I really loved this volume, I thought it was a very interesting concept and I was immediately attached to the main character. I really look forward to continuing the story in volume 2.

4 very enthusiastic stars!! I enjoyed this more than I even expected to (and I went in with high expectations)! Both the story and art are exceptional. The description doesn’t quite do it justice - while there are some lighthearted moments, this manga deals with some heavy hitting issues, and is extremely relevant and topical in today’s world. I cannot even WAIT for the sequel to see how this story continues!

Amazing graphic novel. Would highly recommend. Very detailed in the story as well as the details in the drawing. You felt draw into this novel.

I loved this. Absolutely intriguing. I loved the artwork and the storyline will be reading more manga for sure now

Nina Kamiyama was a pop star in a popular group. They did meet and greets with fans, but one day Nina was slashed by a male fan. She quit the group and cut her hair, then started attending a regular school. Soon after school begins, there are reports of an attacker near school. The girls are restricted on when they can go outside to try to prevent more attacks. A student is attacked, but she brushes off the incident. Meanwhile, a popular boy at school has discovered Nina’s secret, that she was in the pop group. She has to witness these sexist acts at school while dealing with her own trauma.

This story shows the double standard between boys and girls. The girls are told they aren’t allowed to do after school activities anymore because of an attack, rather than prevent attacks or catch perpetrator. The city even creates a special train car just for women, so that they won’t be attacked. Instead of protecting women by punishing the attackers, they isolate them and make them appear more afraid if they choose to use that train car.

The boys were sexist and inappropriate, but it was realistic. The boys asked why the girls wear short skirts if they don’t want attention, as if that’s the reason they were attacked. They said the girls should wear pants if they don’t want to be attacked. The response that girls are “asking for it” when they are attacked is insane. It’s a crazy explanation that needs to be changed in society.

The ending of this book was very exciting. I’m looking forward to reading the next one!

Thank you VIZ Media for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for the advance copy of this book!

I LOVED THIS! The art was done very well. I had no issues following the story line at all. I loved this book. The atmosphere was everything I wanted it to be. I loved the plot and storyline in the book. I loved the characters in this story. It gave me all the feels I was looking for when I started reading this. I highly recommend this author. I loved the writing. I will be looking for other works in the future from this author.

This is not my usual kind of read. I was apprehensive starting this but I actually really enjoyed it.
The storyline is deeper than I thought it would be and the subject matter is interesting.
I’ll definitely check out similar material in the future 😁

Like a lot of others reviewers, I was very surprised (in a good way!) to find that this manga was a psychological thriller. I loved the story and the characters and how I could really feel the pain alongside them. These are very real things that can happen to a person. The fact that our main character completely altered her personality after this one person assaulting her is unfortunately a very real thing that happens in life and I love that this story touched on it and brought it into the light.

Manga has been knocked for its portrayal of female characters, but Not Your Idol breaks the mould. I was pleasantly surprised at the treatment given to the storyline surrounding the main character, a successful and ultra-feminine pop idol who left celebrity life but remains traumatized from a violent "fan" incident. Author Aoi Makino attempts to shine a light on how negative stereotypes and attitudes can be held by any gender. In this first volume of Not Your Idol, Karen/Nina begins to navigate who she can trust, regardless of their sexual identity; it will be interesting to see if future volumes will continue with such insight.

(Longer review forthcoming elsewhere). This title is almost perfect, but I'm nervous about how the volume ended.

Well written and a little hard to read. Definitely worth a look though because it's a story worth reading. I definitely recommend reading this book. Worth a spot on your TBR stack. Happy reading!

First, the artwork is stunning. 10/10, leaves nothing to be desired. Just really aesthetically pleasing. Second, the plot. I need more volumes to be published already because I’ve already fallen in love with this manga and need to see where it’s heading.

I wasn't quite sure what to think about this one at first. It's not my general style of thing that I grab, but... I think this is the first thriller type media I've liked in a while. The topics are definitely heavy, talking about groping and idol culture to be precise, but they don't feel shallow or brushed over. The art is good, and conveys everything effectively. The characters, though... I'm not so sure about them. Karen, or Nina, is definitely the one I like the most. She's sympathetic, and I have a lot of love for characters who stand up for their beliefs. The rest of them, though, embody a lot of problems with thrillers in general for me. The other sort of "main" female character, Miku, isn't my favourite at all. She started off alright, but seems to be a really weird stereotype and I'm not a huge fan of it. Maybe she gets better? I'm unsure where she could go, though.

This one's a weird one for me to recommend, because it's kind of difficult to read but it's also really good.

Not Your Idol, Vol 1 by Aoi Makino Well-written and timely, this manga will attract fans even from those who have never read manga. The story and characters are real and deal with an issue so many women face today. This could easily be a cross-over/introduction novel for new manga readers. However, I do believe true manga fans will find it just as worthy a read.

