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owlyreadsalot's review against another edition
3.0
There was much in this story that touched on the craziness that surrounds an idol, showing the reader the sadder side of the industry. That was much appreciated, as the story progressed, putting those moments in the forefront. What that can do to a person, and the need many have felt for a different appearance, different name, a forgotten face.
But, it also felt a little out of sync, as some scenes weren't made clear, the order of it, flashbacks and all. Or, the fruition of it all just wasn't what it could have been. It didn't take much from the story, but it did create a bit of a disconnect for me as the reader. Not only that, but visually a bit confusing with the issues at hand. The manga comes off as cute and adorable, which is what many manga's are like, but it wasn't necessarily fitting to the theme.
All in all, it was still a captivating story, with many truths, and difficult hard-hitting topics, just wish it was brought forth in a different format than manga. Not sure how I feel about there being a cliffhanger, requiring more volumes to be written. Since it's something that had me in the in-between with this one already, I might not be choosing to pick up the next. It's possibly just not something for me, at least as mentioned, not in this format.
***I received this copy from VIZ Media LLC, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.***
But, it also felt a little out of sync, as some scenes weren't made clear, the order of it, flashbacks and all. Or, the fruition of it all just wasn't what it could have been. It didn't take much from the story, but it did create a bit of a disconnect for me as the reader. Not only that, but visually a bit confusing with the issues at hand. The manga comes off as cute and adorable, which is what many manga's are like, but it wasn't necessarily fitting to the theme.
All in all, it was still a captivating story, with many truths, and difficult hard-hitting topics, just wish it was brought forth in a different format than manga. Not sure how I feel about there being a cliffhanger, requiring more volumes to be written. Since it's something that had me in the in-between with this one already, I might not be choosing to pick up the next. It's possibly just not something for me, at least as mentioned, not in this format.
***I received this copy from VIZ Media LLC, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.***
crimyami's review against another edition
5.0
We follow Nina Kamiyama as she tries to forget her life as an Idol, and to move past the trauma she suffered as one. Idol girls are forced to abandon a lot of things or they end up getting kicked out for not being everyone's idol. When whispers of a man groping high school girls starts going around it sends Nina into reliving things she's been trying to forget. She's not really popular in school and perfers to be left alone. When one of the girls she knows gets sexually 'attacked' and blows it off as nothing it makes Nina angry and upset that she acts like it's okay and that's how the world is. I do enjoy the story Aoi Makino is sharing with everyone and I think it reveals a lot in our world today as girls/woman of all ages are dealing with these type of advances. I can't wait for Volume 2 to come out!
perazo's review against another edition
3.0
I definitely wanted to like this more, and while it had all the ambitions in setting up some very good insight into idols and the dark side of fandoms/abusers/enablers/etc/etc, I was left wanting more.
thenextgenlibrarian's review against another edition
3.0
Thank you Edelweiss for an ARC of this manga. All opinions are my own. I liked this graphic novel but had a few concerns about some of the violence in it. I loved the gender fluidity and standing up for yourself, but some of the story felt a bit too much like a victim shaming.
simoneclark's review against another edition
5.0
Thank you, NetGalley, for a complimentary copy of this manga!
Wow, just wow!!! I read this one in one sitting...not only because it was a short read, but I got sucked into the story!! I felt for Karen and Tsuji and I love Hikaru! The story is fantastic and I can't wait to read the next one! The graphics were great as well. I loved the "background images" when the MCs were remembering the past. The manga was well-written and addressed touchy subjects, such as assault, gender expectations, and the struggles in the aftermath of such incidents really well...the fears, the problems trusting people, the desire to change your appearance--all that was portrait well in this book!
Wow, just wow!!! I read this one in one sitting...not only because it was a short read, but I got sucked into the story!! I felt for Karen and Tsuji and I love Hikaru! The story is fantastic and I can't wait to read the next one! The graphics were great as well. I loved the "background images" when the MCs were remembering the past. The manga was well-written and addressed touchy subjects, such as assault, gender expectations, and the struggles in the aftermath of such incidents really well...the fears, the problems trusting people, the desire to change your appearance--all that was portrait well in this book!
tracie_nicole's review against another edition
1.0
When I read this years ago I enjoyed it. But looking back, and rereading it, I couldn't get through it. The constant male bullying, female and victim bashing, and the over and over trope of "she asked for it" when a character gets sa'ed is too much. When an author uses that as one of the only tropes it makes you start to think that that's how they feel. And then there was the "romance" that NEEDED to happen with the main character and one of the male leads which felt contrived and unnecessary. Like the main NEEDED the man and the romance to "become a proper girl again". The whole thing made me feel icky. So I'm going to say no to this one and to the second one as well.
bushph's review against another edition
4.0
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!
