Boku wa Beatles
Boku wa Beatles is a Japanese Manga released in 2011 by veteran mangaka Kaiji Kawaguchi.
The story revolves around Japan's best The Beatles tribute band, The Fab 4. Within years of forming, they receive a record contract with Roppongi Revolver, Japan's mecca for Beatles fans, and are chosen to perform at a Beatles convention in Liverpool.
However, their rhythm guitarist, Rei Takatuka, begins to become more distant with the others, and the band members are on the verge of breaking up. After their final performance, the band's lead guitarist, Makoto Hatomura, attempts to persuade Rei to rejoin to follow their dreams. Rei refuses and Makoto pushes him onto an incoming train, Shou Hachiya, the band's bassist, tries to stop Makoto and all three fall onto the track.
Shou and Makoto wake up and discover that they have traveled back in time to 1961, a year before the Beatles hit the big time. The two then decide to take up the mantle of the Beatles for themselves. At the same time, they also want to challenge John Lennon and Paul McCartney to see what other songs they could create. Yeah, that won't ruin the time stream...
- Acceptable Breaks From Reality: The manga is pretty normal, except for the time travel incident with the train.
- Bland-Name Product: Averted; all of the instruments shown have the brand name and everything. They include Gibson and Gretsch guitars, Hofner basses and a Ludwig drum set.
- Driven to Suicide: Shou believes that if he were to kill himself on a train, it would bring him back to the present. He is stopped by Makoto before he finds out.
- Expy: Being in a tribute band, each member is an Expy of one member of the Beatles. Rei would be John, Shou is George, Makoto would be Paul, and Konta is Ringo.
- Fake Band: The Fab 4. But see Name's the Same below.
- Name's the Same: There is a Beatles tribute band known as The Fab Four. In order to avert this trope, the "four" in the manga is kept in number form.
- Shout-Out: Rei's distancing himself from the band mirrors John Lennon.
- Konta seems to have the smallest role in the story compared to the others. A possible reference to Ringo sometimes being overshadowed by the other members.
- The Sixties
- Suspiciously Similar Song: The Fab 4 in the present day. Averted by Shou and Makoto, who are playing covers of the Beatles songs... in 1961. A year before the real Beatles recorded their first single.
- Shou himself even states that he thinks that they are better than the Beatles, yet he refuses to believe they are.
- Time Travel
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Rei's fate has yet to be revealed.