History Manga / AKB49RenaiKinshiJourei

* LostFoodGrievance: When Minori is on a plane to [[spoiler:Las Vegas to meet Aphrodite]], a bodyguard picks up and throws away a steak she's eating, to her shock. He does it to make the point that his employer can afford wasting even such luxurious food.

** Ria is a manga and anime otaku. She manages to win the heart of a Team Nozomi hater who's an idol otaku through their similar levels of dedication toward their interests.

* PowerLevels: The Senbatsu Election vote count is a measurement of each member's popularity, which translates to more work opportunities and entitles them to perform in major singles, which in turn increase their popularity even more.

** Later, Hiroko is briefly ''actually'' mad at Minori after learning that [[spoiler:Minori has always intended to get the center position and give it away to Hiroko, as she considers it an insult to herself and everyone else who work hard to obtain it]].

* AllElectionsAreSeriousBusiness: The Senbatsu Elections, of course. Pretty much TruthInTelevision, although in real life some unranked members still manage to have decent careers (usually through variety shows or theater performances), and some Senbatsu members have been ignored by the management despite their rank. Senbatsu Election also only decides who will be included in ''one'' A-side single out of five or so released each year (the others are at the management's discretion), but is good exposure for the members and an indicator (along with handshake event participants count) for the management of which members are really popular with the fans (or whose fans have deep pockets).

* TheHost: Hiroko becomes a very effective MC in the variety show they appear in, thanks to her superb ability to see the show through the audience's perspective and direct the conversation accordingly by being their voice on stage. She obtains this ability by rigorously studying a senior MC's performance.

--> '''Hiroko''': I have always thought of becoming like Acchan. But now I know, even if I aimed to become Acchan, I can never become Acchan, because Acchan herself has never aimed to be Acchan. ''[-(cuts her hair that was styled after Acchan's)-]'' Goodbye, Acchan. ''[-(bows)-]'' Good morning, [[LastNameBasis Maeda-san]].

* TheReveal: In chapter 252, [[spoiler:the members preparing for Minori's graduation concert finally learn about her true nature from Masaki, Minoru's sister, who also brings compromising pictures which will be published in Shukan Houshun]].

* DemotedToExtra: Almost all real [=AKB48=] members important to the story are from the 1st to 3rd generations of each group, i.e. the original 3 teams. The rest are relegated to OneSceneWonder or background characters, including the ''actual'' 5th Senbatsu Election center Sashihara Rino (5th gen); her transfer to Music/HKT48 and eventual rise to the top of the Senbatsu don't happen in this universe.

* EvenTheGirlsWantHer: Some of the idols, in particular Takamina and Sayaka Yamamoto, are somehow attracted to Minori and most are confused why they feel that way. Subverted since, as we know, she's not really a she.

* BilingualBonus: Music/HKT48's Murashige Anna is half-Russian and is briefly shown speaking the language when angry.

* CursedWithAwesome: ChildProdigy Arakawa Haruto becomes a {{hikikomori}} because his perfect pitch makes him very sensitive to ambient noise. He is also distrustful of other people, whom he believes are only nice to him to exploit his musical skills.

** TheSmartGirl: Mayuyu, the resident {{Otaku}} and one of the first ([[spoiler:after Maeda]]) to suspect Minori's true gender.

* ImportantHaircut: Hiroko had cut her hair twice in the series, once in the beginning to signify her all-or-nothing attitude towards the upcoming [=AKB48=] auditions and the other in Chapter 52 which signified her determination to surpass Maeda.
--> '''Hiroko''': I have always thought of becoming like Acchan. But now I know, even if I aimed to become Acchan, I can never become Acchan, because Acchan herself has never aimed to be Acchan. ''[-cuts her hair that was styled after Acchan's-]'' Goodbye, Acchan. ''[-bows-]'' Good morning, [[LastNameBasis Maeda-san]].

* {{Paparazzi}}: Hiroko almost gets into a scandal twice: first, when a picture of her with an older man [[spoiler:(actually her father)]] goes public, and second when [[spoiler:a photographer took a picture of her holding Minoru's hand (to stop him from going away and ask him a question, not because they're on a date)]].

** As mentioned above, she leads Gekoku Jou to victory in Appare, a celebrity quiz show, [[spoiler:which was rigged against them]]. She later goes on the show solo and wins again, despite worrying about [[spoiler:Minori's sudden departure to the US]] the whole time.

