Idol Shikkaku (Drama)

Idol Shikkaku (アイドル失格, Idol Disqualification) is a drama, based on the novel of the same name, by Abe Wakana.

For the novel's page, please see Idol Shikkaku.

Synopsis

Yoshino Keita, bored from life, is a hard-core otaku and support of Mimika, the center of the four-member idol group Tetra. Even though he knows it could never happen between them, he is head over heels in love with her.

On the other hand is Onodera Mimika, a third-year high school student, whose idol group is steadily increasing in popularity. While Mimika is enjoying her new life as an idol, she is also happy about the fact that Keita both loves and supports her.

After an argument with her mother, Mimika instinctively reaches out to Keita.

Drama Information

• Screen Writer: Mitano Shintaro
• Air date: 2024.01.13 - 2024.03.30
• Episodes: 12
• Broadcast Network: BS Shochiku Tokyu
• Air time: 11:00
• Running time: 23 minutes per episode
• Theme song:

Drama Cast

Yamamoto Mikana - Onodera Mimika (Center of Tetra) (Member color: white) Kawakami Chihiro - Ichinose Moe (Member of Tetra) (Member color: pink) Jonishi Rei - Sorano Akari (Member of Tetra) (Member color: yellow) Izumi Ayano - Kawashima Saya (Member of Tetra) (Member color: blue) Kobayashi Ryota - Yoshino Keita (Fan of Tetra) Otsu Hiroki - Negi (Fan of Tetra) Miya Naoko - Onodera Sanae (Mimika's mother) Isomura Ameri - Onodera Mimika (as a child) Naito Shuichiro - Tachibana Ren (Mimika's co-star)

Honda Hirotaro - Sasayama Takeshi (owner of fish shop) Miyama Karen - Yamada Sakura Ikeda Tsutomo - Nitta Shibuya Nagisa - guest role Shibue Shoji - unnamed extra Aoyagi Takaya - unnamed extra Ikeda Kazuma - unnamed extra Ishibashi Ryoda - unnamed extra

