(First of all, thank you so much NetGalley and the publisher for providing me this ARC in exchange for an honest review)

Warning: Spoilers below

Sakiko is a shy girl who realize that her idol Chiro-chan is her new classmate and she sits next to her. So now she is excited but also very nervous and she doesn't know how to act when she is around Chiro-chan.

At first I was thrilled with this manga because I though Sakiko was super cute like a teenager fan with her huge idol singer. I LOVE that there was another character (Maaya) that is mad, nuts, bananas about Chiro-chan in a bad, obsseive, creepy way. And I though, yes, we are going to see here how you should be a friend with your idol without that creepy attitude. But then I saw things about Sakiko that I did not like and felt to me like Maaya but because Sakiko is the heroine is not bad (like keeping Chiro test like it's an autographed paper or something).

I think they are all obssesed and Sakiko must work on her way to deal with her idol. It's a person like you so treat her well. That's it.

The reason this manga catched my eye was that it include an idol character. I'm recently super into kpop, I started listening to BTS in late July last year and now I'm simply obsessed. So, obviously I was super interested in a story who talked about an idol going to a normal school and having fun with their friends. I wasn't expecting that it include some representation of the toxic side of the fandoms and I think that was a plus. However there were moments when I didn't know where we were heading, and I think I just wished that it showed a little more development in the story. I know it can gets better in the next volumes and I really think it will, but this one was just not for me.

Every person has had that fantasy of meeting someone famous. But if the opportunity ever came, the thoughts of what one would say or do would come crashing into their brain like water from a bursted dam. Now imagine what would happen if you somehow managed to share the same class with that celeb. This situation is what happens to Sakiko Manaka, the main focus of Tetsu Tsusui & Koyubi Sugawara’s My Idol Sits the Next Desk Over!

Manaka is very shy high schooler who has a big love for the pop idol group Spring Sunshine. Her favorite member is Chihiro Yoshida, whose shy personality made her feel relatable to her. After flubbing her introduction, she sits herself down next to her neighbor, embarrassed by the situation. That’s when the neighbor stands up and begins to speak: “My name is Chihiro Yoshida. I just moved here not that long ago, so I’m a little nervous.”

Instantly, Manaka’s mood changes between being excited and worried. On one hand, she’s excited to be in the same class as her favorite idol; but she’s nervous about letting Chihiro know of her fandom. As time goes by, the two students become close friends, with Chihiro feeling grateful for Manaka’s support. However, another fellow student and Spring Sunshine fan, Maaya Tozawa, could make things difficult for both Manaka and Chihiro.

When My Idol Sits the Next Desk Over! begins, it has a feel-good vibe hitting the eyes. The shy Manaka manages to break from her cocoon when she and Chihiro have a moment to themselves, with the idol being glad to have someone in their corner. It opens the door for a fun friendship, with the possibility of the two friends tightroping over Chihiro’s idol life and school life. Alas, a character like Maaya has to come in and ruin all of the fun!

There have been stalker-y characters in music-based series; it’s par for the course, after all. But what I don’t like is how they normalize Maaya’s antics and bullying, with her treatment of Manaka when Chihiro isn’t around being just downright awful! Although she starts to play a little nice with Manaka, her internal personality doesn’t cool down in the slightest. She’s a lot like Ren Yamai in Komi Can’t Communicate, whose presence ruins almost all of the fun of that series.

Fortunately, there’s some good that can be found in When My Idol Sits the Next Desk Over! The way Manaka starts to build confidence thanks to Chihiro is pretty endearing, and her freakouts when she acts more like a fan than a friend can be pretty funny. How the two (and Maaya) take on various student clubs has their own charming elements, with some silly back talk when certain clubs criticize Chihiro’s tryouts. But the real spark of the narrative comes in the form of a guerrilla performance story.

After Manaka joins the photography club, she (and Maaya) unlock clues on Spring Sunshine’s Twitter account over some mysterious photos. Once they decode the hints, Manaka starts to practice taking idol photos, using a reluctant Maaya as a stand-in. But at the show, Manaka finds herself lost in the performance, with even her fellow club member Masato being swept up by the live energy. And at just the right moment, a bit of magic happens between Manaka and Chihiro, the kind that occurs in the blink of an eye!

My Idol Sits the Next Desk Over! has a rough start, no thanks to Maaya’s personality. However, the end of its first volume does deliver a stellar payout that’ll make any fan of idol stories want to stick around to see what happens next. If one can sit through the uncomfortable parts to get to the sweeter moments, then My Idol Sits the Next Door Over! will find a way to win you over. If not, then there are plenty of other idol manga & anime you can watch that’s more happy-go-lucky!

I was a little bit shook at this manga. I am not the type of person to be a super fan of a celebrity or go to great lengths to get their merch or see their concerts or movies etc, so I couldn’t really relate to the characters of this manga. But holy moly these people are dedicated to their idol. Sakiko and Maaya, the two fans of the idol portray their love and adoration for Chihiro in different ways and honestly Maaya was quite terrifying. Maaya is obsessed beyond belief about Chihiro, but I have to commend her for how she just wants Chihiro to have a great school experience and be as successful as she can be as an idol. She’s terrifying though, and her methods are extremely inexcusable because she is basically a stalker and a bully. On a different note, I really enjoyed the photography aspect of this book and can’t wait to see what happens next with Sakiko as she learns more about photography. Sakiko was such a sweetheart and I want to continue reading this series just to see how everything turns out between the three of them.

3.5/5

This was my first manga ever read, so I was ocassionaly confused with reading directions.
I liked the plot, but I didn't understand Sakiko's actions. I knew she was crazy about Chiro but she didn't know how to behave around her. I think the problem was in my "reading this manga", I'm not used to read between the "lines". or should I say sketches.

I think this would be pretty good story without the third person- stalker, who pretends not to know Chiro's popularity.

Overall I enjoyed in this manga and cute encounters between the girls.

My Idol Sits the Next Desk Over! is quite entertaining actually. I'v never understood the idol industry, since you become an idol because of something you do, but in Japan you are an idol first (without doing anything). It's a weird setting. Chihiro is a part of an idol group and Sakiko is her biggest fan. Chihiro starts attending the same school and Sakiko ends up telling the girl she recognizes her. Soon these two become friends, but Chihiro's identity needs to be kept a secret. But, Sakiko isn't the only fan and soon there's a another girl fighting for Chihiro's attention. I enjoyed the rivalry in the series, since it's the most interesting part and how the other girl doesn't want Chihiro to know she knows her. Chihiro herself is quite ditsy and dull, but perhaps that's the point. I also liked the fact that there are other characters involved in the story too aside from our three girls. This makes the series more realistic and interesting, since there's more content.

The art looks cute and sparkly, so your basic girl power in a sense. This series seems to be yuri, but up till now there's not that much such content aside from fangirling. I can see the series going there though, so it can work out nicely. So, one of the better yuri series for the sole reason of slow-burn romance!

Sakiko new seat neighbor happens to be her favorite idol chihiro! Sakiko is a shy but is slowly growing more confident while being with with chihiro. But while making friends with chihiro, Sakiko is getting bullied from another crazy fan of chihiros who also goes to the same school!

I actually thought the story was super cute! I really like the sapphic feel of it. I also loved how it was drawn and it felt super easy to read. I had a slight hard time with the heavy bullying from Maaya. But other than that it was a super cute shoujo and I can’t wait to read vol 2!

Just found this GL very hard to understand and pretty boring to read like wtf with the useless love triangle?!

Btw thanks Netgalley and Kodansha Comics for allowing me to read the rest of volume 1…

This was a cute and heartfelt manga!
Sakiko is a shy girl who loves music. In fact there is an idol group she stans, which is called Spring sunshine. When Sakiko transfers to a new school she dreads to make friends but gets flustered and nervous when she finds that her desk mate is one of the members of her favorite idol group.
Chiro chan is bubbly, pretty and exactly opposite of Sakiko. Their dynamic was so cute to read about. At first the story focuses on them getting to know each other and bonding. And the only thing that didn't sit right with me was one of the new additions to the duo, even though she is a fan of the spring sunshine. But she is a crazy fan, she stalks Chiro and invades her personal space.
Nevertheless, I'm so excited to read about the relationship progress between Sakiko and Chiro chan.

