This manga was a surprise. It is so insightful, and the message is so much bigger than a manga series. Within these pages, Karen, an ex-idol, is dealing with trauma from an assault at a hand-shaking event. She has shut herself away, changed her name, and her appearance in an attempt to hide from the man who hurt her. She has moved and gone to school under an assumed name and is just trying to be invisible. This all changes of course, and I won't spoil it for you, but in a world where #MeToo has become necessary, this manga brings to light the effects of crass and inappropriate behaviors on women, and even touches on the way women have been brought up to endure this behavior. I'd like to give all my kudos to this author, and I am very much looking forward to reading vol. 2.

I received this as an ARC from @Netgalley, in exchange for my honest review.

I liked this one. It’s the story of a young girl who was once a teen idol. Then a man ruined it for her. She’s chopped off her hair, stopped wearing dresses, changed her name, and decided to try to live a normal life. Thing is, once you’ve been a superstar, there is no such thing as being normal. Still she tries. She’s even found a nice boy. Maybe. I mean he could be her attacker, right? Maybe? And the band really isn’t the same without her. They need her to come back. But what does she need?

The ending is a really big cliffhanger, not a fan of that. Otherwise I loved it.

I really enjoyed the first volume of Not Your Idol. The artwork is very well done and the plot isn't one I've read a million times. It touches upon what girls go through being treated as a sex symbol and the after effects of an assault. I really think this series has great potential and will be keeping an eye on new volumes.

I have been looking for some manga series which are more likely to appeal to girls. This is likely to do so. I liked the empowerment message and also the message regarding beware of strangers. It is very difficult to read manga on the kindle I have found and this detracted a little for me. I assume this title is the first in a series and look forward to reading the next one. I am still a novice with regard to reading this form of book and so find it hard to comment on it. The drawings are clear, the characters are perhaps a little predictable for an adult, as is the plot but I do not believe these comments would be a detract ion for the target audience.

I saw someone else's review and reread the book. Again I found the Manga format on the kindle difficult but I did feel the book is asking important questions of its readers, such as should you hide away after an attack? Should you call out anti social behaviour? Does everyone have an ulterior motive? Are these questions pertinent in every country?

I am still not sure about the ending. Was some framing going on or was Hikaru the original attacker? I still assume that this is the first in the series and these questions will be answered in later books. It felt as though there should be one or two more chapters to explain what had happened.

It took a little while for me to get used to reading a manga and to understand the story. Once I was settled, I did enjoy the story, but I do feel that it would jump around a lot to different scenes and it was confusing and took me out of the story briefly.
I'd be interested to continue on with the series because this did address some difficult topics, however there were times when some things that were said came off as inappropriate and didn't sit all that well with me.

Thank you to Viz Media and NetGalley for the e-ARC to read and review.

Warning: Includes topics of sexual assault and gender discrimination. Reader discretion advised.

I'm ambivalent about this first volume of "Not Your Idol." I don't dislike it but I don't necessarily like it.

Most of the characters in this story I either strongly dislike as a character or disagree with their point of view on what's happening within the story. However, the story's biggest strength is the variety of opinions (the good, the bad, and everything in between) on the important issues of sexual assault and gender discrimination. This I think brings an apt realism.

The art was good, one of my favorite art styles in manga. A few transitions between scenes or past/present were jarring. But each time I was able to reorient myself within the story.

The ending was great, leaving off on an emotional high. But I think I would have to read volume 2 to really know if I want to continue this series.

*ARC provided by VIZ Media via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Rating: 3/5 stars

Content Warnings: assault, sexual assault

Not Your Idol, Vol.1 by Aoi Makino is a graphic novel based on a young girl who at one time was part of, essentially, a girl band. Something happens at a fan event that causes her to quit the band, change her name, and move schools to where she’s anonymous.

I enjoyed the story for the most part. There were times when the flashbacks or story transitions were somewhat confusing, but it could have just been because the version I read didn’t have the completed artwork and polished edges.

I am curious how the story will continue so I might continue with it if I come across new volumes in the future.

Thank you NetGalley for the advance copy for my honest review.

I was intrigued initially by the story's concept, a teenage idol attacked by a fan who then removes her from her former life. As she assumes a new name and dresses like a boy to draw little attention her way, one boy starts to break through her walls, but he may have his own dark secrets.

This was a little tough to read, the dialogue seemed a bit disjointed at first. It definitely took some getting used to. The story was a little hard at points based on some of the language which objectified the female characters quite a bit. It was harsh in some ways, yet it is not entirely untrue of how some men act towards women.

I will say that I felt almost confused by the ending. Karen had gone through so much pain and yet when she learns Hikaru's secret she seems perfectly OK with it. That just doesn't seem realistic. I don't think there was enough plot development to show how she could possibly be OK with this.

All in all, the first volume of Not Your Idol was interesting, but not fully developed in my opinion.

<b>2 stars</b>

*Thank you to the author and Netgalley for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

I was really interested to see how this story would unfold; the idea was there but I personally didn't like how it was executed. I found the story didn't progress smoothly, it felt quite disjointed like it was jumping to different scenes too quickly and I was getting easily confused about what the point of the story was at times. I also really didn't like all the female bashing "asking for it" trope. There was too much of that, obviously to highlight the issue the book it targeting but it was overdone for me. This could have been approached better in my opinion.

This is the first Manga that I've read in a very long time (probably around 10 years) but it was a fantastic entry point back into that genre! It looks at a lot of issues such as feminism and masculinity in such a brilliant way - I never felt that it was too heavy at any point but it also didn't take it lightly. This is actually more of a 4.5 stars but I did feel in some places that it wasn't cohesive and I struggled for a few panels tom understand what was going on but other than that, it was a fantastic read. It does contain abuse from fan (SPOILER: he cuts her arm with a knife) but the actual scene is shown once and mentioned a few times if that could be an issue for you. I also really liked how it had 2 separate perspectives on the whole groping situation and although it's frustrating to listen to what i thought was a ridiculous excuse for the groping, it was so great to also have it included.
This is a fantastic, suspenseful manga and I can't wait for the second volume to come out!

The story was shorter than I expected as I normally read novels but the story was great. I love the artwork.

Not Your Idol was not what I was expecting. I was expecting a manga with some drama, but this story arc starts off strong exploring many thought provoking problems many people,especially women, face today.
Can’t wait to continue the series! Some trigger warning, the series touches on subjects like sexual and physical assault, depression, objectification of women, and the dark side of fame. I would like to see how the author continues to handle these topics.

Thank You to VIZ Media and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I don't think I was the target audience for this manga and I won't be carrying on with the series, but the book did have some interesting topics included which was appreciated. There should be a trigger warning for sexual assault and at times I felt this was not dealt with in an appropriate manner, however nearer the end of the book it did approach the subject in a better way. It was hard to determine as a reader whether I was not enjoying the book because of some of the things the characters said, or if I was simply not liking the characters being introduced. Overall it was an okay read and I'm sure some people will definitely enjoy the storyline.

This novel bewitched me heart and soul.

I received a digital copy of this manga from NetGalley (THANK YOU!). I wish that this was not an eARC, because I need volume 2/the rest of the series ASAP. The premise grabbed me from the beginning; I wanted to know Karen/Kamiyama's story and how she is connected to Hikaru. If you're a fan of <u> SkipBeat! </u> you will fall in love with this one. Even the art is on point. The only element of this novel that I am not absolutely besotted with is the cover, but everything else more than makes up for that. I would consider buying this series to add to my collection.

Thank you Netgally and the author for the free review copy

This manga is pretty dark. It uses the word "pedophile" as a joke which I didn't think was in great taste.

I'm not sure if this was originally written in japanese and then translated into english but I found it didn't "flow well".

I would peg this for more of a older teen/young adult read. Personally I wouldn't let a younger teen read it but that's just my opinion.

The art style is clean, typical manga style. There is a name stamp on every page which I found to be extremely distracting.

Thanks to NetGalley for this advance copy!

Well, this book was the opposite of a ray of sunshine. Not that I was expecting a light read when I read the description -- this is a manga about a girl who stops being a pop idol because she was assaulted by a fan -- but this is definitely grim. Lots of talks of assault, me-too like situations and talk, girls being told they can't do things because of a pervert on the loose, and more. It definitely weighed on me, especially when so many characters in the book shrugged it off, made excuses, or "not all men"d it.

Like I said, not a light read.

That's not to say it's bad. It does seem like it's trying to shed light on important topics, and the story is interesting. The art is up to the usual standard I expect from manga.

However, it's too dark for me. I don't want to read something fictional and feel worse afterwards, and this was definitely a bummer. I'm a bit curious as to where it goes from here, but I probably won't pick up another volume, as, again, the level of bleakness isn't my thing. But if you're into darker manga that does focus on real-world problems, you may enjoy this.

Interesting! I can see Not Your Idol becoming a new favorite series. The story was great. I'm going to need another 200 more chapters ASAP!

I think this is a very honest look at gender and how gender is perceived. We have a main protagonist who now does not want to present herself as female because of an assault. We are faced with blatant misogyny and how this protagonist faces these comments as well as the internalized misogyny within herself.

I admit, I wasn't sure how I would like this book when I first started-I'm not much of a girly girl and the whole miniskirt thing at the beginning didn't exactly pull me in. That said, I was wrong. I really enjoyed this manga.
I feel like the topics were tactfully but honestly presented in a manner that feels quite realistic. I didn't feel like the characters were doing things for the convenience of the story or that reactions were over or under-dramatized. The art was lovely and did a fabulous job of displaying the emotions and thoughts each character was experiencing throughout the story, and the manga-ka did a great job of ensuring that each character looked like themselves (I'm sure we've all come across stories where each character feels the same or every attractive person looks the same except for their hair/eye color). The relationships feel well-paced so far and I look forward to seeing what comes next for Nina and Hikaru.

Thank you to NetGalley and VIZ Media for the digital copy of this manga. My opinion in this review was not affected by receiving a free copy.

This was one of the best manga I've read! The story and art are top quality, but what I really love is the issues that it deals with. In today's society more than ever we are dealing with the issues of assault of all kinds against women. A story centered around this paired with being focused on an idol makes it even more interesting and important. This story shows the dangers of being an idol as well as being a woman in today's society, having to worry about such things that are extremely relevant to today. Not only is the story and art great, but the topics that it deals with is so important for continuing the discussion and fighting of sexism and misogyny.