Aoi Makino

This book needs a bigger trigger warning about sexual assault, dating violence, sexual harassment and stalking. It is intense. Former idol Nina Kamiyama hides her feminine body under a boy's uniform and haircut to protect herself from the sexism and harassment pretty girls receive in society after being attacked by a fan. The boys and the girls in her class are in the midst of a gender war as the boys don't understand why the girls are upset by certain behaviors and expectations. As Kamiyama gets closer to a male classmate, a surprising love triangle between her, popular female classmate Nagasu and Hikaru.

Hikaru battles his own demons as the guilt of not believing his sister's accusations of sexual harassment from a teacher has and the shame, and the fear of the harassment has forced his sister into being a recluse. To atone for his sins, Hikaru tries very hard to protect both Kamiyama and Nagasu from harm, and keep his male classmates to consider the girls with more respect. However, Hikaru can't be everywhere at once and a tragedy befalls one of the girls.… (meer)

Not Your Idol is a complex story about a former girl idol trying to reclaim her agency after being attacked by a male fan. She leaves the spotlight and presents herself as a boy to protect herself from being hurt by men for being a girl. She blames herself for the attack because as an idol she willingly made herself a "toy," an unfeeling thing that everyone could have access to. Instead of blaming the system, she internalizes the shame of being such a girly-girl.

Nina, the main character, has PTSD from the violent assault, is being stalked by the assailant, and she and her female classmates are being targeted on crowded subways by a serial groper. There's victim blaming and slut shaming from the male and female characters. The students think that groping and rape happens to only pretty girls. In the story, there's a girl who gets groped every day on the train because she doesn't want to be labelled as the ugly girl who rides the women only car of the subway. The messaging in the book is wild. I'm hoping that as the story moves along, the author and illustrator does a better job of dispelling these troubling ways of thinking. There's not enough of an opposition to these stereotypes in the book. The story is just very triggering, and there is a mystery being set up that Nina's love interest may even be her stalker/attacker and she's willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.… (meer)

A good second volume to an interesting series. Not Your Idol tackles the double bind girls are put in trying to navigating being sweet and accommodating and while still trying to remain safe. The tension between the protagonist and her rival is the most interesting thing about the whole story. The characters are reflections of each other and you see the ways the world forces them to contort themselves into different shapes to fit in it. It's also nice to have the caring, if bland, love interest there to keep them safe.

I'd recommend this for someone who enjoyed the first book for sure.… (meer)

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.… (meer)