Love Lucky
Salaryman Fuuta Kinashi has always had terrible luck with women. Most of his relationships end up with him getting beaten up by angry boyfriends he previously knew nothing about, extorted for money, or both. The only thing that keeps him from succumbing to loneliness and despair is his love for the well-known Idol Singer Kirari, whose songs make him feel hope that even he can one day find true happiness.
His fate begins to change when he arrives at a meeting set up by a match-making service, only to find that his date is wearing a mask that completely covers her face, nearly totally hiding her appearance. Accepting her explanation that she's painfully shy, Fuuta decides to go through with the date as planned. Slowly he finds himself falling for this mystery girl's sweet and shy demeanor, despite the fact that she insists on wearing a different disguise each time they meet. Ultimately deciding that her looks don't matter, the two of them get married.
When the newlyweds arrive at Fuuta's apartment on the night of their wedding, the nervous young bride finally decides to remove her mask... revealing to the shocked young man that she is actually Kirari, the pop star he's been head-over-heels in love with for years. She explains to Fuuta that she had been hiding her face in hopes that she could find someone who loved her for who she truly was instead of for her fame and fortune.
The dumbstruck Fuuta is unable to believe his luck, until Kirari informs that in order for her record company to accept their marriage, they must keep it a secret from the world for one full year... and if anyone discovers their relationship before then, they will be forced to get a divorce. Suddenly thrust into a life of overbearing managers, fan-hating pop stars, and unrelenting entertainment reporters, Fuuta decides that no price is too high to pay for true love. Thus, the newlyweds swear that they will do whatever it takes to stay together, so that together they can finally become "Love Lucky."
Love Lucky is an Ecchi romance manga written and illustrated by Katsu Aki, the author of Futari Ecchi.
- Almost Kiss: Once an Episode for the first few chapters.
- A Man Is Not a Virgin: Averted.
- Barbie Doll Anatomy: Nipples is as far as it goes.
- Blind Date: Taken to a whole new level, since not only where the pair set up on a blind date by a match-making service, but afterwards Kirari hides her appearance from Fuuta during all of their dates.
- Played straight later when the "single" Fuuta is set up on at least one omiai (matchmaking) date by well-meaning coworkers.
- Also receives a Call Back at their wedding banquet with a bit of visual Meaningful Echo: the first time they got married, she was wearing the ski mask. The second time, he is.
- The Cameo: In chapter 56, Yura and Makoto of Futari Ecchi have a walk on cameo as they pass by Kirari, who jealously contemplates how much she wants to be a "normal happy couple" like they are.
- Expy: Tsunami-san is in an incredibly popular Visual Kei band (whose first singer was replaced by Erika-san) and is considered "the man you'd most want to be hugged by" in the press. Naah, probably just a coincidence.
- Fan Hater: An in-universe example with Erika, the female lead singer of the rock band "M.I.T.", is a self-professed hater of "normal people", which arose from the way she was treated by the band's fans after she replaced the previous lead.
- Idol Singer: Kirari. The main challenge the couple faces throughout the series is in balancing their private married life with the life of her pop idol persona.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: President Sakurazawa. He has a realistic idea of how Kirari might accidentally sabotage her career, now that she's found something she values more than it, and takes pre-emptive (if drastic) steps to stop it. There's also a sort of paternal twist on the old "I Want My Beloved to Be Happy" thing; he explicitly isn't trying to get in the way of true love, and relents with good grace when they last out the year.
- Much of the same mechanic is duplicated when Kirari's father comes to visit, with the exception that he used to be a boxer. His responses tend to be more thuggish.
- Kansai Regional Accent: Kirari is from Osaka, and when she drinks, the accent slips out.
- Les Yay: Undertones of it from Erika, who is 'very' enthusiastic about being friends with Kirari, even giving her chocolate for Valentine's day...
- Macho Camp: Mameda-san is big and imposing but in private is a big softie with a liking for great big hugs and Say It with Hearts.
- Mean Character, Nice Actor: Kirari-chan's manager, Mameda-san, is willing to punch out anyone harassing his ward, but underneath he's a big softie, especially for Kuuta-kun.
- Moment Killer: Also Once an Episode for quite a while. Often something from Kirari's career, underlying the conflict between their professional and private lives.
- Rags to Riches: Fuuta goes from living in a small room paid for with his modest wages to Ippongi Hills, the most high-class, glamorous set of apartments in Tokyo, so that he and Kirari can have easier access to each other in her off time. Too bad he has a deathly fear of heights.
- Sex Is Evil: discussed. Fuuta hesitates at asserting his marital rights because Kirari's childlike purity is part of her appeal, and her career might suffer Death by Sex if they get it on. (Keep in mind that the "Ethical Slut" trope does not seem to exist in Japanese culture.)
- Their First Time: zig-zagged. The aforementioned Moment Killers keep interfering when Fuuta and Kirari try to get it on. Finally, after a fair amount of drinking, they start down the path, but Fuuta has a crisis of conscience (see "Sex Is Evil" above) and then finds himself saddled with other problems. Even better, Kirari was so drunk that she doesn't remember anything of what happened: she later mentions that they haven't done it for two months since "that first night," clearly unaware that they didn't do it that first night. Eventually resolved in Ch.29.
- Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: Fuuta is, at best, average. Kirari is one of the country's top idols.
- Unlucky Everydude: Fuuta in spades. He has whole a string of failed relationships behind him, including a Runaway Bride, though none of it seems to be his fault. Said bride comes back, claiming she left because he knocked her up. Even better, it's a lie.
- Visual Kei: The band M.I.T.
- What Does She See in Him?: What everyone else (except Mameda-san) initially thinks of Kirari and Fuuta.