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さよならミニスカート [Sayonara Miniskirt] #3
Not Your Idol, Vol. 3
「私たちだけは私たちを許すの」
消えたアイドル・雨宮花恋。名も姿も変えても、その過去は彼女に新たな試練を──!?
消えたアイドル・雨宮花恋。名も姿も変えても、その過去は彼女に新たな試練を──!?
- GenresMangaYoung Adult
216 pages, Paperback
First published September 25, 2024
3 people are currently reading
40 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 22, 2026
good lord. Nagasu gets on my nerves.
October 10, 2025
[CW: sexual assault, suicidal ideation]
After a five year hiatus on our side of the world, we come right back into the story here with barely a moment’s pause. It was appreciated that they started off with a synopsis, however.
I had forgotten how lurid this series was and I’m giving it a high ranking because it is entertaining and I would be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy the heck out of it. But, geeze, this is such grim stuff.
The central thesis of this story, which is actually about misogyny and women’s right to their own bodies and narrative (a solid premise, really), is, in practice, that everybody sucks and is awful.
Certainly these are more nuanced, for lack of a better term, characters in regard to their emotions. This story doesn’t just deal with sexual assault, it deals with people who have experienced it but don’t want to admit it.
The three girls prominently featured in the story all reflect three types of response to abuse. Nina’s response was to change herself and reject what she felt brought it on. Miku is acting as if nothing happened or she made it up, which she might have, but the signs indicate she’s just coping. Hikaru’s sister feels that she brought it on herself by leading a teacher on.
Amidst all this, the question of how far people will go for fame comes up, as Pure Club ends up in lingerie yet again, desperately trying to cling to their popularity without Nina as the centre. We also learn that the original lingerie shoot was Nina’s idea to get the band exposure.
Naturally this couldn’t come at a worse possible time, since Hikaru’s sister has Pure Club as her sole link to the world outside her room. It’s an interesting look at an idol’s right to exploit themselves versus the message it sends to fans.
Miku remains at once the most pitiable character and one of the most miserable antagonists. There’s a sense that Miku will just do whatever she needs to do to get through any given day or scenario, which might be okay in the moment but long-term isn’t so great. I understand why Nina belted her.
Even our leads have their flaws. As is pointed out, Nina and Hikaru both care too much and will do just about anything to see the people they care about happy. It’s an attitude that’s laudable, but also just as likely to destroy them.
I do appreciate that they both aren’t perfect in other ways. Hikaru’s definitely succumbed to temptation and being a guy before, but he’s trying really hard to be a better person. It’s welcome and robust. Nina is trying to use her fame to protect people, although I am unsure exactly how she’ll pull that off.
It’s the teetering on the edge of being too much that sometimes throws this off. This is an unhappy story about unhappy people who are suffering. It’s so much so that when it goes into goofy romance mode for a second the tonal shift is incredibly jarring (and I do like Nina and Hikaru together a lot - they’re very similar in a good way).
Honestly, I think the worst parts of this volume harken back to the ‘but the stalker was never caught’ thriller vibe. Having this guy lurking in the background is a little silly, just like how all this is part of his grand plan. It doesn’t need this in the slightest.
(My money is on this dude being the group’s manager, who seems a little too hapless and also happens to be the only other male with presence in the story.)
And I think the reveal of Nina’s scar, done for maximum dramatic effect, could have used a second pass as it looks like it’s about to break its stitches and leak everywhere, which, no, that’s not how scars work. It would have healed by now, sorry.
Then there’s the big reveal at the end of the volume, which is totally one of those coincidences that never happens. It features a character with ties to everybody and who flippantly uses the word ‘woke’ as a pejorative, so you know he’s a dick.
4 stars - phew, I don’t know if this is pulling off what it’s trying to do. Sometimes it’s melodrama, sometimes it is fiercely close to misery porn. It is never not interesting and is trying to say things about the indignities women suffer, however, so it’s absolutely worth reading.
After a five year hiatus on our side of the world, we come right back into the story here with barely a moment’s pause. It was appreciated that they started off with a synopsis, however.
I had forgotten how lurid this series was and I’m giving it a high ranking because it is entertaining and I would be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy the heck out of it. But, geeze, this is such grim stuff.
The central thesis of this story, which is actually about misogyny and women’s right to their own bodies and narrative (a solid premise, really), is, in practice, that everybody sucks and is awful.
