Saba-dol (さばドル Sabadoru) is a Japanese television drama series broadcast on TV Tokyo starring AKB48's Mayu Watanabe. The story revolves around the 38-year-old Shijimi Usa (Watanabe), a classical literature Apathetic Teacher at a yankee-dominated school with a double life. Outside of school, she lies about her age to be active as the super popular 17-year-old Idol Singer Mayu Watanabe, whom the students adore. The show aired on TV Tokyo on Fridays starting from January 13, 2012 to April 7, 2012 with 12 episodes. After the show ended the series was turned into a manga drawn by Akihiro Nakamura and published in Kodansha's Weekly Young Magazine over three volumes in 2012.
I am contained in this show. I am Examples:
- Animal Theme Naming: Both Shijimi
and Asari share their names with species of clam. - Apathetic Teacher: Usa-sensei starts out as this and tends to get pushed around by her yankii students, but keeps at it because it's a more secure job than idol. She gets better as the story progresses, though.
- As Herself: Mayu Watanabe plays both herself and her alter-ego Shijimi Usa. A number of real-life AKB48 and Nogizaka46 members also play as themselves.
- Beautiful All Along: Shijimi is actually rather attractive for her age, as her colleague Hayashiba-sensei notices when he sees her without glasses. She conceals this by dressing unattractively to prevent suspicion about her double life.
- Benevolent Boss: Mayu and her manager don't always agree with Director Nogi, but she clearly has Mayu's best interests at heart.
- Broken Pedestal: The whole nation is swept into controversy about Mayuyu after she is exposed. Her fellow idols are on her side, though.A Nogizaka46 member: Well, this will bring our average age up.
- Call-Back: Nashimoto gives Mayu the advice she has given him earlier as Shijimi when he is nervous, "Take a deep breath."
- The Cameo: Watarirouka Hashiritai 7, Mayuyu's real-life unit, appears only in the first episode.
- Children Are Innocent: Watching a child singing and dancing to Mayu's song strengthens Shijimi's resolve to give a proper farewell to her fans after she is exposed.
- Chivalrous Pervert: Utamaro is a skirt chaser, but is always ready to help Mayu with her problems.
- "Do It Yourself" Theme Tune: "Synchro Tokimeki", Mayuyu's real-life hit single.
- Earn Your Happy Ending: Mayu Watanabe is exposed, and after disappearing for a while Shijimi decides to make one last public appearance. She apologizes to her fans and proclaims that although she is a fraud, her love for the fans and her art is genuine. Asari and her students also show up and Asari tells everyone that being an idol has been Shijimi's lifelong dream and she has worked hard to miraculously achieve it despite everything, and she still has a lot of miracles to show them if given the chance. This touches both the audience and Shijimi herself, enough for them to accept her as their idol again. She continues to be active as Mayuyu, this time without lying about her age.Mayuyu: I am 38 years old. I am Mayuyu.
- Emergency Impersonation: Asari's Plan B is to turn herself into Mayu during the three-way appointment described in Secret Identity Change Trick.
- Feeling Their Age: Having a teenage alter-ego doesn't exempt Shijimi from this, especially with an idol's tough schedule.
- Gratuitous Spanish: Utamaro's band name and Catchphrase "Chiquitita". And after Shijimi is exposed, "Señorita".
- Hot for Teacher: Nashimoto eventually confesses to Shijimi.
- Hot Teacher: Shijimi's students briefly yet enthusiastically imagine Mayu as their teacher. Which, of course, is actually the case.
- Idol Singer: A number of real-life AKB48 and Nogizaka46 members play as themselves. There's also the male idol Utamaro.
- Imagine Spot: Most of the characters are prone to fantasizing.
- In-Series Nickname: Usasen for Usa-sensei. From Utamaro, Chiquitita for Mayu and Señorita after her comeback.
- Invocation: Said in front of the mirror after putting on the cute dress, makeup, and twin-tails."I am 17 years old. I am Mayuyu."
- Japanese Delinquent: All of Usa-sensei's students qualify. They adore her alter-ego, not knowing she's been in their class the whole time.
- Lipstick-and-Load Montage: Here it pretty much qualifies as a Transformation Sequence.
