Imagine this: You’ve worked hard to be the “perfect” girl in high school after completely changing your image and crushing the rumors of your mom’s affair from when you were in elementary school. You study and work hard in every area of your life, especially when it comes to dancing. You are idolized everywhere you go in school, and know that nothing is too hard for you to become the best at. Yet, when a random, not-so-pretty, not-so-perfect girl crosses your path filled with joy and passion for becoming a K-pop idol, your world is somehow shaken. No matter how many times you show off your superior skills, somehow she woos the crowd and touches those around her much more strongly than you can. 

Enter the life of Tenka Momose, a young woman who internally declares Erian Sato to be her rival, and who will do everything to be the ultimate “girl crush”! Because if anyone has the skills and talent to embody the ideal of the star who is mature and aloof, while also being sexy and cool, surely it is Tenka! But the more she sees how Sato captivates those around her with her dancing and singing, the more she realizes she might have to try harder than she ever has before, and become a K-pop idol too!

Spoiler-free TL;DR:

We both loved this premiere volume! With countless idol manga (Laura) and K-pop manhwa (claire) series under our belts, there’s often not a whole lot for us to get excited about when it comes to tales of high-velocity song and dance. But Girl Crush’s approach to this well-trodden genre is fresh, centering not on romance or fandom, but on female friendship–or is it rivalry? Depends which one of the girls you ask! Which is what makes this such a delightfully entertaining and engaging read. But best of all, Sato is a downright inspiring figure, even for readers well past their days of dreaming about teenaged fame!

Be warned, the spoilers come thick and fast below!

The Artstyle

claire: First up, let’s talk about the art. This is an idol series, after all, so aren’t looks like 99% of what it’s all about? Just kidding! And yet, what’s your take, Laura? At first, I was surprised at how simple the art is, with minimal backgrounds and shading/texturing, but the cleanness of the art grew on me and by the end, felt oddly appropriate. These girls are, in a sense, treating themselves like blank slates upon which to compose themselves into idols, after all, especially Tenka, who is much more intentional about how she presents herself to others. So in the end, though it surprised me a little at first, I really appreciated the simplicity.

Laura: No, I think you’re totally right, Claire, that unfortunately looks are like 99% of things! Interestingly enough, I didn’t really pay much attention to the art except that Tenka is beautiful and Sato isn’t as beautiful in the conventional sense of what we associate with K-pop idols, but the movement of each of these girls drew me in. (Parital pun intended LOL) It was through their dancing that I felt I saw them as characters. Heavily detailed backgrounds are unneeded because the energy of either Tenka or Sato fills in for anything that may seem to be “missing” at first glance. The artist really knows how to bring out the emotions of our characters and I agree with your description of how it feels oddly appropriate; it feels spot on to me as well!

claire: That’s an excellent point! The sheer level of motion captured in the poses and linework really does bring everything to life. I feel like I’ve already seen them animated! 

The Premise: Japanese Teens Aiming for Korean Stardom

claire: I find the premise really fascinating as essentially a Japanese take on K-pop and Korean culture (I hope we get more of the latter as the series develops!). It’s so important as Western readers for us to appreciate the distinctiveness of different Asian cultures, just as we do with Europe, for instance, or perhaps States within the US, and I love these kinds of stories that can add that extra layer of insight from an Asian perspective. I’m keen to see how Tenka does with learning the language, for instance, and, if the girls end up relocating to Seoul, what culture shock looks like for them. The little details about what makes a performer suited to the J-pop idol scene as opposed to the K-pop scene were also fascinating. 

Laura: I find your feelings on this interesting because I felt similarly about the manga, but for completely different reasons! With an increase in focus on idols in manga—and I’m specifically thinking of shoujo here—there is something deeply refreshing about Girl Crush in that it focuses more on the actual idol scene. We see Tenka and Sato working towards their dreams and the reality that they have a one-in-a-thousand chance to make it through an audition. 

Bringing this back to my opening statement, many of the recent popular K-idol manga center on a fan getting to know the real idol and becoming friends (maybe something more?), as in Tamon’s B-Side or My Special One, which focuses on a newer fan seeing how hardworking idols are and entering into a romantic relationship. Both of these English-printed series focus on romance and humor, making Girl Crush almost seem to be the “odd one out” because neither of those things are the focus. This series looks set to take a more realistic take on the idol genre, perhaps? I mean, we see that when Tenka and Sato are at their audition and someone comes up to them speaking Korean and Tenka admits that she didn’t really think or see a need to learn the language. 

(Note: There are other idol shoujo manga that have been doing really well in Japan and in fact I have one of them on my license wishlist, but I unfortunately don’t know enough to expand on them. I just know it’s an increasing trend in shoujo manga because friends have pointed out they don’t want any more idol romance manga in English. LOL) 

claire: Great point! I’ll admit, I haven’t read any other idol manga, but I have read a fair few manhwa, and I’m interested to see what kinds of differences may emerge in the storytelling, that is, how a K-pop idol story told through manga, by a Japanese author, compares to the countless manhwa idol series we have courtesy of Webtoon (e.g. something like Lilac 200%, which also explores female friendship through idol training). Obviously, the artistic styles are strikingly different, but what of the stories themselves? The dominant themes? I’m curious about how this will play out.   

Tension & Harmony: The Girls’ Winsome Dynamic

claire: I can’t say enough how much I’m enjoying the dynamic between the two female leads! First off, there’s Sato’s utter obliviousness of Tenka’s rivalry with her, which is just delightful. The whole “I shall defeat you, you are my rival!” meets “You’re so kind to me! We’re going to win this together!” is straight up hilarious! The humor lands well.

