Aidoru wa tsukkoma reru no ga suki!
彼女はつっこまれるのが好き！( アイドルはつっこまれるのがすき! )
She likes to be ranted at!
偶像总爱被吐嘈！
Author : Saitou Masato サイトーマサト(斎藤雅人)
Illustrator : Sakana 魚
Publisher : Dengeki Bunko
Genre: Romance, Comedy, School
Introduction:
Attracted by the warm light of the sun in spring, I was walking aimlessly on the streets when I was suddenly kidnapped. Eh? What? No no no, what are you guys doing!? ...By the time I recovered, I found myself in the recording studio of a broadcast program for some reason.Just as I was spacing out, a young beautiful girl entered the studio...My, my gosh! Isn't she the voice actor idol, Otonashi Madoka that I have been worshiping all my life...Eeeeeh!! So, the two of us went with the flow and started the broadcast program...but what would happen to my destiny!?A exhilarating comedy bustling with excitement will unfold with the impact of raging currents here and now!
The novels gives me some good laughs. The banter between the two main characters can be quite entertaining. The only thing I don't like about it is the relatively slow progress of the romantic relationship that you can find in it. In fact, there can be quite a startling amount of realistic elements in it that I find it quite stifling at times. However, it fits the story well and I feel like I'm experiencing life with the main characters while I'm reading it.
I'll posting some of the translations here while I'm at it, though it may be quite slow as the light novel chapters are quite long.
I guess it's time to introduce the characters in Aidora wa tsukkoma reru no ga suki!. I'll be posting them one by one each time there is an update.
The novel is currently translated to 44.2% of Chapter 1, Volume 1.
The character we'll be looking at today is the male lead of the semi-harem series, Tsunemura Ryouto (常村良人). He's a 16-year-old high school student who is also an otaku who enjoys reading light novels, manga and watching anime. He's a quiet person, as seen by his low profile in the class, but secretly enjoys ranting at the people around him in his mind. After getting mistaken for a light novel author due to having similar clothes, he got to become a broadcast program host with Miss Otonashi Madoka, a seiyuu idol. As in light novels nowadays, he got into an accidental harem with quite a few beauties.
While it may not be apparent, I must applaud the author for using the contrast of different literary devices to develop the story. Unlike most semi-harem male leads like Shido Itsuka from Date A Live, or Kinji Toyama from Hidan No Aria, Ryouto's character changes quite dramatically from the beginning of the story when he was just a 16-year-old boy who got dragged into a high school drama into a 18-year-old young man who is not afraid nor hesitant to work hard, even if he still fails, so he could bring happiness to himself, and the person he loves.
In fact, you could say that the synergy of Ryouto's change of character, along with Otonashi Madoka's change of presence, which we'll look into next time, is what drives the story, and what makes it so interesting and warm to read.
Ryouto's idol love, which could also be called as puppy love, is something we all have experienced during our young age. It is love without responsibilities, a carefree liking towards the best parts of another person of the opposite gender. However, what happens when you know the ugly side of the other person? While the person may be all smiles when he or she faces the public, he or she might be an rough and rude person behind the scenes. When that time comes, will you be able to accept them as they are?
The younger Ryouto didn't. Who wouldn't like a soft and gentle person who treats them well, and who would like a person who treats them like trash anyway?
Then he grew up and understood what he enjoyed and wanted in another's presence.
Love comes with responsibilities and sacrifices. It's something you have to take action for. Someone you love will always have weaknesses that they will only share with the people they love in return. The reason behind loving someone else might even elude you for your life, but you know that you'll still continue to love them in spite of what they are, for the reason they are.
This is something that not many anime with romantic elements take note of, preferring instead to give in to mass appeal.
Another problem most teenagers face when they reach the age of 17-18 is their future plans. Do they work for something they enjoy, or do they follow social norms and work for the purpose of work? Both are equally viable, given the circumstances. Not many people are able to work what they enjoy like Otonashi Madoka, or even Kahou Meari from a young age. The rest of us, like Ryouto have to work hard for it, even though we may not really able to make it big due to limitations in our abilities.
