*TW: Assault, PTSD, Rape Culture* This was one of the most powerful and heart wrenching mangas I've ever read. When I read the synopsis, I knew I was going to experience something that was going to be very uncomfortable for me. "Uncomfortable" doesn't even measure up to what I was feeling while reading this story. Not Your Idol by Aoi Makino is about Nina Kamiyama, a former pop idol who decides to shun her femininity after a vicious assault from a fan. Dressing like a boy, Nina keeps to herself at her school and avoids contact with other students. When another student, Hikaru Horiuchi, discovers who she is, secrets are soon to be discovered. When reading this manga, I feel that the reader will get an insight on what it's like to be pop idol, especially in the J- and K-pop worlds. It is not as glamorous as you may think. As Nina decides to leave her group, Pure Club, you do understand why. She went through a very traumatic experience and she is still a teenager. When Nina decides to open up to fellow student Hikaru, she wonders if not all men are bad. But Hikaru has secrets of his own, and they might be related to Nina. In addition to her story, there is a situation where teen girls are being groped on a public train. In this part, we see double standards come to play. A popular pretty student gets groped, she gets sympathy. An unpopular girl has the same experience, she's accused of seeking attention. What the f***?! Sadly, this does and continues to happen. People still possess the mentality that just because someone is not pretty enough in their view, s/he can't be sexually assaulted (<---- I feel sick and heated just by typing this). There's even an "asking for it" scene where the girls defend their choice of clothing as a way to express themselves, and it falls on deaf ears. The book shows a lot of these issues that need to be addressed, and it left us with a cliffhanger that has me awaiting volume two. Readers are going to feel a lot of emotions while reading Not Your Idol. It is very hard hitting and tears at your heart as we follow Nina as she struggles with what happened to her. The double standards shown will make you think or at least piss you off. As someone who had experienced situations mentioned above, I had a lot of emotions. After everything I had expressed in this review, I still recommend Not Your Idol and rate it a 5 out of 5. It's a very special manga that should be read, and while it may be uncomfortable to read, sometimes we have to be uncomfortable in order to make a positive change.
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The Lord knew I needed a distraction from the doom and gloom of the "new normal." However this distraction was more doom and gloom, but in a comedic way. I honestly did not expect to laugh as hard as I did. The timing of the series and the artwork was different, but satisfactory. The story of Toilet-bound Hanako-kun follows Nene Yashiro, a high school student with a fascination with the occult. She even wears a skull brooch with her school uniform. She is so cute and may cosplay as her in the near future. She attends Kamone Academy, which is rumored to host Seven Mysteries, one of them being Hanako, who is believed to occupy the third stall in the third floor girls' bathroom. Yashiro goes to see if the rumor is true in hopes to improve her love life. When she discovers Hanako, she's not only sees that the ghost is real, but is also a boy. And this is where the story gets fun. Hanako takes Yashiro on such a crazy experience that I sincerely can't do it justice by describing it here. It is really hilarious. I shared the first episode of the anime to one of my best friends and my father, and they couldn't get enough of it. There's so much that goes on. The anime and manga are faithful to each other in regards to the story as well as well as the artwork, and I love seeing continuations like that. The only other faithful adaption I've seen so far between and anime and manga is Jojo's Bizarre Adventure. The friendship dynamic between Hanako and Yashiro is super cute. You see that even though Hanako can be extremely mischievous (total understatement) at times, he genuinely cares for her as sees her more as a friend than assistant (how that came to be is worth reading AND watching). Even when a "rival" for her affections appears, Hanako will protect Yashiro at any cost. Yashiro cares for Hanako as well, and it leads her to wonder how and why her new friend died. There are so many twists and turns that you have to see to believe. I loved this series, and while there were some points that had me scratching my head, Hanako-kun is a true gem. I give Toilet-bound Hanako-Kun a 4 out of 5. I definitely consider it one of the best of 2020. The manga series is continuing, and the anime can be found on the Funimation streaming site. While the anime series has ended, I do hope there will be a second season because there are still a lot of questions that need to be answered. *side note: Yes, that's my kitty Bella. No, she was not named after Bella Swan.* |
Who am I?The Library Lady is a Young Adult Librarian and reviewer. She's also a music, anime, and film nerd. Archives
January 2024
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