"Miyaemooooooon! Hurry up and make me an idol!"
Despite being a very dramatic and dark story, this is still a manga written by Aka Akasaka, who is well-known for his snarky kind of humor. Here's a list of the funniest moments.
As a Moments subpage, all spoilers are unmarked as per policy. You Have Been Warned.
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Volume 1
Chapter 1
- The chapter begins with the protagonist, Goro, watching a video of the 16-year-old idol, Ai, for multiple panels. His ecstatic speech how great Ai is is interrupted by a nurse who asks Dr. Goro why he is watching the video in his patient's hospital room. He later mentions that he often slacked off in other random patients' rooms.Goro: Looking at beautiful things is good for your health. That's my professional opinion as a doctor.
Nurse: Isn't that just you trying to convert people? - When the nurse notes that, since Ai is only 16, Goro is kind of creepy, he wants to explain how he came to like Ai. He tells a tearjerking story about Sarina, who had a Precocious Crush on him, and how she died before her dream to become an idol could come true. The nurse then concludes:Nurse: In the end, you're a disgusting lolicon.
Goro: Hey! Were you listening!? I'd say that was a pretty touching episode! - Goro retorts that his feelings for Sarina and Ai are of pure nature. But when the nurse asks him if he'd accept if Ai were to ask him out, he dodges the question, which basically means that the nurse is right: He is a lolicon.
- Getting back to work from lunch break, Goro is still worried about Ai taking a break because of health reasons, but he decides to focus on work. Then it turns out, his next patient is his beloved idol. He doesn't show any reaction at first and then excuses himself for a moment, only to alternate between shock that his bias is pregnant and admiration because she's so cute.
Chapter 2
- The chapter begins with Goro, now reborn as Ai's son, introducing the reader to his new identity as... Aquamarine. It's written as 愛久愛海, which roughly means "Love forever, love the sea".
- Ai can't differentiate between Aqua and Ruby, even though they wear different colored clothes and she named them after their eye color. She is rightfully called out by her boss, Saitou. Ai says that she can't help it, since she is bad at memorizing faces and names, unless they have talent that is, only to insult her boss.Ai: But I can memorize people's names when I think they have talent, President Satou.Ichigo Saitou: Close. My name is Saitou, you shitty idol.
- Aqua is watching Ai's show, admiring how captivating she is. Then his twin sister, Ruby, wakes up, complaining that Aqua didn't wake her in time. Turns out she reincarnated with Past-Life Memories as well, and like Aqua she is a big fan of Ai's, too. She immediately starts fangirling about how amazing her Mama is.
Chapter 3
- The chapter begins with a Flash Forward of Miyako Saitou, who in the future becomes Aqua and Ruby's manager. She interrupts an interview because Ruby calls her for an emergency. Said emergency is Ruby spilling soy sauce on a piece of clothing.
- Back to Aqua as a baby, he refuses adamantly to get breastfed (because he would cross a line, as he is mentally an adult man). Ruby on the other hand savors any moment she gets to get breastfed, since she's a girl and it's thus not so creepy. When Aqua calls her out for this, she sees no problem with it, calling it her birth right.
- A flashback is shown when Aqua discovered that Ruby was reincarnated too. He found her on the phone rabidly trashtalking anyone on Twitter who dared to criticize her beloved mother.Aqua: Could it be that you... are the same as me?
Ruby: Huh... The baby talked!! Ewwwwwww! That's so creepy!!
Aqua: You're not any different. - Ruby pities Ai, who has an obsessive fan for a son, and how she has to protect her mother her whole life. Again, Aqua calls Ruby out for being a Hypocrite.
- Miyako is about to sell information about Ai's secret pregnancy to get some cash. The twins think about how to stop her:Ruby: Holy crap!! What should we do, kill her?
Aqua: We won't be able to, the difference in our physical abilities is too big.
Ruby: Okay, I said that as a joke, but are you actually thinking about it?? - Aqua then reveals that he can already talk and that he was sent from heaven to make Miyako stop. She doesn't believe it until Ruby also starts talking and that Miyako goes against the will of the gods, which would end with her facing divine punishment.Miyako: What do you mean, "divine punishment"!? What would happen to me exactly!?
Ruby: What exactly? Well, basically...
Aqua: You die.
Ruby: Yes!! You die!!
Miyako: Oh my God, no!! That's so specific!! - So how does Ruby convince Miyako? By telling her that if she helps protecting Ai and them, she would get to marry a hot actor one day.Miyako: Really!? I'll do it!! I'll listen to everything!! I'll even lick their shoes!!
Ruby: You do not need to go that far.
Miyako: Hotties rock~!
Chapter 4
- Ai's salary isn't very high, making her realize that the world is all about money. She's sad that she can't earn more to give her children a good education and future. Miyako tries to explain why unlike big companies Strawberry Productions doesn't get any offers, but interrupts herself when she notices that Ai is munching on some really expensive Häagen-Dazs ice cream.Miyako: You know, you should probably start by not eating expensive ice cream... Ever heard about "budgeting"?
- Ruby has an idea on how to help Ai earn more money: Ask her fans to donate their kidneys to her so they can sell them.
- Aqua and Ruby convince Miyako to let them attend a promotion event of B-Komachi. They claim they are doing it because Ai isn't feeling well and that they are just worried about her. However, as soon as Ai starts singing, they start doing otaku dances in their baby carriages, which attracts the attention of everyone around them. Miyako is exasperated, while the twins are embarrassed. Ai, on the other hand, can't help but be elated how cute her children are.Miyako: (thinking) What about "being worried about her"!? You guys are only here to enjoy this, aren't you!?
Aqua and Ruby: (thinking) Instincts took over!
Ai: (thinking) My kids... are so cuuuuuuuuuute~!! - A separate viewer ends up recording the twins and puts the video on Twitter, where it goes viral. At home, Miyako is dragged away by her husband, presumably to get a scolding from him.
Chapter 5
- The chapter begins with Ruby wanting to get a pat by Ai. She describes the feeling of getting patted with a very complicated Buddhistic term, which confuses Ai as she wonders where Ruby learned such a difficult term... and dismisses it as Ruby being a genius.
- Miyako is driving Ai and the twins to a film set for a role in a drama Ai got. She reminds everyone that they mustn't say anything that exposes that they are Ai's children.Miyako: Don't forget you're pretending to be my kids.
Aqua: Okay, okay, Mom, gimme a pat on the head~
Ai: Oh, please do that to me too, Mom!
Ruby: Mom, gimme some allowance!
Miyako: Ku... - Ai's co-actresses are enamored when they see the twins and start to cuddle them. Ruby clearly enjoys the attention she gets and acts like a cute baby, which disgusts Aqua a bit considering he knows she is mentally far older.
- This is the chapter where Director Gotanda says something that fans would later meme about all the time: "What a progressive era we live in!"
- Director Gotanda warns Aqua that should either of the kids disturb the shooting, he'd throw them out. Aqua immediately talks at length how he would never do this and how he hopes the director will continue working with Ai in the future. The director is immediately amazed how well Aqua can already talk for someone his age and wants to convince him to play in his films.
- When the drama Ai played in is about to be aired, Ai, Aqua, and Ruby are excited to watch it, but then notice that Ai was almost completely edited out. Aqua immediately angrily calls the director to ask why. Turns out Ai had to be edited out because she was cuter than the as "overwhelmingly cute" advertised female lead actress.
Chapter 6
- This chapter's Flash Forward begins with a teenaged Kana Arima, who is being interviewed. The interviewer just mentions her good reputation as an actress and what initially starts as a humble response develops into Kana thoughtlessly saying multiple things that she immediately regrets after saying them out loud.Kana: Even an unrivaled prodigy would die if you stabbed them! There are many ways to put up a fight! Ah, please edit that out, though. I went overboard with my metaphor. A-kun is gonna get mad at me... I've always had a sharp tongue... I didn't mean to do that on purpose. It's just, I get a little heated sometimes. (Beat) Please cut this out, too...
