*Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for supplying me with an Arc of this manga*
I enjoyed reading this manga, the storyline was very interesting. Enough to keep you interested until the end. It left you wanting more from it, the manga had a very topical subject matter. The art style is lovely to look at and it has made me look forward to the next volume.

I haven't read manga in a very long time but once in a while will catch up with a graphic novel.
So what I'm obscurely trying to say in a roundabout way is I'm not sure if the theme in Not Your Idol Vol 1 is standard now, topical or an outlier.

Synopsis
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. Goodreads


Kamiyama is deeply affected by this assault, which has led to her leaving the idol group and reinvented herself by changing her name and adopting a non-feminine presentation at school. I would even go so far as to say is broken by this incident as she's retreated into the background in this new environment, hasn't made any friends at school, lives alone and doesn't appear to be moving on or processing this traumatic event. The impression given is she must deny her femininity to feel safe, to be safe. It is almost if she believes that only men have the luxury of safety at all times.

What is admirable
It's not likable but it's appreciated that the conversation can be had about sexual assault, stalking, stereotypes, gender expectations. In this instance, assaulted by a guy who wasn't caught, finding out that she is being stalked, makes Kamiyama's behaviour even more tense and erratic - verbally lashing out or walking off when being spoken to. The affects of the assault is clear, she is traumatised: it has turned Karen from a fun-loving idol into reclusive Kamiyama who stands out for all the wrong reasons.


What I don't get
Given all that has happened to Kamiyama and her age, why is she living by herself. Where is her family in this? Where is her support network? I don't class daily phone call from Pure Club as sufficient to help someone recover from PTSD. That is very odd to me, so much so that I see it as a plot device which is irksome.
Hiraku is supposed to be the good guy, so why is he following Kamiyama, questioning her and asking for an autograph. If as stated, he understands the wider context of sexual assault and it's behavioural changes, then why does he act the way he does around her? What is this saying about his character arc?


More queries

I'm not sure what the driver is for this story. Is it about the life of an idol and the sacrifices that it entails?. We are shown the benefits and limitations of this life - being told what to do and say,
Having to deny your emotions, individuality and embrace what's best for the group to survive and thrive. No part of your life is off-limits. To acknowledge and accept that your value is primarily as a commodity to the fans and the sponsors.
Is it a critique of this form of celebrity and the stereotypes that it enforces regarding attractiveness, clothing choices and the perception it influences other and the general objectification of young girls? We see the latter through the conversations of the boys and girls at school.
Or is it about surviving; what does the aftermath of assaults look like for victims. sexual or otherwise, particularly when there is no resolution or justice?

Conclusion
Having come to the end, I'm kind of unsettled as it's not clear, there are no conclusions or revelations. I feel unfulfilled.
To finish off, the drawing style was okay but marred by the large watermark through the centre of each page which was distracting and some of the lettering was too small. Additionally, it was really irritating to read with Adobe Digital Edition, as it didn't work on my phone so I was limited to reading on the PC. Finally, flashback scenes were hit and miss.
Thus in summary, this first installment is not as intriguing as I expected it to be. I kind of want to find out more about the perpetrator and the cliff hanger that Vol 1 ended on, but am in no rush to prioritise doing so.
2 Stars - It was okay

Many thanks to Netgalley and Viz Media for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion!

Great new manga that focusses on some serious issues - such as the discrimination and derogation of woman and peer pressure and bullying. It's probably a good thing that I received a free copy, because it's been a while since I read a manga, not because of anything specific reason but 'life' usually gets in the way. Nonetheless, Not Your Idol is a very interesting take on the whole girl dressing like a boy idea. The story gives the trope depth that I feel has yet to be seen - at least in manga available in western media!

Nina is great. In the sense that her fear is not overly dressed, nor is her reactions to the events happening around her. She does misunderstand sometimes, but at the same time these misunderstandings are valid because of the trauma she experienced. I particularly liked the criticism that the manga (so far) provides on idol culture in relation to gender roles in society. While I can't say much about Japan's own culture, but it's a relateable concept even here, where women had been objectified in music videos and various movies roles (though these have, in varying degrees, improved over the years, it still needs work). I like also that Nina is scared but she also hates the hypocrisy, yet wants to improve the way people view 'beauty', 'role of women', and 'being an idol'.

Hikaru, on the other hand, is currently being projected as the potential but not necessarily love interest of Nina. he has his own problems and seems to understand Nina because of what happened to his sister. However, as we are viewing the story through Nina's eyes, she sometimes doubts him.

On the whole, I am interested in this manga. It feels serious, yet there are some light moments that break through, and give the general feel of your expected Shoujo manga. I look forward to reading this further, hopefully the next volume comes out soon after this one!

