Hikaru in the Light!

The well written characters are definitely the best element in this manga. Despite being very talented, they are all standing alongside people who are just as talented in other skills. Hikaru Okabe, protagonist of the story who has a beautiful strong voice, feels very insecure competing against girls whom she sees as much more beautiful, taller, and are better dancers than her. Ran Nishikawa, her childhood friend and former idol, feels frustrated that while she is well rounded in the skills necessary to be an idol, she is never the best at any of them. So much is expected out of these young ladies whosecareers will extinguish in a blink of an eye. Hikaru's insecurity even leads to imposter syndrome. Despite being such a great singer, she can't help but feel like she doesn't deserve to be there with all other girls. Whenever you read a manga or watch a show that reminds you of someone in real life, the writing usually has more depth than the typical story. Fiction is filled with one note characters. More realistic ones feel like a breath of fresh air. While reading this manga, Hikaru reminded me of a Brazilian singer called Marisa Monte. When she was young her friends and family loved her voice so much that they kept asking her to sing to them in several occasions. There is another character in the manga called Kaho who reminds of an actress whom I can't remember her name. I recall her interview though because during it, you could see how she wasn't very comfortable. She explained to the talk show host that she is actually extremely shy. The host would then ask something along the lines of, "How can an actress be shy? How come you don't panic in front of an audience or in front of the camera?" She would then explain that she would always create a persona for her roles. Make-up sessions were always her transformation ritual. Every stroke of the brush, every line of the pencil was her becoming little by little a different individual. I have watched a few idol shows, but this was the first time characters in a manga actually reminded me of real people in show business. This manga is succinct and to the point. It is not about the career or the development of idols. It just depicts the selection phase to the creation of a new idol group by a famous producer. The cutthroat competition to become an idol shows how brutal the entertainment industry actually is. Great characters and gorgeous art style make this a remarkable manga.