* SurprisinglyGoodEnglish: [[spoiler:Despite living in the USA for nine months as Aphrodite's protege]], Minori still feels inconfident about her English, until [[spoiler:Oscar-winning actor Raoul Goldman, who has a crush on Hiroko, tries to walk out in the middle of a talk show where she is interviewing him and force her to go on a date, and Minori has to put him in his place]].

* TakingTheHeat: After Hiroko was photographed [[spoiler:holding Minoru's hand]] by Shukan Houshun, Ria offered [[spoiler:a staged picture of her partying with older men for them to publish in place of Hiroko's photo, since Ria is going to graduate anyway due to her illness]]. Subverted since Hiroko [[spoiler:refuses to let Ria sacrifice her reputation for her sake and does a press conference clarifying the whole situation]].

* AnnoyingYoungerSibling: Minoru's sister enters his apartment without permission and later stalks him around town trying to figure out what he does for a living.

* BlandNameProduct: Played straight with references to [[Website/{{Google}} Coogle]] and [[Website/NicoNicoDouga Nuco Nuco Douga]]; averted with Website/YouTube and a straight up [[Music/{{Vocaloid}} Hatsune Miku]] cosplay. ''Uta-Sute'' (short for ''Uta Station'', ''uta'' meaning "song") is very similar to the real-life ''Music Station'', and Queen Records is a spoof of [=AKB48=]'s real-life label, King Records.

* DemotedToExtra: Almost all real [=AKB48=] members important to the story are from the 1st to 3rd generations of each group, i.e. the original 3 teams. The rest are relegated to background characters, including the ''actual'' 5th Senbatsu center Sashihara Rino (5th gen); her transfer to Music/HKT48 and following events don't happen in this universe. Averted with 4th Undergirls center Takajo Aki (6th gen), who is consulted by Minori about team selection.

*** Takamina as the TeamMom. Her famed [[SpiderSense "''doushita'' sensor"]], which in real life lets her sense when other members are having problems ("''doushita''?" means "what's going on?"), may be what makes her uncomfortably shy around Minori.

*** Takamina is shown being caring as the [[TeamMom General Manager]].

** After Hiroko [[spoiler:finds out that her Twitter supporter is actually Minoru]], she decides to stop replying to his messages, saying in her farewell message "otherwise, I might actually fall in love with you".

* BadassBiker: [[spoiler:Haruko]] used to lead a biker gang [[spoiler:in Fukuoka, and enlists them to help the [=HKT48=] members get to a concert venue in time when they were stranded due to a landslide]]. Hilariously, the [[GoodIsNotNice rough female bikers are very considerate]], taking care to minimize the motorcycle noise when passing through neighborhoods and avoiding idling as it's bad for the environment.

* CostumePorn: The costumes for stage performances.

*** Takamina as the TeamMom. Her famed [[SpiderSense "something's wrong" instinct]], which in real life lets her sense when other members are having problems, may be what makes her uncomfortably shy around Minori.

* KidnappedByAnAlly: Minori is snatched from the street into a car [[spoiler:and is then flown by private jet to Las Vegas, where waiting for "her" is none other than Miss Aphrodite, who has talked with Producer Akimoto and wishes to take Minori in as a protégé]].

** Minoru's name means "truth" or "reality".

** Mayuyu is an anime otaku as in real life, which is probably why she could come up with the notion that Minori might be a guy, and also why [[CassandraTruth everybody dismisses her suspicion as the result of an overactive imagination]].
** Alice is a manga and anime otaku. She manages to win the heart of a Team Nozomi hater who's an idol otaku through their similar levels of dedication toward their interests.

** Later, [[spoiler:Hiroko is briefly ''actually'' mad at Minori after learning that Minori has always intended to get the center position and give it away to Hiroko, as she considers it an insult to herself and everyone else who work hard to obtain it]].

* JerkassFacade: Producer Akimoto and AKB Theatre manager Togasaki put up this towards the kenkyuusei.

* AllLoveIsUnrequited: Invoked willingly by Minoru, and enforced by the ContractualPurity the [=AKB48=] girls have. Played straight with Ria to Minoru, since he only has eyes for Hiroko.

