Danica Davidson
March 3, 2025 
In Hikaru in the Light!, titular character Hikaru is a 14-year-old girl who helps out at her family’s public baths and sings while she mops. Her grandfather wants her to put on little performances at the bath house, but does Hikaru want more?
She’s very much aware of the idol scene, and one of her friends, Ran, is even currently an idol. Ran is two years older than Hikaru, but she’s frustrated by the idol group she’s in, which has 50 different singers. She and Hikaru both decide to audition for an idol group being put together by a famous producer.
Hikaru repeatedly feels she’s not good enough to be an idol, but she also doesn’t let her doubts stop her. She’s a hard-working and winning main character who overcomes mistakes and keeps charging ahead. Her mother does point out some of the downside of being an idol — like the fact their careers tend to be very short-lived. But so far the darker side of the entertainment industry — so well captured by Oshi no Ko — is mostly not portrayed here, and it’s more about youthful exuberance and following dreams.
The artwork is in full color, which is unusual and also nice, especially since it’s aimed for a younger audience. There’s also something soft about the artwork, like the rounded faces many characters have.
Hikaru in the Light! is from Graphix, Scholastic’s graphic novel imprint. Kids’ manga titles don’t always get published in America as much as manga for older readers, so this is filling a gap for readers eight through 12 who want to read manga aimed for them. In that sense, besides being a light and fun choice for young readers, this is a title librarians might want to pick up for their manga-desiring middle graders. You can check out some preview pages here.
Story & Art: Mai Matsuda
Publisher: Graphix
Translator: Azuki
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, plus its sequel, Manga Art for Everyone, and the first-of-its-kind manga chalk book Chalk Art Manga, both illustrated by professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.
