's a reason to this!
My dream was to become an idol since I was little.
But I was raised by a single mom and I also have two little brothers.
So I felt that I should find a job right away.
But Mama told me...
Don't worry, just chase your dreams!
Mama will be with you to help!
After that, I started applying to auditions.
I even made it to a major agency's last screening.
But during my 3rd year in high school...
Mama worked too hard and was hospitalized.
I needed money,
so I took a break from high school and worked at all kinds of jobs.
Thanks to that, I was able to send my brothers to college,
and my mom got better too.
But by that time, I was already 23.
You know how you're treated as a granny at 20 in this world?
Every audition application said, "Any female up to 20 years of age."
By the time I was in a state to chase my dreams,
I wasn't at an age to chase them anymore.
I began streaming after losing my way of becoming an idol.
And I was still on break from high school at the time,
so I joked that I was a current high school girl.
But then I got surprisingly popular.
And I gained subscribers like crazy.
Then I couldn't back out anymore!
I continued like that for two years and here I am today.
I know, this isn't okay.
I lied about seven years, and it would be a major problem if it got out.
A 25-year-old as an idol could never...
That's not true.
Mem-cho!
The real thing! So cute!
I heard the whole story.
Arima.
I'm also someone who was scorned for their age,
so I can relate a little.
It doesn't seem like a little.
Once I got older in elementary school, my child acting agency kicked me out.
It really pisses me off!
What?
Mrs. Miyako!
That's why I never said no.
And you, Ruby?
Of course!
Age doesn't matter in becoming an idol!
Because you can't stop anyone from dreaming!
Welcome to B Komachi!
Yeah... Thank you.
There goes my sister with her sugarcoating again.
Arima, take care of Ruby and Mem for me.
Shut up, don't talk to me so casually.
Go take care of Akane Kurokawa.
You womanizing steward!
I'm gonna keep this group together even without you telling me.
Hey, let's go out to eat right now.
Let's go!
What's with these girls? They're so warmhearted!
And like that, Mem-cho joined our group.
And the newly formed B Komachi made its official start.
Aww, Love For Real ended.
Hey, how did you feel seeing your brother kissing on the show?
How did I feel?
Can there be anything other than super mixed feelings?
I thought so.
It was five times as awkward as watching a brother and sister kissing on TV.
Eek...
Ruby, you'll probably meet Akane one day too.
Since she is your brother's girlfriend.
Girlfriend...
But Aqua's feelings toward Akane is probably...
Is this about Love For Real?
Oh, yeah.
You knew about it, Ms. Shiranui?
Well, someone I know is on it after all. It was interesting.
You don't need to be so considerate.
There were nothing but pretty boys and cute girls in it.
It was great eye candy.
Eye candy?!
I didn't think a top star would say something like that too.
Who doesn't like pretty faces?
It pleased my eyes so much, I think my eyesight got better by 0.5.
She says some funny stuff!
Personally, I liked Mem-cho's maiden face.
If I were one of the boys, I would've totally made her mine.
I wish they would have put more spirit into seducing her.
Ms. Shiranui is very cool on TV,
but I didn't know she was like this in private.
But I hear this is common actually.
Men tend to feel rivalry toward funny women before romantic feelings,
making it difficult for them to become popular.
So they're not allowed to joke while they have on an innocent image.
What an ugly fact.
Maybe it's because I'm watching it from the cast's acquaintance view,
but it made my heart race.
I'm sure everyone else feels the same too.
I hear Aqua is super popular with the girls in the General Department.
Some girls in our department are interested in him too.
But he supposedly has a girlfriend,
so I'm sure everyone will just watch over for now.
In fact, Love For Real's following is very high,
and it must've been a major influence for my brother's future.
But it also made a significant impact on B Komachi.
With Mem-cho joining,
we're now able to create more professional videos for our channel.
Wow! We reached 10,000 subscribers!
Well, I created the user flow from my channel too,
so this much should be expected.
It feels... really official!
If it isn't official, what else would it be?
