Girl Crush Volume 1

Attracted by the striking cover, I was pulled into Girl Crush when I found out it was a story about two Japanese girls moving to Korea to become K-pop idols. The K-pop scene just gets everywhere these days doesn’t it? Since my largest client is a Korean company and I spend time there, I was keen to see just how accurate the book would be in presenting both cultures, and more than that, how a Japanese girl might make it big in Korea. It’s a more common crossover than you might think, and I do love an idol origin story.

The book starts with a young and insular Tenka Momose, still in shock by her mother’s abandonment of her family due to an affair, finding herself drawn to the friendly and tenacious Harumi Minato. Despite the warnings from his friends that Tenka is difficult and unfriendly, he persists in getting to know her. Tenka, grudgingly impressed by his efforts, begins to realise that his approach to life - being front and centre while putting in the effort to succeed, is a guaranteed way to become popular. So Tenka, wanting to be worthy of the boy she now has a crush on, decides to turn herself around, to become the perfect girl who can then confess to Harumi, who never gave up on her.

Fast forward to present day and Tenka is the school princess - talented at sports, gifted as a dancer and still striving for perfection, she’s also a model student. Despite having grown close to Harumi, she has yet to confess her feelings, and when she stumbles across the diminutive and plain Erian Sato dancing alone on the stairs, she’s rattled. Erian may not have Tenka’s talent or reputation, but she’s working hard to achieve her dreams of becoming an idol, working all hours to save enough to move to Korea and become a K-pop star. Worse, Harumi is incredibly supportive of the girl Tenka now sees as a rival, and she realises that perfection is for nothing if there’s no genuine passion behind it.

Eventually the pair become (sort of) friends and Tenka decides to accompany Erian to Korea and pursue the same dream, if only to best her love-rival and prove that she’s the better girl. It’s an interesting dynamic, as Erian seems oblivious to Tenka’s true feelings about her, excitedly accepting the cool girl’s help whenever offered, even if Tenka is only correcting Erian’s mistakes in passive-aggressive judgement.

While the tight emotional plotting is gripping in itself, the art really sells it. Not just the fashions, which are very on-trend, but in the dancing and sense of movement during performances. Midori Tayama has a keen eye for a dynamic pose drawn at a pleasing angle, making the routines come alive on the page. It’s very hard to express dance in a static medium, but it works really well here. Tenka’s perfectly copied moves are fantastic, but she’s undermined by Erian’s heartfelt, off-beat and imperfect dancing, which nevertheless draws attention through the sheer passion she exudes on stage. 

I love the characters in this book, each feels very “real”, whether it’s just Harumi’s upbeat and helpful nature that inspires Tenka’s devotion, or Erian excitedly following her dreams despite not being the best or brightest. Tenka herself is a fascinating protagonist (almost antagonist depending on the situation). She’s smart, capable and clearly in love with Harumi, but also desperately critical of herself and searching for something to truly inspire her. The contrast between the carefree Erian and insecure Tenka is enthralling, and I already have volume 2 pre-ordered.

The book ends with the girls having been spotted by the slightly creepy CEO of a Korean record label and then auditioning at their label of choice, only to truly learn just how out of their depth both girls are. Will they audition again, or take their chances with a lesser record label? It’s all to play for, and I can’t wait to see what comes next.