Not Your Idol is not an ordinary manga that is a light read. This was something else. It deals with assault, femininity, fame, and the excruciating road to recovery. What I loved most about this manga is that it touches upon a serious issue and combines it with pop culture, making it relevant for all age groups. I wish this manga was a standalone, but I can’t wait to get my hands on the next installment.

This is a very cute manga. Nina is actually an Idol who has retired due to some bad incidents. She is slowly working through those issues and trusting others/boys. Horiuchi is a boy from school who has interest in Nina. Could he be her stalker?

I really enjoyed the ups and downs in this installment. I would definitely continue reading future additions as this one has me hooked and waiting for more. Not just the average cliche manga romance.

I would rate this 4.5 stars!

Not Your Idol attracted me because I am a fan of both manga and Kpop. Not Your Idol follows a member of a female kpop band who was attacked at a fan event and thus quit the band and went into hiding because she couldn’t cope with what happened. She tried to minimise her femininity as much as possible and keep to herself. She slowly begins to talk to one of the boys from high school judo squad at her new school and begins to open herself back up again slightly. The illustrations used in this manga were stunning, but the watermark applied by NetGalley was a bit distracting at times.

This manga addresses the very current and common issue of sexual assault in a realistic but gentle way. There is a lot of talk about young women getting groped, raped, and being an idol for anyone to stare at. It’s the harsh reality that many women, young or old, face each day.

The approaches to gender blaming, victim reaction and other myths surrounding sexual assault draws awareness to and opposes this false view society has created. Not Your Idol highlights realistic aspects of Asian culture and of the kpop industry, making the manga more enjoyable and real to read. Kpop stars are attacked by fans and thousands of men and woman are sexually assaulted daily, all around the world. Not Your Idol explores these issues in a gentle but, in my opinion, successful way.

I loved Nina as a character and how brave she was. She had her days where it was all too much, but she stuck up for those who wouldn’t or couldn’t on their own. The manga’s approach to her flashbacks was clever and well executed albeit a little confusing and hard to follow at times.

There is a twist about three quarters of the way through this volume that I did not expect at all! The volume ended on such a cliff hanger as well! Now I see why the manga is described as a psychological suspense thriller. I need the next volume as soon as possible to find out what happens!

This book isn't not graphic with the visuals or description surrounding the topic of sexual assault, but please be aware that it is very emotional and could be triggering to those with similar experiences.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book to read and give my own, honest opinion.

This is a funny little manga (not funny haha). I once read an article about the Japanese Idol culture. To this American it seems a little strange. Girls are picked to be in a girl group (think Japanese Destiny’s child) or some other entertainment industry. They are meant to be “for the people” and as such can not date or appear to date, and must remain “forever young”. I find the culture odd because it makes me think of legal pedophilia. But that is mainly because I don’t know much about it.

However this book has given me a bit of a different look. Our main gal doesn’t like to wear mini skirts or dress feminine. She gets mad at other girls around her who just want to dress for the boys. Part of it feels backward to current American society where we are being more aware and accepting of gender fluidity. However in this book, that is not the case. She gets teased and ignored because she doesn’t look like or act like other girls. But she has a very big secret. She was once the main center Idol for Pure Club. She was the star. Until she was attached at a hand holding event. She feels, rightly so, that her body is her own and it belongs to no man, and no male has dominion over it. So when she sees girls who take grouping and other things for granted or think of it as no big deal, she becomes upset and defensive.

Of course there is a boy involved. He seems like a good guy. He sees the idol under the pants. But why??

While at times this story irked me for what feels backwater stereotyping of women’s roles in society, I need to know what happens next. I am curious. I am also curious, as this is a manga how long a run it will have. Will they wind up the story in 2 volumes or will it go on for 20-30.

Overall I enjoyed the read, but I didn’t love it. It makes me more curious about a society I know nothing about so that is a plus, and the story was entertaining. Was it great literature. No. Will people still be talking about this manga in 20 years? I don’t know yet. Right now I say no, but we will have to wait and see how the story progresses.

A pop star (“idol”) changes her whole persona after being attacked by a fan. An interesting take on patriarchy, harrasment, and violence against women. I was really into this story, and the concept was interesting, but the ending killed it for me. The subject matter is important, though, so I might be swayed, but for now it’s a no.

While I definitely wasn't expecting this to become a thriller, it handles some very rough topics well.
Reading this definitely felt a bit heavy, considering the subject matter. The storyline and the art worked well together, but reading it kind of bummed me out due to the subject matter.
I'd recommend it for the art and the subject, but would definitely let people know about the trigger warnings.

I am loving manga at the moment. And this was just beautiful. I loved the graphics and the characters. It made me laugh but also cry. Just overall amazing.

This volume starts off interesting and ends strongly. Although I was expecting some drama and romance, this volume delivered even more drama than I was expecting, and some mystery along with.
To start, I was most impressed with the story’s questioning of and rejecting of rape culture. I’m not well-informed about most things going on in Japan with their women’s rights movements, but I was aware of the women-only passenger car debate and the backlash some men had about it being unfair to men. And this same topic comes out into the story! I really love when an author throws in current issues like this, especially one that was a big social issue when it was written.
My only qualm is as lovely as the art is, the composition can sometimes lead to some confusing sequences. Additionally, the story doesn’t remain too serious throughout but for the most part does. Excluding the few moments in-between in which the expressions of the characters shows the author's clear strength lies in the serious, more dramatic moments rather than the few side-jokes. However, that strength shines bright in this dramatic tale and at one point, the panels and unveiling of information was so well-done that I felt shivers along with the heroine!
When it comes to the characters, they seem a little too familiar but as I kept reading, the story revealed more background on at least the heroine that made her character make more sense to me. Although I can’t say I could fully understand the trauma she went through, I could imagine the lasting effects it would have on her. Unfortunately, that alone didn’t match up with how much she changed from how she appeared before to me. However, as the story continued, it elaborated on her more and it became more easy to see how she changed so drastically. I love how bold she is even if I don’t relate to her underneath the sympathy I have for her as a woman.
Overall, the story is entertaining and does well in demonstrating the flaws in thinking that promotes rape culture. It ended so strongly that I will be checking out the second volume!

I think the author did slpendid~
Five enthusiastic stars~Great new genre for me but I would recommend it to anyone!

A manga with an agenda. The characters were not as strong as I would've liked and the manga focused more on saying something about fame and assault.

I received this e-arc from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This is a really promising start to a series that deals with very uncomfortable topics.: assault, obsessive fans, sexual harassment, men's treatment of women and women's treatment of other women as well.
Nina, the main character is actually a former idol singer named Karen who quite her girl group after being attacked by a mysterious fan at a meet and greet. She cuts off her hair and starts dressing in men's clothing so as not to attract attention to herself from other men who might want to hurt her. Only one person in her school realizes who she used to be, a judo team member named Hikaru. As she starts to open up to him though, her trauma catches up to her, and she begins to suspect that he may not be the nice guy he seems to be. To make it worse, a creeper is loose in her neighborhood, sexually harassing girls in her school.

This manga isn't what I was expecting, yet at the same time, it is so much more. Perfect for K-Pop and J-Pop fans and avid manga readers, I strongly reccomend this book to anyone as it shows the often ignored dangers of being in the limelight, the misogyny that (unfortunately) still to this very day lives within our society, and one's journey on rediscovering themself.

Not Your Idol, a manga by Aoi Makino, confronts some pretty serious issues such as violence and sexual assault. I think this manga is socially important: it is part of the step of ending rape culture and exposing these people and issues so they get the sentence that they f***ing deserve.

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When I originally began to read this manga, I had no intention to continue the series. It was good but not one hundred per cent my cuppa tea.

Now that I have finished this volume, I am intruigued. I want to know what happens. I am invested into these characters and want to know what happens to them. I need to know if karma will severely come around to those who deserve it.

I strongly reccomend this manga to anyone who wants to be invested in characters and for a thrilling manga that reflects the struggles of everyday life.

I was provided with an Advanced Copy of this Manga by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really loved this manga! Stylistically, the art was lovely, beautiful shading, and a subtle but distinct change in style for the flashback scenes.

Thematically, the story tells of a young girl who went from being an Idol to hiding in relative obscurity following an attack that left her too frightened to continue with that career path. It was really well executed, not at all heavy handed, and respectful of those who have experienced similar traumas. It didn't feel gratuitous in any way and presented balanced viewpoints, as well as the subtleties of harassment in society.