- At the set of the new film Director Gotanda is filming, he gives Aqua a lesson about who gets to decide the casting.Gotanda: Only a handful of super big-shot directors have the authority and privilege to pick their own cast. Either that, or they're directors who are working with a super low budget on a small-scale film... Which one do I look like?
Aqua: ...The super big-shot one.
Gotanda: Nope. This is a low-budget set we have here. - Ruby starts a crying rant because Ai isn't with them.Ruby: MAMAAAAA! MAMAAAAA! I wanna go back to where Mama is!! Why is Mama not here with us?!
Aqua: Ai is shooting on a different date.
Ruby: I wanna go home and have her fawn over me!! I wanna be cradled in Mama's arms!!! Take me back to snuggleville!!
Aqua: (thinking) How is she not embarrassed at her age? - In comes Kana Arima, a Child Prodigy in acting. Ruby apparently has heard about her.Ruby: Wait, isn't she...? Uh, what's she called again... "The child genius who will lick a lying snitch"...?
Kana: "Flick a crying switch"!! - Kana acts like an Insufferable Genius, which Ruby really doesn't like, but she stays calm. However, as soon as Kana insults Ai and claims that she has no talent and only got a role because of Nepotism, Ruby and Aqua stare daggers at Kana and are this close to murder her.
- Aqua is supposed to act like a Creepy Child for his role, but he ends up not acting at all. Why? Because he notices that what Director Gotanda wanted to tell Aqua is that he already is creepy enough. Even Ruby notes that Aqua was just being himself as usual.
Chapter 7
- Fearing that Aqua might start looking down on her, Ruby tries to pass off as someone older than she really was when she was still Sarina (12). It's very obvious that she's lying.
- In the next scene, Aqua and Ruby are shown spending time in preschool. Aqua is reading really difficult books, while Ruby in the background happily plays with the slide.
Chapter 8
- Aqua is pondering who his biological father is. Ruby on the other hand doesn't care. Why? Because she declares with Empty Eyes that they were conceived through virgin conception.
Chapter 10
- Before Ruby and Aqua go to high school, Aqua complains to Ruby that her skirt is a bit too short. Ruby responds that Aqua sounds like an old man.
Volume 2
Chapter 11
- Apparently, Ruby wasn't aware that while she has the looks and can dance, she can't sing. She looks a bit perplexed when her friends tell her that.
Chapter 12
- Aqua plans to gather information about the agency that wants to hire Ruby as an underground idol. He does this by pretending to be a scout for Strawberry Productions and approaches one of the idols with glasses and full of Bishie Sparkles to make her talk. Miyako is outright scared and disgusted.Lala: The talent scout looks so young... I thought he was soliciting for something nasty!
Miyako: (thinking) Yeah, he's a nasty nightmare, alright.
Chapter 13
- After Aqua tells Director Gotanda that he definitely has no plans to become an actor again because he has no talent, Gotanda tries to give Aqua a You Are Better Than You Think You Are speech... and is interrupted by his mother, who tells him that dinner is ready. Aqua then asks Gotanda why a man in his 40s still hasn't moved out of his parents' house yet, making Gotanda come up with several flimsy excuses. Aqua decides that the motivational speech falls flat when it comes from a Basement-Dweller.
- Aqua then repeats that he has no talent like Ai.Gotanda: Ai, Ai, Ai, Ai, what are you, a pirate?
- Again, Gotanda tries to motivate Aqua and suggests that Aqua actually really wants to act again. Just as Aqua is about to respond, they are again interrupted by the director's mother.
- Aqua and Ruby are interviewed at Yoto High School, a school that has a performing arts program for young entertainers, which Ruby intends to attend as she is aims to become an idol. Aqua also wants to enroll to stay with his sister, but he applies for the general education program.Aqua: My name is... Hoshino Aquamarine.
Interviewer: Your name is really quite something. [...] A standardized test score of 70!? Why are you applying for our school, which only requires 40!? Explanation
Aqua: I was attracted by this school's culture and atmosphere.
Interviewer: Is our school really that charming!? - Aqua and Ruby coincidentally meet Kana Arima again, who is also attending Yoto High. Ruby misremembers her title as "the child genius who will lick a lying snitch" again.
- Kana is excited to meet Aqua again, who many years ago impressed her with his acting, thinking that he also applied for the performing arts program like her. She is unbelievably confused when she hears that Aqua applied for the general education program.
Chapter 14
- Picking right off where the last chapter ended, Kana demands to know why Aqua isn't joining the performing arts program, since she thinks he's still an actor. Aqua explains that it's for Ruby's sake, as she is the one who applied for the performing arts program and he's worried about her.Ruby: That's because my brother's a siscon.
Kana: Ewww! - Ruby then tells Aqua that she never liked Kana. Right in front of Kana.Kana: I've got ears, ya know!
Ruby: Haa... Well, what can you do, let's be friends, Loli-senpai.
Kana: I'll bully you, I really will! - Aqua then leaves to go to Director Gotanda. Kana follows him, as she really wants to talk to him.Kana: Where are you going! Who's this "Director" person? Where do you live now? What school ya from!?
Aqua: Are you trying to pick a fight? note - The entire chapter is just Kana running her insensitive mouth without thinking or any filter. Her inviting Aqua to her home after he refuses to come talk with her sounds like she's hitting on him, and later when they arrive at Director Gotanda's place, she blatantly calls Gotanda a parasite, as he still lives with his parents. Then she unintentionally brags to everyone how she has no financial worries, due to her child acting gigs.Kana: Ahaha, I have so much money saved up, I don't even wanna check the balance.
Gotanda: Damn, I really don't like this girl. - When meeting Director Gotanda, Gotanda is surprised to see Kana, as he hasn't seen her in a while. He triggers her Misery Trigger, since she has a long dry acting spell.
- Kana tries to convince Aqua to join the cast of the drama where she got the lead acting role. Aqua immediately refuses, but he changes his mind when he learns that the producer is Masaya Kaburagi, who worked with Ai in the past. Kana is a bit confused why Aqua suddenly agreed, but then recalls that just a second ago she mentioned that the male lead has a girlish face, making her believe that Aqua agreed because he's interested in the lead actor.
Chapter 15
- This chapter reveals that Ruby occasionally enters Aqua's room to borrow his stuff, like the "Sweet Today" manga that he read. This also means that Aqua reads shoujo manga.
- The first episodes of the live action adaptation of "Sweet Today" have already aired, so Miyako and Ruby decide to take a look. It's shown over two pages that all of the actors are amazingly bad, making Miyako prematurely close her laptop.
- Ruby, honest as ever, points out that Kana used to be better at acting. Cue the next page Kana angrily telling Ruby to go die for her opinion.Kana: SHUT THE HELL UP!! Your little sister said that? She can go jump off a cliff!
Aqua: As graceless as ever I see. - As Kana explains how she learned to put her pride behind to ensure a good production, she starts bragging that her good looks were one of the reasons she got the lead role for Sweet Today.Kana: Well, I don't think I'd come second to any of those models when it comes to looks. That producer is a sucker for a pretty face.
Aqua: Are there no actors at all who aren't self-confident...
Chapter 16
- Kana explains how the shoot is happening. Or at least how it usually happens. As she pointed out in the previous chapter, the schedule is really a mess, so they only have enough time and money to do one rehearsal and then do the real shooting.
- After the rehearsal, Kana and Aqua discuss his acting. Aqua sees himself as just an average actor, but Kana nonetheless praises him, as she sees that he worked hard to get this far. Since she is the lead actress, she is in charge of all actors and really needs to give it her all, since this is a unique opportunity. Aqua responds by triggering her Misery Trigger.Kana: Getting the lead role is a once-in-a-decade opportunity for me. I need to give it my all.
Aqua: You're right, I guess I haven't seen you in anything recently, I had wondered if you quit acting.
Kana : Ughhhhh!
Chapter 17
- The chapter begins with a long internal monologue, recapping Kana's life as an actor. One of the panels during her monologue shows an article about Kana being a Former Child Star with a Before And After Picture. The before picture shows her as a cute child actress, while the after picture shows her as a teenager in a moment where she looks really derpy.
- Since Kana has gotten a lead role after a long while, she really wants to make the production a success, even if she had to grasp at straws (Aqua), meaning she really isn't impressed by his acting.
- Despite the first episodes of Sweet Today not being that well received, Kana believes they can still save the series by acting out the climax of the manga well. She just needs to stay in tempo with her fellow actors and make up for their lack in acting. But then she sees her co-actor's acting being so wooden, she decides that he is beyond saving.Kana: (thinking) It's surely not too late. Stay in tempo... (Beat) This is impossible!! There's no way to make up for this!
Chapter 18
- The chapter begins with the assistants of the author that wrote Sweet Today entering the workplace. They find their boss sleeping on the floor again. Her reason for doing so not only sounds ridiculous, it's very similar to what Miko Iino from Kaguya-sama: Love Is War said.Assistant: If you're gonna sleep, use your bed. That's gotta be bad for your back.
Author: Nnnnnhhh... The thing is that on a bed you sleep too soundly, but on the floor your body wakes up after about 4 hours.
Assistant: That's a tip we'd all be better off without. - During the party after successfully finishing the shooting for the drama, Kana casually tries to ask whether Aqua has a girlfriend. Due to the context of their conversation about avoiding scandals, he completely misses that Kana asks because she's interested in him.
Volume 3
Chapter 21
- Ruby and Kana watching Aqua on the reality dating show. First they are shocked when Aqua acted so cheerfully compared to his usual gloomy self. Then they get annoyed when Aqua started to flirt with other female stars. Finally they conclude that Aqua is the type of males who pursues simple-minded females.Note
- Ruby decides to dictate who Aqua should date in the show. She picks Yumi Suki, reasoning that she is the purest of the girls in the show. Aqua declares that Ruby is a Horrible Judge of Character and should avoid any romance.
Chapter 22
- Miyako decides to promote the new B-Komachi through Youtube, so she invites a famous Youtuber to help. Immidiately, a muscular man wearing only a brief and a chicken mask walks through the door.Kana: THERE'S A PERVERT HERE!!
Ruby: Oh! It's Pieyon. - Kana accuses Pieyon of trying to standing out on internet by reusing a TV show character, which elicits a simple response from Pieyon.Pieyon: I make one hundred million yen a year.
Kana: I apologize for my attitude and choice of words. - Pieyon agrees to let Ruby and Kana to appear on his channel to promote themselves, by makes them wearing derpy chicken masks and challenges them to keep up with his fitness exercise for one hour. The anime adaptation even animates some of his exercise routine to show how bizarre it is; the official Youtube channel even uploaded a real-life version of it, featuring Ruby's voice actress!
Chapter 24
- Kana stops Ruby from insulting a product on Twitter, saying the product's company will see it and blow their potential partnership away. Kana asks Ruby if she ever looks up her own name on Twitter, which reveals Ruby is pretty hardcore about it.
Volume 4
Chapter 32
- Miyako's reaction when Memcho tells her her real age. What sells the scene is that Miyako was already aware that Memcho was faking her age based on her own experiences in the industry prior to Memcho whispering the actual number to her, but was caught completely off-guard by how far Mem's actual age was from her public age.
Chapter 33
- Memcho rushes the group to upload the new music video on Youtube as soon as possible using B-Komachi's old song instead of waiting for new ones. Her reasoning is that if they just dawdle around, they will become old maids.Ruby: Self-burn.
Chapter 34
- Ruby reasons that Kana can be the center girl of the group since she had been in number one on Oricon charts with her bell pepper exercise when she was still elementary, something Kana would rather forget.
