What do you think?
さよならミニスカート [Sayonara Miniskirt] #4
Not Your Idol, Vol. 4
A psychological suspense series about a girl who has given up her life as an idol after being assaulted by a fan.
After that day, she stopped being a girl.
In the wake of an assault, Nina Kamiyama, a former idol in the group Pure Club, shuns her femininity and starts dressing as a boy. At high school she keeps to herself, but fellow student Hikaru Horiuchi realizes who she is. What secrets is she keeping? The shocking drama starts.
"I love you. I really do love you."
Nina Kamiyama is a former idol who changed her identity after being assaulted by a stalker. Nina and Hikaru are growing closer, but will Miku’s recent assault drive a wedge between them?
After that day, she stopped being a girl.
In the wake of an assault, Nina Kamiyama, a former idol in the group Pure Club, shuns her femininity and starts dressing as a boy. At high school she keeps to herself, but fellow student Hikaru Horiuchi realizes who she is. What secrets is she keeping? The shocking drama starts.
"I love you. I really do love you."
Nina Kamiyama is a former idol who changed her identity after being assaulted by a stalker. Nina and Hikaru are growing closer, but will Miku’s recent assault drive a wedge between them?
- GenresGraphic NovelsManga
216 pages, Paperback
Published July 7, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 25, 2026
[CW: abuse, sexual assault]
When I said last time that this was perilously close to misery porn that was not an invitation for somebody to put their finger on the scale and tip it right over. Yet here we are and, boy, is this volume annoying.
It’s tough to read a story where every single decision somebody makes is the wrong one. Try to be evil? Punished. Try to do the right thing? Punished. Try to do the lesser of two evils? Punished. This morphed from an examination of misogyny to a treatise on nihilism.
Hikaru tries to save Nina from an unscrupulous reporter, who basically just takes whatever he says and makes it worse. I am aware that tabloids are awful, but the way she keeps twisting the knife on him and forcing him to ultimately become a hypocrite is a little ridiculous.
And that sexual assault on Miku comes back to haunt everybody, turning out to be part of a much bigger plot than anybody could have imagined, or was strictly necessary for this story. There’s no ‘this is enough’ that this volume wants to recognize.
If it didn’t revel in its misery and excesses so much, it would be more effective. This becomes so unbelievable by the ending that it nearly veers into farce with how ludicrous things are.
Nina attempts to do the right thing and ends up imperiled by the end of the volume, a lousy revelation that also seems to have the most obvious suspect at the centre of it. You’re not making a great suspense story if you don’t have any actual suspense.
Everybody yells and thinks and talks all at once and some of these pages are drowning in way too much dialogue. Whatever impressions I had of its depth last time are quickly filled up with a lot of detritus.
Parts of it are not bad. Poor Tsuji, endlessly trying to do the right thing, loses her cool with Miku’s endless backstabbing on Nina (not that Miku is affected; nobody ever gets much by way of comeuppance here). Miku’s godawful attitude feels like she’s five steps from starting a tradwife account.
I also really liked the moment where Sanada accidentally triggers Nina just by acting naturally (and also tripping). It’s a great little lesson on how seemingly innocuous actions can be very stressful depending on a person’s circumstances.
It’s also reflective of the nuance that this series has shown pretty much up to this point. There’s not enough of it here, sadly, plus it loves to throw shockingly inappropriate humour in the middle of its tragedies.
This is, categorically, a mess. It feels overstuffed and, rather than pulling its punches, seems content to throw all of them at once. There’s escalation and there’s trying to put the story into a low geosynchronous orbit and this attempts the second to its detriment.
2.5 stars - oh, I know, I know. This just didn’t do it for me. The risk of leaning in hard is that you might just fall over and that’s pretty much what happens here. Way, way too much.
When I said last time that this was perilously close to misery porn that was not an invitation for somebody to put their finger on the scale and tip it right over. Yet here we are and, boy, is this volume annoying.
It’s tough to read a story where every single decision somebody makes is the wrong one. Try to be evil? Punished. Try to do the right thing? Punished. Try to do the lesser of two evils? Punished. This morphed from an examination of misogyny to a treatise on nihilism.
Hikaru tries to save Nina from an unscrupulous reporter, who basically just takes whatever he says and makes it worse. I am aware that tabloids are awful, but the way she keeps twisting the knife on him and forcing him to ultimately become a hypocrite is a little ridiculous.
And that sexual assault on Miku comes back to haunt everybody, turning out to be part of a much bigger plot than anybody could have imagined, or was strictly necessary for this story. There’s no ‘this is enough’ that this volume wants to recognize.
If it didn’t revel in its misery and excesses so much, it would be more effective. This becomes so unbelievable by the ending that it nearly veers into farce with how ludicrous things are.
Nina attempts to do the right thing and ends up imperiled by the end of the volume, a lousy revelation that also seems to have the most obvious suspect at the centre of it. You’re not making a great suspense story if you don’t have any actual suspense.
Everybody yells and thinks and talks all at once and some of these pages are drowning in way too much dialogue. Whatever impressions I had of its depth last time are quickly filled up with a lot of detritus.
Parts of it are not bad. Poor Tsuji, endlessly trying to do the right thing, loses her cool with Miku’s endless backstabbing on Nina (not that Miku is affected; nobody ever gets much by way of comeuppance here). Miku’s godawful attitude feels like she’s five steps from starting a tradwife account.
I also really liked the moment where Sanada accidentally triggers Nina just by acting naturally (and also tripping). It’s a great little lesson on how seemingly innocuous actions can be very stressful depending on a person’s circumstances.
It’s also reflective of the nuance that this series has shown pretty much up to this point. There’s not enough of it here, sadly, plus it loves to throw shockingly inappropriate humour in the middle of its tragedies.
This is, categorically, a mess. It feels overstuffed and, rather than pulling its punches, seems content to throw all of them at once. There’s escalation and there’s trying to put the story into a low geosynchronous orbit and this attempts the second to its detriment.
2.5 stars - oh, I know, I know. This just didn’t do it for me. The risk of leaning in hard is that you might just fall over and that’s pretty much what happens here. Way, way too much.
July 18, 2026
While the previous volume had me question whether I wanted to continue, this volume solidified that I do want to pursue this series further. Especially after that cliffhanger…Agh. Well played.
I will say, I loved the emphasis on family life/trauma in this one. From the insight into Sanada’s home life and fear of his father, or moreso turning into him…, to the truth behind Kamiyama’s family dynamic and how it shaped her personality… to Hikaru wanting to not only provide comfort to Kamiyama, but her inner child as well. The frame where he held her and she became her younger self in his arms touched me especially.
I enjoyed seeing more of both Sanada & Tsuji; I feel protective towards Tsuji, and I’m growing fonder of Sanada too. I’d like to see them naturally gravitate towards each other in the end.
Now I won’t lie, I held back a sigh every time I turned to the next page and saw Miku being a part of it; however, the way it ended has me finally seeing a sliver of hope for her.
Perhaps she’s always acted this insufferable to push Nina away, potentially already knowing who her brother really is? Or maybe i’m giving her too much credit.
Either way, I’m glad the legitimacy of her assault has finally been confirmed. Ultimately, I think her playing dumb all along as means to not be seen as a threat by her unsafe older brother would make sense.
This volume was filled with drama from start to end, and connections are starting to be made. Hikaru and Nina’s relationship is finally progressing, and I selfishly hope the roadblocks holding them back from each other begin to cease in the next installment.
If anything, I think it’s time for a kiss.
Anywho~ I’m anticipating vol.5 with bated breath!
I will say, I loved the emphasis on family life/trauma in this one. From the insight into Sanada’s home life and fear of his father, or moreso turning into him…, to the truth behind Kamiyama’s family dynamic and how it shaped her personality… to Hikaru wanting to not only provide comfort to Kamiyama, but her inner child as well. The frame where he held her and she became her younger self in his arms touched me especially.
I enjoyed seeing more of both Sanada & Tsuji; I feel protective towards Tsuji, and I’m growing fonder of Sanada too. I’d like to see them naturally gravitate towards each other in the end.
Now I won’t lie, I held back a sigh every time I turned to the next page and saw Miku being a part of it; however, the way it ended has me finally seeing a sliver of hope for her.
Perhaps she’s always acted this insufferable to push Nina away, potentially already knowing who her brother really is? Or maybe i’m giving her too much credit.
Either way, I’m glad the legitimacy of her assault has finally been confirmed. Ultimately, I think her playing dumb all along as means to not be seen as a threat by her unsafe older brother would make sense.
This volume was filled with drama from start to end, and connections are starting to be made. Hikaru and Nina’s relationship is finally progressing, and I selfishly hope the roadblocks holding them back from each other begin to cease in the next installment.
If anything, I think it’s time for a kiss.
Anywho~ I’m anticipating vol.5 with bated breath!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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September 7, 2026I KNEW THE BROTHER WAS SUS
i still don't understand miku's deal
i still don't understand miku's deal
September 19, 2026
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.
July 10, 2026
This one was hard to review. I feel like these kids just keep meeting gross adults who prey on them, and they are being led to make reprehensible decisions to stay afloat. No one should have to deal with these situations, let alone kids as young as they are. I was going to rate this at 3 stars only until the last few scenes. I really want to know how this revelation plays out.
July 31, 2026
The growing suspense of what has been developing is going to be the death of me!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews