Be-Boy Kidnapp'n Idol

I'm not really a hardcore yaoi fan. However, this ,,softcore'' one was actually pretty good. The story isn't really something what I'd call masterpiece, but I enjoyed it. Akihiko and Kazuya are really cute together. It has that classic 80s vibe, the music is amazing and the art is great. I don't know why it's so underrated. It definitely has some potential. It's sweet and funny story and it's well done considering it's an OVA. It's different from other anime of this kind, like Love Stage, where the characters were extremely shallow. It's a completely different story with Akihiko and Kazuya. Overall, I'd give this ... 7 out of 10.

The unusually titled “Be-Boy Kidnapp’n Idol” is a one-shot original OVA with boys love, music and action elements, as well as plenty of cheese.

The gist of the story is that Kazuya, a popular teenage idol, and his close friend, Akihiko, get kidnapped by an evil talent agency literally named “Bad” under the pretext of forcing Kazuya to sign a contract with them, when in actuality the agency’s eccentric head just wants Kazuya. This is going on against the backdrop of Kazuya and Akihiko fighting due to the strains on their relationship caused by Kazuya’s rise to stardom, as well as their mutual burgeoning feelings ... for each other.

Since the characters are only on screen for about 20 minutes total, there’s little to no development. We’re given some base stats about Kazuya at the beginning, and there are some scenes which reveal information about Akihiko, like he’s an honor student, he’s serious, his classmates are scared of him, etc. The “Bad” company antagonists have such a cartoon villain-like background and motive that the OVA feels like it’s not trying to be serious, despite the rather heavy subject matter covered. In fact, I would say it’s lighthearted in tone.

The plot has a beginning, middle and end, but it takes liberties in getting to the end and throws logic out the window when convenient. For instance, when the kidnappers stake out Kazuya’s high school, they’ve got a number of cars parked in front, and they’re all wearing suits and sunglasses. One would think this would arouse suspicion by any nearby police, guards or teachers, but no one seems to notice. Kazuya and Akihiko also get kidnapped right outside the school gate, and no one is around. As mentioned earlier, the talent agency’s motive is just silly, bordering on nonsensical. And the whole thing ends in an incredibly cheesy manner. Also, there’s an on-screen message after the credits that acts as the whipped cream to top this cheesecake of an OVA.

Some of the dialogue doesn’t flow naturally. There’s a scene where Kazuya and Akihiko get upset with each other and start fighting, but the conversation leading up to that doesn’t sound like something that would lead to a physical altercation. There are a number of corny lines, most of them uttered by the villains.

The animation is choppy, and there are lots of still images used, particularly when Kazuya is supposed to be singing. The characters look okay, but their designs aren’t unique. The music soundtrack is somewhat memorable due to its variety of songs, but the songs sometimes don’t fit the scenes they’re in. There is a happy, upbeat song playing while Kazuya is trying to escape being raped, for example.

The cast is made up of well-known voice actors, but their performances don’t stand out at all here.

Regarding objectionable content, there’s kidnapping, some cartoon-like violence, and a man attempting to rape a teenage boy. There’s no nudity or anything really graphic.

Overall, due to poor writing and subpar technical aspects, this OVA isn’t particularly good, but the cheesiness factor, combined with the fact that it’s short, mean that it’s not a painful watch. If you want to see something short and cheesy, “Be-Boy Kidnapp’n Idol” is a decent choice.

What this boils down to, is that it's a very light boy-loves-boy story, with a kidnapping plot thrown in just to provide a little drama. Although if you're looking for any sort of 'action', this isn't it -- I don't recall anything more racy than an innocent kiss.

Pure-Pure Boy is a budding, young idol, who is always cheerful and somewhat naive about how the world works. His best friend is a little rougher around the edges, and it turns out he is interested in being a little more than just a friend. If it wasn't for the Pesky ... Pasty Pedophile who kidnaps his interest and gets in his way!

But really, it's a short story (under 30 minutes), so there's not enough time to develop much of anything, in terms of plot and characterization. Artwork and animation are unexceptional yet serviceable, and that's about it.