History Manga / ActAge

''act-age''[[note]]pronounced in French like "garage"[[/note]] is a 2018 manga written by Tatsuya Matsuki and drawn by Shiro Usazaki, published in ''Weekly Magazine/ShonenJump'' − despite what the cover and premise might make you think.

In early August 2020, [[RoleEndingMisdemeanor Matsuki was arrested]] after committing indecent acts on two middle school-aged girls. Usazaki and Shueisha then decided to end the serialization with the manga's 123rd chapter (and the official English translation leaves out the last), and later [[KeepCirculatingTheTapes new printings and digital sales were suspended worldwide]]. A stageplay adaptation that was in the works was also subsequently cancelled.

In early August 2020, [[RoleEndingMisdemeanor Matsuki was arrested]] after committing indecent acts on two middle school-aged girls. Usazaki and Shueisha then decided to end the serialization with the manga's 123rd chapter (and the official English translation leaves out the last), and later new printings and digital sales were suspended worldwide. A stageplay adaptation that was in the works was also subsequently cancelled.

In early August 2020, [[RoleEndingMisdemeanor Matsuki was arrested]] after committing indecent acts on two middle school-aged girls. Usazaki and Shueisha then decided to end the serialization with the manga's 123rd chapter (and the official English translation leaves out the last). A stageplay adaptation that was in the works was also subsequently cancelled.

* FamedInStory: In no particular order...
** Arisa is the CEO of the Stars agency, and before then used to be a highly-regarded actress.
** Akira, Arisa's son, is a member of Stars, and has a recurring role as the titular character in "[[ShowWithinAShow Ultra Kamen]]."
** Chiyoko, also a Stars member, is an idol actress currently at the peak of her popularity.
** Sumiji is a well-respected documentary film-maker and movie director.
** Iwao is a highly-regarded playwright and theatre director.
*** By extension, his company Tenkyuu is similarly highly-regarded due to their acting skill and versatility, Araya being the crown jewel of them.
** Riku, a ''former'' Stars actor (emphasis important) is a famous Hollywood actor.
** Even Yonagi herself starts to fit the bill after Galactic Railroad ends, due to her appearances in both "Railroad" and "Death Island," Amachi's advertising, and the "Shinjuku Girl" video going viral.

In early August 2020, Matsuki was arrested after committing indecent acts on two middle school-aged girls. Usazaki and Shueisha then decided to end the serialization with the manga's 123rd chapter (and the official English translation leaves out the last). A stageplay adaptation that was in the works was also subsequently cancelled.

* NoEnding: An unintentional case − the series was brutally cut in the middle on an arc when the writer was arrested, and is unlikely to ever resume.

For an older (albeit still running) series about the world of acting, compare ''Manga/SkipBeat''; and for a ''much'' older series, ''Manga/GlassMask''. Also compare ''Manga/SmileDownTheRunway'', another unconventional work of Magazine/ShonenMagazine centered on the world of fashion and modeling.

In early August 2020, Matsuki was arrested after committing indecent acts on two middle school-aged girls. Usazaki and Shueisha then decided to end the serialization with the manga's 123rd chapter (and the official English translation leaves out the last). A StageAdaptation that was in the works was also subsequently cancelled.

In early August 2020, Matsuki was arrested after committing indecent acts on two middle school-aged girls. Usazaki and Shueisha then decided to end the serialization with the manga's 123rd chapter (and the official English translation leaves out the last). A StagePlayAdaptation that was in the works was also subsequently cancelled.

In early August 2020, Matsuki was arrested after committing indecent acts on two middle school-aged girls. Usazaki and Shueisha then decided to end the serialization with the manga's 123rd chapter (and the official English translation leaves out the last).

In early August 2020, Matsuki was arrested after committing indecent acts on a teenage girl. Usazaki and Shueisha then decided to end the serialization with the manga's 123rd chapter.

