What do you think?
Rate this book
IDOL×IDOL STORY! #1
IDOLxIDOL STORY! - Tome 01
From the author of New Game! comes an exciting story about an idol competition to make the best group ever!Meet Mimi, a college grad working part-time at a convenience store. Once an aspiring idol, she abandoned her dream when her group failed to make it big. Enter Ibuki, a rising star inspired by Mimi's past. Their unexpected encounters reignite Mimi's passion for the spotlight. Together, they decide to audition for a high-stakes idol competition show. Can they achieve their dreams and forge an unbreakable bond, or will the intense rivalry tear them apart?
- GenresManga
196 pages, Paperback
Published April 18, 2025
1 person is currently reading
30 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 30, 2025
The new manga from Shotaro Tokuno has arrived! Who? Why, the author of New Game!, of course. The yuri baitiest, most overstuffed, 4-koma that ever existed. Needless to say, I had reservations, even with the switch to regular format manga.
Thankfully, this exceeds expectations unexpectedly well. It wobbles in a couple places, but Tokuno has upped their game - this has better characterization and plot in twenty pages than New Game! had in ten volumes.
It starts off with one of our leads, Mimi, expressing her love for an idol, Ibuki, at a concert. Mimi’s narration implies that she is an ordinary girl with no sparkle, suggesting that she will soon become enmeshed in the world of idols and be discovered forthwith.
There’s also a jarring cutaway to a solo artist, Aria, introducing a reality/survival show called Super Star Ship (that name cannot be coincidental) that will chew through a pile of contestants to form a new idol group. This thing wastes no time.
Also, we find out seconds later that Mimi already was an idol. Her group, however, disbanded ages ago and she’s half-heartedly mucking her way through college and working a lousy job which enables her to enable herself and her fandom. She is literally her worst self and everybody knows it.
Seriously, we have a compelling character and a decent enough premise for a competition show that’s clear and concise. There’s no question of whether Mimi makes the competition - there is some great work done with the narrative hooks here - but it then boils down to a 16 girl contest for 5 spots.
This is a story about following your dreams and, more specifically, not giving up on those dreams. Mimi was too intense for her group, they never got popular, and that was enough for her to abandon her passion and make herself even more miserable.
She did connect with Ibuki back then, however, who is at odds with her own group in the present, as they have achieved a level of success that’s fine for them but isn’t the ‘giving it your all’ that Ibuki craves. Ibuki restarts Mimi’s dreams and it goes from there.
There’s some really smart writing to this, allowing for big swings of manga drama while also being grounded enough that the characters don’t feel completely fabricated. It’s very interesting. I love that they deal with ageism and the sheer effort involved in this endeavour as well.
The cast so far is solid - I really liked what Mimi’s little sister brought to the story, especially, and we’re slowly being introduced to the sixteen finalists. Having a set number gives me hope that we’ll stay focused on this core, as the exploding and unchecked cast was one of the issues with New Game!.
Is there yuri here? Ehhh, not exactly. Both our leads have professed their love (at fan meets) but that’s not quite the same thing. There are about a dozen ways this could go, and until they kiss I’ll remain suspicious based on how bait-y the mangaka’s last series was, but even without it there’s enough to enjoy.
It’s worth comparing this to the upcoming Girl Crush, which features a very similar scenario (but seems even less likely to go the yuri route). I think Girl Crush shows motion and dance much better, this is no slouch in the art department but it is not especially fluid, yet I think this is quite comparable in terms of merit.
One moment in particular I want to call out is a brief second where all that talk of sparkle actually pays off. I mean, you wouldn’t necessarily think it would be so literal, but it’s manga after all, and sparkle is very much a thing. It’s not directly called out, but it’s just enough to let the reader know that this is being written by somebody who knows what they’re doing.
I’d like to see Ibuki get a bit more to do post-karaoke scene, although she really shows her stuff through both her devotion to Mimi and how she handles a real curveball at the audition. The 50-person audition introduces some interesting conflicts and the volume ends with another knotty problem.
It’s doing all the right things, basically. I hesitate a little because of the path its predecessor took, but this is, so far, forging its own unique path and, if you aren’t sick of idol stories, this is doing some good work in a well-worn space.
3.5 stars - let’s see how it goes, the narrative does chop a bit and sometimes goes big, but this is entertaining as hell and if it stays this good it will be ranking higher next time out.
Thankfully, this exceeds expectations unexpectedly well. It wobbles in a couple places, but Tokuno has upped their game - this has better characterization and plot in twenty pages than New Game! had in ten volumes.
It starts off with one of our leads, Mimi, expressing her love for an idol, Ibuki, at a concert. Mimi’s narration implies that she is an ordinary girl with no sparkle, suggesting that she will soon become enmeshed in the world of idols and be discovered forthwith.
There’s also a jarring cutaway to a solo artist, Aria, introducing a reality/survival show called Super Star Ship (that name cannot be coincidental) that will chew through a pile of contestants to form a new idol group. This thing wastes no time.
Also, we find out seconds later that Mimi already was an idol. Her group, however, disbanded ages ago and she’s half-heartedly mucking her way through college and working a lousy job which enables her to enable herself and her fandom. She is literally her worst self and everybody knows it.
