Japan’s “idols” – musical entertainers (usually performing in groups) with specific cultural mores – have long been fodder for anime, from the psychological thriller “Perfect Blue” to the mega-franchise “Love Live!” The latest entry into the canon, “Trapezium,” which hits theaters in Japan tomorrow, lays claim to a degree of authenticity: It’s based on a book written by Kazumi Takayama, a former member of the group Nogizaka46.
The novel, which was published in installments between 2016 and 2018, is about a high school freshman named Yu Azuma (voiced by Asaki Yuikawa), whose dream is to create an idol group from scratch. Yu is a careful student of idol culture and realizes that every group needs a gimmick. She will have to recruit one girl from each of the four secondary schools in her region, located in the north, east, south and west.
Yu carries out her plan with deception, visiting every school and ingratiating herself by appealing to the interests of her targets. She organizes a tennis match for Ranko (Reina Ueda), helps Kurumi (Hina Yomiya) win a robotics competition and joins Mika’s (Haruka Aikawa) volunteer group, all while keeping her true intentions a secret. It isn’t long before the four become fast friends, and thanks to some behind-the-scenes maneuvering from Yu, they appear on local television and catch the attention of an idol producer.
