Azemichi Shijimi and Taiyo Higashikata both love comedy. After learning that Azemichi is a famous mail-in joke writer, Taiyo gets him to be his partner for a manzai sketch comedy routine during their school’s cultural festival. After getting the grand prize at the festival, they decide to take manzai seriously and formally name their comedy duo “One-Way Ticket to the Top”. Higashikata asks Shijima to join him in an audacious dream—to take on the Wara-1 Koshien. This series is illustrated by Takeshi Obata, famous for illustrating Hikaru no Go, Bakuman, and Death Note.
I was able to find the AEON Mall in Chiba and the locations introduced in Kyoto including Nanba Royal Fugetsu [Grand Kagetsu], but not “The Umineko” or “Tokyo Lion Hall”.
The name for the Wara-1 Grand Prix, the ‘older brother’ to the Wara-1 Koshien, is most likely based on the real-life M-1 Grand Prix.