"I always thought that idols were supposed to be dazzling. That's what I thought, but... but you were far more dazzling than I could've ever imagined and on that day, you nearly killed me."
— Eripiyo
One day while walking through a park in Okayama, Eripiyo is approached by two newcomers of an underground idol group called ChamJam. Accepting their invitation to watch their concert at the Cherry Blossom Festival, Eripiyo experiences Love at First Sight when one of the girls that came to her, Maina Ichii, notices her presence and waves at Eripiyo, beyond happy that she accepted the invitation.
And thus, begins one young woman's obsession with making sure her favorite idol singer and her group goes to Budoukan!
If My Favorite Pop Idol Made It to the Budokan, I Would Die (推しが武道館いってくれたら死ぬ Oshi ga Budōkan Ittekuretara Shinu) is a manga series by Auri Hirao and has been serialized in Tokuma Shoten's seinen manga magazine Monthly Comic Ryū since 2015. The series has been adapted to an 12-Episode Anime television series by Studio 8 bit and premiered on January 9, 2020. It is available on Crunchyroll for viewing as well as a dub release by Funimation.
If My Favorite Pop Idol Made It to the Budokan, I Would Die provides examples of:
- An Aesop: The story emphasizes the importance of mutual support in any type of relationship and the genuine motivation that comes from such a two-way dichotomy.
- And the Adventure Continues: The anime ends with the main characters and ChamJam visiting the Budoukan separately, hoping that the latter group performs there one day.
- Color-Coded Characters: Each member of ChamJam has a specifically assigned color:
- Maina Ichii is Salmon Pink.
- Reo Igarashi is Pink.
- Sorane Matsuyama is Blue.
- Maki Hakata is Yellow.
- Yumeri Mizumori is Purple.
- Yuuka Teramoto is Teal.
- Aya Yokota is Green.
- "Do It Yourself" Theme Tune: The opening theme is sung by all seven members of ChamJam themselves: Kaede Hondo (Reo), Ikumi Hasegawa (Sorane), Maya Enoyoshi (Maki), Kaori Ishihara (Yumeri), Misaki Watada (Yūka), Manami Itō (Aya), and Hina Tachibana (Maina). The ending theme for the show is sung by Ai Fairouz (Eripiyo).
- Fandom Rivalry: An In-Universe example. The fans of ChamJam are constantly arguing over who's the best idol of the group.
- Fandom VIP: An In-Universe example. Eripiyo is such a prominent Maina stan that other ChamJam fans are worried about how she'd react if they ever thought to branch out and buy Maina's merch. She and Kumasa are also well-known to the idols, as noted when Aya joked that she would tell Reo and Maina that they came to the maid cafe she worked at on an off day.
- Friendly Rivalry: While they all do constantly compete with each other in the popularity polls, it's been made quite clear that the members of ChamJam are all great, supportive friends with each other.
- Generic Cuteness: There is not really a lot of difference between the idols' character designs and that of someone like Eripiyo, who could easily pass for an idol herself.
- Goal in Life: ChamJam's shared goal is to become popular enough to perform at Budokan one day.
- Good Parents: Sakiko, Eripiyo's mother, is shown to be very reasonable and supportive of her daughter without ever entering enabler territory. She even takes care of Eripiyo when she came down with the fever during the holidays.
- Hypocrite: When Eripiyo invites Miyu, a peer from work, to watch ChamJam on TV, the latter internally scolds the former for acting so creepy about her favorite idol. That very same night, Miyu becomes just as obsessed with Magical Fuyutaro when she first sees him on cable.
- Identical Stranger: Reina and Sorane look very much alike. This is noted In-Universe, and the protagonists think this might've been what caused the rumor of Sorane getting a boyfriend.
- Idol Singer: The show centers around idol singers, except it's from the POV of the fans of the main idol group. The idol group in question is an underground group who's still trying to get their big break, and the member who gets the most focus is on Maina, the least popular member.
- Once Done, Never Forgotten:
- Eri will never let go of the fact that she missed Maina's first performance in the front.
- Reo - at least, according to Kumasa - will never forget the time he went over to a different idol's line instead of hers, no matter how loyal he currently is.
- Only One Name: The audience are never given the last names of the main characters idol fans that they follow.
- Otaku: The story revolves around idol otakus, or wotas, and their idols.
- Real-Place Background: The series takes place in the Japanese town of Okayama, with many local landmarks visible throughout.
- The Rival: Maple Doll are this to ChamJam, due to their great skills, being established around the same time as them but are more popular, and due to their leader's history with their own.
- Sexy Santa Dress: During the Christmas concert, all members of ChamJam wore seasonal dresses instead of their usual uniform.
- Spiritual Antithesis: The series can be considered one to Perfect Blue, being the Lighter and Softer Reconstruction of the Idol Singer to its equally realistic counterpart's Darker and Edgier Deconstruction of the genre.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome:
- Every time Eripiyo takes on more side jobs in addition to her main one, she ends up drained and completely out of energy.
- In Episode 10 of the anime, while having a cold, Eripiyo ends up tearing up her throat while in one of her usual shouting bouts. It happens repeatedly when she tries talking before it fully heals.
- True Companions: ChamJam. It is made very clear throughout the show that the entire group is close to one another, even when they hang out outside of idol work. This is made especially clear in episode 12, where the whole group comforts and is supportive of Reo after she has an unpleasant encounter with the leader of her previous idol group.
- Undying Loyalty: All the stans are unwavering in their faith and devotion to their respective idol, especially Eripiyo and Kumasa.
