Polaris Will Never Be Gone.

Polaris wa Kienai (Polaris Will Never Be Gone.) Language read: Thai (official translation, licensed by Luckpim Publishing; original Japanese publisher: Square Enix) “Because Sora is a God, she must never be forgotten.” - Mizuumi Tachibana Polaris wa Kienai is one of the most surprising manga series I’ve read in recent memory—in a good way. Due to the nature of the manga, it is really difficult to describe what I enjoyed about it without diving into spoilers (but I’ll do my best). So, please consider this less of a full-fledged review but more of a “my impressions” note after completing the series. The premise of a high schooler (Mizuumi) soinfatuated with her deceased idol (Sora) to the point where she does the unthinkable—impersonating Sora and continuing her idol activities as if she was never dead—to keep her in the public consciousness is what drew me to the manga. The manga explores this premise in a fascinating way, providing both a sense of dread and mystery as Mizuumi spirals further down into her obsession whilst the potential consequences of her actions keep stacking higher. The feeling of dread especially reminds me in some ways of the idol novel/anime movie Trapezium: like a ticking time bomb. With that said, by the end of the first volume—which I find to be fairly decent—I couldn’t help but wonder how this manga would separate itself from other dark idol-themed works like Perfect Blue or Oshi no Ko. As more chapters flew by though, the answer became apparent: there is a lot more than meets the eye. Without going into explicit spoilers, Polaris wa Kienai’s later chapters see additional characters get involved, the stakes increase, and huge buried secrets come into light. The plot becomes more gripping the further it goes on and these later chapters IMO are easily what defines this manga. In fact, this is one of the very few times where a single volume manages to completely flip my impressions of the whole manga. After reading the very last page, I was genuinely impressed at how the series all turned out (especially its final message, which I’m not going to spoil here). Overall, Polaris wa Kienai turns out to be one of the most interesting manga, let alone idol manga, I’ve read this year. If you’re seeking an unconventional idol-themed manga, this one is a solid recommendation. At least for me, this hidden gem of a manga—featuring a girl who wants to keep her idol “alive” forever no matter the cost—will be one that I won’t forget for a long time. With that said, my impressions here do not really do justice to the whole manga but if it succeeds in getting at least one person to read it, then I’ll be happy. Thank you for reading. P.S.: This manga is not officially translated into English (and there is only one fan-translated chapter). However, to my knowledge, it is available in these official translations: Chinese, Italian, French, and Thai. P.P.S.: I might write another review (a full review with spoilers) on the manga's page on the AniList website.