But even more so than the humor, I love the way their personalities complement one another, with Tenka being the realist who strategizes and plans and works methodically and reminds me of every MBTI TJ friend I have; and Sato, the oblivious, instinctual, “leads with her heart” dreamer, who works just as hard (such an FP!). They’re opposites, yet they are so aligned, in ways that I think will shock Tenka, but which Sato already takes for granted! I expect these two will make an unstoppable duo as the story progresses. But will there be room for any other band members???

Laura: I echo both of these points so strongly! I love how Sato really doesn’t have any idea that Tenka has declared her to be her rival! I also love how Tenka has basically adopted Sato’s dream to be an idol! Who would have thought a rival could have that much “power” and not even know it! I don’t think they even realize how much their personalities complement each other, but it definitely shows while they are sightseeing together before the audition! I can imagine how the way they are not fully in tune with one another when they do the little “concert” will only change as they grow closer, though hopefully more as friends than rivals!

claire: I’m so glad you mentioned that scene! It was so well done by the letterer too, overlapping their at times clashing lyrics (when Sato forgets the words) in such a visually jarring way at times, and then more harmoniously at others. You really could hear the song with your eyes! 

The Beauty of Fearlessness

claire: I really appreciate Sato’s unhesitant enthusiasm for diving into the deep end. She throws herself at absolutely every opportunity that comes her way, and I love that fearlessness in her. I’m by no means in the entertainment industry, but I am in a profession irl that is highly specialised, and I see everyday how that level of expertise and skill is more often than not a straightjacket confining people, holding them back from stepping outside the precisely defined area where they feel confident that they’ve proven themselves. It strikes me that Tenka is like that too: she is technically far more accomplished and capable than Sato. Yet, she never dreamt of being an idol or doing anything with her musical and dance skills, and still hasn’t, as far as we know, despite going all the way to Seoul to audition. She lacks the joyful recklessness of Sato, and I want to see her catch it. 

Whether she knows it or not, Sato is tapping into something that is so powerful: the freedom to try and fail; to throw yourself at something without knowing how you will see it through; jumping without knowing whether you can stick the landing. The beautiful thing about this is not only the fact that by throwing herself into things, she gets to experience a whole richness of life and relationship that playing it safe could never afford her; it’s also that, in living fearlessly like this, she is also able—by default—to think the best of others and extend them grace and gratitude, rather than interacting with them and “reading” their motivations through a lens of insecurity and fear.

I’m thinking specifically of the moment at the culture festival when Tenka gives over her dance troupe’s encore slot to Sato, gifting her the stage and the opportunity to shine for the first time. Only of course, that wasn’t really Tenka’s intention at all! She was provoking Sato, setting her up for public embarrassment when either she didn’t have the courage to step foot on stage, or she fell flat on her face due to lack of ability or nerves. But Sato does not see any ill intent at play here at all, instead embracing the opportunity to try something new, to take a step along the path she is intent upon walking, and she’s grateful for the chance! 

What’s so powerful about this is that Sato’s reaction actually extends grace to Tenka, and creates the breathing space for friendship—or at least mutual respect—to blossom. Tenka isn’t there fully yet, but she is well on her way. And it’s because Sato seizes life as a series of opportunities for potential success rather than potential failure. I love it! 

Laura: Wow! I love all this. I was very much inspired by Sato’s fearlessness as well! I felt myself completely captivated by her actions, which honestly surprised me, considering she is exactly the kind of heroine I love reading about! One that inspires you in your real life, has a bright personality, and is someone you love being around.

I think this is why, when I first tried reading this series digitally, I struggled to connect with Tenka and her “mean girl” vibe. I hated how she was trying to set Sato up to be publicly humiliated and put her down when doing karaoke together so that she, Tenka, could show who was the better one between them.

All that said, though, I think there is something really moving when we see Tenka being touched by Sato’s actions. No matter what Tenka does or says to Sato, her plans seem to backfire. Like you mentioned, it’s as if Sato is extending grace to Tenka and is still reaching out her hands in friendship, which I think is something Tenka needs. For all the perfection Tenka has worked so hard to acquire, Sato seems to be the only one who genuinely encourages her to give her best. We often see Tenka praised for being the best by her peers, but what they really mean is that she would make a perfect idol because she has the perfect body, the perfect dance style—superficial things. Sato may look up to Tenka as a “girl crush,” but I think she unknowingly extends a hand of friendship to her as an equal, too, because of her confidence and passion for music and dancing. I also think she sees something in Tenka that not even Tenka herself sees. For, as creepy as the scene is, maybe the person who scouts Tenka when she and Sato are in Korea is onto something when he asks her: “Is your flawless exterior the armor you use to hide what’s on the inside?” Sato may be the only one who does, in fact, see what’s on the inside of Tenka’s heart, and this is why she continues to befriend her, no matter the snide remarks or backhanded compliments Tenka gives.

claire: Ahhh, Sato is just such a cinnamon roll! So good.

Final Thoughts

Laura: This first volume was such a surprising one, and I am earnestly looking forward to seeing these girls continue to be rivals as they chase their dreams, but also to be strong friends who stand together!

claire: I second that! August 12 and the release of volume 2 can’t come soon enough.

Girl Crush is published by VIZ Media. The Volume 1 physical release is available June 10, 2025.