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.

Fairly unique in its almost feminist tone, at least in my experience of manga. The artwork is cutesy and young looking.

Not Your Idol was definitely a great read. Fast paced and full of suspense. Loved the premise of the teen pop idol gone incognito because of an assault.

Karen disguises herself as a boy just to remain out of the public eye and away from her attacker. She loses touch of herself and is very vulnerable. There's an overall theme of sexual harassment throughout the story line and feels more realistic.

But the suspense and creepiness is what got me. Very different than my usual Manga reads and this one kept me on the edge of my seat. Definitely will read the next installment.

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.

Not Your Idol: Volume 1 by Aoi Makino by Aoi Makino is a psychological thriller that explores sexism and rape culture. I will not get into the plot since there are many reveals about the characters and plot twists throughout the manga.

With that said, Not Your Idol is a one sitting, keep turning the page, well-written thriller. The art was also well done. I liked that the imagery really captures the deep emotions of the characters. Aoi Makino took great care in expressing the characters’s personalities through the drawings. 

I appreciated that the manga’s principal focus was misogynism, rape culture, and toxic masculinity. It was skilled in the way it pointed out how people enable sexism through big and small actions. For example, I liked how some characters used judo to reinforce their machismo, while others correctly see martial arts as first a practice in nonviolence, and secondly to be only used as needed self defense. Also, there are scenes that show the consequences of the nice girl and pretty girl tropes. Not Your Idol doesn’t offer any answers, but it does an outstanding job asking how we can improve our world for women and girls.

I wished the comic would have dealt with the gender spectrum and nonbinary identities more directly. At first, I thought there was a nonbinary character. But, even though the book challenges gender roles, norms, and gendered fashion, the question of what about nonbinary people is left hanging. However, there is a scene where a character is not allowed to go on an all female train car because she is misgendered. So, it is implied, that non-binary identities are marginalized. I hope in the next volume there are explorations of transgender and nonbinary experiences.

There is a mystery throughout its pages and I’m eager to read the next volume to get answers. I rated this book a 4 out 5 stars. I recommend this book for graphic novels fans who like to read about social issues. Also, for teens and adults who enjoy fiction that makes them think and challenges the world order.

ARC received from VIZ Media through NetGalley in return for an honest review, thank you.

This book deals with such hard topics, it was hard at times to read about the things that these girls/young women had to go through. I also felt like this book gave the reader perspectives from all angles but in a fun and engaging way. I also found that it didn't really try to belittle anyone's point of view and let the reader really come to their own decision on what is right and wrong in each case. I don't know what else I can really say about this point other than, for me, the author handled this perfectly.

I loved the main character and how even though she's gone through so much she still tries to stay strong, I also loved how sometimes she wasn't strong and sometimes she couldn't deal with things, she felt so alive because of this and it made me sympathise with her so much.

Some people in reviews are complaining about the juxtaposition of the cute artwork and the events that happen in this book. I've gotta disagree, I loved this, it shows how these things are usually placed in a pretty package and ignored. If this is the way that gets people to actually read this book and understand more about what women go through on a day-to-day basis then all the better!

In short, I freaking loved this book and I cannot wait to read more! Thanks.

A fun manga art style, enjoyable to read and very quick to read as the story progresses at a fast pace.

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review.

This story hit me in the feels and made me really uncomfortable. If you are easily triggered, be warned. It involves sexual assault and violence against women. The main character is a famous idol who has left that world behind after being assaulted by a fan. She now dresses as a boy and puts up with a lot of heartache because of it. The whole story revolves around gender issues, stalking, and how women are treated as less than human. It really disturbed me, but I will continue reading the series because I think difficult topics need to be addressed, even when they make you uncomfortable. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Not your Idol was written by Aoi Makino. This manga is what I would call a "shojo" psychological suspense manga as it takes place in a world much like ours. The main character is that of Nina Kamiyama and we get to know her after she has quit been an idol. She was attacked by a fan during meet up and after that stopped being a girl if you will. So far volume one was very successful and left we wanting volume 2 like yesterday.

I thought that this was a very intriguing start to this series. Nina was a very compelling character. I found it easy to empathize and connect with this character. Hikaru to was easy to connect with and quite likable. I am very interested in seeing how things develop between these two. The storyline was engaging and captured and held my interest well. It is entertaining but also shines light on important, timely and timeless issues. I found the art style pleasing and the pictures beautiful. This manga can be uncomfortable for some readers because it does address sensitive subjects (assault, body image issues, sexual harassment, bullying, stalking and mental health). I Enjoyed it and look forward to volume 2

This was an interesting manga. It features sensitive topics so definitely be aware of that. This manga had a fairly unique concept.

I was really interested in the premise here. I really enjoy stories where a girl disguises herself as a boy. However, assault stories are always hard for me to get through. I’d like to see where the story goes. Though I’d recommend readers who can’t read assault themes skip this one.

This was well done even. I would have enjoyed it if I were much younger but I do recommend this one.

It was well written and all.

Not Your Idol centers on Nina Kamiyama, a former idol who was physically assaulted at a handshaking event. While Kamiyama has left the idol industry, she is still haunted by her horrifying experience and has cut herself off from other people. That is until her high school classmate Hikaru Horiuchi learns of her secret, causing a dramatic turn of events to unfold.

Based on the premise alone, it’s unsurprising that Not Your Idol covers some heavy topics, the foremost being Kamiyama’s own trauma. With Kamiyama’s attacker still roaming free, she is constantly on edge. Kamiyama's unrelenting anxiety is conveyed through her stress induced hallucinations, her daily life full of triggers reigniting her trauma. It’s heartbreaking to read, and it’s easy to sympathize with Kamiyama’s struggle. Despite leaving the idol world behind, her scars won’t disappear.

The manga also doesn't shy away from criticizing the idol industry itself. We see in Kamiyama's flashbacks how her agency prioritized the reputation of Kamiyama’s idol group over her own well-being. The most horrifying of these situations is after Kamiyama’s assault, where instead of worrying about Kamiyama’s condition, her manager is more concerned with placing blame for the attack and building a strategy for future events. One flashback makes the analogy that idols are everyone’s “toy” and that’s sadly not far from the truth. Kamiyama was being manipulated into being a flawless and perfect idol, at the expense of her personhood.

That said, the series also looks at why Kamiyama wanted to become an idol in the first place: to make people happy. Kamiyama dreamed of being an idol ever since she was a child, and she loved being able to brighten the lives of those around her. While the conditions she was working under were clearly unhealthy, Kamiyama still feels remorse for giving up on her passion.

Another critical aspect of Not Your Idol is its exploration of identity. Following her assault, Kamiyama decided to take on a more masculine appearance. While this is done to protect herself, it’s also meant to hide the vulnerability she felt by being feminine. That said, the series emphasizes that Kamiyama isn't defined by her change in appearance. When Kamiyama develops feelings for Hikaru, she begins to struggle with whether she can learn to trust other people and if she can still identify as a girl despite not conforming to society’s perceptions. On the other hand, Hikaru does not view Kamiyama differently because of her appearance, admiring her for her strength and the impact that she’s left on people like his sister. Kamiyama does not need the validation of other people for her identity to be genuine, and that’s a great message for the story to have.

Additionally, the series also criticizes society’s perception of femininity, primarily through the distasteful opinions of Kamiyama's classmates. During a series of groping incidents, several students downplay the severity of sexual assault, blaming the girls in the class for having provocative appearences. While frustrating, the most virulent criticism comes from Kamiyama’s female classmate Miku. Miku has a very conservative perspective on gender roles, satisfied with conforming to traditional feminine behavior in order to preserve her high social status. When a groping victim criticizes her disregard for women’s safety, she chastises them and accuses the victim of treating men like criminals. Miku’s cruel and manipulative rhetoric clearly places her in the wrong, but it’s also a fascinating contrast to Kamiyama’s perspective. Each girl represents a different ideology, creating tension between the two.

Not Your Idol has a fantastic narrative that’s further supported by its beautiful artwork. Makino usually depicts the series with soft and minimalist imagery, but the manga seamlessly shifts its tone during heavier moments. During Kamiyama’s traumatic breakdowns, there is a greater use of black backgrounds and dark shading. It helps coincide with Kamiyama’s own mental state, further immersing the reader in the scene. Makino also places a lot of focus on the eyes of characters. In particular, Kamiyama’s eyes drastically change complexion depending on the situation. It helps convey her feelings of anger, happiness, and uncertainty to an even greater degree, providing a solid layer of emotional subtext. Not Your Idol’s artwork is just as well-thought out as its story and that allows its charm to shine through.

Not Your Idol is a beautiful yet tragic manga that delves into the struggles of trauma while challenging gender norms. While it’s not for the faint of heart, the series’ compelling narrative will draw readers in as they witness Kamiyama’s struggle. The story is delving into delicate subject matter, but it’s an area that is tremendously valuable to explore.

This was an amazing format for a serious discussion on many of the unseen dangers and preconceptions that public figures face on a routine basis. As a member of a popular group, these young people are expected to dress a certain way, act a certain way and always have a positive attitude, no matter what. When a fan assaults her but is not caught, our young artist rejects her popularity and reinvents herself. Moving, dressing conservatively, shrinking from contact with any and everyone. Even this drastic change still leaves her feeling vulnerable.

Setting this dramatic story in manga style gives it a much wider audience in the targeted age/ style demographic. I was impressed with the author's presentation. What could be a story line that would be lost in standard publications reaches a much wider reader base. What an amazing book!!!

Nina Kamiyama had been an idol in the group Pure Club when she was assaulted by a fan. Afterward, she dropped out of sight, shunned all signs of femininity, and began dressing as a boy while attending high school. Her classmate Hikaru Horiuchi recognizes her despite her efforts to keep to herself. What other secrets is she hiding?

Idol culture in Japan is a very huge moneymaker for the creative teams, and it's a very fine line for those girls to walk. They have to remain virginal yet exude sexuality so that boys could imagine that they could date her. We see plenty of that in the opening, with TV footage of Pure Club and its new front liner getting heckled by boys that do nothing but comment on their legs and want to touch them. In high school, the boys all comment on the girls' skirts and feel that Nina is a weirdo for only wearing pants and hiding her figure. She has no intention of flirting with boys to make them like her, though there is plenty of commentary from both the boys and girls in the class about appearance, being "girly" enough, and how "ugly" girls are the only ones that worry about getting groped and should take it as a compliment.

The book definitely delves into identity politics as well as gender ones. Nina had a stage name, and currently enjoys the thought of being seen as a boy. She's not transgender, it's more that she feels safer that way because the man that cut her was never caught. Femininity is a double-edged sword in society, and the book certainly gets into that both in the case of idol culture in Japan as well as socially in schools and public spaces. This is definitely a fraught topic and one that will lead to a lot of conversations.

A fun take on the idol trope. Not Your Idol is not your average shojo manga. Fun, well done in both story and art. Can't wait to read volume 2.

I'm hooked!

Karen/Nina is hiding from her past as best she can. However, things change quickly and it all starts with a boy. The story is fast paced and gives a good background about the life of a former idol. The topic of sexual harassment was very realistically portrayed. The characters covered a range of perspectives that really add to the story being told. The style of illustrations were well chosen and depict the characters emotions very well.

I am really looking forward to where this series leads! I would highly recommend this manga for my realistic fiction lovers.

I was extremely surprised with this Manga. This story was very original and well thought out! It was super interesting to read from the perspective of someone who has been through abuse/trauma, especially in Manga form, seeing as this kind of representation is not that common in this medium. I actually found the way Kamiyama dealt with her trauma to be very refreshing to read. It was important to read about an hyper feminine character having to adopt a more typically feminine posture in order to not only deal with her trauma but also somehow slip under the radar. The reason this was unfortunately a five star read was the ending. Although it left me wanting more, it also left a slight bitter taste in my mouth. However, characters can't all have black and white personalities, so I guess I applaud it for getting that right.

Thank you to VIZ Media for the ARC.