It was the 16th of July 2022. As I was trawling through Anime North (yes, here we go again with those stories, you’re probably thinking!), I walked past an interesting cosplay, one that I’ve not only never seen before, but also a little out of the loop with the crowd: a guy in a green-coloured, ancient Chinese robe holding one of those aristocratic feather fans, but not only that – he was also wearing sunglasses. At the time, I didn’t think much of it and thought he was just going as a character from a Chinese historical drama of sorts. I asked for his picture (will display at the end of this post), and complimented his cosplay before we moved our separate ways. Were it not for the title of this post, that would have been the end of it, and I probably would have included this story in my last Convention Tales article about the weirdest/out-of-place cosplays I’ve seen around cons. Nope, fast forward several months later and I learned that this person was from an anime, Ya Boy Kongming – not the Chinese production as I thought initially. Neither did I expect the story that would be attached to it.
Ya Boy Kongming!
Officially titled Kongming Of The Party People (Paripi Koumei), this P.A Works production, that aired from April to June 2022 (which explains the sudden appearance of it at Anime North that year) started off as a manga (currently ongoing at 16 volumes as of January 2024) that debuted just on the cusp of the end of the last decade and the beginning of the new one, premiering on the Comic Days online magazine. It was well-received: on the manga side, it sold 1.2 million copies so far, and the anime, apart from being positively received by viewers, also received nominations for several categories in production and music at the Crunchyroll Awards on 4 March 2023. Owing to this, it was followed with a live-action drama series the year after, a stage play that is set to run this coming May, and a compilation film.
Out of curiosity, I decided to look at some of the voice roles that were involved in this work, and I was surprised at what I found. Kongming’s VA has the most expansive experience, being previously involved with shows like Digimon Frontier, Full Metal Alchemist, One Piece, Demon Slayer, Kaitou Saint Tail, and Mobile Suit Gundam SEED to name a few. Also, the guy who voices Kazuma from Konosuba also makes an appearance as one of Kongming’s associate partners. Among the others, they’ve been involved with shows like Haikyuu, Cells At Work, Love Live: Nijisaki High School Idol Club, and Assassination Classroom.
Story
Imagine a story where Napoleon Bonaparte shows up in New York City and becomes the marketing advisor for a technology startup, or in which Babe Ruth becomes the coach of a team of baseball misfits in the year 2025, and witness as these individuals implant the strategies they’ve learned to help their newfound cohorts dominate the pack. That’s what happens to Zhuge Kongming, a 3rd-century military general. Worn out by years of warring against two other Chinese rival states during the tumultuous Three Kingdoms era, he prays to be reincarnated in a world at peace, where he can be free at last from his struggles. He gets this in the form of landing in 21st-century Japan where he gets caught up in a Halloween street party and is mistakenly complimented on his outfits and supposed personification of himself. Making his way to a bar, he meets Eiko Tsukimi, an aspiring singer whose performance catches his attention, enough to offering his services as her manager, which she accepts; vowing to make her reach stardom. Where he could not prevail in war, he makes Eiko’s success his redemption.
Kongming navigates through the waters of the music world, earning Eiko spots across multiple local music festivals, each with their own challenge. In the first (episode 2), Eiko joins a popular EDM singer, Mia Iriomote, at a concert where her slot is purposely placed in an obscure corner of the venue; Kongming takes advantage of the room’s symmetrical layout and the fog from the stage smoke to entrap her audience by making them think they’re walking in circles, enough to get Eiko some musical traction. In the second (episode 3), Eiko performs at a stage right next to a popular rock band, facing the same predicament of having her audience virtually withdrawn from her. Learning of the band’s vocalist suffering from a weak throat and their upcoming concert the next day preventing them from playing any hardcore songs, Kongming takes advantage of a break in their performance to have Eiko start her singing, the litness of which gains more followers to her stage.
All this culminates in their chase to get 100,000 likes on their Instagram post to qualify for a performance at a major summer music festival, Summer Sonia. In order to achieve this, Kongming, inspired by his escapades in ancient China, and using his newfound knowledge of the world around him, enlists an alliance with a retired underground rapper named Kabetaijin, books Eiko for several sessions with a stubborn yet skilled voice coach in DJ Steve, and a chance encounter with a street performer named Nanami, who turns out to be the lead singer of the major girl group Azalea, gradually builds their resolve and mentor-mentee relationship to greater heights.
What I Liked
- One of the most delightful components of this series lies in Kongming’s relationship with his newfound allies: Eiko, Kobayashi and Kabetaijin. Using his dignified, calm and modest approach to diplomacy, we see how this advances not only the physical limits of whoever he talks to, but Kongming is able to touch the characters’ deep-seated problems and provide comfort for them, and work from there. It’s such a simple premise but as we see the characters grow and him continually having an active role in inspiring them, it emboldens the story to something greater as well.
- The Kabetaijin-Kongming rap battle is quite the moment. Never would I have imagined a literal rap battle between a random dude and a historical figure to turn out to be so competitive but also full of lyrical intricacies.
- As a history guy, having the opening segments explain a small item from the Three Kingdoms era and connecting whatever lesson it contained to the foregoing episode was not only fun, unconventional (in a good way) and informative, but also added a distinction to the storytelling that ran different with other like-minded isekai, especially the ones that just rely on drawn-out tropes.
- Seeing Azalea’s redemption arc, and especially their scruffy, hard-nosed manager Kurosawa become a redeemed, humbler and more polite person at the end who accepted Nanami and her group’s rock band preference instead of the popstar persona, was oddly more heartwarming than watching Eiko win the Summer Sonia sweepstakes. Probably because I least expected that turn of character given how he was before, and also how they shed their immodest dance outfits (which admittedly made it hard to watch.
What I Didn’t Like
- Kobayashi would have been a great sidekick for Kongming if he didn’t rely too much on repeatedly making Three Kingdoms references when commenting with him; in fact, from the first appearance where his apparent buffoonery is made known by giddishly accepting Kongming’s job application given all the supposedly-bogus information on it (pulled right out of Wikipedia, probably), only to be relegated to just an ordinary guy for most part of the show spilling expository information.
- After Eiko triumphs over Mia and Jet Jacket in episodes 2 and 3 respectively, the rest of the story seems to dim the whole aspect of the music industry being this tough, dog-eat-dog and cutthroat place that Eiko must navigate through. Sure, a good chunk of it lies in Kongming navigating strategically through other tidbits like the social media war or promotional activities, and they added Azalea as well, but I think adding more than one rival would have made this part a lot more believable and more hammered home, instead of simply making things look straightforward which it usually isn’t.
Characters
Kongming, Eiko, Kabetaijin and Nanami are the major players of the series, and unlike most protagonists of the isekai genre who start off with an established set of stats or talents that they improve, while focusing little on developing their base, in them we see a theme of trauma-into-triumph that’s common among them; even among the titular character.
- First, with Kongming: he arrives in 21st-century Japan out of a wish for a utopian world, and despite his intellectual and tactical prowess, from the first episode when he looks up a timeline of the war he was involved with, we see in him a sack of regret that he died, only to know in his next life that everything he worked for fell apart. Finding Eiko and drawn to her singing was the first step he took to rise above that defeat.
- Kabetaijin, like Kongming, is a man with lyrical talent and quick-thinking, able to adjust to any situation and turn it to his advantage. However, he, unlike Kongming, fights deep-seated insecurities and falters under pressure to the point he gives up the bright lights to avoid the hard work, and when we see him, he is a shell of himself: baggy eyes, antisocial and having lost his morale; a contrast to his rival, Sekitoba Kung Fu, who wants him back in the limelight. Kongming inspires him to revive that lost lustre, and that there’s more to the music game than competing, awards, and the glory; the comradery and feeling of self-accomplishment is a bigger thing to thrive upon.
- Eiko entered music for passion and a desire to leave a legacy for others; her character’s backstory rings powerful as she went from a suicidal schoolgirl to a bright, cheerful person throughout the story. However, as her music career has not picked up, she is at first disheartened but Kongming’s unwavering support and motivational encouragement fills her with the determination to top her skills and make something out of herself. She gains confidence and a new vision for life, also picking up a few dank meme-worthy faces.
- Nanami, who Eiko meets in episode 7 and becomes friends with, is torn between pursuing a professional music career, which, as a member of the highly-touted group Azalea with her two friends Ichika and Futaba, is kicking off but faces internal strife with the band’s direction which, under her dictatorial manager Kurosawa, is far from her humble roots. She, with Eiko, becomes what the latter is to Kongming; by seeing her drive and uncompromising willpower, and her lack of fear over failure, brings her to her senses and spurs her to reconnect with her deep-seated musical roots, thus conquering Kurosawa’s grip and being real with her musical tastes.
What’s more also is how there’s representation of contrasting motives and attitudes present with the characters and some of their rivals, which make the arcs hinge on just as much a moral victory as it is one of wit, skill and opportunity, and this added element is much-needed to give the episodes something to look over, as well as putting pieces of relatability the way they look at friendships, problems, and their struggles and successes in their on-screen life. Whereas Mia or pre-show Kabetaijin’s success came at the sacrifice of their interest and their purpose, Eiko and Nanami found success by combining will, purpose and genuine dedication to their craft – the result is their journey is, while not free of pitfalls, overall bright-filled. In their triumphs, there was demonstrated a good lesson to not just to strike a balance between our talents and keeping up with the trends (something which is also relevant in, say, software development) but to keep firm a purpose to live by, appreciate your roots and never look away from them, and the value of making connections with like-minded, morally unscrupulous people.
In conclusion: the characters are given a treatment of a different perspective, and their dilemmas take on a three-dimensional weight, but this in turn makes for satisfying rounds of character development, a mark of likability, and furthermore, we can appreciate how they become drivers of the journey we are treated to.
Music
The music was a big part of what kept me hooked, and this seems to be the common opinion among those who liked this series. I don’t blame them – first we have the flashy opening credits of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang with its classic dance vibe and the characters dancing to the ending song Feeling Good with parts sung by Eiko, Kongming, Nanami and Kabetaijin’s VAs, making it feel like a pop tribute track. They captured the sentiment of each episode, properly introduced the feeling of hype that’s coming up, and I liked how transient the vocalizations the cast did in the ending song. In the second group, we have an assortment of vocal songs for each character – Eiko has Be Crazy For Me, Dreamer and her signature ballad I’m Still Alive to name a few; Underworld and Brand New Day for Nanami; and Kabetaijin makes a few rap performances to complement the show’s musical variety or as Eiko’s support. I must confess, each of them had something attractive about their performances – Kabetaijin’s brutal honesty in delivering his stanzas, Nanami’s passion and Eiko’s vivid persona transmitted in her lyrics. The way the show progresses their musical journey and always adds something new but appealing, uplifting and personal is a statement to how well-produced Ya Boy Kongming comes out to be, and likens to my experience with Love Live: School Idol Project, with how the characters pour out their hearts to each song and make it a mood to hear.
Favourites
Favourite character: I can’t decide whether I should like Kongming, for his suave and eloquent manner of presentation, or Eiko for her charming, memetic and inspiring worldview, more. They’re just perfect to star as the main casts of the show.
Favourite moment: The discourse between Kongming and the members of the rock band in episode 3, where he introduces them a drink that soothes sore throats. I found that comforting for some reason, being an Asian guy I’m reminded of how my culture is known for utilizing exceedingly unconventional medical methods for just about any ailment. I really wanna know what kind of stuff is in that concoction of Kongming’s.
Favourite song: Tie between Underworld by Nanami’s group and Eiko’s Be Crazy For Me.
Favourite quote: Kongming and Kabetaijin engage in an epic rap battle of historical proportions in episode 6, and it is here the former lays down the law on his opponent, with some lyrics that a bystander in the crowd comments as some sick rhymes, but also ring true:
Saints have heaven as their model,
Kongming raps
Sages, earth as their example,
The wise take antiquity as their guide,
Success or failure, I run this show!
You, terrorized by your past experience,
Run and shun it, that’s notorious!
If you let your feelings control your thoughts,
Your destiny will be in ruins,
Amidst the wheelings and dealings of life,
Kabetaijin’s mind is broken
Conclusion
What can I say about Ya Boy Kongming except that its strongest point, in my opinion, are the characters who are so entertaining, making up for their lack of bombastic behaviour with their interior dispositions leading the way. The music is also a part of this; I can listen to some of their tracks for days and pinpoint them to a particular episode – that’s how good and recognizable they are – and finally, the dialogue is smooth, mature and can be quite thought-provoking. I’m blown out of the water by it; turns out this show had much more going for it than it looked, and barring a second season of this, I might resume my look into it with the manga once Lent finishes.
SCORE: 8/10
The Traditional Catholic Weeb 