* BadassBiker: [[spoiler:Haruko used to lead a biker gang in Fukuoka, and enlists them to help the [=HKT48=] members get to a concert venue in time when they were stranded due to a landslide. Hilariously, the rough female bikers are very considerate, taking care to minimize the motorcycle noise when passing through neighborhoods and avoiding idling as it's bad for the environment]].

** Being a former baseball player, Minori successfully incapacitated a bus robber with a well-aimed fastball during their travel to Osaka [[spoiler:(it's actually just a prank)]]. As Minoru, he often uses "looking for a stray ball" as an excuse to get to restricted places.

* EvenTheGirlsWantHer: Some of the idols are somehow attracted to Minori and most are confused why they feel that way. Subverted since, as we know, she's not really a she.

*** Takamina as the TeamMom. Her famed [[SpiderSense "something's wrong" instinct]]may be what makes her uncomfortably shy around Minori.

* MeaningfulName: Minoru's name means "truth" or "reality".

* NotDistractedByTheSexy: Togasaki doesn't blink an eye when Mizuno Haruko greets him, Hiroko, and Minori in her panties (she didn't think Togasaki would come along).

** Mayuyu is an anime otaku as in real life, which is probably why she could come up with the idea that Minori might be a guy, and also why [[CassandraTruth everybody dismisses her suspicion as the result of an overactive imagination]].

*** Kashiwagi Yuki is shown holding an umbrella under the rain, since she is known as an ''ame-onna'' (rain-bringing lady) whose photo sessions are often delayed by rain.

*** Minegishi Minami is shown holding a pie at a variety show set (probably ''Series/AKBingo'' from the decoration), as she is one of the "variety queens".
*** Matsui Jurina and Rena's covers can be combined into a single picture, signifying their status as the "Double Matsui" of [=SKE48=] (they're not related, though).

*** Kawaei Rina, the "''baka'' (stupid) center", is shown trying to hide her low test score from Minori.

* SurprisinglyGoodEnglish: Despite living in the USA for nine months [[spoiler:as Aphrodite's protege]], Minori still feels inconfident about her English, until [[spoiler:Raoul Goldman tries to walk out in the middle of a talk show Hiroko is hosting to take Hiroko to dinner, and Minori has to put him in his place]].
--> [-(in English)-] Now that you appear on our program, you should follow our rules!

** Later, [[spoiler:Hiroko is briefly ''actually'' mad at Minori after learning that Minori has always intended to get the center position and give it away to Hiroko, as she wants to obtain it by her own efforts]].

*** Takamina as the TeamMom. Her famed [[SpiderSense "something's wrong" instinct]] may be what makes her uncomfortably shy around Minori.

* {{Otaku}}: Okudaira-sensei, wich overlaps with a kind of SingleTargetSexuality without the sexual part. He's that much of a Minori's fan. Not Idols, not [=AKB=], Minori's fan.

** As mentioned above, she leads Gekoku Jou to victory in a celebrity quiz show [[spoiler:which was rigged against them]].

** The third Senbatsu Election countdown is juxtaposed with scenes from the Uta-Sute music show the night before, where Minori and Hiroko gradually outperform everyone else until the others step back and they jointly took over the center position on stage. This is visualized as an epic FightScene between Minori and the reigning Senbatsu members where "she" literally [[KillTheGods slays the goddesses]], starting from the bottom ranks and ending with her taking down reigning center Oshima Yuko, with everybody wearing various battle outfits and weapons. Hiroko joins her shortly after, having won battles of her own, and they become [[GiantWoman towering giants]] in the audience's eyes. (Real-life idol performances don't involve competing to be in the center mid-routine, as the positions were decided beforehand, but they're usually allowed to improvise a bit to attract attention from their position.)

* TheMusical: Naturally, the manga became so popular, a musical adaption was made, which focused on the "X Day" arc. While some of the plot is changed and many famous members who appeared in the manga are only mentioned in the play, it had the members of [=AKB48=] cast as the characters, with Minoru being a CrosscastRole, and Hiroko being double casted with two different members playing her. Not only that, there was an SKE48 version of the play, which LATER got a revival!

** The covers of several volumes [[https://vatoto.com/forums/topic/21686-cover-of-volumes/ allude to a real-life occurrence]] related to the member being shown.

