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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
Amazing graphic novel. Would highly recommend. Very detailed in the story as well as the details in the drawing. You felt draw into this novel.
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
"Idols forgive me for being a girl. They stand proudly on stage in short skirts smiling at fans regardless of gender and no matter what happens or what people say to them they're unrepentedly girly. I could relax then knowing it's okay to be a girl."
Psychological suspense manga
Themes of PTSD, feminism, femininity, victim blaming, gaslighting, misogyny
This book touches on the misogyny of the Japanese Idol world, but really it is the experience of every girl, woman, & feminine presenting NB person. In this world, we're punished for being feminine or not, in fact, everything for us is always a double-edged sword, and this story captures that perfectly.
Most of what the males say about women is about their looks, keeping the normalisation of assault or in regards to themselves.
Have you ever noticed that when a girl criticizes a boy she actually reasons? "He's violent/a jerk."
But men always make it about themselves which is not an argument: "I/Guys don't like girls like that", or "You're annoying/ugly" for not acting/saying exactly what they want.
Especially "ugly/annoying feminists" to make questioning the system and fighting for equality seem unattractive. They just say something generic to beat us into submission, and since we're conditioned early on to please the patriarchy and not given proper mental tools, we easily fall into abusive situations. Society fails us.
There is even an inappropriate scene where an adult TV host trying to touch the teen idols' legs is presented as family entertainment
Miku is the definition of a "Pick Me Girl". She brings other girls down while pretending to be nice. This, alongside her attractiveness, make her popular with the boys. She is an enabler of misogyny and r*pey discourse, being instrumental in the oppression and indoctrination of her own gender.
She sides with the boys who, on the topic of a deviant touching her thigh, say things like "If you wear that, you're asking to get touched", "I'm jealous of that deviant" and "She's jealous of you, she'd never get groped." They're loud and stick together like herd to silence the girls' experiences/feelings on sexual harassment and being sexualized. She is part of the problem, making light of predatory behaviour.
But there's the reverse side, where everyone acts like not conventionally attractive or presenting people won't be in danger, which is absolutely false . Usually, these ostracized people are even more at risk.
That dramatic ending almost cost it a half star. It makes no sense for the traumatized mc, Nina, to put herself in possible danger, or worry the people who care about her, when there's plenty of reasons to worry indeed!
The idol coworker and manager annoyed the heck out of me, screaming her stage name in public, when she's in hiding! You know her legal name, use that!
In the end, I decided the work done in previous chapters was more important. But I hope survivors and young readers don't get the wrong idea. No matter how much you want to trust someone, if there's a chance that they're dangerous or untrustworthy, especially if you've been attacked by an unknown someone before or you're getting threatening mail and other such suspicious/shady activities/circumstances, clear that up in a public space with lots of witnesses.
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I really liked this first volume! It ended up being completely different than I expected and has quite a serious tone to it. I so far like how the commentary on what is to be female and sexual harassment is being handled. Of course there’s the drama aspect thrown in that has me quite intrigued.
First, the artwork is stunning. 10/10, leaves nothing to be desired. Just really aesthetically pleasing. Second, the plot. I need more volumes to be published already because I’ve already fallen in love with this manga and need to see where it’s heading.
This manga isn't what I was expecting, yet at the same time, it is so much more. Perfect for K-Pop and J-Pop fans and avid manga readers, I strongly reccomend this book to anyone as it shows the often ignored dangers of being in the limelight, the misogyny that (unfortunately) still to this very day lives within our society, and one's journey on rediscovering themself.
Not Your Idol, a manga by Aoi Makino, confronts some pretty serious issues such as violence and sexual assault. I think this manga is socially important: it is part of the step of ending rape culture and exposing these people and issues so they get the sentence that they f***ing deserve.
---
When I originally began to read this manga, I had no intention to continue the series. It was good but not one hundred per cent my cuppa tea.
Now that I have finished this volume, I am intruigued. I want to know what happens. I am invested into these characters and want to know what happens to them. I need to know if karma will severely come around to those who deserve it.
I strongly reccomend this manga to anyone who wants to be invested in characters and for a thrilling manga that reflects the struggles of everyday life.
Not Your Idol, a manga by Aoi Makino, confronts some pretty serious issues such as violence and sexual assault. I think this manga is socially important: it is part of the step of ending rape culture and exposing these people and issues so they get the sentence that they f***ing deserve.
---
When I originally began to read this manga, I had no intention to continue the series. It was good but not one hundred per cent my cuppa tea.
Now that I have finished this volume, I am intruigued. I want to know what happens. I am invested into these characters and want to know what happens to them. I need to know if karma will severely come around to those who deserve it.
I strongly reccomend this manga to anyone who wants to be invested in characters and for a thrilling manga that reflects the struggles of everyday life.
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
cw: assault, ptsd, misogyny, stalking, bullying, sexism, sexual harassment, homophobia, transphobia.
+ art style
+ ptsd/trauma scenes (they never call it ptsd though)
- hikaru being a good person because his little sister was assaulted (why can't he be a good person just because he is?)
- i'm not sure if the main character is a trans man or not. they seem to bind their chest and they say they are a boy at least once in the manga.
- this manga should have a disclaimer that says trans men are men and not girl's who have been assaulted. (this is a very common thing that transphobic people say to trans men, that we want to be men bc women are treated so badly in this world)
tags: content warnings, trigger warnings, tw
+ art style
+ ptsd/trauma scenes (they never call it ptsd though)
- hikaru being a good person because his little sister was assaulted (why can't he be a good person just because he is?)
- i'm not sure if the main character is a trans man or not. they seem to bind their chest and they say they are a boy at least once in the manga.
- this manga should have a disclaimer that says trans men are men and not girl's who have been assaulted. (this is a very common thing that transphobic people say to trans men, that we want to be men bc women are treated so badly in this world)
tags: content warnings, trigger warnings, tw
challenging
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No