Shiladitya Ray
Back Street Girls (also known as Back Street Girls: Gokudolls or Bakku Sutorīto Gāruzu in Japanese) is a comedy anime television series which is based on a manga series of the same name. Written and illustrated by Jasmine Gyuh, the manga series debuted on the Weekly Young Magazine on March 9, 2015, and ran till September 15, 2018. Someway through its lifespan, famed anime studio J.C.Staff announced plans to adapt the manga series into an anime television series, and Season 1 of Back Street Girls premiered on June 4, 2018. It became an immediate hit among fans of the source material and new viewers alike, and since then, fans have been waiting to hear news on a second season. Here’s everything we know about Season 2 thus far.
Back Street Girls Season 2 Release Date: When will it premiere?
Back Street Girls season 1 premiered on June 4 2018 and ran till September 25 of the same year. It was a hit in Japan and soon made its way to international audiences. Despite this popularity however, the show has not been renewed for a second season yet.
That being said, there’s no reason to get worried just yet. Firstly, anime shows sometimes take years to renew, so there’s plenty of time left for J.C.Staff to announce a renewal. Secondly, Season 1 only adapted a few of the 12 manga volumes, so there’s enough source material for a second season. Given this fact, and the show’s popularity, we think there’s a pretty decent chance of it getting renewed for Season 2. Our best guess is that Back Street Girls season 2 release date could fall sometime in 2020 or 2021. We’re keeping our ears open for news on Season 2, and we’ll update this section as soon as we hear something reliable.
Back Street Girls English Dub:
For those who like watching anime shows in English, the good news is that Back Street Girls has a great English dub which was made keeping the show’s international viewership in mind. If you want to watch the show, you can find the original Japanese version and the English dub on Netflix.
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Back Street Girls Plot:
Back Street Girls has a rather unique and hilarious plot and revolves around three members – Kentarou, Ryou, and Kazuhiko – of the feared Yakuza. Despite being part of the Yakuza, Kentarou, Ryou, and Kazuhiko aren’t the most efficient of gangsters, and are failures at what the Yakuza do.
After repeatedly failing to carry out missions for Yakuza boss Inugane, the trio are given two options – either commit seppuku and have their organs harvested and sold, or go to Thailand for a sex-change operation and become idols. Forced to choose between their lives and their masculinity, Kentarou, Ryou, and Kazuhiko grudgingly opts for the latter and undergo the sex-change operation. Their woes do not end after the operation, and they then undergo a year’s worth of training at the hands of Inugane, who isn’t the kindest boss.
Having survived both the operation and the training, Kentarou, Ryou, and Kazuhiko are reborn as Airi, Chika, and Mari, and they form an all-girls amateur idol group called The Gokudolls. When they finally burst onto the scene, they deem a tremendous amount of success and start gaining massive popularity in Japan. This, however, marks the beginning of their woes. While Airi, Chika, and Mari still have some of their masculinity and brotherhood intact, they are forced to bring out their inner cuteness to become the best idols group, especially when Inugane hires a legendary manager called Mandarin Kinoshita to ensure their success.
Back Street Girls Characters:
Back Street Girls has quite a long list of characters, and a handful among them are central to the plot of the show. Below, we’ve provided you with brief backgrounds on each of these characters.
[WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD]
Kentarou Yamamoto / Airi Yamamoto: One of the three main protagonists of the show, Kentarou had the reputation of being the “Big Brother” of the trio during their days as Yakuza gangsters. After he is forced to undergo a sex change operation and become an idol, he assumes the name of Airi, and becomes the leader of their amateur idols group, The Gokudolls. Being the leader of the group, Airi enjoys tremendous popularity, and gets dozens of luxury items as gifts from dedicated and rich fans.
Ryou Tachibana / Mari Tachibana: The second main protagonist in the show, Ryou was Kentarou’s right-hand man during their days as Yakuza gangsters. After he undergoes the sex change operation, Ryou takes on the name Mari, and rises to become the coolest member of The Gokudolls. As Mari, she gets tonnes of letters from fans, much to the jealousy of Chika. She is also shown to be a massive fan of an actor called Hitoshi Takamura, and gives herself to him after the sex change operation.
Kazuhiko Sugihara / Chika Sugihara: The third main protagonist in the show, Kazuhiko is the youngest among the Yakuza trio. After undergoing the sex change operation, Kazuhiko takes on the name Chika and becomes the third member of The Gokudolls. While she is neither the leader, nor the coolest among the trio, she gets tonnes of cute items from fans, much to the irritation of Mari. She also has a habit of slipping in cute words, and this often leaves Airi and Mari very irritated.
Inugane Kimanjiro: While not a main character in the show, Inugane is nonetheless central to its plot. A tyrannical Yakuza boss, Inugane is shown to be a harsh and unforgiving man who bullies his subordinates with threats of physical violence. Inugane is also shown to be obsessed with idols, and this is the reason he forces Kentarou, Ryou, and Kazuhiko to undergo sex change operations and become idols. Even after the trio give in to his wishes, he continues to be abusive towards them, and constantly pushes them to become better idols.
Natsuko Tanaka: Another important character in the show, Natsuko is secretly the wife of Yakuza boss Inugane. A former enka singer, Natsuko, unlike Inugane, is shown to hate idols. Her reason for hating idols stems from her own life experience, wherein her popularity was eclipsed by the rise of idols.
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