*** Oshima Yuko is shown groping Minori, which she often does to members in real life.

*** Suda Akari, known for being very attentive at handshake events, is shown talking to a fan at one.

* HatesBeingCalledCute: [=HKT48=]'s Tanaka Natsumi dislikes fancy stuff, but felt obligated to pretend to like those to maintain her image. Minori helps her embrace her real personality and shows her that fans can like her as she is.

** When a member asserts her superiority over the others, the manga visualizes her as becoming a GiantWoman.

** The third Senbatsu Election countdown is juxtaposed with scenes from the Uta-Sute music show the night before, where Minori and Hiroko gradually outperform everyone else until they jointly took over the center position on stage. This is visualized as an epic FightScene between Minori and the reigning Senbatsu members where "she" literally [[KillTheGods slays the goddesses]], starting from the bottom ranks and ending with her taking down reigning center Oshima Yuko, with everybody wearing various battle outfits and weapons. Hiroko joins her shortly after, having won battles of her own, and they become [[GiantWoman towering giants]] in the audience's eyes.

* OneSteveLimit: [=HKT48=]'s real-life member Miyawaki Sakura is shown several times (and graces the cover of a volume) but seldom mentioned by name, while the fictional [=AKB48=] stage chief Sakura has a prominent supporting role.

*** Minegishi Minami is shown holding a pie at a variety show set (probably ''Series/AKBingo''), as she is one of the "variety queens".
*** Matsui Jurina and Rena's covers can be combined into a single picture, signifying their status as the "Double Matsui" of [=SKE48=].

* BlandNameProduct: Played straight with references to [[Website/{{Google}} Coogle]] and [[Website/NicoNicoDouga Nuco Nuco Douga]]; averted with Website/YouTube and a straight up [[Music/{{Vocaloid}} Hatsune Miku]] cosplay. ''Uta-Sute'' is very similar to the real-life ''Music Station'', and Queen Records is a parody of [=AKB48=]'s real-life label, King Records.

* Bookworm: When they visit Ria's family's apartment, Hiroko is completely blown away by the huge library they have and stays there reading everything in sight until they have to go home, allowing Ria to have Minori all for herself.

* BornUnlucky: Moriyasu Madoka, to the point that she believed being accepted to [=HKT48=] has taken her lifetime share of luck.

* CareerEndingInjury: It is hinted on the flashbacks that Minoru was a Baseball player until an elbow injury left him unable to play anymore and turned him apathetic to his life, mentioning that "Having dreams is pointless." He considers Hiroko his savior, because her conviction made him believe in dreams again.

*** Takamina as the TeamMom.

* BadassBiker: [[spoiler:Haruko used to lead a biker gang in Fukuoka, and still commands their respect that they help stranded [=HKT48=] members get to a concert venue in time]].

* OneSteveLimit: [=HKT48=]'s real-life member Miyawaki Sakura is shown several times but seldom mentioned by name, while the fictional [=AKB48=] stage chief Sakura has a prominent supporting role.

* WeUsedToBeFriends: Invoked by Minori, who starts a fight with Hiroko on TV so that they'll be publicly recognized as rivals, forcing her to be more independent. Of course, they don't really hate each other, [[spoiler:and publicly reconcile on the Senbatsu Election stage after Hiroko breaks through to Kami 8]].

* BadassBookworm: Hiroko.
** As mentioned above, she leads Gekoku Jou to victory in a celebrity quiz show [[spoiler:which was rigged against them]].
** She writes down and analyzes [[spoiler:''every single line of dialog of every episode'' of a variety show in which they appear in order to learn the host's methods]]. This ends up saving everyone when [[spoiler:said host deliberately neglects to show up, as he has plans to destroy the show and replace it with another]].
** When they visit Ria's family apartment, she is completely blown away by the huge library they have and stays there reading everything in sight until they have to go home, allowing Ria to have Minori all for herself.

* BlessedWithSuck: Arakawa Haruto becomes a {{hikikomori}} because his perfect pitch makes him very sensitive to ambient noise. He is also distrustful of other people, whom he believes are only nice to him to exploit his skills.

* CareerEndingInjury: It is hinted on the flashbacks that Minoru was a Baseball player until an elbow injury left him unable to play anymore and turned him apathetic to his life, mentioning that "Having dreams is pointless."