Ryouto is an exceptionally brave male character. His normality is a mirror reflecting shounens in real life, exemplified by the abnormality around him. He started out a clueless sheep caught in the web of life and slowly grew into a valiant lion who takes charges of his own life.
I would have liked to see more light novels be more serious about the development of the male lead like Aitsuko, but what I could only do now is only to hope.
I had quite some fun translating Aitsuko, especially the parts where Ryouto and Madoka began to banter. The conversation flowed quite naturally and it really felt like I was hearing a broadcast program with the two hosts. :P
The novel is currently translated to 31.5% of chapter 1, volume 1.
I do some odd jobs here and then, and one includes the fancy title of an concert engineer. I didn't even knew this name existed until I got into university, before then me and my team were called "nameless people behind the scenes", which wasn't really a name anyway.
I did it since my junior high school days, but it really started to get a little serious during my senior school days. Before that time (also found in most other schools), the job of managing the sound and lighting (SAL) equipment were done by the school authorities, which meant some teacher or the personnel from the general affairs department.
My supervising teacher was then someone with some background in these stuff and proposed that a club to train students to use the equipment, thereby training a ready support staff that could handle any situation that required the usage of SAL equipment. I think he rationalized his argument by saying that instead of handing the experience off to some temp in the general affairs department, students can pass on and accumulate the experience of using it over the years, especially since they might stay in the club for six years (my school merged junior and senior high schools).
It went largely well in the few starting years, with dedicated seniors running the club, but it went down under after a few years when we decided to restrict membership to senior high school students only as they would have the basic physic knowledge (mostly in the electrical part) to use it. I guess it backfired when the club membership grew stagnant since most seniors don't change clubs when they already have one they are dedicated to.
I took a position in the committee during my second year in senior high school, incidentally also the year when we started to publicize the opening of membership to junior students. So it happened that I had a bunch of youngsters without an inkling of SAL to train.
I guess I was lucky to find some passion in them. My thought at the time was to lead by example. Young junior high school students have raging passion (and a huge amount of rebellious behaviour) in them and it simply cannot be denied. By my experience as a rebellious young boy, I hated people who lead by talking. Luckily my seniors weren't really like that. They toiled harder than we do.
It was huge leadership lesson for me then. Strategies have to be suited to the person involved and the more about them you know, the better. By leading them as one of them (meaning that I got to revert to my younger raucous self......:P), and also asserting my position through active and passive teaching, where they learn the difference between us is one of experience (incidentally also the one where younger people can rarely excel in :D), they looked to me naturally as someone who keeps the group together.
SAL is really a job where you either get to run around or play with electronic equipment and watch sound and lights go alive, which I would say in spite of being slightly gender biased (we do have a few girls in our team though), is something that appeals to boys greatly. The problem is the repetitiveness and seriousness of the work, where we have everything to lose and nothing to gain, so I guess I was lucky to keep them interested for around eight concerts.
Staying in the line of a concert engineer was one of the moments where I learnt the most lessons but the one I remembered the most was suiting the strategy to the other person, I guess. I may talk about another lesson I learnt some time in the future but who knows when that would come. :D
A damien!
Volume One : Prologue
"Alright then, let's start!"
Start what, exactly?
I could not stop myself from ranting at the voice that suddenly entered my ears.
Being forced to wear these earphones just narrowed down my movement range.
Completely a fish out of water, I was brought here unsuspectingly, locked in a room with a huge conspicuous glass window, and then made to sit in front of a microphone that hung from the ceiling. This microphone was different from normal Karaoke microphones, being the more exquisite kind that hung from the ceiling, I guess. Sitting on the chair, no matter what I do, I cannot ignore the microphone that hung just a little lower than my sight.
In this situation, what should I do?
"It's already started!"
A human voice was transmitted over the earphone again. I think this was the person at the other side of the mirror talking.
These guys are really so lively. Even if it was spring now, They did not have to fill my head with flowers, did they?
