Dropout Idol Fruit Tart (manga)

*This article is about the manga and contains* **\*Spoilers\****.*
*For the anime series please see Dropout Idol Fruit Tart*

***Ochikobore Fruit Tart***, or *Dropout Idol Fruit Tart*, (おちこぼれフルーツタルト, *Ochikobore Furūtsu Taruto*) is a 4-panel manga series written by Sō Hamayumiba. The name is often shortened to *Ochifuru* (おちフル).

## Plot

Fifteen year-old country girl Ino Sakura arrives in the big city of Tokyo with dreams of becoming an idol. Outside the Higashi-Koganei train station, she meets her new manager, Hoho Kajino of Rat Productions, who helps escort her to one of the dormitories holding the agency's current and upcoming talent - *Nezumi House*.

The inhabitants of the dorm eventually meet Ino and welcome her in as their own. Among them is a struggling musician named Hayu, former child actor (and has-been) Roko, and a struggling fashion model named Nina. But as they help acquaint Ino into her new surroundings, the girls suddenly receive word that Nezumi House is being sold. For the current residents, who still have yet to produce any results with their talents, the news of losing their home threatens their survival.

Their hope? To become idols and star in a weekly, 5-minute late-night idol reality show called *Ochikobore Fruit Tart*, under the group name *Fruit Tart*. It becomes clear that Ino's arrival was not a coincidence, as her own aspirations of becoming an idol could very well be the key to saving everyone at Nezumi House.

### Idol Battle

A prominent storyline in the series involves the *Idol Battle* (アイドル甲子園, *Aidoru Koushien*), or alternatively, *Idol Tournament*. After seeing dismal ratings for their late-night reality show, the girls of Fruit Tart witness a drop in sponsorship for *Ochikobore Fruit Tart*, and are ultimately faced with its cancelation. Just short of losing their revenue and their dorm, Ino and the others suddenly meet Cat Productions' acting president, Oto Kogane. She offers the girls a new sponsor for their show, with the stipulation that they participate in an event organized by Cat Productions, as well as to give Hayu more airtime in Ochikobore Fruit Tart. When the sponsor turns out to be Hayu's doting mother, Hoho decides to involve the wealthy Nukui family to further help support Fruit Tart financially, promising her mother that winning the event will help bring Hayu and her father back together again.

The event begins with the girls competing on a smartphone game made by Cat Productions ("Idol Battle"), which blends real-world idols with an immersive game world of song and dance. Eventually, the actual, real-life Idol Battle would be held in the month of August, and would pit the girls of Fruit Tart against rival groups. But prior to the event, Ino and the others scramble to increase their physical prowess, musical repertoire, and their "wholesome" name recognition, culminating in an idol tour-de-force lasting an entire summer.

## Setting

The series is set in the city of Koganei, located in the Tokyo area. Most of the characters' last names are based on the districts inside Koganei, with the exception of the names Oto and Waka's, which reference the city itself and Musashi station, respectively.

Among the Koganei locales referenced in the series are the following:

* Higashi-Koganei Station
* Koganei Park
* Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum
* Tokyo Gakugei University
* Musashino Park
* Musako Driving School

## History

Ochikobore Fruit Tart began its run as a guest series in Houbunsha's *Manga Time Kirara Carat* magazine in the January 2015 issue, which was released on November 28, 2014, and continued to print for two additional months. It was finally serialized in the magazine's July 2015 issue, and as of November 2023, 100 chapters have been published. There are currently 7 volumes in the series, as well as a guest anthology series.

The comics are drawn in a 4-panel style, with each strip having its own individual title, and each chapter averaging around 13-15 pages. The serialized chapters are accompanied by a unique summary of the series, which often changes as the plot advances. A slight shift in the character designs can be noticed towards the third volume, where the characters are given a more fluid and less distinct look.

## Characters

The following is a list of characters, arranged in the order they are formally introduced in the manga, which also corresponds to the syllable order in the classical Japanese poem, "Iroha."

## Talent Agencies

### Rat Productions

A talent agency of seemingly lesser renown, Rat Productions sponsors various talent from fashion models to idols. The dormitories are modest, 2-3 story style housing. An idol group called *Fruit Tart* had been formed from members living in dormitory #4, with employee Hoho Kajino acting as its the manager.

Fruit Tart's reality show, *Ochikobore Fruit Tart*, has a five minute broadcast slot and airs at 12:55 AM every week, right after *Anmitsu Academy*.

* Ino Sakura
* Roko Sekino
* Hayu Nukui
* Nina Maehara
* Hemo Midori
* Hoho Kajino

#### Subunits

During the Cat Productions' sponsored "Idol Battle," a decision was made by Fruit Tart's manager to break the group into pairs, with each pair having their own unique song. An extra member was borrowed elsewhere to balance the three subunits.

* Couple (カップる): Ino/Nina
* Tails (テイルズ): Hayu/Hemo
* Chirokko (チロっ娘): Chiko/Roko

### Cat Productions

A slightly more upscale agency, Cat Productions is a rival of Rat Productions, sporting luxury high-rise offices and dormitories. An idol unit, *Cream Anmitsu*, was formed with Riri Higashi acting as its producer. *Anmitsu Academy* is the idol group's 55-minute television program, which airs weekly at 12:00 AM. The company also houses an R&D division, which is responsible for the development of a new virtual reality headset. Its mobile game division is called *Cat P Game*, which developed the popular smartphone app, *Idol Battle*.

* Chiko Sekino
* Rua Nakamachi
* Nua Nakamachi
* Riri Higashi

### Canary Productions

A talent agency founded by Oto Kogane, a 19 year-old prodigy who obtained her degree from a university in Massachusetts. She founded an idol group called *Monochrome Tiramisu*, and performs alongside Tone Honmachi, a girl Oto helped inspire to become an idol. Their web series, *Kana☆Channel* (カナ☆ちゃん), showcases Tone and Oto's various activities as idols, including a "peep hole" view into their personal lives. The group bills themselves as "America's Representative" in the Idol Battle.

* Tone Honmachi
* Oto Kogane

## Volumes

The series has been released in 7 tankōbon volumes so far and one anthology volume.

## Trivia

* When taking the order in which the characters are officially introduced (usually with an introduction placard), the first hiragana character in each of the first names spell out the words to the Japanese poem, "Iroha" (first line: "*Iro ha Nihoheto*" - **I**no, **Ro**ko, **Ha**yu, **Ni**na, **Ho**ho, etc.). The series currently goes up to the thirteenth mora (Wa) of the poem with Waka's name.
* As evidenced from Nina and her self-described height, the "official" stats for each of the characters presented in the comics may be intentional exaggerations of the actual reality. This is likely a spoof of the entertainment industry, as talent agencies may adjust certain details of their talents' bio or stats (like height or weight) to make them more marketable to audiences.
* The character from DokiKira, Kira Forward, is a reference to the *Manga Time Kirara Forward* magazine.
* Disney's Mickey Mouse is often referenced as a running gag in the series, usually in reference to Roko's hair buns, which resembles Mickey's ears. Whenever the ears are drawn, they are often pixelated to prevent copyright infringement.

## References

1. ↑ おちこぼれフルーツタルトアニメのあらすじや舞台の場所は？ Mashu to Maro no Futarigoto (blog). July 21, 2019. Retrieved on August 17, 2020.
2. ↑ www.dokidokivisual.com/magazine/carat/backnumber/?y=2021