We only have self-introduction videos uploaded,
so I'd like to put up our music videos as soon as we can.
But how is our music-related stuff going right now?
Looks like the CEO's asking an artist she knows to write it.
We can't do anything until the music's ready.
It's still a long way ahead, so let's just sit back and wait.
Well, we can't do that.
Did you forget that we're B Komachi?
B Komachi has B Komachi songs, right?
Oh yeah! There's no problems if we use the old songs!
Right!
Mem-cho, you're a genius!
Tsk. So they noticed.
There's a lot we can do right now!
If we waste too much time, I'll hit my thirties!
So self-deprecating...
The first and foremost duty as an idol!
The idol's most splendorous and toughest part...
We're gonna learn the dance choreography!
LET'S B KOMACHI DANCE LESSON!!
There's 30 songs with choreography that have footage left.
Don't tell me they want to learn all of it.
I can't keep up with these two idol otakus' motivation.
Why did I say that I'll become an idol?
Good work.
Thank...
I don't need it! Go away!
You've been acting like this toward me for a while now.
I know that you mouth off and have a bad attitude, but...
at this rate, I'll get hurt too.
What's with that? Huh?
You were the one who...
You're the one...
Aqua!
Me telling you this story now is like digging up someone's grave.
Why do you want to know about Ai so much?
I'm a fan of hers.
A hopeless one.
Do you need a reason beyond that?
The illusion seen by fans shatter once they know the reality.
There is no exception to this.
Showbiz is pretty much a bluffing contest.
An alluring subject tells an alluring lie
in order to stage a charismatic figure that doesn't really exist in real life.
What most people do in job hunting to get into good companies
is what we do for business.
Even so, I'd still like to know.
If you say you're a fan, it's best not to know.
But no one ever listens.
I connected with Ai and introduced her some jobs like I told you before.
Back then, Ai was just a country girl who just moved here from the sticks.
Her level of professionalism was low, she'd never try to fit in,
and she'd come to work wearing cheap clothes that never suited her.
She was just a child.
So, I thought it might help her somehow,
so I introduced her to this one theater's workshop.
A workshop?
It's one that I used to be a part of during college.
It's called Theater Lalalai.
The theater group that Akane belongs to.
It wasn't that famous at the time though.
They say love changes people.
That's probably the place...
where Ai fell in love.
Ever since Ai joined that workshop, she started to care about her appearance.
And she would ask me where the good restaurants were.
Of course I couldn't tell who her dates were,
but I remember she suddenly looked all grown-up.
If you're curious, I'll introduce you to Lalalai's superintendent.
You'll surely get closer to the answer you're looking for there.
Why would you go that far for me?
I'm just a failed actor with no achievements whatsoever.
Because I see potential in you.
This industry is all about give-and-take.
As you already know, in Japanese showbiz,
the give-and-take between the agencies and production companies affect the casting.
And depending on the cast, the profit changes by the hundred millions.
This 40,000-yen sushi will feel like nothing
compared to how much money will be exchanged.
By you owing me a favor now,
once you become a star and you hit your prime,
I can have a big advantage in the casting battles to come.
This is what a producer does.
Of course, I don't do this just to you.
I see potential in Kana Arima and Mem-cho too.
Looks like you kids have started something interesting.
I hear you guys revived that B Komachi group.
I feel that all of you are quite the promising investment.
You don't mean...
Japan Idol Festival?!
Yeah, the producer from Love For Real says he has connections.
So if we're interested, he said he'll squeeze us in.
But JIF's next month, right?!
No way! We're not prepared at all.
If some newbies like us suddenly went on a big stage like that--
Let's do it!
It's JIF, the JIF!
Wouldn't it be cool if the new B Komachi's first concert is at a big stage like that?
But we'll definitely create a bad impression to those around us.
I'm sure they'll say connection this and connection that.
Don't worry!
We're the successors of the legendary group, B Komachi!
You're the one who started saying that on your own.
But in reality, there's no way we let this chance go.
