Interestingly enough, manga has produced several series in which actors fall in love--the series are just as angsty. In all honesty, they are not my favorites. However, in the series shown here, the focus shifts away from "will I leave my big role in the next Hollywood hit?" to something far more realistic (comparatively speaking).
In both cases--Black and White by Sachimo and Hero Heel by Makoto Tateno--the actors play the good and bad roles in live-action series based on superhero-type comics. The issue, "I need to make a living" is not a throw-away line. Getting another gig is a real issue.
At the same time, the problem of roles comes into play. The roles of "goodie" and "baddie" bleed over into the actors' everyday lives. Is insisting on a relationship rather than on work "good"? (The answer "Yes" is not a given as it is in Western literature.) Can fans accept a change in roles? Forget the relationship--can fans accept a change from goodie to baddie on screen? Or vice versa?
The concept is still rather belabored. I find Tanizaki from In the Walnut far more amusing. When his art-school, film-making lover undermines Tanizaki's career as a model by releasing a scandalous film of Tanizaki, he laughs and walks away from the job. He never cared that much for it anyway.
But if one is going to focus on actors, one might as well bring a theme along as well.