For an older (albeit still running) series about the world of acting, compare ''Manga/SkipBeat''; and for a ''much'' older series, ''Manga/GlassMask''. Also compare ''Runway de Waratte (Manga/SmileDownTheRunway)'', another unconventional work of Magazine/ShonenMagazine centered on the world of fashion and modeling.

In early August 2020, the writer was arrested after committing indecent acts on a teenage girl. The artist and Shueisha then decided to end the serialization with the manga's 123rd chapter.

!Tropes found in ''act-age''

* ArtEvolution: As the artist was a newcomer to the professional manga industry at the time ''Act-Age'' began serialization (being 19 years old in 2018), the first chapter has a distinct lack of backgrounds and the characters themselves aren't drawn really well. Later chapters (starting in the Death Island arc) started to include detailed backgrounds and the characters themselves are drawn with more care.

''Act-age''[[note]]pronounced in French like "garage"[[/note]] is a 2018 manga written by Matsuki Tatsuya and drawn by Usazaki Shiro, published in ''Weekly Magazine/ShonenJump'' − despite what the cover and premise might make you think.

It follows Yonagi Kei, a high school girl [[ParentalSubstitute who's all alone to raise her twin siblings, Rui and Rei, ever since their mother died and their father left home.]] To top it, she's also just been fired from her part-time job. But that doesn't stop her from trying to get by by using her greatest talent: acting. Problem is, her very immersive approach to acting, based on her own intimate memories, leads her to often get LostInCharacter and blur the line between fiction and reality, which scares the producer during her first audition.

However, that doesn't scare Kuroyama Sumiji, an eccentric film director who sees her potential and is determined to polish this diamond in the rough. This is the start of a bumpy but fruitful collaboration, where Kei will dive more deeply into the world of acting.

In early August 2020, the writer was arrested after committing indecent acts on a teenage girl, leaving the fate of the manga uncertain.

!Tropes found in ''Act-age''

* ArtEvolution: As the artist was a newcomer to the professional manga industry at the time ''Act-age'' began serialization (being 19 years old in 2018), the first chapter has a distinct lack of backgrounds and the characters themselves aren't drawn really well. Later chapters (starting in the Death Island arc) started to include detailed backgrounds and the characters themselves are drawn with more care.

In early August 2020, the author was arrested after committing indecent acts on a teenage girl, leaving the fate of the manga uncertain.

The series has a pilot/prequel titled ''Asagaya Geijutsu Koukou Eizouka e Youkoso'', published in the Jump the year before, about the meeting between Sumiji and his assistant Yuki. An official fanbook confirmed that it is canon to the series.

In early Augest 2020, the author was arrested after committing indecent acts on a teenage girl, leaving the fate of the manga uncertain.

* BittersweetEnding:
** The Galactic Railroad Arc, [[spoiler: while the first day of show have the actors completing the show to warm audience reception, their director Iwao passed away without even being able to watch]].

* EnvironmentalSymbolism: [[spoiler: In the Team A performance of Ratsesunyo arc, Hanako creates the set for their performance. The first is a painting of flames to describes the Princess Iron Fan's anger towards her husband. The second is a wood sculpture of flames to depict the the movement of flames after the Monkey King misuses the fan and describes the how the anger of Princess Iron Fan spirals out from her encounter with the Monkey King]].

For an older (albeit still running) series about the world of acting, compare ''Manga/SkipBeat''; and for a ''much'' older series, ''Manga/GlassMask''. Also compare ''Runway de Waratte (Smile Down the Runway)'', another unconventional work of Magazine/ShonenMagazine centered on the world of fashion and modeling.

For an older (albeit still running) series about the world of acting, compare ''Manga/SkipBeat''; and for a ''much'' older series, ''Manga/GlassMask''. Also compare ''Runway de Waratte (Smile Down the Runway)'', another unconventional shonen centered on the world of fashion and modeling, published in Weekly Magazine/ShonenMagazine.

* EnvironmentalSymbolism: [[spoiler: In the Team A performance of Ratsesunyo arc, Hanako creates the set for their performance. The first is a painting of flames to describes the Princess Iron Fan anger towards her husband. The second is a wood sculpture of flames to depict the the movement of flames after the Monkey King misuses the fan and describes the how the anger of Princess Iron Fan spirals out from her encounter with the Monkey King]].

