I thought it would be a found read...but found I didn't really like it. I can see fans of similar manga enjoying it, but it just wasn't right for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and VIZ Media for the ARV provided.

As one of manga readers, I found this one as good as the other manga that I’ve read since long time ago. Nina Kamiyama, a girl who was once become and idol but then retired because she’s been assaulted by a stranger during public event. She then chooses to have a normal life, become a regular school student, but she decided to dressed like a boy, that happened because she wanted to feel save as a girl.

A thought provoking story, the issue that nowadays woman should deal with, sexually assaulted in a public place or transportation, make all women not feel secure during their daily activities. Trust issues, feeling traumatized, is what Nina’s been dealing everyday. But she’s also met one boy named Hikaru who reminds her why she wants to become and idol and why she’s happy with her choice.

This is the first book, I’m sure the second and after will bring more story how to handle that kinds of feelings, and also how to react to nowadays issues such as being assaulted in a public place.

Looking forward to read the next book!

It’s hard to read and very annoying with the ‘SAMPLE PDF publisher name’s in the middle of every page. That watermark takes up 25% of the page, EVERY page. I was pleasantly surprised by this; at first, I was worried that it was going to be a boy’s fantasy and treat women like sexual objects. But it handles stalking, sexual assault and other tough topics, very well. It might be because the author is female and can talk authentically about most of these topics. “No matter how much two people trust each other, the physically weaker will fear the stronger because they can’t protect themselves. Girls will always be wary of you, simply because you’re a guy.”
ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Not Your Idol is about a girl who gives up being an Idol after she is assaulted during a handshake event. She decides to change her name and her appearance and live her life dressed as a boy so no one will recognize her.

There are touchy subjects addressed in this book, such as gender expectations, physical assault, sexual assault and the aftermath of those assaults. I thought these things were well addressed.

I thought this was very well written and entertaining. It's a short read and I flew through it in one sitting. The graphics are beautiful. I love the look of manga animation and this book definitely did not disappoint me.

Overall, I really enjoyed it and plan to continue on with the series.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This is a really tense psychological thriller about a pop idol who goes into hiding after being assaulted at a meet and greet.

Karen decides life will be easier dressing as a boy until a fellow student discovers her identity.

This book deals with some pretty serious topics like sexual assault.

It's beautifully illustrated.

I really enjoyed it and am eager to find out what happens next!

A fantastic manga that deals very well with difficult issues surround assault and violence. Nina, a former idol, has gone into hiding by changing her name, cutting her and dressing in men's clothing after being assaulted at a fan event. As an American, what I find especially interesting are the culturally specific ways that harassment is shown but that are still easily identifiable as coming from a patriarchal society and mindset. The author also shows the nuance within this as women are shown reinforcing harmful ideas as well and the main male character fights back against them (while still sometimes being unaware to how he may make someone uncomfortable). Overall, I am very excited to see where this story goes.

Highly recommended to any audience of mature teens and older.

Recommended: sure
For an enjoyable short read, for a familiar style, for some questions around heavy topics addressed in light-ish ways, for surprise moments of hilarious dialogue

Thoughts:
While enjoyable, this manga didn’t blow me away with anything particularly unique. The setup found here in the first installment was enough to make me interested in the story and want to continue reading it, but didn’t have much I haven’t seen before. It’s worth a read if you’ve got time, but it’s not one that I think adds much new to the existing amounts of manga yet.

What I’m most optimistic about is seeing the story continue, as I feel this somewhat mediocre start could lead to a well-developed and captivating story overall. It just needs the time to get there! The ending seemed like an odd choice – and that’s all I’ll say – but I’m willing to give it a chance to grow into something.

The main contention around assault, femininity, and skirts wobbled a bit between a deep and considered investigation of the problem, and something a bit lighter and cliche. While we do see Karen struggling with the aftermath of her experiences, we also see the people – girls and women as well as men – who downplay the actions and reactions of those in these situations. There are also some throwaway lines, though, and moments where the tone doesn’t seem to match up to what I would expect.

The art style is pretty standard, with line drawings and shading to help distinguish the elements on the page. Overall that was successful, but again, nothing groundbreaking. There were moments of dialogue, however, that had me absolutely cracking up. This was definitely another one to add to my list of things others question me about while I’m reading! For whatever reason I really did not expect Karen to be so hilarious, and it was an amazing surprise. The “horny gorillas” line came early and set me up to expect more moments like it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Viz Media for a free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

[I received an ARC on Netgalley in return for an honest review. ]

I really enjoyed reading this manga and I thought it covered some really important issues. The artwork was so cute, and I'm intrigued to see where the story will continue from here on.

I'll definitely be following this manga when more volumes are released in the future!