>"What the heck started anyway?"
Unfortunately, during my second year of grade school, I have already confirmed that I did not have any telepathic or other supernatural powers. Even though I did try channeling my powers for a moment there, alas it was just useless. So, I chose to vent my feelings through my voice instead.
My reaction made the adults at the other side of the glass window laughed until they rolled on the floor. I see that I may have done something that made them happy. The main point though, was that were they laughing at me, or did I make them laugh.
So, the man who had entered the room earlier before me, now sitting beside me, gave me a piece of paper. On the top of the A4 sized paper, the word "Script" was written in large font.
Eh? What? Am I supposed to read that word by word?
Caught completely unawares, I tried to read the part that was pointed out by the man.
>"Er...So it has finally started! This broadcast program!"
This broadcast was which broadcast anyway!
I read it loudly because there was the instructions "Raise volume" written beside it, but I was still utterly confused.
Never mind, I guess I will just follow what they say anyway! I don't want to think anymore! I will just do as you all please! Just quickly let me go after this! Hey wait a minute, it should be, I would follow what you say, but tell me what's going on!
Moreover, I was just thinking of going out for a brisk walk on the streets to buy something. Today was the last day of the spring vacation, and from tomorrow onwards I'm going to be a second year high school student. During this time, every adult around me is going to be nagging endlessly about which university to choose or maybe going to work directly. Since this short vacation was going to end, having enough of wasting time sitting around in home, I decided to go out for a walk.
Eh?
What?
Continue reading? Can't you all even give me some time to sort out my thoughts!
>"Er...A broadcast program in conjunction of the immensely popular...light novel 'The Law of Boyle - Sharuru' being made into an anime? The name is also called 'The Law of Broadcasts'. We will also be running ...Er...En? To? Eh? Oh, to and fro with the original work while bri~bri~bringing this program to everyone!"
Even though some words that I didn't know how to read appeared, but someone immediately gave me the correct pronunciation through the headphones. After that, I finally saw some familiar words. Hey, I know this light novel. It was the current most popular work.
Er~The story of 'The Law of Boyle - Sharuru' started with a high school student called Boyle who was kidnapped by a mysterious organization and became a human experiment.
After opening his eyes, Boyle found out that his body has turned into one of a third year elementary school student.
Just then, a girl arrived to help Boyle out. Her name was Sharuru. Having the same plight as Boyle, they set out to find clues on the mystery organization.
According to Sharuru, after the experiment, Boyle had acquired the special ability to change his form and gain special powers.
The main attraction of the novel would be the part where they change forms. A third year elementary school boy and girl pressing their lower parts with their hands, yelling "It's, it's so ho~~~~t!!" and then becoming bigger, I mean their bodies.
After the transformation, they will regain their original high school bodies and have various supernatural powers.
Boyle and Sharuru, under those circumstances, started a company called the 'Impossible Problems Firm' and used the identity of 'The Burning Boyle' and 'The Fever Sharuru' to track the mysterious organisation. This is the basic premise of the story.
Ah, I guess my thoughts got led astray after hearing the title of my favorite light novel.
I really liked this novel. However, I did not even know that it was going to be animated.
The man beside me cued me to introduce myself.
>"Er, okay. Introduce myself? Um...even if you ask me to do that... I'm just an outsider."
"Ahahahaha!"
The adults at the other side of the glass burst in laughter that did not suit their age. I only said what I thought of, you know! Even so, aren't you guys laughing a little too much! It's causing me to get excited too. Hey wait, it's just that I signed myself over!
I finally got the hang of the current situation after a while. Cut off from external sounds by the huge glass windows and door, this room is the recording studio for the broadcast program.
And then, for whatever reason, I am now sitting here talking to the microphone.
>"What the heck? What's happening anyway!"
Okay, okay, okay, the man sitting beside me put out his arms as though to calm me down. Why did he remain silent anyway?
>"What? You want me to 'talk about something interesting?' Oh please, what interesting things do you guys expect of an outsider anyway!"