Certainly these are more nuanced, for lack of a better term, characters in regard to their emotions. This story doesn’t just deal with sexual assault, it deals with people who have experienced it but don’t want to admit it.
The three girls prominently featured in the story all reflect three types of response to abuse. Nina’s response was to change herself and reject what she felt brought it on. Miku is acting as if nothing happened or she made it up, which she might have, but the signs indicate she’s just coping. Hikaru’s sister feels that she brought it on herself by leading a teacher on.
Amidst all this, the question of how far people will go for fame comes up, as Pure Club ends up in lingerie yet again, desperately trying to cling to their popularity without Nina as the centre. We also learn that the original lingerie shoot was Nina’s idea to get the band exposure.
Naturally this couldn’t come at a worse possible time, since Hikaru’s sister has Pure Club as her sole link to the world outside her room. It’s an interesting look at an idol’s right to exploit themselves versus the message it sends to fans.
Miku remains at once the most pitiable character and one of the most miserable antagonists. There’s a sense that Miku will just do whatever she needs to do to get through any given day or scenario, which might be okay in the moment but long-term isn’t so great. I understand why Nina belted her.
Even our leads have their flaws. As is pointed out, Nina and Hikaru both care too much and will do just about anything to see the people they care about happy. It’s an attitude that’s laudable, but also just as likely to destroy them.
I do appreciate that they both aren’t perfect in other ways. Hikaru’s definitely succumbed to temptation and being a guy before, but he’s trying really hard to be a better person. It’s welcome and robust. Nina is trying to use her fame to protect people, although I am unsure exactly how she’ll pull that off.
It’s the teetering on the edge of being too much that sometimes throws this off. This is an unhappy story about unhappy people who are suffering. It’s so much so that when it goes into goofy romance mode for a second the tonal shift is incredibly jarring (and I do like Nina and Hikaru together a lot - they’re very similar in a good way).
Honestly, I think the worst parts of this volume harken back to the ‘but the stalker was never caught’ thriller vibe. Having this guy lurking in the background is a little silly, just like how all this is part of his grand plan. It doesn’t need this in the slightest.
(My money is on this dude being the group’s manager, who seems a little too hapless and also happens to be the only other male with presence in the story.)
And I think the reveal of Nina’s scar, done for maximum dramatic effect, could have used a second pass as it looks like it’s about to break its stitches and leak everywhere, which, no, that’s not how scars work. It would have healed by now, sorry.
Then there’s the big reveal at the end of the volume, which is totally one of those coincidences that never happens. It features a character with ties to everybody and who flippantly uses the word ‘woke’ as a pejorative, so you know he’s a dick.
4 stars - phew, I don’t know if this is pulling off what it’s trying to do. Sometimes it’s melodrama, sometimes it is fiercely close to misery porn. It is never not interesting and is trying to say things about the indignities women suffer, however, so it’s absolutely worth reading.
November 4, 2025
what the hell is nagasu's deal
i don't trust her brother at all
still an uncomfortable read but the commentary is important
i don't trust her brother at all
still an uncomfortable read but the commentary is important
Read
October 26, 2025volume 1: ooo this is deep
volume 2: I'm gonna trust the process
volume 3: I know there's a point attempting to be made but it's so belabored that I have lost interest
volume 2: I'm gonna trust the process
volume 3: I know there's a point attempting to be made but it's so belabored that I have lost interest
December 12, 2025
I waited, what, five years for this???? And OH things got MESSY!!! Like messy messy! What the actual *^%???
And why are so many of the boys in that school such pieces of dog vomit trash? Eeew.
The social commentary be sky high. This volume goes after misogyny HARD! The whole thing is just acknowledgement of misogyny's influence on everything that has to do with a women’s rights and their right to their own bodies autonomy. And then the lengths some women will go to act like what happened to them didn't matter. Wasn't that serious. Didn't mess them up in the slightest. Like wow, what a messy cluster $#%@ of heavy content.
It comes out to readers that Nina was the one who was originally behind Pure Club doing a lingerie shoot (how this is legal when she was only 13 is absolutely beyond me) to gain popularity when the now group of 4 decides to do it once again, for the same reason. The nuisances of idols doing things for one reason and the fans taking it a completely different way is explored a little.
