B.B. Explosion

B.B. Explosion by Yasue Imai
Imai, Y. (2004). B.B. explosion. San Francisco: VIZ LLC
ISBN: 1591163846

Plot

Airi wants to be a pop star. But this can't be accomplished in Okinawa where she lives. She desperately wants to appear on the show Boom Boom. Her first step is to enroll in the big city actor's school. There she meets Yu and Yumi, two other girls who share her dream. Competition is spirited and ruthless. But Airi is helped by a guardian angel who is a gargolye-like statue named Cesar. Airi suffers a set back when she learns that her friends have been chosen to compete on Boom Boom instead of her. She redoubles her efforts and wins a gig as a dancer on a hit music video. She becomes a star in Tokyo and is mobbed by fans! She enters a music studio to cut her own cd. Her song is a hit! But this makes the reigning queen of pop jealous and she works against Airi. Airi weathers this storm and takes off for New York looking for international fame and romance.

Critical Evaluation

B.B. Explosion is amusing and energetic. Boom Boom is a show like American Idol. Tween readers (particularly girls) will find Airi's story of pursuing dreams fun and exciting. There are very little mythological influences as in most other manga. This series of 5 books will appeal to any tween girl with big dreams.

Readers Annotation

Anyone can dream big. But it takes a lot of hard work to make dreams come true. Airi is a young girl from Okinawa with a lot of talent bundled up in a small body who has big dreams. She wants to compete on an American Idol-like show called Boom Boom. Join her own her quest to become a big star in the music industry, makes friends and enemies and meets boys.

About the Author

Yasue Imai is an author and illustrator from Tokyo Japan. I was unable to find more information about her.

Genre: Fiction, Manga, Graphic Novel, Romance

Curriculum Ties: Language Arts

Booktalk Ideas: Pursuing dreams.

Reading Level: Grade 4+
Interest Level: Grade 4+
Challenge Issues: None

This is a manga graphic novel series that deserves inclusion because of its contemporary themes and appeal to girls.