is a Japanese manga series written by An Yoshimura and illustrated by Nakano Yayoi. The series tells the story of an idol singer/martial artist and the chaos that results from her efforts to have a life and love beyond her singing career. An anime adaptation by Studio Kikan aired as part of the anthology program Eisei Anime Gekijō which was broadcast on NHK.
Synopsis Shiratori Nagisa is the heir to a judo training hall that has fallen on such hard times that their only pupils are animals from a nearby wildlife park. In a desperate bit to save her heritage, she reveals that she is going to go out into the world as an idol singer and find "strong people" to join her school. The first part of her plan succeeds beyond her wildest dreams: she is elevated to the status of Japan's top idol. Yet this dooms the second part of her plan, because her fame and schedule prevent her from finding the disciples she seeks.
So Nagisa horrifies her manager by chopping off her trademark pigtails and enrolling at one of the worst schools in Tokyo as a boy, under her given name of Ootori Nagisa. (Shiratori is a stage name). There, she runs into the toughest gang at the school, and after she soundly beats them, they (believing her to be a man) recruit her to help them confront a gang from a rival school. When she sees the leader of the rival gang, a handsome boy named Nosaka-kun, she instantly falls madly in love with him. Before the fight can begin, Nagisa is whisked away to a record signing, where she encounters Nosaka again, who is so utterly smitten with Nagisa that he proposes marriage on the spot.
The next day, the disguised Nagisa fights an inconclusive duel with Nosaka that ends in a stalemate, and with Nosaka declaring her a worthy foe who he looks forward to fighting again. He later reveals to the female Nagisa that he too in on a quest to recruit disciples for a failing dojo, and is meeting with a similar lack of success. The next day, in their final confrontation, Nosaka discovers Nagisa's secret due to an ill-placed grab maneuver. Declaring he would rather love Nagisa than fight her, he agrees to keep her secret and they run off, with the school toughs and both their disapproving fathers in hot pursuit.
After that, Nagisa continues her double life, showing up at school some of the time when her manager cannot force her to attend to her idol responsibilities. Meanwhile, the world she lives in gets weirder and weirder, as more and more bizarre things happen in her proximity.
Characters Ootori/Shiratori Nagisa
Nagisa is the young, pink-pigtailed protagonist of the story. While she loves to sing and dance (and is very good as well) she says that she loves to "toss people around" more. Her strength and fighting ability are overwhelmingly large, and she uses them on both people and the wildlife she trains in her dojo. She is very ambitious and isn't afraid to go after what she wants. Nosaka Akira
Nagisa's love interest, confidante and secret fiancé. He is quite devoted but he is impulsive and protective to a fault, despite the fact that Nagisa is in less need of protection than anyone he has ever known. Momoko Prisilla
A wealthy dilettante who is determined to become the greatest actress in the world and supplant Nagisa as the most popular idol in Japan (one of her more "rational" goals is to be more famous than Audrey Hepburn). As part of this process, she is "building a repertoire" of roles she can assume. At least twice an episode, Momoko can be counted upon to show up at a random time, do something incredibly bizarre, and then leave, usually being driven off in her stretch limousine by the young man who adoringly follows her everywhere to the praises of a quartet of identical cheerleaders who might be robots. There are strong hints that she may have the power to literally manipulate and warp reality at will through her method acting. Kamioka Ryuu
As Momoko's stooge, he participates in Momoko's little shows, often finding himself in harm's way as a result. Despite this, he is incredibly loyal to Momoko and does his best to learn from her and her acting. Kumakichi A large blue bear who is one of Nagisa's best friends from her dojo, who now lives with her in Tokyo and occasionally takes part in her act. Contrary to anime-fan expectations, Kumakichi actually is a bear and is usually incapable of speech. Makoto Nakatake
Nagisa's long-suffering manager who fears that her irresponsibility is going to cost him his job. He poses as a teenage boy to enroll with Nagisa at the school so he can keep her under observation, a task that usually proves futile. Even though he continues to remain in the idol agency's employ, he continues to worry about it to extreme lengths, even developing a song of his own called "The Worry Blues" as a running gag. Tsunoda The leader of the hoodlums at Nagisa's school, an ardent fan of Nagisa the idol singer, and a combination friend and antagonist for Nagisa the martial artist. He is bald, with a head shaped like a volcano that erupts on occasion, as a result of a childhood accident. Despite his rough appearance and speech, he is from a rich family and is surprisingly intelligent and resourceful. He is completely unable to decipher Nagisa's secret despite the fact that she does a poor job of impersonating a male. As a result of this, he completely misinterprets her relationship with his bitter rival Nosaka. Like Nosaka, he is very protective of Shiratori Nagisa and will attempt to charge to the rescue if he believes she is in danger. Red Beetle An international agency/conspiracy that keeps an iron grip on the market for idols on every nation on Earth except Japan. They frequently send rivals forth to break Nagisa's grip on the hearts of the Japanese public, who always fail despite Nagisa's lack of interest in defending her position on top.
