AKB49: Renai Kinshi Jourei

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Hi! I don’t usually write reviews, so the fact that I got an urge to write it for this manga says a lot. I’ll preface this with a bit of info, I had absulutely no interest in idols or the whole idol culture and to be fair I was trying to avoid it as best as I could for the last 10-ish years that I’ve been watching anime/reading manga. However, after trying to find a new manga to read, I randomly stumbled upon this manga and the premise just seemed too stupid for me to pass up on it. So I started reading it and ... I read the whole thing in 3 days, basically spending every bit of free time I had to read.
However it is not without its faults and I will get into that.

Story 8.5/10
To simplify the story, without spoiling much, the main character finds himself as part of one of the biggest idol groups at the time, AKB48. He did not expect it and the only reason he even joined the audition and crossdressed, was because of a girl he liked, as she wanted to join AKB and he decided that he will try to help her join, but even with bad makeup and manly mannerism he managed to get into the group and start of as a trainee beside his love interest. The story continues with his life as an idol and his advancement in ranks all while trying to hide the fact that he is in fact a guy.
The story premise seems unrealistic and stupid at first, however the story doesn’t focus on that part as much and gives the characters a lot more focus. There are multiple story arcs that are consistent in quality beside one that drags on a bit too long and gets confusing a few times from the perspective of someone that isn’t as well versed in japanese tv. But the story keeps being enjoyable throughout even with some hiccups in quality. The ending might be a bit of a controversial part of the story, but I didn’t mind it as much even though it was kinda mediocre.
Art 7/10 at the start 9/10 towards the end
The art in this series is okay at first, the characters are a bit hard to differentiate sometimes, but it looks okay. However, the art consistently gets better throughout the whole run of the manga, ending with very solid art. I wouldn’t say that art is anything special in the grand scope of things, however it is solid, the characters are cute and pleasant to look at.
Characters 10/10
Characters are probably my favorite part of this manga, I adored every single major character, I loved the way we can see them grow as people, the same way you would see your favorite idol grow in real life. What I enjoyed the most, was the fact that almost all characters are real people, real idols and managers that I could actually see in music videos and read about, and the author incorporated a lot of real events and real personalities into the characters. That made me get attached to them a lot more, seeing some events in the manga and then seeing the same events on youtube made me like a lot of characters so much more and made finding out about some graduations even more bittersweet.
Enjoyment 10/10
I usually read manga fast, but never this fast. I got into the story instantly and fell in love with the characters and I simply couldn’t stop reading. I had so much fun with the characters that I started checking real akb48 and I absolutely fell in love, even though it may not be their golden age anymore.

Overall 9/10
Even though it might be one of my favorite manga I’ve ever read it is not without it’s faults so I can’t give it 10/10. But I really really recommend it to anyone, idol fans or not!

This is the story of how a man became the greatest AKB idol of all time, his journey beginning with merely wanting to support the dream of his crush.

AKB49: Renai Kinshi Jourei is a masterpiece, which is funny because it was written by the same author who wrote Rent a Girlfriend. While reading it may seem hectic and over-the-top at times, the concept of the story and how it is delivered to us readers is sensational. Never would I have thought that I would be enjoying reading a manga about a femboy for 263 chapters.

The story mostly revolves around Urayama Minoru, our manly protagonist who ... decided to crossdress and become part of AKB in order to support his crush who wants to be an AKB idol. While this may be the case, there were also some major focuses on other characters in the story that made a huge impact on how the plot progresses such as Okabe Ai, one of his greatest rivals.

This manga certainly does show some symptoms similar to Rent a Girlfriend ( e.g. pervy scenes, some characters having similar characteristics ), but it is truly its own gem. The only complaint I have regarding this manga is the fact that the ending was so-so but other than that I am speechless.

This was truly a journey. Many times have I laughed and even shed some tears. I don't usually feel as much enjoyment when I read manga as when I watch anime, but for once I can proudly say that there's a manga that is way better than the majority of the anime I have watched up until today. And that manga is this.

I highly recommend this manga to those who want to find something interesting, or those who are into crossdressing or idol-type manga.

This series is about a guy called Urayama Minoru crossdressing as a girl to participate in a female idol group audition (AKB48). The main objective is to help the girl he likes, Yoshinaga Hiroko, pass the audition. Yoshinaga Hiroko's dream is to become like her favourite idol who is in the AKB48 group. This audition happens to be her final try, so Minoru crossdresses as Urakawa Minori and takes part in the audition to make sure she realizes her dream. Hiroko got qualified eventually, however, the shocking news was Minoru was qualified as well. Thus, the road to becoming a female idol begins…
It was an ... intereting story, I ain't finish this yet but overall, it was worth giving a 7.5. You guys should give it a try.