Rating: 4/5

I was very impressed with this manga. It's a thought provoking take on idol culture and the complicated ways gender plays into both it and how those dynamics influence and are influence by the larger context in which they exist. I loved how it questioned the way girls are conditioned to be passive and demure even in the face of assault. It also brings up the question of how boys are absolutely clueless about this dynamic, even well-meaning ones. This ends on a real cliffhanger that threw me for a loop and I'm really curious to see the resolution of that in the next volume. This is such an interesting premise for a series and it's really neat to see it done in a very shoujo art style. I can't wait to read more.

I would definitely recommend this for anyone interested in a thoughtful, suspenseful manga that leaves you with something to think about.

Most of the manga I read is romance-centric, so I wasn't sure what to expect from a suspense/psychological thriller. I actually didn't notice the genre when I requested an egalley of this title, and was a little surprised at the very dark tone of this manga. Still, I thought it was just a really high angst romance... and now that I see it's a thriller everything makes a lot more sense!

I don't love the art style on this one - it feels a little outdated (but maybe my rom-com loving heart just wants it to look cuter?) It also ends SUPER abruptly - I'm all for a cliffhanger, but the ending on this had me wondering if my file had gotten corrupted and cut off or something. Despite not really being my genre, I'm interested to read more of this series and find out what happens next!

Not Your Idol was a beautifully drawn manga that pleasantly surprised me. There were so many themes present in this book that are so important to delve into and I was surprised at how dark it was.

If you're a manga fan, I would really recommend picking up this one and I can't wait for more volumes.

Not Your Idol surprised me totally. The rating would be more like 3.5 stars. I'm not really into idols, since I don't believe in the concept of idolizing someone who hasn't done anything. Being an idol isn't a talent, it lacks the whole reason to idolize anyone basically. In Not Your Idol a former idol group member Karen has now become Nina Amemiya. She's cut her hair and wears guys' clothing in order to hide her identity, because she was assaulted and the culprit hasn't been caught. She left the group, but it seems that the culprit now knows her whereabouts. The manga actually builds the mystery well and interestingly too, which amazed me. I don't see how this series can become long, but at least now it's well constructed and Nina's character is actually interesting. I also like how Hikaru is nice and somehow creepy at the same time.

The art looks overly cute and kind of eats out some of the drama. The art is too light and nice, although I do like the contradiction to some extent. I'm interested in how the story will develop, since I hope there's a major turnover at some point and that everything isn't what it seems to be. It would be great if the mystery would stay hidden longer and we would get to know the characters better. Either way, you don't really need to be into idols to see that this works, so points for that!

Wow I LOVED this. I haven’t read manga in a while but gosh dang this was a great one to restart.

Flow was typical of a shoujo manga, but the topic was deeper and more heavy than a typical love story. THAT ENDING THOUGH!

I loved that this manga dealt with sooo many topics that are very prevalent in this day and age. Masculinity, femininity, sexual assault/harassment, trauma, gender expectations, toxicity in the idol world, are to only name a few of the issues breached.

I want to read more. I am so ready to read this entire series. Give it to me pleeeaasse!

It took me a little to get used to the style, as the dialogue didn't flow all that smoothly at first, but I'm glad I persevered. Not Your Idol was a surprisingly thought-provoking manga that explored the nature of gender identity, the objectification of women, assault and its aftermath, and the expectations of fame. I'm definitely keen to pick up volume 2 when it's released in May!

"Not Your Idol" is a story touches on topics like objectification of women and young girls and assault, which I have found in my previous readings to be difficult to cover accurately in shojo manga. This manga does a good job with it, though, while also maintaining a plot that is fast paced and entertaining. I am looking forward to what the next volume will bring.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I was able to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
***
Nina Kamiyama was once famed pop idol Karen Amamiya until she was attacked by a fan and left the limelight. She has gone into hiding shunning her femininity and dressing as a boy doing her best to put distance between her past, and now traumatized both by what happened to her but also how it was treated.
Not your idol is an interesting exploration of masculinity, femininity, the price of fame, and how dressing like a female is not an invitation to getting raped. Nina struggles with the trauma of her experience while trying to lay low at school, meanwhile fellow student Hikaru starts to become someone she interacts with but knowing the man who attacked her is still on the loose, and looking and jumping at every noise and dark corner Nina may not be ready to move on as she thinks she is.
Not Your Idol is an important story and so far is handling these very tough topics very well, it’ll be worth checking into the next few volumes to see how it carries through.

Not Your Idol is a suspenseful story that considers issues such as masculinity and femininity, gender expectations, the price of fame, and dealing with past trauma. I was immediately caught up in the action and the characters, while the steady pacing kept me always keen to turn the page to see what would happen next. The story is definitely gripping, and when I closed the final page I wished I could read on. I would certainly be interested in picking up volume two to see how the story evolves from here. I also liked the artwork style in this one; it is beautiful and free-flowing. A solid 4.5 stars from me.

