Act-age

So I made a page for this, as I recently started reading it and ended up liking it much more than I expected.

For those who don't know, Act-age is a recently started Shonen Jump series following Kei, an aspiring actress who has a bad tendency to get Lost in Character, and a quirky film director who recruits her as the star (and only actress really) of his studio.

This is definitely an interesting one as it's not really the kind of series you'd expect to see in the Jump − it has a female protagonist but it's not a romance (and what little hypothetical romance there is would rather be on the Les Yay side) and it handles it's subject matter in a pretty mature way. Kei is definitely a fascinating protagonist, who can be simultaneously aloof, cool, insecure, self-assured, quirky and cute in her own way. She just doesn't fit into any rigid archetype.

There are 24 chapters out in Japan, but I think only about half of them have been translated. Still, if there's anyone following this you can discuss it here. I'm just hoping it doesn't get axed too soon…

Edited by Lyendith on Jul 15th 2018 at 3:40:49 PM

Caught up with the Japanese chapters. I definitely give it my stamp of approval. Also, I seriously want Kei and Chiyoko to be a thing, my god.

It tells you something that back when I knew nothing of the series and off-handedly read chapter 20 or 21, I couldn't tell whether these two were acting or were actually in danger, stuck in a typhoon. And now that I read them for real, I'm impressed to discover that that was entirely the point. The artist has a very simple but very clever trick of using the "black stripes" in some panels to reinforce the cinematic feel. The composition in general is quite remarkable.

That chapter 23 scene where everyone signs Kei's shirt on a whim was too damn adorable.

And now we're introduced to a new character who does some pretty hardcore preparation for his role. I gotta play a hunter? Sure, I'm gonna hole up in the mountains and kill a bear or two, because why the fuck not.

Uh, someone just translated everything up to chapter 20. The yuri chemistry between the two is starting to show, and it's great.

Chapter 27… a male ahegao◊ is not something I wanted to see, thank you. >.>

So it turns out Yonagi actually sucks at any kind of acting that's not super intense. Which makes sense… She has instinct, but she has no actual technique.

Also, if Kasane taught us one thing, it's that having Night on the Galactic Train as your first theater play role is not a good idea.

Now it's kinda ironic that Kei has actually become super expressive since the start of the series. Her perpetual cluelessness will never cease to crack me up.

Chapter 29: Kei's Adorkable level is going through the roof. She manages to master the basic expressions… by using paper mâché puppets and performing a show for a little foreign child who doesn't speak Japanese. God I love this character.

And Araya's starting to really love her too. A bit too much for her taste.

Chapter 30: I still can't figure if Araya is goofy or creepy. Probably both. "Yonagi smells like Giovanni… so why don't I eat her?"

Meanwhile, the yuri subtext between Kei and Chiyoko is still vivid.

Cool... An act-age thread. Though I'm not sure if I will participate in here or not considered I haven't read the manga yet and it hasn't piqued my interest just like Jujutsu.

Anyways, I heard the manga is good. Shall we make an entry for Needs More Love section even though the series still ongoing?

It might be a bit early for that, the series is like 6 month old…

But yeah, it's definitely a good one, and not one you'd expect to see in the Jump.

Right... Might be going to check it at a later time even if I'm mostly a sucker for action, sci-fi, fantasy or any genre busting works tbh.

Chapter 31: so Araya literally "steals" people's emotions by connecting with them… That's kinda scary…

Still, Kei's account of how her siblings were her only ties to reality when she tried to escape in the world of fiction is pretty heartbreaking. I guess that's what happens when There Are No Therapists.

Good to see Chiyoko again. I hope to see more yuri bonding between them next chap.

I've only seen up to chapter 23 translated at my usual haunts. Guess I'll have to dig around more to get more up to date.

I really like this series, but I'm worried about it being in Jump. I'm hoping it does well enough that it doesn't get the axe, or perhaps move to a different publication where this kind of dramatic, non-action story would do well.

Fallen Angels have translated up to chapter 24 I think (I read the chapters in Japanese, hence why I'm a bit farther ahead). You should check out their website directly.

So far the series seems to be doing reasonably well in the Jump, with two color pages recently. But I'm still worried in the long run.

Edited by Lyendith on Sep 4th 2018 at 11:53:45 AM

Yeah, I really like it. Kei is a fun protagonist, and the director is an entertaining Stealth Mentor. The three other actors who she auditioned with seem like they'll be becoming the core secondary cast if they stick around after this arc, and they're also pretty likable.

All in all, a good palette cleanser of a manga. One gets tired of fantasy and action and endless isekai after a while.

Sumiji is a fun stealth mentor, but I honestly have no idea why Yuki put up with his shit for so long before they met with Kei. >.> How is his business even profitable?

Chapter 25 to 27 are available on Fallen Angels' website. They're slowly but surely catching up.

Chapter 34 is out in Japanese. Turns out director Iwao has a few months left to live, and tells this secret to Kei so that she can play Campanella, a boy who knows he's already dead. That's… a pretty cruel twist, both for Iwao and for Kei. She's gonna spend the rest of her training taking in the feelings of a man whom she knows is gonna die soon.

It's all the more dramatic that it comes just after a hilarious scene, where Kei casually doodles on Araya's asleep face.

Edited by Lyendith on Sep 24th 2018 at 6:59:25 PM

No concrete source yet, but a semi-reputable leaker has claimed that this is ending next chapter.

Edit: Wait, said leaker said they might have been confused by a similar sounding oneshot so it's a false alarm.

Edited by IniuriaTalis on Sep 26th 2018 at 10:46:32 AM

There are two color pages in a row for the next two chapters, so it can't be ending next chapter. >.> But damn, don't scare me like that.

Edited by Lyendith on Sep 27th 2018 at 1:21:51 PM

Chapter 28 has been translated. I had overlooked that but… Akira's mom is kind of a bitch. I pity her son to be dropped on the stage like that…

My monologue continues. Chapter 35 raw. Turns out Sumiji knew about Iwao's disease, and he helps Kei to come to terms with it and accept the role he's giving her. Alas, Iwao might not last until the play at this rate, or just barely.

This arc became so sad all of a sudden, dammit…

FA has released chapter 32 and 33. They're very slowly catching up.

Meanwhile in chapter 37 Kei has no choice but to tell the truth about Iwao's health after he was hospitalized. And she finds the right words and… gestures? to convince everyone that they should finish the play, because that's what he would want. Makes sense in a way: she has been in the troupe for the shortest time, but she was also the closest to him during that time. Ironically, Iwao's hospitalization might be the last piece of the puzzle Kei needed to play her role perfectly.

Edited by Lyendith on Oct 16th 2018 at 1:32:50 PM

Chapter 38! The play begins… And Kame shows us that you can be earnest and passionate even if your role is a pathetic character who dies right away. I like that.

Chap 35 out on FA scans.

Chapter 39: Nanao breaks down at just the wrong moment and Kame considers replacing her if she doesn't get back on her feet before her scene. And it's fucking heartbreaking just to see her like that. It almost makes some of my own feelings resurface. This series writing is so damn good I swear…

Shall we start the Characters page?

We could, but that'd leave the main page pretty empty, as 90% of it is character tropes…