Chō Kuse ni Narisō is a Japanese manga series written by An Yoshimura and illustrated by Yayoi Nakano. 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
Nagisa Shiratori 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 men" to join her school. The first part of her plan succeeds beyond her wildest dreams: she is almost instantly elevated to the status of Japan's top idol despite an utter lack of anything even remotely resembling musical talent. 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 Nagisa Ootori. There she runs into the toughest gang at the school, and after she soundly beats them they recruit her to help them confront a gang from a rival school. Unfortunately, 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 Shiratori that he proposes marriageon 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 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 martial arts school, 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
;Nagisa Ootori/Nagisa Shiratori ;Nosaka Akira ;Momoko Prisila ;Kumakichi ;Makoto Naketake ;Tsunada-kun ;Red Beetle ;Kamioka Ryuu ;The Alligators of Tokyo
Episodes
All but the last episode aired in 1994:
Born! Fighting Idol?! aired April 5
Duel! Thunder of Love aired April 12
Nagisa’s Date! aired April 19
You Might as Well Give up! The Revenge! aired April 26
Super World Idol Legend Part-time 1 aired December 13
Super World Idol Legend Part-time 2 aired December 20
Super World Idol Legend Part-time 3 aired December 27
Last of Idol aired January 3
Music
Opening Third Love Sang by Junko Inoue Lyrics by Ayuko Ishikawa Composed by Hiroshi Sakamoto Ending Ushinaenaino Sang by Junko Inoue Lyrics by Ayuko Ishikawa Composed by Hiroshi Sakamoto Song Inserts Chō kuse ni narisō Sang by Chinami Nakamura Lyrics by Tetsuya Endo Composed by Hiroshi Sakamoto Suki ni nattara saikyō 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 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 Chō Kuse Ni Narisō Secret story Released on February 22, 1995, KICA-231