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Coinciding neatly with the #metoo movement, this is a surprisingly hard hitting look at masculinity and femininity, objectification, and the price of being an idol/famous/fandom. While some topics covered are universal across cultures (dressing sexy does not mean rape is acceptable) others are very specific to Japan (groping on trains). More importantly, the author doesn't demonize men - women are held accountable for how they objectify men as well. There is a mystery here, one that will take several volumes to solve. I have hope that it won't devolve into melodrama but there are some worrisome hints of ugly catfighting and female jealousy to come.

Story: Nine was once the greatest of the young girl idols - center figure of idol group Cure, Karen Amamiya. But at a fan greet, she was viciously attacked and left physically and emotionally scarred. Now, at a random high school, she has cut off her hair, changed her name, dresses as a boy, and bluntly rebuffs all friendships and contact, especially from the boys. Judo star Hikaru, however, comes to her with understanding: his sister was sexually assaulted in school and so he treads lightly around her. But he also recognizes her as the former pop idol - which shouldn't be a bad thing until the unidentified man who assaulted her (and was never caught) suddenly finds her new identity and begins to send threats. Worse, the assailant has a lot in common with Hikaru......

There are some very interesting points made or opened for discussion. One chapter brought up the subject of the new womens-only cars in Tokyo trains. Many women were bullied into believing that only the ugly fear being groped - and therefore using the car means calling all men bad and being ugly inside and out. This leads to a schoolmate of our protagonist choosing to be groped daily rather than bear the stigma of riding in the female-only car. As well, those who accuse a man of groping face ridicule and are called liars, attention seekers, and man-haters.

Another theme of the book is the price of fame in terms of fans. It is explained that some fans want to physically hurt their idol in order to 'become closer to them' by creating a unique bond. This segues into the possibility of the idol being killed by an obsessive fan who decides he doesn't want to share the idol with the public. As well, the perfect idol is described as a machine - doesn't date, always treats the crowd (and her/him self) like a robot in order to inure themselves against the passion of their fans. But the idol is also a commodity and in this book, her manager and agency are willing to do some underhanded things to get her to return to the idol group. It is a sad commentary that the negatives in fame are still prevalent - even after the Princess Diana death due to the paparazzi chase.

Perhaps the ugliest aspect is the psychological warfare of the female characters in the book. Nina's schoolmates are vicious when they want to be and connive to destroy anything that could harm their power or influence. It's perhaps the saddest aspect of the book but I also feel the shallowest. In a series with so many themes, I couldn't help but feel that this storyline was just a bit too much and not really necessary.

To keep readers invested, the plot has a central arc of Nina falling for kind Hikaru but not being sure if he is/is not the person who originally assaulted her. This first volume cleverly gives away who the assaulter is in a throw away scene but it will still be interesting to see the bigger picture of how it unfolds.

The artwork skews a bit young - most of the characters are very round faced for high school students and would fit neatly into an elementary school drama. For that reason, it juxtaposes rather oddly with the very serious themes brought up in the book.

For all the heavy hitting aspect of the story, it is very readable and I think most will especially want to find out the identity of Nina's attacker. I am curious what other relevant socio-harmful topics the author will weave into future chapters. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

Thank you to NetGalley and VIZ Media for the free copy of this manga in exchange for an honest review. My opinion was not affected by the free copy.

As a survivor of sexual abuse, this sort of story is very important to me. It has to be handled correctly and so far it feels like the manga is doing just that. The way the topic is discussed both through the dialogue and the visuals makes me feel like it's going in the right direction. I've already decided I'll be buying this when it comes out and will be looking for the next volumes in the future.

Usually I do my criticisms first, but there isn't anything I can think of to be critical of. I was initially concerned about the "dresses as a boy" storyline, since that's done a lot, but it's handled well and Nina's reasons for doing it make sense for what she's been through. The way the other characters react to it and her feels realistic. I don't know much about Japanese culture but the judgment others place on her resonated with me. I was also a little wary of the hints at romance, but so far it feels like that's being paced well. Nina's trauma is still very much present in her mind; her wariness of Hikaru and doubts about him are done well and-- at least from my perspective-- are never played up as her being too sensitive or cold or whatever.

On a technical level, the art style is lovely. The shading and angles, the expressions are all done well. Another reason I want to pick this up when it's out is so I can read it without the watermarks. It wasn't distracting but some of the dialogue was hard to read because of the marks.

There's an uncomfortable atmosphere throughout the volume, especially in the ways men talk about and objectify women. But I like it's not completely one-sided-- there are certainly moments when girls are objectifying men and deeming them "ugly" or not because of their body shapes. It often reads like the manga is just holding up a mirror to how society thinks. There's also foreboding in the air since Nina's attacker is still out there and unidentified.

My only regret is that this doesn't even come out until May, so I have a long wait before I can read what happens next. I do think this manga is going in the right direction, though. It's a topic that needs more exposure and I hope this brings more awareness to anyone who reads it.