Not Your Idol, Vol. 1 by Aoi Makino is a manga style graphic novel currently scheduled for release on June 10 2020. It is a psychological suspense series about a girl who has given up her life as an idol after being assaulted by a fan. After that day, she stopped being a girl. In the wake of an assault, Nina Kamiyama, a former idol in the group Pure Club, shuns her femininity and starts dressing as a boy. At high school she keeps to herself, but fellow student Hikaru Horiuchi realizes who she is. What secrets is she keeping? The shocking drama starts.

Not Your Idol is a well drawn and suspenseful story. I liked the pacing, including the action and the character backstory and development. I really enjoyed the character dynamics of Nina/Karen and how her life and perspectives have changed over time. The issues of sexual assault and related issues are handled very well, and how different people react to them is an issue we all need to think about. The story is very engaging, and kept me turning pages to learn more about the characters and what might happen next. It is not an easy read, as there are a number of tough moments and some things that survivors might find very triggering, and others will find upsetting. However, it is well written and I am very eager to see where the story goes from here, and learn more about the major players as the story continues. My only complaint is the cliffhanger that the volume ends in. Be prepared to be left wondering, and eager for the next volume.

Not Your Idol is an intense and engaging read. I look forward to seeing what happens next.

This was such a fun manga to read! The characters are genuine and real and the story moves along quickly. As someone who doesn’t read much manga, this was a good one.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

I thought this was a very well written Manga book. It's a short read you can read in one sitting. The graphics are beautiful. I love the look of manga animation and this book definitely did not disappoint me. I cannot wait for the 2nd series, plan on purchasing it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for a copy of the ARC which I received in exchange for an honest review.

Nina Kamiyama was living her best life as Karen, an idol in the famous Pure Club, but all that changed when she was attacked by a crazed fan. Fearing for her life she withdrew from the public eye. She had decided to no longer recognize herself as female in public. Even going as far as to appear as a boy at her new high school.

Most of the students shun amd ignore her presence. Has she becomes comfortable in her new life she is befriended by a classmate who knows more about her than he should. As she fears her identity may be revealed she grows closer to her new friend, but nothing could have prepared her for what is to happen.

The writing is smart and fast paced, building a sense of dread as the story progressed. Character development is thoughtful and well placed as flash-backs through out the story.

I really enjoyed reading as Nina's story began to unfold. I was drawn in to the suspense and felt her emotions has the story progressed. Highly adictive read that left off on a cliff hanger that has me dying to know how it will turn out.

Not Your Idol is, for sure, a manga for tweens that deals with a heavy topic. I say it is more for tweens simply because of the art style. I know I was into this art style in my younger teen years but grew out of it both the more I read and the older I got. Secondly, the sweetness and clinginess of some of the characters is usually characteristic of tween-directed materials. I know that’s pretty generalist (which I know we all hate) but that’s been my experience. That is also not to say that’s a bad thing.

The topics Not Your Idol addresses of idol-worship, stalking, identity and feminism are all very good topics weave together. The MC has to deal with an anonymous stalker because she was an idol and after an attack, struggles with her femininity, identity, and how others see both. Another character looks like they might be doing the same, but she is handling the situation differently. The author includes real-world debates on these topics like the reason girls get attacked and the use for a female-only rail car. Things like this make the reader stop for a moment and think about problems similar if not exactly the same in their life. Which side of the argument are they on? If this happened to them/their sister/cousin/etc., would their view stay the same? Would their viewpoint change?

Let’s not forget, too, that this is a suspense manga. The push and pull of emotions/drama between the MC and her new male friend are well executed. Every time she learns something new about her anonymous stalker, she sees it reflected in her friend. If you were her, you’d be just as jumpy, wouldn’t you?

I would recommend this book for a very specific audience, but I don’t know if I would recommend it general. This might be, however, heavily on the fact the cuteness factor of the art. I’m just not that into cute.

First of I would like to say that I thought this book was being released May, 10th, 2020, not May 5th which is why this review is being done after the book release.

2.5 to 3 stars / 5 stars

Art 3/5 starts

Writing 2/5 stars

Story 3/5 starts

For Not Your Idol being in my favorite genre of manga, I was very disappointed by the story so far. This is not Aoi First manga, which is why it is so discouraging that the character design, backgrounds, and the artwork overall was at a medium level. From my 15 year experience of reading manga that art level is about what you would expect from the third to fourth manga from a new artist. Aoi released her first manga in 2008 and the Japanese version of Not your Idol ( Sayonara Miniskirt) was released in 2018. Thus, overall not impressed with the art.

The story and plot, a young idol who gets attacked at a hand-shake event, leading her ending her dream and move to a small town, wherein she becomes friends with her attacker is not the most creative, but plausible. However, the writing (or bad translation) made the story quite difficult to understand. Due to this, and despite not enjoying the manga on the first read I had to reread to fully understand what was happening. This is truly unfortunate as the manga covered the important topic of sexual harassment and the choices that follow.

Reading a manga twice to understand what is happening is not the experience. Having to read back a page or two because you are reading to fast and missing background panels and reactions totally normal. But spending a whole other hour reading the same story just to get a grip on what is happening is wasteful.