This is my first time reading Manga and it was far more intense and detailed then I expected it to be. Beautifully illustrated and poetically written.

The author addresses sensitive subjects including sexual and physical assault, gender expectations, PTSD, and the deep phycological trauma often experienced by assault victims.

I enjoyed the look of the manga animation and quickly worked through this book in one sitting however I am still not sold on this genre.

I received a free copy from the publisher and Netgalley in return for and honest review.

I thought it would be a found read...but found I didn't really like it. I can see fans of similar manga enjoying it, but it just wasn't right for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and VIZ Media for the ARV provided.

As one of manga readers, I found this one as good as the other manga that I’ve read since long time ago. Nina Kamiyama, a girl who was once become and idol but then retired because she’s been assaulted by a stranger during public event. She then chooses to have a normal life, become a regular school student, but she decided to dressed like a boy, that happened because she wanted to feel save as a girl.

A thought provoking story, the issue that nowadays woman should deal with, sexually assaulted in a public place or transportation, make all women not feel secure during their daily activities. Trust issues, feeling traumatized, is what Nina’s been dealing everyday. But she’s also met one boy named Hikaru who reminds her why she wants to become and idol and why she’s happy with her choice.

This is the first book, I’m sure the second and after will bring more story how to handle that kinds of feelings, and also how to react to nowadays issues such as being assaulted in a public place.

Looking forward to read the next book!

It’s hard to read and very annoying with the ‘SAMPLE PDF publisher name’s in the middle of every page. That watermark takes up 25% of the page, EVERY page. I was pleasantly surprised by this; at first, I was worried that it was going to be a boy’s fantasy and treat women like sexual objects. But it handles stalking, sexual assault and other tough topics, very well. It might be because the author is female and can talk authentically about most of these topics. “No matter how much two people trust each other, the physically weaker will fear the stronger because they can’t protect themselves. Girls will always be wary of you, simply because you’re a guy.”
ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Not Your Idol is about a girl who gives up being an Idol after she is assaulted during a handshake event. She decides to change her name and her appearance and live her life dressed as a boy so no one will recognize her.

There are touchy subjects addressed in this book, such as gender expectations, physical assault, sexual assault and the aftermath of those assaults. I thought these things were well addressed.

I thought this was very well written and entertaining. It's a short read and I flew through it in one sitting. The graphics are beautiful. I love the look of manga animation and this book definitely did not disappoint me.

Overall, I really enjoyed it and plan to continue on with the series.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This is a really tense psychological thriller about a pop idol who goes into hiding after being assaulted at a meet and greet.

Karen decides life will be easier dressing as a boy until a fellow student discovers her identity.

This book deals with some pretty serious topics like sexual assault.

It's beautifully illustrated.

I really enjoyed it and am eager to find out what happens next!

A fantastic manga that deals very well with difficult issues surround assault and violence. Nina, a former idol, has gone into hiding by changing her name, cutting her and dressing in men's clothing after being assaulted at a fan event. As an American, what I find especially interesting are the culturally specific ways that harassment is shown but that are still easily identifiable as coming from a patriarchal society and mindset. The author also shows the nuance within this as women are shown reinforcing harmful ideas as well and the main male character fights back against them (while still sometimes being unaware to how he may make someone uncomfortable). Overall, I am very excited to see where this story goes.

Highly recommended to any audience of mature teens and older.

Recommended: sure
For an enjoyable short read, for a familiar style, for some questions around heavy topics addressed in light-ish ways, for surprise moments of hilarious dialogue

Thoughts:
While enjoyable, this manga didn’t blow me away with anything particularly unique. The setup found here in the first installment was enough to make me interested in the story and want to continue reading it, but didn’t have much I haven’t seen before. It’s worth a read if you’ve got time, but it’s not one that I think adds much new to the existing amounts of manga yet.

What I’m most optimistic about is seeing the story continue, as I feel this somewhat mediocre start could lead to a well-developed and captivating story overall. It just needs the time to get there! The ending seemed like an odd choice – and that’s all I’ll say – but I’m willing to give it a chance to grow into something.

The main contention around assault, femininity, and skirts wobbled a bit between a deep and considered investigation of the problem, and something a bit lighter and cliche. While we do see Karen struggling with the aftermath of her experiences, we also see the people – girls and women as well as men – who downplay the actions and reactions of those in these situations. There are also some throwaway lines, though, and moments where the tone doesn’t seem to match up to what I would expect.

The art style is pretty standard, with line drawings and shading to help distinguish the elements on the page. Overall that was successful, but again, nothing groundbreaking. There were moments of dialogue, however, that had me absolutely cracking up. This was definitely another one to add to my list of things others question me about while I’m reading! For whatever reason I really did not expect Karen to be so hilarious, and it was an amazing surprise. The “horny gorillas” line came early and set me up to expect more moments like it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Viz Media for a free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

[I received an ARC on Netgalley in return for an honest review. ]

I really enjoyed reading this manga and I thought it covered some really important issues. The artwork was so cute, and I'm intrigued to see where the story will continue from here on.

I'll definitely be following this manga when more volumes are released in the future!

Rating: 4/5

I was very impressed with this manga. It's a thought provoking take on idol culture and the complicated ways gender plays into both it and how those dynamics influence and are influence by the larger context in which they exist. I loved how it questioned the way girls are conditioned to be passive and demure even in the face of assault. It also brings up the question of how boys are absolutely clueless about this dynamic, even well-meaning ones. This ends on a real cliffhanger that threw me for a loop and I'm really curious to see the resolution of that in the next volume. This is such an interesting premise for a series and it's really neat to see it done in a very shoujo art style. I can't wait to read more.

I would definitely recommend this for anyone interested in a thoughtful, suspenseful manga that leaves you with something to think about.

Most of the manga I read is romance-centric, so I wasn't sure what to expect from a suspense/psychological thriller. I actually didn't notice the genre when I requested an egalley of this title, and was a little surprised at the very dark tone of this manga. Still, I thought it was just a really high angst romance... and now that I see it's a thriller everything makes a lot more sense!

I don't love the art style on this one - it feels a little outdated (but maybe my rom-com loving heart just wants it to look cuter?) It also ends SUPER abruptly - I'm all for a cliffhanger, but the ending on this had me wondering if my file had gotten corrupted and cut off or something. Despite not really being my genre, I'm interested to read more of this series and find out what happens next!

Surprising and gripping. So happy that Viz has brought this title over. I will certainly purchase and follow this title. Can't wait for the next volume!!

Not Your Idol was a beautifully drawn manga that pleasantly surprised me. There were so many themes present in this book that are so important to delve into and I was surprised at how dark it was.

If you're a manga fan, I would really recommend picking up this one and I can't wait for more volumes.

Not Your Idol surprised me totally. The rating would be more like 3.5 stars. I'm not really into idols, since I don't believe in the concept of idolizing someone who hasn't done anything. Being an idol isn't a talent, it lacks the whole reason to idolize anyone basically. In Not Your Idol a former idol group member Karen has now become Nina Amemiya. She's cut her hair and wears guys' clothing in order to hide her identity, because she was assaulted and the culprit hasn't been caught. She left the group, but it seems that the culprit now knows her whereabouts. The manga actually builds the mystery well and interestingly too, which amazed me. I don't see how this series can become long, but at least now it's well constructed and Nina's character is actually interesting. I also like how Hikaru is nice and somehow creepy at the same time.

The art looks overly cute and kind of eats out some of the drama. The art is too light and nice, although I do like the contradiction to some extent. I'm interested in how the story will develop, since I hope there's a major turnover at some point and that everything isn't what it seems to be. It would be great if the mystery would stay hidden longer and we would get to know the characters better. Either way, you don't really need to be into idols to see that this works, so points for that!

Wow I LOVED this. I haven’t read manga in a while but gosh dang this was a great one to restart.

Flow was typical of a shoujo manga, but the topic was deeper and more heavy than a typical love story. THAT ENDING THOUGH!

I loved that this manga dealt with sooo many topics that are very prevalent in this day and age. Masculinity, femininity, sexual assault/harassment, trauma, gender expectations, toxicity in the idol world, are to only name a few of the issues breached.

I want to read more. I am so ready to read this entire series. Give it to me pleeeaasse!

It took me a little to get used to the style, as the dialogue didn't flow all that smoothly at first, but I'm glad I persevered. Not Your Idol was a surprisingly thought-provoking manga that explored the nature of gender identity, the objectification of women, assault and its aftermath, and the expectations of fame. I'm definitely keen to pick up volume 2 when it's released in May!

“Not Your Idol” is a superbly drawn story about a teen idol who has been assaulted by one of her fans. In response to that assault Nina Kamiyama quits her singing group and begins hiding behind a façade she created for protection—she now dresses like a boy. Only one of her fellow high school students recognize her for who she was.

This is the opening book in a series of books that will presumably follow Kamiyama on her journey to recovery.

Honestly, this book is not as effective as it could be in eARC format. The cover photo of Kamiyama as a boy is much more effective in full color than the black and white images in the review copy.

My thanks to Viz Media and NetGalley for an eARC.