Episode Guide

Episode	Plot	Air Date
1	Mimika (Yamamoto Mikana), who has always dreamed of becoming an idol, is chosen as the center of the new idol group Tetra. And yet, as she is trying to balance school, friends, her relationship with a stressed single mother and her responsibilities as an idol, Mimika is deeply unhappy, often thinking ,"I want to die." When Tetra holds a polaroid event (where fans can take polaroid photos with idols), a fan tells her, "Don't die," throwing her off balance.	January 13, 2024
2	Keita is bored of life. He doesn't have many friends in college, people just pass him by, and his boss at his part time job is constantly nagging him. He also often thinks, "I want to die." One day, his friend Negi convinces him to attend an idol performance together, where Keita is immediately drawn in by Mimika. He becomes her fan, listens to Tetra's music, watches their variety show content and buys Tetra merch. Together with Negi – who is a fan of Moe (Kawakami Chihiro) – he attends the polaroid event and realizes that he can't live without Mimika, so he asks her not to die. Later that night, Mimika searches and finds Keita on social media. The next day, Keita is embarrassed with himself for blurting our something weird in front of Mimika, when suddenly, she shows up in the pet shop where he works.	January 20, 2024
3	Mimika asks Keita if she looked gloomy at the polaroid event, to which Keita says she was as bright as ever but wondered whether having to smile all the time was tiring. Keita's boss witnesses the incident and soon, Keita's colleague - a girl the same age - also knows what happened. She asks Keita to attend a group date, so he invites Negi and then ditches all of them in case Mimika shows up at the store again. At the same time, Tetra is asked what their hobby is on a variety show and unable to think of anything, Mimika randomly says she is into tropical fish these days. After the recording, the members advise her to buy a tropical fish for real. They also talk about the love ban imposed on idols and while Saya (Izumi Ayano) and Moe are against dating as an idol, Akari (Jonishi Rei) doesn't see why idols shouldn't be able to fall in love. In the evening, Mimika does indeed go back to the pet shop and asks Keita to buy a tropical fish. They end up talking about a kind of fish that seems to glow and sparkle and when Keita tells her that the fish's name is Golden Tetra, she chooses to buy it.	January 27, 2024
4	After Tetra shoots the music for their fifth single Otome no Ice, the lyricist of the song is unhappy with Mimika's performance so they have to re-shoot it. At the same time, their manager tells the group that Mimika has been cast in a drama due to impressing an important player in the industry. Moe becomes angry with her for not taking proper care during their lessons but still getting the important deals but Saya, as the leader, calms down the situation momentarily. Mimika asks the lyricist what he wants to see in her, but he tells her to figure it out for herself. Rather than doing so, Mimika uses a private social media account to ask Keita's opinion. He tells her what he likes about her is that he feels like she is similar to him because she feels equally lifeless behind her smile. Mimika uses this knowledge for the re-shoot of the music video and also apologizes to her fellow members for having let them down previously.	February 3, 2024
5	Akari has come across a social media account that she believes to be Saya's private account, and because of a photo post of a "treasured ring," they wonder if Saya secretly has a boyfriend. Meanwhile, Mimika's teacher tells her she will have to repeat the year if she doesn't pass her final exams. Mimika asks Keita for help with studying, and together with Negi (who doesn't know the exact details), he records some videos for all kinds of subjects and sends them to her. When Mimika is invited to her first script reading with the other cast members of the drama, the staff member reading the stage description and Mimika's co-star both struggle with the difficult kanji, but Mimika's studying has paid off. Her co-star asks to practice alone together but Mimika rejects him, citing her studies as a priority. At a special Valentine's Day event, Mimika discreetly tells Keita that she has passed her exams, but Saya notices there's something different about how Mimika interacts with this particular fan. Some time later, she returns to the store where he works. He jokingly asks her out on a date to an aquarium, but Mimika actually agrees.	February 10, 2024
6	Keita's boss coaches him how to best prepare for and how to act during the date. He even goes as far as to send Keita to a clothing shop together with the other part time worker, Sakura, so she can give him fashion advice. It becomes clear Sakura has feelings for Keita himself, but still helps as best as she can. On their date, Mimika and Keita are always keeping a distance and only conversing via text messages, while Mimika also wears glasses, a face mask and a hat to hide her identity. They walk home together and Keita gifts her a soft keychain of a a penguin - at home, they both attach this keychain to their bags. At the next work schedule, Saya confronts Mimika about having a secret relationship with a fan.	February 17, 2024
7	After their work schedule, Mimika asks Saya to talk in private. Mimika asks Saya about the ring Saya has been wearing all this time and Saya admits that it is a precious gift from a boy she used to like, but that she stopped dating him when she became a member of Tetra. Saya asks Mimika if Tetra or this fan is more important, and Mimika texts Keita that she can't see him anymore. While Sakura tries to cheer Keita up and invite him out, Mimika focuses more on Tetra, much to the happiness of her team members. Keita tries to ask Mimika what happened and tells her he loves her, but Mimika replies in a very idol-like way. On his way home, he tries to take the penguin key-chain off but fails to do so.	February 24, 2024
8	Mimika goes on a publicity-date with the male lead of the drama she has been hired for. At the end, he privately tells her that she is no good as an idol because it's clear she is thinking of someone else and in love with someone else, which will destroy the fans' expectations. On the other hand, Negi tells Keita that he is graduating as a Tetra fan to focus on finding a job. Keita destroys his polaroid wall of Mimika photos and suddenly, Sakura comes over to check on him. Once again, she tries to cheer him up but he keeps refusing all help.	March 2, 2024
9	Negi asks Keita to attend one more event together and Keita begrudgingly agrees. The members are working tirelessly in practice and promoting themselves on social media for the upcoming event, which is a fan election for favorite member. Sakura asks Keita if she can attend the event with him as she's been wanting to see what's so great about Tetra for a while. Akari ranks 4th and Mimika, who's previously always ranked 1st, ranks 3rd. Saya ranks 2nd and Moe becomes 1st. Sakura speaks to Mimika in a friendly manner after the event during the fan meet & greet, but Keita refuses to speak to her. Tetra starts recording and shooting for their new single, which will be a Moe center, but then their manager tells them it's been decided that the new single will be a double A-side with Moe centering one of them and Mimika centering the other, which makes Moe angry. Moe storms off and cries and Mimika tries to find her, but instead runs into her senior from the label (portrayed by Shibuya Nagisa), who advises her not to care about what anyone else thinks or says, but simply to focus on herself. She finds tweets from Keita and although he hasn't spoken to her directly, his tweets are fired up about how people are blind to what a perfect idol Mimika is.	March 9, 2024
10	Sakura tells Keita to give up trying with Mimika, that she's an idol and he's just one of her many fans and it would never work between them. Saya tries to get all members of Tetra together for karaoke as a team building exercise, but Moe is shutting down any efforts of a happy environment and voices her frustrations about how Mimika gets preferential treatment, especially since she also knows Mimika is talking in private to a fan. Shortly after, the management tells Mimika they have received reports about Mimika dating with a threat to release information from an anonymous source. Mimika thinks about graduating, but when the other members find out, they get angry at her. While Saya and especially Akari genuinely like Mimika, Moe is angry with her for choosing the easy way out. At home, Keita rebuilds his polaroid wall of Mimika, when Negi calls him and informs him about the news of Mimika graduating.	March 16, 2024
11	Keita and Negi go out to drink and party away their broken heart about Mimika's graduation announcement. Sakura eventually comes to Keita's house and admits that she was the one who contacted Mimika's agency and threatened to release information about Mimika dating because she was jealous. She confesses her feelings, but Keita rejects her. Mimika comes to Keita's work and he promises he will never ever contact her again if she continues to be an idol.	March 23, 2024
12	This episode serves as a recap for the viewers as well as Mimika's fans: During Mimika's graduation concert, video clips from the previous episodes are shown as a sort of documentary honoring Mimika's career in Tetra. Backstage, Moe tells Mimika that she really hates her but at the same time, Tetra is made up of all 4 members and even now, she would be happy if Mimika decided to cancel her graduation and stay in the group. Moe says the only reason Tetra has become so popular is because of Mimika. In her final speech, Mimika thanks the members and the fans for making her the person she is now and for fulfilling her dreams of becoming an idol.	March 30, 2024