Episodes +No.Original titleOriginal title (Romaji)Subtitled title(s)Aired01誕生！戦うアイドル？！Tanjou! Tatakau Idol?!Tomodachi Fansubs: Born! Fighting Idol?!05/04/199402決闘！恋のカミナリおとしKettou! Koi no Kaminari OtoshiTomodachi Fansubs: Duel! Thunder of Love12/04/199403なぎさのデート！Nagisa no Date!Tomodachi Fansubs: Nagisa's Date!19/04/199404まいりますわよ仇討ち！Mairimasuwayo Kataki Uchi!Tomodachi Fansubs: You might as well give up! The revenge!26/04/199405その人は中学教師Sono Hito wa Chuugaku KyoushiTomodachi Fansubs: He is a teacher03/05/199406美少女軍団はぐれ花Bishojo Gundan wa Gure HanaTomodachi Fansubs: Pretty girl flower group10/05/199407おねがい恋のキューウピッド！Onegai Koi no Cupid!Tomodachi Fansubs: Please, Cupid of Love!17/05/199408大きな桜の樹の下でOokina Sakura no Ki no Shita deTomodachi Fansubs: Under the giant cherry tree24/05/199409美少女軍団乱れ咲きBishojo Gundan Midare ZakiTomodachi Fansubs: The beautiful girl team is here31/05/199410激写！これがなぎさだ！Gekishiya! Kore ga Nagisa da!Tomodachi Fansubs: Photo! This is Nagisa!07/06/199411アイドル・オブ・じゃぱんIdol・Of・JapanTomodachi Fansubs: Idol of Japan14/06/199412アイ・ラブ・ワニサンI・Love・WanisanTomodachi Fansubs: I love alligators28/06/199413嗚呼、過ぎ去りし青春の日々Aa, Sugi Sarishi Seishiyun no HibiTomodachi Fansubs: Ah, my former youth05/07/199414ユカイ、ゆーかい、香港ギャング！Yukai, Yuukai, Honkon Gang!Tomodachi Fansubs: Fun kidnap Hong Kong gang12/07/199415色つぽいのはお好き？Irotsupoi no wa Osuki?Tomodachi Fansubs: Do you like sexy girls?19/07/199416めざせ！栄光のゴールMezase! Eikou no GoalTomodachi Fansubs: Go for your goal26/07/199417ぼくのなぎさ、わたしのなぎさBoku no Nagisa, Watashi no NagisaAnonymous Russian Soldiers: My Nagisa, No, MY Nagisa02/08/199418祝開校！聖ジュリアナ学園Shukukaikou! Sento Juliana GakuenAnonymous Russian Soldiers: Grand Opening! St. Juliana Academy09/08/199419ついに出た！私はモモコTsuini Deta! Watashi wa MomokoAnonymous Russian Soldiers: Better Late Than Never! I am Momoko!16/08/199420GOGO！ゴールドGogo! GoldAnonymous Russian Soldiers: Go! Go! Gold!23/08/199421出た！影武者、わたしはなぎさ？Deta! Kagemusha, Watashi wa Nagisa? SierraComix: The Arrival! Doppelganger, am I Nagisa?30/08/199422嵐の課外授業Arashi no Kagaijyu Gyou SierraComix: Lesson of The Storm06/09/199423泣いて下さいモモコ伝説Naite Kudasai Momoko Densetsu SierraComix: Don't Cry Momoko Legend13/09/199424スター誕生！俺は角田だ！Star Tanjou! Ore wa Tsunoda da! --20/09/199425不思議の国のなぎさFushiki no Kuni no Nagisa SierraComix: Nagisa in Wonderland27/09/199426花のお江戸のシンデレラHana no Oedo no Shinderera SierraComix: Cinderella of the Creek of Flowers04/10/199427THEムービー・アイドルは もう死んでいる！The Movie・Idol wa Mou Shindeiru! SierraComix: The Movie: The Idol is Already Dead!11/10/199428THEタコヤキ！The Takoyaki! SierraComix: The Takoyaki!18/10/199429コアラマスク・リターンズKoala Mask・Returns --25/10/199430二人のなぎさ？！Futari no Nagisa?! --01/11/199431愛は虹の彼方にAi wa Niji no Kanata ni --08/11/199432暗殺指令をあなたにAnsatsushirei o Anata ni --15/11/199433風と共につぶれた（前編）Kaze to Tomo ni Tsubureta (Zenpen) --22/11/199434風と共につぶれた（後編）Kaze to Tomo ni Tsubureta (Kouhen) --29/11/199435ピーターパンシンドロームPeter Pan Syndrome --06/12/199436超世界アイドル伝説 パートタイム1Chousekai Idol Densetsu Part-time 1 --13/12/199437超世界アイドル伝説 パートタイム2Chousekai Idol Densetsu Part-time 2 --20/12/199438超世界アイドル伝説 パートタイム3Chousekai Idol Densetsu Part-time 3 --27/12/199439ラストオブアイドルLast of Idol --03/01/1995
Music Opening Third Love Sang by Junko Inoue Lyrics by Ayuko Ishikawa Composed by Hiroshi Sakamoto
Ending Ushinaenaino (I can't lose you) Sang by Junko Inoue Lyrics by Ayuko Ishikawa Composed by Hiroshi Sakamoto
Song inserts Chō kuse ni narisō (I'll make a habit) Sang by Chinami Nakamura Lyrics by Tetsuya Endo Composed by Hiroshi Sakamoto
Suki ni nattara saikyō (If You Love Me The Strongest) Sang by Chinami Nakamura Lyrics by Tetsuya Endo Composed by Hiroshi Sakamoto
Nagisa no serenāde Sang by Chinami Nakamura Lyrics by Tetsuya Endo Composed by Hiroshi Sakamoto
Yume no fūsen (Dream Balloons) Sang by Chinami Nakamura Lyrics by Tetsuya Endo Composed by Hiroshi Sakamoto
Albums
All albums were released by King Records.
Chō Kuse Ni Narisō Shiratori Nagisa ON STAGE Released on December 21, 1994, KICA-223 BUY
Chō Kuse Ni Narisō Secret story Released on February 22, 1995, KICA-231 BUY
Translations As of writing, the anime has 5 notable translations out of Japanese: Catalan, Cantonese, Korean, and English.
These translations go by "L'ídol Nagisa: Com m'agrada, tot això!",「偶像小英雌」,「하빗」 (Habit), 「막걸리색 정액」and "I'll make a habit of it" respectively. The Catalan, Korean and Cantonese translations are dubs, while English has simply been subtitled. The Catalan dub was aired on K3 (Club Super3, now known as SX3) starting on May 4, 2006.
Physical releases Anime releases The anime was released to rent across 10 VHS volumes in groups of 2, starting July 22, 1994,Video Commercial - archived on VHS volumes 3 and 4. with Volumes 1 and 2. Claims of a Japanese Laserdisc release and a Catalan DVD release by Selecta Visión have been made, but there is no precedent for this. The earlier Korean dub has an exceedingly rare VHS release as well.
At an unknown time, Japanese tapes were also released for purchase, brandishing cases more suited to the series' artwork prints. These releases are exceedingly rare today and is suspected they may have been mail-order only.
The Japanese VHS release was handled by Taki Corporation, later known as Odessa Entertainment.
+Japanese VHS content distributionNo.Featured contentRelease dateListed runtimeRelease IDNotes1Episodes 1-41994/07/2295 min.THC-16092Episodes 5-81994/07/2295 min.THC-16103VHS Rental Commercial Episodes 9-121994/09/2295 min.THC-1612The back artwork contains a misprint. In the middle sample, a photo from episode 13 can be seen. This image appears to have swapped with volume 4.4VHS Rental Commercial Episodes 13-161994/09/2295 min.THC-1613As with volume 3, there is a misprint. The middle sample is from episode 9.5Episodes 17-201994/11/2595 min.THC-16186Episodes 21-241994/11/2595 min.THC-16197Episodes 25-281995/02/0395 min.THC-16288Episodes 29-321995/02/0395 min.THC-16299Episodes 33-361995/04/0795 min.THC-1633110Pilot Episode Episodes 37-391995/04/0782 min.THC-16341
Manga releases