Over the course of the first three volumes, we’ve come to know Sakiko, a devoted fan of her favourite idol group Spring Sunshine; Maaya, a possessive fan of the same group; and Chihiro, the favourite idol of both Sakiko and Maaya. We’ve seen Sakiko come out of her shell, Maaya become… well, stay very Maaya, and Chihiro staying on the path of an idol with the support of the other two. Last time, we left on a cliffhanger of sorts, with Sakiko seeing one of the girls who had been somewhat unkind about Chihiro and her boyfriend at a festival at which Spring Sunshine are performing. 

 

In volume 4 of My Idol Sits the Next Seat Over, Sakiko encourages her disparaging classmate to give Spring Shine a watch, and while not converted, she can see that they put a lot of effort in. Chihiro and the group practice for the summer concert, held in an even bigger venue then normal – meaning tough dance routines to learn. We find out a little of Maaya’s home life, and maybe why she’s so… focused on the things she is. Finally, Chihiro and Sakiko plan a surprise for Maaya’s birthday, and Chihiro lands an acting role! 

 

I really liked the storyline with the classmate, and the ending of that – that you can recognise the work that goes into something and respect that without it necessarily being your thing. Her boyfriend was adorable as well. Again, we see that having friends who know and appreciate her idol work is very comforting to Chihiro, who is struggling with the dance routines. This manga is fairly light on the negative aspects of being an idol (although it certainly doesn’t completely shy away from them) but it’s nice to see the background, the hard work that goes into the routines and the staging. I also like how it’s balanced – Chihiro loves her work, but finds some of it difficult and has to work harder at it. 

 

The big thing covered in this volume was Sakiko and Maaya’s relationship. Maybe not when Chihiro is around, but we see Maaya feeling more conflicted about shrugging Sakiko off, and with her backstory, you start to understand somewhat where she’s coming from with her obsessional love of Chihiro. One thing is for sure, and it’s that Maaya needs a better mother than the one she has. She is mellowing a bit though, even though she’d hate anyone to point it out.  

 

This volume also ends on an cliffhanger – a pretty yuri-ish one! Genuinely wasn’t sure how it was going to go, but if you want to find out, volume five is already out! Review upcoming… Eventually. I felt like the Yuri quotient was upped here – Sakiko and Maaya certainly got closer in some aspects. I’m not sure it will actually end up in a romance, but it feels like it’s edging closer that way. We’ll have to see! 

 

Story: 7

Art: 8, it’s bright and sunny, like the subjects

Yuri: a cliffhanger 7…

Overall: 8 

 

If you can forgive Maaya’s worse antics in the first few volumes, especially if you like idols, this is worth getting into.  

Erica here: Thank you Luce for taking the time to keep our attention on this series. I know I appreciate your perspective of the characters dynamics a great deal!