Act-age

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I remember reading this series randomly throughout the Pandemic.
I saw a title and cover photo that looked lively so I decided to give it a try.
In a matter of chapters, I ended up getting pulled into the magic of Act-age.

Without speaking too much, this series is impressively deep and is able to express emotions on whole other levels unlike the majority of series. The moments, exchanges, events, practically every occassion meant something and only seeked to remain impressive as time passed.

If there was one series that had Anime potential, it was this one.
Sadly as everyone else knows, the author was arrested for....... pedofilic activity.
He was ... trying to strike some chords and they just happened to be A minors.

For a binge reader like me, this was super easy to get through - there wasn't that much drama, and it wasn't emotionally taxing to read. Everything that happened to the main character, I somehow felt that I had to cheer her on, even knowing that she's completely fictional.

Initially, I actually purchased the first volume of the manga, purely because the girl illustrated on the cover looked pretty. But I am glad that they went through with that decision, because I know that I probably would have not picked it up if it weren't for the cover. And just like how it was "advertised", ... the art style throughout the manga is fairly consistent, with extra effort noticeably put into scenes that are important.

In comparison to the isekai genre that's been popping off lately, it felt just right due to how the MC is terrifyingly talented in acting which balances out how they are supposedly living a normal, no-fantasy world like us. Usually, I tend to avoid reading mangas that are based around a high school student, but thankfully, it didn't focus on the fact that she's still in school that much, along with all the cliches that we are so used to seeing. In fact, I nearly forgot that she WAS a 16/17 year old kid - that's how much the MC got into acting.

On one hand, I wish that the author wasn't involved in a disgusting case like this just so that I could read more, but if they were indeed this disgusting from the very beginning, I am glad that the truth came out and not later. Hopefully, at least the artist is not like that, and goes on to make his own works that we can look forward to.

I like series about showbiz, so I had had pretty high hopes for Act-age.
Safe to say, Act-age is as much as a coming of age story as it is a series about acting. The problem is, our MC is essentially a Mary Sue in acting, in which she manages to overcome and even match the best actors in the short time frame of six months. In reality her method-acting being used as a "double edged" sword is really just a forced weakness the author puts in so that "at least something is holding her back."
This can be really seen in her break after her ... first big blockbuster film. Minor spoilers, but Yonagi is forced to take a break in order to "find herself" before she can start acting again. this was potentially a good arc that would allow Yonagi build her character, but instead, I get some crummy, convenient friends that she makes within the span of 5-10 chapters. And this is not just the only occurrence of something like this happen. Whether it be her attempt to showcase her emotions in preparation for a play, or her climbing a mountain in attempt to understand Princess Iron fan, it's almost as if the author just places these "obstacles" in order to go through the motions of overcoming something. Of course, Yonagi basically learns and comprehends everything with ease, and I can't feel a sense of accomplishment when Yonagi does something new.
It's just a fast paced road towards success with a dash of melodrama and coming of age sprinkled in. I have no qualms about the projects that Yonagi stars in. There's just enough about the plays and movies that I can get engaged in, but not too much info dumping that it bogs the story down. Despite that, I can't get into a main character like Yonagi.