I read the text they give me aloud, a small retribution. What was "something interesting" anyway? Compared to a normal conversation, this was really hard, you know? Don't ask an outsider to do this kind of stuff. Even more so, I don't even know the meaning of me sitting in this room.
"Even though you say that this is the first time you have ever went on air, but your performance was quite interesting!"
Just then, I suddenly heard the voice of a girl.
Wrong, wrong. It is not just "hearing the voice of a girl". Aside from vibrating my eardrums, the voice made my body turn towards the source of the sound. My earphones were ripped off, perhaps from the force of turning my body quickly. My hands searched for the earphones, but my eyes continued to be focused on the girl.
Hey, wait a minute. I know who she is.
The girl who stepped into the compartment from the outside.
A sweet smell entered my nostrils. My nose told me that this was like stepping into a bed of flowers. However, what my eyes told me was a beauty incomparable to any flower.
Her slightly curled hair was tied in a side ponytail that shook with her every step, attracting one's attention to it.
Her big eyes were as clear as onyx pearls. She wore a simple T-shirt with a miniskirt, a simple style that you could find anywhere in the streets, but perhaps it was her extraordinary looks, so it was evident that she was completely different from everyone else.
But what really knocked people off their feet was...her voice.
The person who just talked sat across me. Looking at her intently, I naturally adjusted myself to sit facing the microphone properly. I finally found the earphones that fell off and placed them over my ears again.
Our eyes met.
I don't know why, but she slightly tilted her head. It didn't feel out of place, instead it was very cute.
"Hi everyone! I'm the one who's in charge of the main female character, Sharuru, of 'The Law of Boyle - Sharuru', a seiyuu without her voice, Otonashi Madoka!"
Oh, that familiar sound...that familiar sound is now introducing herself in front of me.
Starting as a child star in troupes from a young age, her popularity increased exponentially after her debut as a seiyuu (voice actor). She was incredible beyond belief.
With her extraordinary beauty and wonderful acting skills, it was impossible for her to not be popular! I have also paid special attention to all of her anime and broadcast performances.
"Are you shocked to see me? Hehe, sorry about that. We have planned a little gag scene for you. Alright now, let's put in all our effort together!"
>"Er...er...about that..."
"Sensei, you're quite young in person. I have thought that you would be much older, actually."
Sensei? Who are you calling sensei?
Oh, is it that? The kind of job that would call the guest as 'Sir'?
"Okay, okay. Please have a cup of tea and calm yourself down."
She poured tea into my paper cup. She's so gentle...wait, this is not the time to be moved.
Seeing my shocked reaction, the people on the other side of the glass laughed loudly again.
I don't even have any energy to rant at you guys!
Aaaaaaah, Miss Otonashi's attractive voice is vibrating my eardrums in front of me! This must be a weapon! A new modern weapon! At point blank range! She is the voice actor idol who have been the model of the cover page of the voice actor magazine for countless times. In other words, she had a cute appearance that qualifies to be on the magazine cover!
At that particular moment...
That particular moment being the moment I fell head over heels over Miss Otonashi's voice!
There seem to be some commotion outside the compartment. Two men rushed into the room. The man at the front opened his mouth and shouted something.
His voice entered my ears through the earphones.
"Sorry for being late! I have brought the author of the original work here!"
...A moment of silence.
The people who have been laughing at my panicked reaction, now stood dumbfounded on their feet.
I wanted to laughed at them for revenge, but I didn't care about them since my eyes were fixated on Miss Otonashi.
By the time I recovered, the red light that showed that the broadcast was being recorded was out, and a large group of people was having an emergency meeting outside the compartment. Miss Otonashi have also left the compartment to attend the emergency meeting. Okay then, I can use this opportunity to sort out my thoughts again and understand why all of this would happen.
That's right. Today is the last day of my spring vacation. I decided to leave my house to buy a lot of things.
I shifted my vision to the only glass window in the room and started to reminisce everything that has happened today.
