Act-age, Manga Recommendation of the Week!
Article at a glance:
- Act-age stands out as a shounen manga without typical action or romance, focusing purely on character development.
- The story of Kei Yanagi’s journey in acting, her intense method acting style, and her rivalry with Chiyoko creates a captivating narrative.
- Usazaki Shiro’s art effectively conveys character contrasts and enhances the storytelling with well-designed visuals.
Before I start talking about this manga, I have to make something clear. The author of this manga has done some horrible stuff and they are in prison for it. This is why this manga was discontinued as the illustrator refused to continue it on their own, which is perfectly reasonable. So after learning that, if you don’t want to check out Act-age, that is perfectly fine and I understand. But it is a shame that this manga got discontinued, it is. This manga has every shounen troupe in it but no action, no fighting, and no romance.
Yes, this manga was a purely character-driven shounen, which is just incredible. The shounen genre is associated with either romance or action and yet this manga manages to undoubtedly a shounen without relying on either of those things. So welcome back to another edition of our manga recommendation series, this week we are talking about Act-age!
Introduction
Act-age was written by Matsuki Tatsuya and illustrated by Usazaki Shiro. It was serialized in the Weekly Shounen Jump from January 2018 to August 2020, The author was arrested on 8th August 2020, which led to the discontinuation of the manga as I previously mentioned. Again, I do not condone what the author did, they did some horrible stuff and are facing punishment for it. There is no anime adaptation for this manga, and I don’t think anyone will ever even make one at this point.
Plot
The plot follows Kei Yanagi. Kei was always interested in acting. But, she is broke and she is the only one who can financially support her younger siblings. So she starts applying to all kinds of roles available but she doesn’t have much luck getting selected. One day, a famous director, Sumiji Kuroyama sees Kei’s acting. He is impressed by her skill but the way she immerses herself in the characters could be dangerous. So he offers Kei the opportunity she needs and allows her to improve. But, the road to Kei’s success is still long and hard.
Again, the plot for this manga is nothing short of amazing. You will instantly recognize the plot elements as that of Shounen manga and yet the typical action or romance that characterizes most Shounen mangas is completely absent. And yet the plot works and it is good.
Characters
Kei is a fantastic character. She immerses herself into the characters she plays in such a way that her perception of reality shifts to match that of the character’s. This gives her an amazing talent in acting but at the same time, this talent is also harmful for her. You can imagine why. And yep, Kei has a rival too because this is a Shounen manga. Her name is Chiyoko. Chiyoko is a renowned actress and her acting style is the complete opposite of Kei’s as she doesn’t delve into the emotions of the character at all.
Their dynamic combined with a good supporting cast are what make this manga work so well. As I said, it is a character-driven Shounen manga.
Art
The art is pretty good. Usazaki Shiro’s art style fits the story well, the character designs are awesome. I like how Kei and Chiyoko’s opposite natures are also conveyed through their designs. That is a very good touch. Other than that, I have nothing more to say here. The art is good.
Summing Up
Here’s why you should read Act-age
- Good plot
- One of the very few character-driven Shounens without any action
- Amazing characters
- Good art
That is all for now. I understand that this manga comes with a lot of baggage because of the author’s actions but I think you should at least give it a chance because it is incredibly good. With that said though, I will take my leave here. See ya!
Also, check out this week’s anime recommendation here!