** Minoru, of all people, in several separate ocasions.

* DemotedToExtra: Almost all real [=AKB48=] members important to the story are from the 1st to 3rd generations, i.e. the original 3 teams. The rest are relegated to background characters, including the ''actual'' 5th Senbatsu center Sashihara Rino (5th gen); her transfer to Music/HKT48 and following events don't happen in this universe. Averted with 4th Undergirls center Takajo Aki (6th gen), who is consulted by Minori about team selection.

* HappyPlace: Hiroko overcomes her StageFright during a variety show by imagining that the studio is the [=AKB48=] Theater and the audience are their fans.

* WrenchWench: Stage chief Sakura, who so far is only seen meticulously cleaning the stage and equipments, manages to fix a damaged stage set in 10 minutes when everybody else believes the show cannot continue.

*** Volumes 1-8 each shows one of the Kami 8, with Maeda Atsuko and Oshima Yuko, respectively the first and second ever Senbatsu winners, on the first two.

*** Kashiwagi Yuki is shown holding an umbrella, since she is known as an ''ame-onna'' (rain-calling lady).

*** Sashihara Rino is shown at a beach with Minori making shaved ice in the background, referring to her sub-unit's single being released around the time of the volume's release.

*** Miyawaki Sakura is posing in front of a sakura tree.

*** Matsui Jurina and Rena's covers can be combined into a single picture, signifying their status as the "Double Matsui" of [-SKE48-].
*** Kitahara Rie is reading {{Shoujo}} manga, which is known as her hobby.
*** Yokoyama Yui is wearing a kimono as she is from the traditional city of Kyoto.

*** Kawaei Rina, the "''baka'' center", is shown trying to hide her low test score from Minori.

* BlandNameProduct: Played straight with references to [[Website/{{Google}} Coogle]] and [[Website/NicoNicoDouga Nuco Nuco Douga]]; averted with Website/YouTube and a straight up [[Music/{{Vocaloid}} Hatsune Miku]] cosplay. ''Uta-Sute'' is very similar to the real-life ''Music Station''.

** [[spoiler: Haruko]]'s background as a former [[spoiler: biker gang leader from Fukuoka]] is the same as [[spoiler: ''Series/AKBingo'''s long-time co-hosts, the comedy duo Bad Boys]].

** She writes down and analyzes [[spoiler:''every single line of dialog of every episode'' of a variety show in which they appear in order to learn the host's methods]]. This ends up saving everyone when [[spoiler:said host neglects to show up, as he has plans to destroy the show and replace it with another]].

* BlandNameProduct: Played straight with references to [[Website/{{Google}} Coogle]] and [[Website/NicoNicoDouga Nuco Nuco Douga]]; averted with Website/YouTube and a straight up [[Music/{{Vocaloid}} Hatsune Miku]] cosplay.

* FanNickname: The concurrent members (Minori, Ria, and Hiroko) are temporarily attached to the [=AKB48=] sister groups in turn, and in-universe are affectionately called Team Nozomi after the [[CoolTrain Shinkansen train]] of the same name, as they usually travel to each group's city by Shinkansen. "Nozomi" also means "hope".
* FantasyForbiddingFather: Hiroko's father strongly disapproved of her dreams to become an IdolSinger[[spoiler:, which led to a confrontation between he and Hiroko when he found out that she had joined [=AKB48=] and culminated in him estranging her.]]

** TheSmartGirl: Mayuyu, the resident {{Otaku}} and one of the first to suspect Minori's true gender.

* MundaneMadeAwesome: Because this is a shonen manga, and depicting their fierce competition only through singing and dancing is not cool enough.

** [=AKB48=] Team K's intensity is visualized as a tornado and Music/SKE48's as a tsunami enveloping the theater.

** The third Senbatsu Election countdown is juxtaposed with scenes from the Ute-Suta music show the night before, where Minori and Hiroko gradually outperform everyone else until they jointly took over the center position on stage. This is visualized as an epic FightScene between Minori and the reigning Senbatsu members where "she" literally [[KillTheGods slays the goddesses]], starting from the bottom ranks and ending with her taking down reigning center Oshima Yuko, with everybody wearing various battle outfits and weapons. Hiroko joins her shortly after, having won battles of her own, and they become [[GiantWoman towering giants]] in the audience's eyes.