Idol Dreams Vol. 1 TP
Publisher: VIZ Media
Release Date: November 3, 2015
Price: $9.99
Creator: Arina Tanemura
Format: 192 pgs., Black & White, Trade Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-4215-8256-6
Age Rating: 14+
ICv2 Ratings: 3.5 Stars out of 5

Chikage Deguchi has been humiliated. She goes to her high school reunion thinking that she is going to finally be able to admit her feelings to the guy that she had a crush on back in school but instead a loudmouth blurts out that Chikage is still a virgin at age 31.  She tries to kill herself but instead an old friend hooks her up with a special pill which reverts her back to age 15 for a short period of time which allows her to have a second chance at getting the life she always wanted.

The thing is about this series is that I'm already questioning where it is going to go.  If history has taught me anything it is that shojo manga can occasionally be very predictable and this particular series is no exception to that.  After only one volume I feel confident in predicting that this series is going to feature the main heroine getting deeper into her idol lifestyle.  Eventually she will get tired of being pulled in multiple directions and will have to make a choice between her adult life and her teenage idol life.  The only real question in my mind is how long does the author believe they can drag that story out?

To be fair, Idol Dreams does explore some interesting concepts.  I like that this is a story for people who wish they could have a second chance at making life into what they want it to be because let's face it, there are very few of us out there who truly feel like we got it right on the first try.  This has potential to be a deep story about someone finding her true calling and discovering what it is that really makes them special but there are a whole lot of pitfalls that it will have to avoid before it can even entertain the idea of being that series.

Overall the artwork in this series is the real draw into it.  Delicately drawn, I absolutely adored the character designs created for this series.  The contrast between the heroine's adult form and her teenage form was spot on and really did a great job of keeping the character familiar while making it very clear that she was in two very different physical forms.

This is a series for teens and grownups alike who wish they could re-do it all and have another chance at happiness.  There is real potential here and one can only hope that it continues to grow along with the main character.

--L.B. Bryant