%% * Ratetsunyo Arc, [[spoiler: despite the setbacks (destroyed reputations and innocence), both teams eventually play their part to conclusion and both Yonagi & Chikoyo learn from the experience. Meanwhile, Sumiji is able to obtain favors from Arise & increase his reputation while Hanako decides to quit making art.]]

** "Rasetsunyo" : [[spoiler:When Yonagi realizes she's gotten carried away by her emotions and decides to just go through the motions midway through the final scene.]]

* ExtremelyShortTimespan: Averted with the Death Island's post production: even though it was the first major production Kei starred in and the filming is long over, Death Island only start filming during the later periods of Ratsesunyo arc. For the record, in that time period Yonagi has starred in two stage plays, a viral video & even had some time to focus on school. Incidentally, [[BunnyEarsLawyer Amachi]] made a point of advertising both the ''Rasetsunyo'' play and ''Death Island'' simultaneously to make Kei & Chiyoko more marketable; narratively it also serves to tie the two arcs together and make the former even more relevant.

* ThePowerOfHate: Invoked in the Rasetsunyo stage play arc, where the main character Princess Iron Fan is driven by [[WomanScorned an unbridled rage toward her unfaithful husband.]] Both Kei and Chiyoko have to find a source of hatred strong enough to inhabit the role. Chiyoko uses [[spoiler:her own rival Kei, whom she's desperate to not lose against]] while Kei uses [[spoiler:the memory of her family-ditching father.]]

* TheShowMustGoOn: In every arc, some aspect of production goes haywire, be it uncooperative weather (Death Island), shaky backstage emotions (Galactic Railroad and Rasetsunyo), or just plain amateur inexperience (the school arc). Every single time (so far), however, Yonagi and everyone she works with still manage to pull through.

* WhamLine: From the end of chapter 82, just before the first performance of Rasetsunyo:

* BittersweetEnding: The Galactic Railroad Arc, [[spoiler: while the first day of show have the actors completing the show to warm audience reception, their director Iwao passed away without even being able to watch]].

** "Rasetsunyo" (presently a spoiler): [[spoiler:When Yonagi realizes she's gotten carried away by her emotions and decides to just go through the motions midway through the final scene.]]

* ExtremelyShortTimespan: Averted with the Death Island's post production: even though it was the first major production Kei starred in and the filming is long over, trailers of the Death Island only started during the Ratsesunyo arc. For the record, in that time period Yonagi has starred in two stage plays, a viral video & even had some time to focus on school. Incidentally, [[BunnyEarsLawyer Amachi]] made a point of advertising both the ''Rasetsunyo'' play and ''Death Island'' simultaneously to make Kei & Chiyoko more marketable; narratively it also serves to tie the two arcs together and make the former even more relevant.

* UnderestimatingBadassery: During the Death Island arc, the recruits realize the Stars actors aren't just pretty faces and can overshadow their skills. The reason why it didn't turn it into a full SlobsVersusSnobs scenario is because Kei herself is too occupied with her acting and Chiyoko to care about that aspect.

* NeverLiveItDown: InUniverse, Ryuugo, a fellow actor on the ''Death Island'' set, keeps calling Kei "vomit girl" after the VomitDiscretionShot incident, even way after everyone has gotten over it.

For an older (albeit still running) series about the world of acting, compare ''Manga/SkipBeat''; and for a ''much'' older series, ''Manga/GlassMask''. Also compare ''Manga/RunwayDeWaratte'' another unconventional shonen centered on the world of fashion and modeling, published in Weekly Magazine/ShonenMagazine.

For an older (albeit still running) series about the world of acting, compare ''Manga/SkipBeat''; and for a ''much'' older series, ''Manga/GlassMask''. Also compare ''Manga/RunwayDeWaratte'' another unconventional shonen centered on the world of fashion and modeling, published in Weekly Manga/ShounenMagazine.