A normal group spends long hard years to finally get to this stage.
So if we don't do this now, what are we working towards?
Well, that's true.
If we're gonna do it, let's do it.
This is work after all.
Okay, it's decided!
Then it's time!
We gotta decide now.
What?
Who to have as B Komachi's center role.
Is it that important?
Who cares who the center is?
It is important!
The center is the idol group's star!
The cute one who can sing and dance, they're the face of the group!
It's the most important position!
Right?
You two really get along.
So, does anyone want to do it?
I-I'm not saying that I wanna do it, but if everyone insists...
This probably has to be the oldest and wisest.
I don't wanna do it, but my experience should help bring the group together.
You both look like you really wanna do it.
I mean, shouldn't it be me who's good at dancing?
Well, no, it should be me who's used to the media and well-experienced!
If you put it that way, that would make it Senpai.
Since her "Green Pepper Exercise" took 1st place on the charts
and she was all over music shows.
Wow, what a throwback!
Don't bring up my embarrassing past!
Let's start the "Green Pepper Exercise"!
Eat green peppers and become Superman
Everybody dance and become Peter Pan
You know how she sang a little off-key...
Right? That was so childlike and cute!
They made me dance to it in kindergarten.
Hey, try singing it!
No way!
I know that I suck at singing!
I mean, don't you have to be able to sing as the center?
That's true, it doesn't look good if the center doesn't hold a mic.
How despicable.
How about whoever gets a higher score in karaoke gets it?!
All right!
Senpai, you too, right?!
I'll pass.
What? But...
Stupid, the center is the group's face, right?
If you put me as the center, this group won't get any popular.
That's not true.
There's enough evidence to prove it.
Even after my one-hit wonder child star years were over,
you think that I'd only be acting while I clung to this industry for years?
I tried a variety of fields, but never got popular.
I put the agency that gave me work for my child star fame in the red,
but I made sure to take my pay, so I could feed myself.
To sum it up, there are no fans following Kana Arima!
I totally agree! Who'd wanna put money into a foul-mouthed, jaded woman like me?
Oh, that's right, I'll Go with Sweet Today was in the red too, huh?!
Mem-cho, you have a ton of subscribers.
Ruby, you at least got a great face, and your innocence will probably win fans.
Besides...
the ones who are likable are honest cute girls like you two.
Not a difficult and bitter woman like me.
You can just think of me as decoration.
Karaoke or whatever, just choose the center between you two.
Senpai, you're really sulky lately.
Did something bad happen?
Not really.
Don't worry!
Even my brother who never compliments people said that you're cute.
You're not difficult or bitter at all.
But he said that to Mem-cho in Love For Real too.
What a difficult and bitter woman...
You always have to argue.
It must be tough for whoever dates someone like this.
Well, most celebrities are difficult people.
Wait, Aqua's the one who invited these two to join.
I don't like how I can gradually see what kind of women my brother likes.
Come join us later.
Okay.
KARAOKE
57 POINTS LET'S WORK A LITTLE HARDER!
43 POINTS OH... OKAY. TRY HARDER?
I'm surprised you took up this challenge with a score like that!
Y-You too, you're in the quirky category!
Idols are all about uniqueness!
Even being quirky has value!
But if you suck, you can't help that!
The joy of watching a poor singer get gradually better live!
I'm thinking of providing this to the fans! There's a story there!
I should've practiced singing more seriously.
We both need training!
Please don't put me on the same level as you.
Why don't we take a quick break?
Right. Let's sing a light song as a breather.
Why don't we sing Senpai's "Green Pepper Exercise"?
Ruby, you got a pretty evil personality. I honestly like it.
- Oh. - Hm?
Arima released a lot of songs after "Green Pepper Exercise."
I never knew.
Wanna listen to it?
Yeah.
KANA ARIMA
Seriously, what a difficult person.
And she says she sucks?
97 POINTS
Isn't she too hard on herself?
97 POINTS AMAZING!!
Subtitle translation by: Kanami Kitabayashi