Not Your Idol

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Not Your Idol
Cover of the first volume
さよならミニスカート
(Sayonara Mini Sukāto)
Genre
Manga
Written byAoi Makino [ja]
Published byShueisha
English publisher
ImprintRibon Mascot Comics
MagazineRibon
DemographicShōjo
Original runAugust 3, 2018 – present
Volumes2 (List of volumes)

Not Your Idol (Japanese: さよならミニスカート, Hepburn: Sayonara Mini Sukāto, lit. "Goodbye, Mini Skirt"), is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Aoi Makino. It began serialization in Shueisha's Ribon magazine in August 2018. As of March 2019, two collected volumes have been released.

Plot[edit]

Pure Club is an idol group with a global following. However, during a handshake event, Karen Amamiya is attacked by a hooded man, prompting her to leave the group and disappear from public view. In a separate storyline, Nina Kamiyama rejects traditional femininity, sporting short hair and male school uniform. Following an assault on a nearby schoolgirl, the schools in the area cancel girls' after-school activities, urging them to walk home in groups. Despite these warnings, Kamiyama continues to walk alone until Hikaru Horiuchi, a boy in the judo club, discovers her secret: she was Karen, the former center of Pure Club. Unbeknownst to Kamiyama, her assailant also knows about her past and is waiting to strike again.

Publication[edit]

Written and illustrated by Aoi Makino [ja], the series began serialization in Shueisha's manga magazine Ribon on August 3, 2018.[3] The series' first six chapters have been collected into two tankōbon volumes, the most recent volume being released in March 2019.[4] In the August 2019 issue of Ribon, it was stated that because of Aoi Makino's poor health, the series would be taking a break.[5] In 2024, it was announced that the series will be returning to serialization starting with the May 2024 issue of Ribon that will be released on April 3, 2024.[6]

At New York Comic Con 2019, Viz Media announced that they licensed the series for English publication.[7]

Volume list[edit]

No. Original release date Original ISBN English release date English ISBN
1 November 22, 2018[8]978-4-08-867520-6May 5, 2020[2]978-1-9747-1516-9
2 March 25, 2019[4]978-4-08-867543-5September 1, 2020[9]978-1-9747-1517-6

Reception[edit]

Brittany Vincent of Otaku USA praised the use of gender and social expectations in the story. She also praised the depiction of idol culture in the series and the psychological thriller elements, which she compared to Perfect Blue.[1] Morgana Santilli of Comics Beat felt the artwork and storytelling were typical of shōjo manga, though Santilli nonetheless praised the use of femininity in the story.[10] Lauren Orsini of Forbes compared the story to the 2014 AKB48 handsaw assault and the 2016 Stabbing of Mayu Tomita. She also praised the use of shōjo manga tropes in the story's exploration of femininity.[11]

Accolades[edit]

Year Award Category Result Ref.
2019 23rd Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize Best Manga Nominated [12]
2019 Tsutaya Comic Award Best Manga 10th place [13]
Da Vinci 19th Annual Book of the Year Book of the Year 41st place [14]
2020 Kono Manga ga Sugoi! guidebook Best Manga for Female Readers Won [15]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Vincent, Brittany (August 26, 2020). "Not Your Idol [Manga Review]". Otaku USA. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Not Your Idol, Vol. 1". Viz Media. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  3. ^ Sherman, Jennifer (August 5, 2018). "Ribon Magazine Editor-in-Chief Praises Aoi Makino's New Sayonara Mini Skirt Manga". Anime News Network. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  4. ^ a b さよならミニスカート 2 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  5. ^ さよならミニスカートの休載理由と連載再開の時期は?最新刊3巻の発売日はいつ (in Japanese). BiBi-Star. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
  6. ^ りぼんで真面目×不真面目の新連載、次号で「さよならミニスカート」連載再開 (in Japanese). Natalie. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
  7. ^ Sherman, Jennifer (October 4, 2019). "Viz Media Licences Fushigi Yūgi: Byakko Senki, How Do We Relationship?, Mujirushi: The Sign of Dreams Manga". Anime News Network. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  8. ^ さよならミニスカート 1 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  9. ^ "Not Your Idol, Vol. 2". Viz Media. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  10. ^ Santilli, Morgana (April 27, 2020). "REVIEW: NOT YOUR IDOL tackles teen trauma and the complexities of girlhood". Comics Beat. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  11. ^ Orsini, Lauren (August 20, 2020). "'Not Your Idol' Is A Subversive Examination Of Modern Femininity". Forbes. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  12. ^ Loo, Egan; Hodgkins, Crystalyn (February 25, 2019). "23rd Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize Nominees Announced". Anime News Network. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  13. ^ 「みんなが選ぶTSUTAYAコミック大賞 2019」受賞作品 TOP10が決定! (Press release) (in Japanese). Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan: Culture Convenience Club. July 18, 2019. Retrieved March 5, 2023 – via PR Times.
  14. ^ Pineda, Rafael (December 6, 2019). "Kingdom Manga Tops Da Vinci Ranking". Anime News Network. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  15. ^ Pineda, Rafael (December 11, 2019). "Kono Manga ga Sugoi! Editors Unveil 2020 Rankings". Anime News Network. Retrieved March 5, 2023.

External links[edit]