Not Your Idol by Aoi Makino is a Japanese Manga (like a graphic novel), about a teenage girl who has been part of a girl pop group in Japan (so an idol), who was attacked by a fan.

If you've not encountered Japanese or Korean pop music, go ahead and have a look at a group like AKB48. In the west, we're used to groups having 5-7 members, with 7 feels like a lot.  AKB48 has 22 members in 1 team, and the teams rotate.  

There are various rules that a member of groups have to obey, such as no dating, no bad behaviour.  They are expected to perform and to carry out 'handshake events' where they meet their fans.

Nina was one of the lead singers of her group, and was attacked at one of these handshake events.  She drops out of the group to recover, and to be normal.  She cuts off her hair, and starts dressing like a boy (yes, that's her on the cover of the book), and we see the trauma that this event caused her mentally, as she has the scar to show what it caused her physically.

 Not Your Idol  will be published on 11th June 2020, and is available on  Amazon  and  Waterstones .   I’ve found a  link  to where you can search for local bookshops, including independent!

I was given this book for free in return for an unbiased review, and so my thanks to NetGalley and to  Viz Media  (the publishers) for this book.

So I was given this for a honest review and I was not a fan of it. I feel like nothing really exiting happened. The characters were a bit dull to me and typical.

I really appreciated the dark topic that this manga addressed. So often Kpop is glorified and put up on a pedestal, but it is also very sexualized and I liked that the perspective was from someone who was being sexualized. I'm not usually a fan of manga and the artwork was a little too chaotic for me, but that is definitely a personal preference.

I really enjoyed this manga and can't wait to read Volume 2 when it comes out! The story revolves around a former pop star named Nina Kamiyama who started dressing like a boy after being attacked. In high school, a boy, Hikaru, notices her and realizes who she is. There is a delicious bit of tension between the two as the manga progresses.
I enjoyed the artwork. It was easy to read and fun. Thank you to Netgalley, Vizmedia, and Aoi Makino for allowing me to read this manga in exchange for a review. I can't wait to buy my own copy for my teenagers to devour too.

When I began reading this I wasn't sure what to expect. We begin with a former centre of an idol group gives up her position and goes into hiding after being assaulted by a fan at a handshake event.

What unfolded was a story of femininity and feminism and gives an insight into the objectification of women as sexual objects all woven into a story about dealing with the aftermath of assault.

The artwork is wonderful and really adds to the story, the combination of the art style with the delicate yet thought-provoking way in which the assaults, both physical and sexual made this a great manga.

I'm looking forward to the next volume.

What a stunning book! The art style was gorgeous! This was about an idol who retired because a 'fan' hurt her. Nina was amazing and is my favorite character. She made a choice at the end that I question a lot but we will see how she resolves this.

Thanks to VIZ Media via NetGalley for the book!

This series follows Nina, who is a former idol. She retired after she was assaulted by a fan and is now unrecognizable since she has shed her long hair, miniskirt, and only dresses like a boy. I'm not sure exactly where the next volume will take us, but I really loved the message this volume was showing us. That it doesn't matter how girls dress, they do not deserve to be touched without explicit permission. We also have an interesting dynamic with some people (boys and girls alike) not agreeing with this, even though most do. I am eagerly awaiting more in this series.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This manga was so amazing! It tackles real stigmas and stereotypes to women, both from men and women. We see how people cope with trauma, too. This storyline is real, raw, and totally captivating. This volume ended on such a suspenseful note, and I can't wait for the next one!

Overall a raid depiction of someone who survived an assault and does a complete change in personality afterwards. I'm still curious to find out who actually attacked her and if her love interest (hot guy in school) was the attacker. The first volume definitely got me hooked and I'm interested in buying the next volume! The art was very nice and the translation read very smoothly. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Reading the synopsis I already was intrigued by the story. It follows through well and you'll be hooked from the start.

There was much in this story that touched on the craziness that surrounds an idol, showing the reader the sadder side of the industry. That was much appreciated, as the story progressed, putting those moments in the forefront. What that can do to a person, and the need many have felt for a different appearance, different name, a forgotten face.

But, it also felt a little out of sync, as some scenes weren't made clear, the order of it, flashbacks and all. Or, the fruition of it all just wasn't what it could have been. It didn't take much from the story, but it did create a bit of a disconnect for me as the reader. Not only that, but visually a bit confusing with the issues at hand. The manga comes off as cute and adorable, which is what many manga's are like, but it wasn't necessarily fitting to the theme.

All in all, it was still a captivating story, with many truths, and difficult hard-hitting topics, just wish it was brought forth in a different format than manga. Not sure how I feel about there being a cliffhanger, requiring more volumes to be written. Since it's something that had me in the in-between with this one already, I might not be choosing to pick up the next. It's possibly just not something for me, at least as mentioned, not in this format.

***I received this copy from VIZ Media LLC, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.***

4 Stars
(I received an e-arc from Net Galley in exchange for a review)

I had seen this manga and wasn't sure about picking it up, then I saw April Sarah on YouTube talking about how much she enjoyed it. And she is my one of my fav booktubers. In a way I kind of related to the main character, not that I am an idol or famous person, but that kind of culture is prominent in k-pop. Idols not being to allowed to date or even have their own lives because the public thinks that they belong to them. I was surprised with what the event was to have the main character retire from idol life. The boys in school are total knuckle head manga type, they are all on the judo team. This book also addresses various types of sexual assault and harassment. Unfortunately there are quite a lot of sexist remarks from the dumb boys. But I think it was good that this manga addresses subjects that are bit taboo in Japanese/ other Asian countries, definitely going to read the next volume when it comes out.

This was not the manga I was expecting nor something I'd normally read.

It was fiction but had so much reality to it.

Consent is a hard subject to discus in books let alone manga but this manga pulled it off perfectly including more than one type of reaction and what can happen if someone steps in.

Nina is a former Idol dressing as a boy as to avoid unwanted male attention in hopes of living a normal life after an incident where a fan attacked her.

This story is written well giving you all you need to know in the moment and keeping the rest as a mystery while also discussing serious issues.

I may get this wrong and there is definitely someone reading this who has a better way of verbalizing their thoughts, but I will try to talk about this book. This is a great graphic novel that portrays the topic of women and what they wear being used to place blame during assault. It also talks about how not every man is thinking the same about women's bodies. It is empowering to talk about these topics and being able to express a hard topic like this in an "entertaining" manner makes the topic more accessible to younger demographics. IT's great that topics like this are being shown and have a great dialogue about how different people view and put blame on people who are/related to victims of abuse.

Thank you to Viz Media and Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

When I began reading Not Your Idol, I was struck by two things, the beautiful artwork, and the objectification of the female characters. This is a running theme throughout the manga, but it's necessary to the story. We immediately see that Hikaru is not typical like his male classmates, just as Kamiyama is not typical among her peers.

I was pleasantly surprised with how the themes of misogyny, assault and its aftermath, victim blaming, and gender roles were handled. I think the story is interesting and the characters are fantastic. The pacing was quick and the story draws you in, it leaves you needing to know what happens next.

I'm looking forward to Vol.2 and I will definitely be adding this to my personal library!

Not Your Idol follows a pop idol who gives up on being a girl after she is assaulted at a fan meet. She changes her name and starts to dress like a boy stating, it would not have happened if I was a boy. At her high school, a fellow student recognises her and decides to keep her secret and she soon starts to question whether or not all boys are the same.

This volume was so good, however it ends on a cliff hanger and I honestly need volume 2 to see where the story goes. I have so many questions and theories and at this point I am suspicious of everyone as this is being promoted as a psychological suspense. It did take a little while to get into the story but then it was over way too quickly and I just needed to know what happens next!

The artwork is amazing and I'm excited to see the finished copy. I hope volume 2 comes out not too long after volume was is officially released.

Thank you to NetGalley and VIZ Media for providing an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Love a good manga and this was just that. Amazing! I will be rereading this one again soon.
One of my new favorites

Thank you for Viz Media for an ARC

This was different than other manga I've read before. It does bring up lots of things that happen to girls every day, and how they were treated when something happens to him. Also how other might cope with things that happen to them. This first volume there was a lot to follow, and hard to keep up from time to time but I do look forward to the second volume.

That was way more intense than I was expecting. I really liked how both characters deal with each other, each trying to careful because of the trauma she has suffered. I am also really nervous to find out who really is the person who attacked her previously, it still feels like there's something we don't know. I really liked Nina, she was still trying to be strong for others even though she was suffering herself.

Received Copy via NetGalley.
I Give this one a 3.5/5 Star Rating, Listing as 3.

This was an ok read for me, the drawing for me isn’t my favorite. So my attention couldn’t solely focus on the book.