5 star! Chiro and Sakiko interaction is so cute! Story about a underrated idol attending school and the person who she sits next to happens to be her fan! Sakiko is obsessed with Chiro and becomes friends with her and the book portrays her journey as a friend and as a fan to Chiro!
Strangers to friend trope!

This was cute!! Sakiko is a normal everyday girl who happens to be a huge fan of singer Chihiro from the idol group Spring Sunshine. Out of nowhere, she finds herself not only sitting next to Chihiro but also becoming friends with the idol. I have to admit, at first Sakiko was way too much of a nervous wreck for me at the beginning of the book. She was just constantly freaking out. But she is a school girl who gets to hang out with the person she admires most in the world, so I guess who wouldn't be a nervous wreck in that situation?! I can only imagine how intense that would be and we see Sakiko figure it out as she goes, hoping that she doesn't embarrass herself too badly along the way. And who knows, maybe she could end up being real friends with her favorite idol...

I would recommend this book for anyone who has fantasized about becoming best friends with a celebrity so that you can fangirl through Sakiko.

A review copy of this ebook was provided by the publisher through NetGalley.

3.5/5

*A big thanks to NetGalley and Kodansha for the ARC!*

The premise of this story is just as cute as the art inside this manga is. I mean, it feels like a common dream to go to school and befriend a celebrity, especially with how much younger celebrities are when being discovered. This manga delves into this fantasy with Sakiko getting to sit next to Chihiro, an idol from a group that Sakiko listens to. Their friendship and their character growth were very interesting and captivating, with Sakiko wanting to break out of her shell while Chihiro gets the opportunity to live a somewhat normal life at the same time as continuing to work hard with the rest of the Spring Sunshine group. But as much as I love the dynamic between these characters and the plot, there is another primary character that I don’t love as much–Maaya.

Maaya is supposed to represent the super-crazed fanatics who literally worship the idols they look up to. There are scenes where her dynamic with Sakiko and Chihiro creates comedic moments, but those scenes don’t last too long. Her obsessiveness crosses lines and boundaries that shouldn’t be crossed, all under the disguise of it being for comedy’s sake. During the first chapter of the manga, there is a scene in which Chihiro talks about never wanting to be an obsessive fan like this one fan she sees online. The fan is convinced that they are justified in harassing other fans to the point where meet and greets had to be postponed due to the severity of the bullying and threats. And then later, who do you think this fan is revealed to be? Maaya!

She never grows or gains any self-awareness, yet no one is willing to point out her flaws. She becomes a burden to the characters just as much as to the readers. Whether or not she improves as a character will be seen in future volumes. There was a kind of major cliffhanger ending, so I might pick up the next volume just for that.

I did not expect to find this manga to be something that hooked or interested me, but I'm so happy to have been mistaken!! It's very cute and I'm very drawn in by the drama thats stirring with the antagonist. The story also has queer vibes but I'm also not sure if this is what they are intending, if the idol obsession is in fact a crush or just extreme admiration. I hope to find out more!

I absolutely love manga, so I was so excited to read this, this is so adorable, different from my usual manga reads and so unusual, the relationship between Chiro and Saki is so fun and I can’t wait to see it develop over future volumes. Thoroughly recommended for fun, happiness and great characters

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

All sorts of surprises hit in this cute tale of a girl, who encounters her biggest idol and even gets the chance to become true friends.

Sakiko Manaka is a normal girl, who superly adores a talented star, Chiro-chan. When a new girl arrives at school and sits only a desk away, Sakiko can't believe her idol now sits right next to her. Concentrating on school is out of the question, and instead, Sakiko's determined to become friends with Chiro-chan...an amazing mission! But when another girl in class proves to be a super-fan-girl, too, with similar intentions but not so great means, the battle is on.

I do enjoy the art in this one. Sakiko and Chiro-chan come across wonderfully as, especially Sakiko's emotions radiate from every page in the same over-the-top manner that a true fan girl needs to have. They simply draw a smile and make it hard not to root for Sakiko no matter how overly strong this idolizing is. Plus, the text mixed well with each scene and really creates a nice balance, which flies by easily and draws in, at the same time.

This is a humorous book about forming friendship with two girls, who are very different, and yet, face struggles which the other one can balance out. The situations are funny but do strike a familiar chord and reflect some of the same issues readers face every day...just not quite like in this story. It's not a problem to root for both girls as they struggle past their own problems and near friendship more and more.

While there is tons to enjoy, I did have a problem with the 'other' character. This one is not mentioned in the blurb and added a direction I'm not sure how to see. The other fan girl in the class, who also tries to develop a type of friendship with Chiro-chan, is much more ill-intentioned. Bullying and mean plots twists problems in, which if fine if it'd be seen as such. But in this book, it seems to be an attempt at a comic relief, which doesn't quite work. Instead, I was left wondering about the girl's background and wished she would get help of some sort.

As to the future reads, I'm not sure where this series will go. this first book was a fun read, for the most part, but it's not clear how things will advance or heighten from this point. But I guess I'll have to wait and see. And I do think book 2 will be worth a read to find out. I received an ARC through Netgalley.

I adore idol manga and anime so this was absolutely adorable. What I loved about it was the female friendship aspect. I loved that it was different and unusual! The MC is interesting and endearing. You can connect with her and her love of Spring Shine!

The translations were also on point! It was all so nicely done and fun to read. I really liked it a lot!

This was a super cute story about a girl who's a fan of a girl who sits in the desk next to her. I loved the art style and enjoyed reading about these characters. Fangirl culture is one of those things I find super interesting to read about.
(arc from netgalley)

This is such a fun first volume of this slice of life, school life needs idol manga! Sakiko is a huge fan of Chiro-chan, her favorite singer in the idol group she loves. Imagine her surprise when she ends up sitting next to none other than her idol! The group isn't super well-known yet, so most of their schoolmates don't know that Chihiro is a member of the idol group.

Sakiko doesn't have many friends (or... any friends...) so she's excited to potentially make new friends, but she was hoping to make a friend who was also a FAN of her favorite idol group - not one of the actual idols themself! She's so careful about her interactions, worrying about what is "normal" for a new friendship and what might be seen as obsessive stalker fan behavior. Add into the mix a stalker fan who is pretending not to know Chihiro's idol identity... What a ride! I love this coming of age, friends with an idol manga and can't wait for the next volume.

Sakiko Manaka joined a new class dreaming to have a great time with her new classmates but unfortunately the spotlight was snatched by another girl, Chiro-chan, who is a world-class idol. Sakiko is a huge fan of the group to which Chiro-chan belongs and she is specifically head to toe in love for her idol, Chiro-chan.
A fan with her idol in the same classroom, if that wasn't enough there is one more fan of Chiro-chan who is in the same class and wants to have all of Chiro-chan's attention to herself!
This is a funny and hilarious tale of two fans fighting over their idol's attention.

This manga follows Saki, a hard-core idol fan of Chiro, ready to demonstrate why she is her biggest fan in any moment. But what could happen when she finds such idol not only in her classroom but sitting next to her?

Starting with Saki, the protagonist, the only thing that I have to say is that she is so relatable, funny and awkward at the same time. On the other hand, Chihiro (the real name of the idol Chiro) is also portrayed as what she really is, a teenager.

The relationship between both is really cute but it can grow and I expect it to do it in the following volumes. I will definitely check the future volumes.

The art style was neither original nor incredible but it was cute and really nice to look at so it works for me.

Overall an interesting story, I will grade it a 4/5. If you are a fan of yuri you should give this manga a chance.!