- Love Triangle: Nashimoto adores Mayu and grows feelings for his teacher Shijimi. Utamaro also has the hots for Mayuyu. Mayu/Shijimi likes them both but can act on neither's affection due to her Living a Double Life and
Contractual Purity. After knowing the truth about Mayu Watanabe, Utamaro seems to no longer be romantically interested in her but retains a professional admiration, while Nashimoto stays in love with his former teacher in both her identities. - Mrs. Robinson: Since she's often around them, both as a teacher and idol, Shijimi tends to have crushes on younger men.
- Older Than They Look: 38-year-old Shijimi manages to look seventeen through makeup and higher pitched voice. Handwaved as a secret family technique.
- Portmantitle: The show's title is a portmanteau of sabayomi, a slang for lying about age, and aidoru (idol).
- Pretty Boy: Utamaro. Even the Nogizaka46 members Squee when they come across him, and are amazed that Mayu knows him.
- Real Life Writes the Plot: Among others, Mayu's unit, hit single, and collaboration with Nogizaka46 also happened in real life.
- Running Gag: One of the yankii is secretly a fan of Miori Ichikawa (Miorin/Fresh Lemon), another AKB48 member, instead of Mayuyu. Every time the yankii lament a bad news concerning Mayuyu, he'll discreetly admire a Miorin badge he wears inside his uniform and gloat that "his" Miorin will never do that, usually with an Imagine Spot where he and Miorin play together.
- Sadist Teacher: Hayashiba-sensei.
- Secret Art: The make-up technique that enables Shijimi to flawlessly become Mayu Watanabe is said to be a secret family art; another idol even comments on her beautiful skin. Also, the Chinese medicine she gives to Utamaro.
- Secret Identity
- Secret Identity Change Trick: The most epic one being where Shijimi has to juggle three appointments: One with her sister and her sister's boyfriend to clear his suspicion of her secret identity; another with her student, of which she is unaware because she didn't get the invitation; and a press conference as Mayuyu. Turns out she is already exposed anyway, and the Jerkass boyfriend is just toying with them.
- Sexier Alter Ego: Mayu Watanabe is obviously easier on the eyes than Shijimi.
- Shout-Out: Since many characters are playing as themselves, this is a given.
- When asked about her ideal boyfriend, Mayu gives France from Hetalia: Axis Powers as an example and named her and Asari's pet turtle Francis after him. She's also a big fan of him in real life.
- Mayu Watanabe reprises her role as Nezumi from Majisuka Gakuen in a commercial for bubble gums, Nezumi's Trademark Favorite Food.
- Miori Ichikawa's "Fresh Lemon" and Aika Ota's "Lovetan" gags.
- When cranky due to sleep deprivation, Mayu lashes out at her manager, saying she's not CG (Cyborg Girl or Computer Generated, either one works in context), her real life nickname.
- The Swear Jar: Parodied; Asari and Shijimi has an "old hag jar" Shijimi has to drop cash into every time she lets slip phrases that may out her as a 38-year-old woman.
- Took a Level in Kindness: Nashimoto, the delinquent leader and #1 Mayuyu fan in Shijimi's class.
- Totally Radical: Shijimi and her sister Asari prepare age-appropriate responses for Mayu before every public appearance. However, when she has to answer an unexpected question, Mayu can only refer to 70's pop culture and phrases from Shijimi's own childhood. Her fans and fellow idols are usually confused, but some of her references are copied by the more junior idols, and presumably some of the fans as well.
- Trademark Favorite Food: Shijimi/Mayuyu really likes Inari sushi. She sees it as a metaphor of herself, as it is just as good as other types of sushi, but overlooked because it is plain and old-fashioned.
- True Companions
- To Mayu, her sister Asari and her manager.
- Nashimoto and his yankii gang.
- Undying Loyalty: Mayu's manager would do anything for her sake.
- Unfolding Plan Montage: For the Secret Identity Change Trick above.
- The Unseen: AKB48's producer, Yasushi Akimoto, is involved in many major decisions concerning Mayu's career and communicates with the agency director and Mayuyu by phone, but never appears in person.
- Workplace-Acquired Abilities: Mayu visits a samurai period drama set to apologize to a senior actor. Her knowledge in classical literature helps earn his approval.
- Younger Alter Ego: Mayu is 21 years younger than Shijimi. An inversion of sorts, since in most other examples, the alter-ego's purpose is to let the character do things her normal identity is too young to do.
