I enjoyed this coming of age romance graphic novel, I can’t wait for volume 2! The illustrations are fantastic and enrich the story. Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC.

My thanks to NetGalley and Kodansha for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.

It sounded and looked cute from the title and the cover, but the character of Maaya ruined it for me. She is a stalker and while the MC knows this, she isn't telling the one being stalked about it. That's a HUGE privacy and safety violation and is a big fat NOPE from me. This was a DNF for me, so it might have gotten better, but I couldn't bring myself to finish it.

Yes, I know this is a manga and it's supposed to be OTT and that there are stalker fans like that out there, but this is not a healthy narrative to push. Only recommended to more mature readers who enjoy OTT storylines.

1, not my cup of tea but it might be yours, stars.

Didn't know what to expect going in and was very pleasantly surprised. A pretty wholesome (minus some crazy fangirl) story about your favorite idol going to your school. I like that you get to learn about a hobby/passion Saki is interested in and I'm excited to see where that goes. She's so honest and seems to be a great friend to even those who may not like her. Excited for more!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for this eArc!
Oh my gosh this was completely adorable!! First of all, the art was seriously incredible. Chihiro was the absolute sweetest, along with Saki. Their happiness was contagious, and I found myself wishing to be their friend. Their friendship developed so naturally, and their dynamic is so fun to watch! Our side character Maya was honestly one of my favorites, another rival fan taking her admiration to a whole new level. I was a bit worried she would continue to get in between Saki and Chihiro, but she grew on me towards the end, and I hope Saki and her will become real friends soon enough! I noticed that one of the tags on the story says romance, and even thought I’d be fine with both Saki and Chihiro staying friends, I’d love to see their relationship progress a bit further in future volumes if they decide to play it out! Eagerly looking forward to the next volume!

I love that the plot of this manga is also in the title: "My Idol Sits the Next Desk Over." It follows a high school girl whose favorite member of her favorite band now sits next to her in class. However, another student who is also a big fan of this idol, begins sending threatening text messages to the main character out of jealousy. I enjoyed this volume, and my favorite part about it was the friendship between the main character and her idol, as well as how much the idol inspired the main character to follow her photography dreams. The aspects involving the stalker character were a little uncomfortable to read, and I'm hoping that in a future volume the main character addresses this character's behavior somehow, either directly or by asking for help. But overall, I enjoyed this volume.

My Idol Sits the Next Desk Over! This manga was good, maybe not exactly type of mangas I love to read, cause it didn't include that much romance, so the plot of it wasn't really for me. Tho not talking about that, characters were pretty cute and the artwork is amazing as always.

First half of the manga was a bit hard to read for me, I wasn't really invested and a bit bored I started liking it more just by the end of a volume. I assume I would like to know what happens next, but it wasn't enough for me to actually buy a copy of it.

The story itself wasn't too bad, but it wasn't type of manga I would want to read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for giving me a copy of this online manga in exchange for an honest review.

My Idol Sits the Next Desk Over was an insanely cute graphic novel about a girl’s favorite up and coming pop star being in the same high school class. The writing was cute and believable. The characters acted the same way that I would act if my favorite celebrity was sitting next to me and wanted to be friends! The drawings were cute and the story was entertaining. I’m excited for volume 2!

I read the description on this wrong and thought the idol was a guy. But the art is great and the story is sweet if Yuri is your jam.

Manaka is a fan of the idol group Spring Sunshine and discovers a classmate next to her is Chihiro (one of the members). She tries her best not to say anything but after Chihiro asks to talk to her, she lets it all slip out. After receiving some DMs from another fan who seen Manaka tell Chihiro her feelings, Manaka tries to avoid Chihiro then realizes it wasnt right and ends up becoming friends. She also discovered the one messaging her.

I really enjoyed volume 1 and can't wait to read the next volume. I have a feeling after Manaka drags Takizawa to a show he becomes hooked. There are parts where we can relate like when they freak out about certain things in their head or thinking how you can't keep a conversation going sometimes.

I received a copy of this manga through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I don’t really get overly obsessed fans, in real life it just gets creepy. People tend to forget that celebrities are people too, with their own feelings and everyday lives. I know I would be starstruck if I would meet someone famous but I would also try to keep it real and as normal as possible.🙂
The manga took a humorous take on the whole celebrity meeting a fan troupe. Our main fangirl is quite reasonable and adorable in her fascination. The rivalry between her and another fangirl is funny and mostly harmless. Overall a cute manga!😊

i love the manga illustrations, and i think the story is easy enough to follow - also SUPER interesting, because i have never really read a manga like this before? and i do enjoy these kinds of manga as well. although i think it was an interesting concept, i think there were some scenes that i didn't really enjoy and thought it could've been done another way.

I wish this was a print release, because it would really appeal to a group of students who want manga like this. Overall, it's a good GL manga, if you like the idol trope.

It took me a while to get into it, mostly because I don't understand the idol culture.
The whole plot was just so troublesome to me, I could not wrap my head around it.
I wish I could say something more but I have nothing?

The only thing I liked was that the main character was not some psychotic person, unlike one of the side characters. Aaah. I just don't think this was for me.

his manga looked like it would be super cute, and it started off with Manaka realizing her favorite idol is in her school and sitting right next to her. Watching her stammer to talk with all her nervousness was adorable, but unfortunately the story tossed in a competitive fan way too soon.

When Maaya gets introduce I checked out. She's the creepy stalker obsessed fan, and I just couldn't regain my interest once she showed up. I feel like forcing her in so fast took away from any build up between the main two characters.

This manga had a great premise and started off well, but sadly felt like they were trying to force an antagonist too quickly. If the author gave time for the characters and friendship to grow before tossing in conflict so quickly, I would have definitely enjoyed this more. Sadly due to the antagonist fan, I felt this manga falls flat.

"Her smile, sparkling with a dazzling light...her voice, boldly rining out throughout the large venue...her brave figure dashing through a sea of colorful light sticks...the one who gave me those feelings for the first time back then...was a girl the same age as me."



Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

❗This is a spoiler-free ARC review from NetGalley❗

⚠️Trigger Warning: This manga contains bullying/cyberbullying, and obsession.⚠️


This has been fun. I expected this little story to be all cute and humorous but, I was pleasantly surprised to find some darker themes as well. Regardless, it is still suitable for younger readers, in fact, I think it is a great story for teens and tweens.


The story was really really cute. A young girl, Sakiko, who's a fan of this band called Spring Shine finds out that one of the singers is, not only in the same class as her but also sitting right next to her. That, however, brings forth an obsessive bully who tries desperately to stop a friendship from forming between Sakiko and Chiro, the young celebrity, because she wants to keep Chiro all to herself. I feel like a story like this is important for young readers. The bullying/cyberbullying theme is addressed in a way that shows what it feels like to be attacked and hated by someone, whether that is face-to-face, over the internet, or both. It also shows how wrong it is to be deeply obsessed and possessive of another person, whether that person is a celebrity or otherwise. Despite this manga's dark themes, there are also a lot of humorous and cute moments. Sakiko's freak-outs over her favorite celebrity is nothing short of relatable. Her behavior is exactly how I imagined myself acting if I ever met Zendaya, and I'm an adult. In the case of a pre-teen, though, it's actually cute 😅😅 One other thing that really pleased me but doesn't have much to do with the storyline was that the chapters were referred to as school periods and I thought that was really cute and creative.


While I found the balance between cute, humorous and dark obsession, there is one little thing that bothered me. Sakiko continuously approached that weird psycho Maaya Tozawa, and allowed her to manipulate and verbally abuse her, which I think is ridiculous. Just cut her off already. There's no need to be nice to the weirdo anymore. She doesn't appreciate your kindness. She hates you. I would have given this manga a 5⭐ rating, but this part really bothered me. She's basically enabling that psycho.


I would recommend this.

This manga was so incredibly cute and I really enjoyed it. I can’t tell if this is going to be a romance or just a friendship but it’s super adorable regardless.

I’m glad that no one at her new school knows that she’s an idol because I’m fed up of that plot line. Their friendship is super wholesome! I’ll be reading the rest of the series earnestly!

Manaka-san is over the moon when her favorite pop idol, Yoshida-san happens to be her school’s newest student; even more exciting Yoshida-san sits right next to her in class! A mix of panic and joy sets in as Manaka-san tries to find a balance between being Yoshida-san’s friend and her biggest fan.

Yoshida-san is pretty much perfect in every way. She’s kind and pretty; well-liked by everyone. She desperately wants to have a normal school life which quickly becomes apparent as she befriends Manaka-san. It’s pretty adorable as she tries to make their friendship blossom despite Manaka’s anxiety.

However, trouble brews when another girl in their class, Maaya-chan decides that there is only room for one best friend in Yoshida’s life, and it’s gonna be her! Maaya is incredibly manipulative and possessive over her idol and fails to treat Yoshida-san like a real person. Instead, Maaya acts like a rabid fangirl and worse starts to cyber and then physically bully Manaka.

Overall I’m not that enamored with the plot. The premise is a bit too generic for my tastes, but I would definitely continue reading this. Volume 1 was a decent size with lots of character development. The art definitely enhances the story as characters are drawn in dynamic ways. I especially like how Maaya-chan is drawn as she vacillates wildly between being cloyingly nice and an absolute monster.

I also feel that the cover image for this manga isn’t that great. It’s a bit plain, which I imagine may affect whether or not people read it. That being said, if you see it on the shelf, don’t dismiss it too readily. It’s worth giving a shot.

Great fun!

When her pop idol arrives at her school, and is sat next to her, Sakiko has a total meltdown. While Chiro-Chan wants to be friends, Saki-Chan has to come to terms with her idol also being a person in her own right. But all is not rosy in the garden.. Saki-Chan has an unknown rival…

A brilliant and fun story of crushes and jealousy in a turbulent time. Really enjoyable, and the artwork is also amazing.

Great for any reader.

In the last couple of years, I’ve taken trying all different types of genres within Manga and have found a few gems. Some are more surprising than others. My Idol Sits the Next Desk Over! is one of them.

While I anticipated a cute, maybe somewhat awkward story I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this. The blurb doesn’t mention the third main character, another girl called Maaya. Just like Sakiko Manaka she is a fan of Chihiro, but she feels an entitled ownership of her idol. The direct opposite of Sakiko’s mindset and actions.

I have a feeling that has the story continues there will be more about why Maaya is the way she is but the first instalment sets up the story for her to be redeemable or to be dangerous. I’m interested to see how which direction this takes.

Alongside Maaya’s influence on the story we have the sweetness of Sakiko and the budding friendship between Sakiko and Chihiro. There is definitely a lot of “nice” in My Idol Sits the Next Desk Over!, making it a pleasant read with a good balance of potential darker drama.

My Idol Sits the Next Desk Over is a slice-of-life manga about Sakiko Manaka and how on her first day of high school, she finds herself sitting beside her idol, Chiro-chan from the idol group, Spring Sunshine.

The manga has a lot of potential and jumps right in action. I was a little confused at first because the story seemed like a yuri or a girls love manga, and honestly, it's still a little unclear how the story would progress. The manga is definitely fast-paced and it's easy to relate to the Sakiko. I want to cheer her own as she grows and goes through her high school days.