Miku is just her desperate to be okay and yet still an absolute miserable hag self. It's crazy what comes out of her mouth. I wouldn't be able to stand her either. Hikaru also doesn't come out smelling like a rose either. Admittedly he is trying to be better and trying to drag numerous people with him up the road called betterment. Nina and him are trying their best to keep everyone safe and happy, but good lord, at what cost to themselves?
How many years till the next one?
And why are so many of the boys in that school such pieces of dog vomit trash? Eeew.
The social commentary be sky high. This volume goes after misogyny HARD! The whole thing is just acknowledgement of misogyny's influence on everything that has to do with a women’s rights and their right to their own bodies autonomy. And then the lengths some women will go to act like what happened to them didn't matter. Wasn't that serious. Didn't mess them up in the slightest. Like wow, what a messy cluster $#%@ of heavy content.
It comes out to readers that Nina was the one who was originally behind Pure Club doing a lingerie shoot (how this is legal when she was only 13 is absolutely beyond me) to gain popularity when the now group of 4 decides to do it once again, for the same reason. The nuisances of idols doing things for one reason and the fans taking it a completely different way is explored a little.
Miku is just her desperate to be okay and yet still an absolute miserable hag self. It's crazy what comes out of her mouth. I wouldn't be able to stand her either. Hikaru also doesn't come out smelling like a rose either. Admittedly he is trying to be better and trying to drag numerous people with him up the road called betterment. Nina and him are trying their best to keep everyone safe and happy, but good lord, at what cost to themselves?
How many years till the next one?
December 4, 2025
Review to be adjusted once series is complete
I have loved all of Makino's previous works and I was really glad to see this one get an English release. On the flip side, I was really sad when it went on hiatus for a fairly long time and now I am all the more glad that it's being continued.
In Not Your Idol, we follow Nina Kamiyama, a former idol who after being attacked by a fan chose to remove herself from the public face. Not only does she keep her identity as former idol a secret, she now dresses as a boy and deals with the aftermath of the attack - she can't see herself wearing skirts or anything feminine anymore and is generally uncomfortable around boys. We see different aspects of the same issue through her and her classmates' experiences such as groping on trains or how what effects provocative clothes might have.
I love Makino's way to depict emotion, her art and characters are very raw. Much like her previous works, this series also looks at bullying and manipulation. There is a certain amount of mystery around who Nina's assailant was and various untruths that gradually uncover. It's a beautiful series from an artistic point of view with a smidge of tragic tender love and a thought provoking topic that is not often addressed.
I have loved all of Makino's previous works and I was really glad to see this one get an English release. On the flip side, I was really sad when it went on hiatus for a fairly long time and now I am all the more glad that it's being continued.
In Not Your Idol, we follow Nina Kamiyama, a former idol who after being attacked by a fan chose to remove herself from the public face. Not only does she keep her identity as former idol a secret, she now dresses as a boy and deals with the aftermath of the attack - she can't see herself wearing skirts or anything feminine anymore and is generally uncomfortable around boys. We see different aspects of the same issue through her and her classmates' experiences such as groping on trains or how what effects provocative clothes might have.
I love Makino's way to depict emotion, her art and characters are very raw. Much like her previous works, this series also looks at bullying and manipulation. There is a certain amount of mystery around who Nina's assailant was and various untruths that gradually uncover. It's a beautiful series from an artistic point of view with a smidge of tragic tender love and a thought provoking topic that is not often addressed.
November 20, 2025
This story is a whirlwind of "is it sexual assault or is it a false accusation?" along with internal blaming, misogyny, and emotions around pedaling to a male gaze. Also, throw in men understanding that they are the problem, girls trying to be supportive of each other but sometimes being letdown, the healing process from trauma, and just... so much. Seriously, this book is an emotional hammer.
It is heavy, emotional, and sometimes inspiring. I wish it didn't always feel like they were taking a step forward only to fall back two. I need more hope! This book is so realistic though so.... yeah probably not much hope.
The ending... ugh anyhow I'm still trying to hope that things will work out for all the characters.
It is heavy, emotional, and sometimes inspiring. I wish it didn't always feel like they were taking a step forward only to fall back two. I need more hope! This book is so realistic though so.... yeah probably not much hope.
The ending... ugh anyhow I'm still trying to hope that things will work out for all the characters.
November 3, 2025
This series hurtttts, but in a good way. It's so real though, and I love how it's tackling the topic of women and their bodies.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews