Idol Densetsu Eriko / YMMV

Adaptation Displacement: Many Middle Easterners don't know that Eriko was based on a real life person.
Americans Hate Tingle: It was dubbed in many languages and aired in France, Italy, and India, but it was a flop in most countries it aired in. Eriko Tamura (the Real Life singer) simply doesn't have as much popularity overseas as she does in her home country, and there's some MAJOR Values Dissonance since it tells the story of an Idol Singer from a Japanese point of view.
Awesome Music:
- The OP, "Namida no Hanbun" is a tear-inducing ballad that perfectly sets the mood for the show.
- The ED, "Unchained Heart" showcases Rei's more rock-oriented style. Like the above example, it has an aura of melancholy to it, but it's more empowering.
- The Arabic versions of those songs are no slouches either. Here's the Arabic version of "Namida No Hanbun" and here's the Arabic version of "Unchained Heart". Many have said they're even better than the original Japanese versions, because of how Purple Prosey they are.
Ass Pull: Every time Eriko has a problem, Yasuko happens to be passionate about a sport that can pull her out of it. Is Eriko being chased by stalkers? Don't worry, Yasuko does taekwondo, so she can beat them up. Eriko doesn't know how to swim, and has to learn FAST so she can film a TV scene? Yasuko happens to be the captain of the swimming team. And so on.
Cash-Cow Franchise: Merchandise sales for this show amassed 8 Billion Yen.
Cult Classic: In the Anglosphere, it has a small following of fans who enjoy the Awesome Music, melodrama and Rei and Eriko's rivalry-turned-friendship.
Fandom Rivalry: Between fans who prefer the Arabic songs and fans who prefer the Japanese songs. Any time you look up the songs on YouTube, there will invariably be a few comments that say "The [language] version is better!". Fans who prefer the Arabic versions often point out how the instruments are cuter and how Rasha Rizk has a more powerful voice, while fans of the Japanese version think that the poppy, cheery tunes and Tamura's voice can't be replicated by anyone else. Worth noting that this divide is not between Arabic and Japanese fans, but most fans that prefer the Japanese version are from the West.
Germans Love David Hasselhoff:
- The anime is a lot more popular in the Arab World since it was aired on Spacetoon, and also hired well known Arabic singers to dub over Eriko and Rei's idol songs.
- Idol Densetsu Eriko is also popular in Spain and Eriko received her own special in the Más manga magazine. In 2009, the Spanish dub was released on DVD.
Hilarious in Hindsight:
- Eriko nicknames her childhood friend/eventual love interest Kazuki "Kacchan".
- Eriko receiving critical success for acting in television roles left and right. Her namesake would portray the main female villain in Dragonball Evolution.
Just Here for Godzilla: Many Arab fans tuned in because they wanted to hear Rasha Rizk.
Retroactive Recognition:
- Unfortunately, Eriko Tamura is Mai in Dragonball Evolution.
- Masahiko Arimachi (Shogo's singing voice) would later sing the opening theme to Outlaw Star.
- Kazuki's Italian dub voice actor, the late Paolo Torrisi would later be the Italian voice of teen/adult Goku in the Dragon Ball franchise which ended up being his most iconic role.
Squick:
- Eriko once has a fear-induced Imagine Spot of her father Kosuke ditching his entire family to run off with a hot Idol Singer. Said Idol Singer is Eriko's age.
- The scene where Fortissimo has an "accident" on Eriko's bed.
Superlative Dubbing:
- Nadia Biondini is an Italian singer who was once a candidate for Switzerland's entry into Eurovision. She sings most of the songs in the show.
- In the Arabic dub, the songs are covered by popular and well-known singers in the Arab World.
Values Dissonance:
- In the first episode, Rei (who's 15) hits on Eriko's dad. Eriko has an Imagine Spot of Rei running off with him as her and her mother are left behind. Rei is framed as a harpy that seduced him, even though she's a teenage girl and Mr. Tamura is old enough to be her father. Western viewers would be more inclined to be suspicous of Tamura for not quelling Rei's blatant flirting with him.
- Rei's unrequited love for Eriko's dad, to the point she thinks of him when singing a passionate love song. In Japan, this would be seen as heartwarming, but in the West this is squicky since she's a teenager and he's an adult man.
- When Shinya Uchida and Eriko's uncle Kosuke are arguing over who gets to have custody over Eriko, Uchida states that since Kosuke has been divorced two times, that means he's unfit as a parent for her. In the West, divorces are normalized (in the US, half of all marriages end in divorce) so this wouldn't be seen as an issue, but in Japan, there's a lot more stigma about it.
- In episode 14, Eriko is labelled a "slut" when a magazine publishes false rumours about her dating Akira Kazami. Western viewers would be confused as to why Eriko is receiving backlash for something so trivial. However, in Japan and Korea, idols are expected to present a "bachelor" image to fans for marketable purposes, and them having boyfriends/girlfriends is a taboo. Eriko's reputation is damaged so badly, that one of her performances is cancelled since mothers don't want their children to watch her.
- Related to the above, Eriko, a 14-year-old girl, expected to present a "bachelor" image to fans, some of who are way older than her.
- In episode 34, Eriko and her mother Minako bathe in the nude together. Saunas are a big part of Japanese culture and it's normal for families to bathe naked, but some Western countries^note and Americans would be put off by that.
- Some of the anime's more "sensual" scenes were deleted in the Arabic release. A young girl showing her body in the manner Rei does when singing would be considered heavily shameful in Middle Eastern societies.
What Do You Mean, It's for Kids?: The anime aired on Cartoon Network India and kept the sexy, fanservice-laden scenes.
The Woobie: Eriko, and how. The first parts of the series totally shatters her.
Woolseyism: In the Arabic dub, Eriko's singing voice is performed by Rasha Rizk, a well known singer who performed the Alternative Foreign Theme Songs of many Arabic dubbed anime. Many Arab children grew up with her voice.

YMMV / Idol Densetsu Eriko

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