Viz has announced the release of a manga based on 4*Town, the fictional pop band featured in Disney/Pixar’s Turning Red. The band is a fantastic love letter to 90s boy bands and the fans that love them, as Mei and her friends (and Tyler, can’t forget him) sob over their very existence. The manga, called (get ready for this mouthful) Disney and Pixar’s Turning Red: 4*Town 4*Real: The Manga will allow us to, quote from Viz, “get behind the music of Canada’s top fictional nineties boy band.”
Who are we sketching in our notebooks?
In Turning Red, 4*Town is the band that Mei and her friends are trying to see in concert. You don’t get to know a whole lot about them, just that they’re totally dreamy and capable of creating hits that you’ll be humming along to before you know it. Even if the movie didn’t give us that many details, the band has an official website with descriptions of all the boys. You can check them out below.
- Aaron T. – Acrobatic, fast-talking, and a natural comedian, ‘T’ is always there to break the tension when life on the road gets tense.
- Aaron Z. – Stoic and a little shy, ‘Z’ is the athlete of 4*Town and, as the strongest dancer, coordinates a lot with the band’s moves.
- Robaire – Originally from Toronto, Robaire is the leader of 4*Town for a reason. He can sing, he can dance, and he will eventually have a successful solo career, but until then, he’s content to jam on the tour bus.
- Tae Young – The youngest member of 4*Town, a lover of animals, Tae Young is dedicated to wildlife rehabilitation and has personally fostered injured doves between tours.
- Jesse – The oldest member of 4*Town, Jesse was in art school pursuing a degree in ceramics before the band took off. When fame starts getting to his head, throwing clay on his potter’s wheel and spending time with his two kids brings him back down to earth.
Jesse has two kids?! I wonder if they’ll be in the manga. Also, are we gonna get some angst with Robaire leaving to have a solo career?
What we know about the manga so far
According to Variety, the official synopsis of the manga doesn’t hint at anything like Robaire leaving the group or Jesse spending time with his kids (I can’t believe that’s plural).
4*Townies are hyped to see 4*Town performing their favorite hits live, but how will Canada’s greatest boy band spend the day leading up to their epic Toronto concert? Hang with Robaire, Jesse, Tae Young, Aaron T, and Aaron Z as they enjoy a rare break in their busy schedules! Jesse and Tae Young embrace their artistic side and visit a ceramics museum, Aaron T gets his fashion on at the mall, and Aaron Z and Robaire stay in the dance studio to master their moves before the sold-out show. Only the realest fans deserve to get this up close and personal with Tween Beat Magazine’s Hottest Band of the Year!
It sounds like this manga will be taking place during Turning Red, only instead of focusing on Mei, we’ll see what 4*Town does the day before the big concert. The group breaks off to do their own thing, but I’m sure we’ll get plenty of moments of them together. I’m wondering what their dynamic will be like during this break period, especially since we know that Jesse used to do ceramics, and Aaron T is the one who breaks the tension, yet he’ll be at the mall on his own.
I’m hoping we also get to see them after their concert is over, especially considering what happens at the concert. The manga is being written by Dirchansky and drawn by KAlfee. There’s no word on if this will be a multi-volume story, but I imagine it’ll just be the one book. That’s plenty of content to garner new fanart, headcanons, and ships from fans who fell in love with 4*Town. It’s me. I’m fans. I mean, look at this art! This is some top-tier “write your name in a notebook with his name and/or make a fanfic tag with another bandmate” art!
Disney and Pixar’s Turning Red: 4*Town 4*Real: The Manga will be out Spring 2023.
(Featured image: Disney/Pixar/KAlfee)
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