This is a fantastic, suspenseful manga and I can't wait for the second volume to come out!
thenextgenlib's review against another edition
3.0
Thank you Edelweiss for an ARC of this manga. All opinions are my own. I liked this graphic novel but had a few concerns about some of the violence in it. I loved the gender fluidity and standing up for yourself, but some of the story felt a bit too much like a victim shaming.
saramarie08's review against another edition
3.0
Read more graphic novel reviews at www.graphiclibrary.org.
Nina Kamiyama is trying to fly under the radar and attend her high school classes. She doesn't want anyone to find out that she used to be in Pure Club, an idol group that was super popular across Japan. After a fan assaulted her, she quit the group and begun her second life. Unfortunately, someone recognizes Nina as Karen, the former leader of Pure Club, and her new life begins to unravel. This story deals a lot with trauma, assault, exploitation culture, and more.
One of the things readers need to know going into this is what the concept of an idol group is. These are similar to Boy Bands in the US, but with a lot more rules. Participants are supposed to stay a certain size, they have an age out point, and the girls in idol groups are not allowed to date.
While the main crux of this story centers around assault and the trauma Nina is recovering from, the way that it is handled is sometimes less than delicately. This story gets marks for incorporating these difficult topics, but it was done through a moderately disjointed narrative. While discussing the Idol culture, much of the conversation is centered on men's perceived rights to female bodies, and some of the discussion here seems to reinforce these stereotypes. This might be something that is broken down later after the situation is completely set up, so I look forward to seeing how Volume 2 handles the exploitation culture.
The art style relies heavily on the type of shading that uses patterns, which is not one of my favorite styles. It often brings me out of the story as I notice the shapes and where else they're being used in the same panel. The characters themselves and the scenes they are in are well drawn despite the shading tool.
VIZ rates this for Teen Plus on account of the assault, sexualization of people, and the heavy topics incorporated in this story.
Sara's Rating: 6/10
Suitability Level: Grades 10-12
This review was made possible with a digital reader copy from the publisher through Edelweiss.
Nina Kamiyama is trying to fly under the radar and attend her high school classes. She doesn't want anyone to find out that she used to be in Pure Club, an idol group that was super popular across Japan. After a fan assaulted her, she quit the group and begun her second life. Unfortunately, someone recognizes Nina as Karen, the former leader of Pure Club, and her new life begins to unravel. This story deals a lot with trauma, assault, exploitation culture, and more.
One of the things readers need to know going into this is what the concept of an idol group is. These are similar to Boy Bands in the US, but with a lot more rules. Participants are supposed to stay a certain size, they have an age out point, and the girls in idol groups are not allowed to date.
While the main crux of this story centers around assault and the trauma Nina is recovering from, the way that it is handled is sometimes less than delicately. This story gets marks for incorporating these difficult topics, but it was done through a moderately disjointed narrative. While discussing the Idol culture, much of the conversation is centered on men's perceived rights to female bodies, and some of the discussion here seems to reinforce these stereotypes. This might be something that is broken down later after the situation is completely set up, so I look forward to seeing how Volume 2 handles the exploitation culture.
The art style relies heavily on the type of shading that uses patterns, which is not one of my favorite styles. It often brings me out of the story as I notice the shapes and where else they're being used in the same panel. The characters themselves and the scenes they are in are well drawn despite the shading tool.
VIZ rates this for Teen Plus on account of the assault, sexualization of people, and the heavy topics incorporated in this story.
Sara's Rating: 6/10
Suitability Level: Grades 10-12
This review was made possible with a digital reader copy from the publisher through Edelweiss.
molly_dettmann's review against another edition
4.0
A #MeToo manga with a dark mystery/psychological thriller plot. I dug it, but at the same time it hit close to home. Definitely an older manga read for your high schoolers.