I will definitely be purchasing this when it comes out and cant wait for volume 2!

I loved the plot and so wish I had the next volume because I want to know what happens. I also love the characters and just everything with this story.

When I requested this manga, I wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy it. I don't read a lot of manga, at least not manga that I haven't also seen the anime for, but the premise interested me. What I got was a story that, while a bit confusing in places (due to the positioning of text etc.) and wasn't very subtle in the messages it tried to get across, was also extremely interesting and I read it all in one evening. The ending surprised me, as it definitely did not go the direction I expected and now I really want to find out what happens next!

Not Your Idol (Volume 1) by Aoi Makino, 166 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL. VIZ Media, 2020. $10.
Language: PG (10 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG13
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH
High schooler Nina Kamiyama chooses to wear the male uniform at the school and doesn’t talk to anyone. With groping becoming a hot topic in the city, Kamiyama starts to get more flack for her decision to not wear skirts. Hikaru tries to befriend and help her, but, the closer he gets, the more nervous Kamiyama becomes.
While the whole story is shrouded in the mystery of who the antagonist is and how he’ll show up again, I was hooked by the first, quickly revealed mystery of what happened to Karen Amamiya. All of the little mysteries and reveals that are going on with the big mystery looming over the reader makes Kamiyama’s story difficult to put down. I love the ending of this volume and how it makes the overarching theme of courage clear to readers: courage to communicate when you’ve been wronged, courage to face your fears, courage to change your mind, courage to trust. I hope volume 2 becomes available soon. The mature content rating is for mentions of pornography and rape, groping, and sexual harassment. The violence rating is for stalking and knife violence.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

Trigger Warning: Assault

This manga touched on and important topic that women around the world have be in fear of, and that’s not fair. Some of the views portrayed are controversial. The story line desk keep me sucked in and wanting to know what happened next

Wow. That ending.... I'm not sure if I like it or disagree with it. This Manga definitely has some trigger warning for Sexual Harassment and Harassment in general, and it shows many different views on the topic. It was a fast read and I didn't want to put it down! I am excited to read the Vol. 2 to see where to goes.

Not Your Idol is a manga that follows Nina Kamiyami, a former idol who gave up her life in the spotlight after being attacked by a fan. She has cut off her hair, changed her name and thrown out all of the girly fashion staples that she was so well known for. And it’s working for her. She’s finally settling in, realising that she prefers the comments about being the only girl in slacks than being everyone’s property, when everything starts to go wrong once again.

There’s a sexual attacker on the loose in the area and, as well as bringing back terrible memories, he brings back the fear for her life that she was so desperate to give up.

This is a tough read in terms of content and an incredibly easy read in terms of format. It only took me a few hours to get through and I found the layout to be very clear and readable. In addition, it really helped that the artwork was so incredibly well-drawn and beautiful to look at. The hard part was dealing with the troubling content. This manga tackles issues of stalking, sexual assault and harassment, all whilst shining a spotlight on the troubling Asian pop music culture that has risen to popularity in the past few years. At the moment, there is a lot of discussion over the mistreatment of idols, and this book provides a fascinating first-person insight into the struggles that real idols are constantly going through.

I liked the characters in this book a lot. Even though she is largely absent, Kamiyami’s best friend, Sara, is a truly supportive character. When Kamiyami is going through tough times, Sara is always there to support her through it. Likewise, I was impressed by how quickly I grew attached to Hikaru’s character too, as I knew so little about him and yet still enjoyed reading the sections that he is in. Kamiyami herself is incredibly strong as a protagonist, with a personality that shines through in both the flashbacks and the present day sections.

The story was very easy to follow and it really makes an interesting change to the light-hearted, sweet manga that I’ve read in the past. It took a surprising turn at the end and I can definitely say that because of that, and the easy-to-read format and important content, I would read the second volume.

I don't usually go for Manga but this being a physiological suspense about a idol names Nina that gave up her idol career after being sexually assaulted at a event. She has moved to a new town, has a new name and wears the boys uniform to her new school, where she gets teased a lot, if they only knew, but one boy does know.

I really like the book with all the suspense, however I felt like they just cut it off and now I have to wait for Vol 2 to come out, it just wasn't a smooth stopping place. But I also can't wait for Vol 2 now so please hurry.

This review will appear on my blog on May 5th.