Seriously, we have a compelling character and a decent enough premise for a competition show that’s clear and concise. There’s no question of whether Mimi makes the competition - there is some great work done with the narrative hooks here - but it then boils down to a 16 girl contest for 5 spots.
This is a story about following your dreams and, more specifically, not giving up on those dreams. Mimi was too intense for her group, they never got popular, and that was enough for her to abandon her passion and make herself even more miserable.
She did connect with Ibuki back then, however, who is at odds with her own group in the present, as they have achieved a level of success that’s fine for them but isn’t the ‘giving it your all’ that Ibuki craves. Ibuki restarts Mimi’s dreams and it goes from there.
There’s some really smart writing to this, allowing for big swings of manga drama while also being grounded enough that the characters don’t feel completely fabricated. It’s very interesting. I love that they deal with ageism and the sheer effort involved in this endeavour as well.
The cast so far is solid - I really liked what Mimi’s little sister brought to the story, especially, and we’re slowly being introduced to the sixteen finalists. Having a set number gives me hope that we’ll stay focused on this core, as the exploding and unchecked cast was one of the issues with New Game!.
Is there yuri here? Ehhh, not exactly. Both our leads have professed their love (at fan meets) but that’s not quite the same thing. There are about a dozen ways this could go, and until they kiss I’ll remain suspicious based on how bait-y the mangaka’s last series was, but even without it there’s enough to enjoy.
It’s worth comparing this to the upcoming Girl Crush, which features a very similar scenario (but seems even less likely to go the yuri route). I think Girl Crush shows motion and dance much better, this is no slouch in the art department but it is not especially fluid, yet I think this is quite comparable in terms of merit.
One moment in particular I want to call out is a brief second where all that talk of sparkle actually pays off. I mean, you wouldn’t necessarily think it would be so literal, but it’s manga after all, and sparkle is very much a thing. It’s not directly called out, but it’s just enough to let the reader know that this is being written by somebody who knows what they’re doing.
I’d like to see Ibuki get a bit more to do post-karaoke scene, although she really shows her stuff through both her devotion to Mimi and how she handles a real curveball at the audition. The 50-person audition introduces some interesting conflicts and the volume ends with another knotty problem.
It’s doing all the right things, basically. I hesitate a little because of the path its predecessor took, but this is, so far, forging its own unique path and, if you aren’t sick of idol stories, this is doing some good work in a well-worn space.
3.5 stars - let’s see how it goes, the narrative does chop a bit and sometimes goes big, but this is entertaining as hell and if it stays this good it will be ranking higher next time out.
June 10, 2025
i love this 😭!! these girls are so cute and real (and dare i say inspiring), and i am in love with the art style!!! the start was a bit slow and lackluster imo, but it improved fairly quickly. def planning to read vol 2!
January 1, 2026
From the creator of New Game, I fully expect plenty of Yuri subtext and not much text, but it's enjoyable regardless. Largely a set up volume, this takes us to the third screening of the competition. I liked both Ibuki and Mimi, both kind of awkward people who didn't quite fit, and hoping for their chance at a major debut as idols. I did like that they show how much work is put in to being an idol.
August 25, 2025
Idol x Idol Story! Vol. 1 is a manga by Shotaro Tokuno, and it details the start of a journey. Two girls want to become idols, and both have already been idols but didn’t get what they wanted out of it. So they sign up for the biggest audition in the country, hosted by an incredibly popular woman. They are put on trial, rivaling against 13,000 other applicants until there’s only sixteen left. I love this story, and I love the way the main characters are written. Ibuki, one of the characters, is hard-working and determined to win this audition to debut. Mimi, her friend and the main character, had been a famous idol before and inspired many to become idols. But she dropped out when she got self-conscious of her abilities, claiming how she didn’t have the “spark” that it took to be an idol. I will say, I wish we got more of the evaluators behind the scenes during the first screening. So we could directly see their opinions of the candidates they reviewed, but other than that it was a blast to read. The illustrations are lovely and add charm to the story. Personally, I would recommend this manga to girls, teen girls specifically. I feel like the story of being in the spotlight would greatly appeal to teenage girls, as well as some boys too. This was a 10/10 for me!
June 15, 2025
Interesting start to this; looking forward to seeing them work together and see how this competition turns out.
July 16, 2025
3.5 I like the story though, but ya it's just full of drama, maybe bcs the theme is idol??? dk
August 25, 2025
Ok for now. A bit too "exceptional main character" but TBD.
November 25, 2025
I only have room in my life for one idol story right now (and that would be Girl Crush)
February 17, 2026
New Gamen piirtäjän vähän erilainen manga entisestä idolista, joka päättää yrittää vielä kerran. Piirrostyyli on ihana, tietenkin. Visuaalisesti sarja on vaativampi kuin 4-koma-manga rajallisilla taustoilla sun muilla helpotuksilla, mutta Tokuno suoriutuu siitä hyvin. Vaikuttaa oikein hyvältä idolisarjan aloitukselta. Luotan piirtäjään! Erityisesti sitä jään odottamaan, ilmaantuuko tähänkin jotain yuriviboja tai edes pelkästään enää viboja niin kuin New Gamen tapauksessa.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews