Genre: Drama

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Waltz

Also by this author: Inside Mari, Sweet Poolside, Welcome Back Alice
Warnings: Violence, Bullying, Homophobia

My Thoughts

This little one-shot had so much to say in just one chapter, the story felt like a hard slap. I didn’t expect to have my heart crushed in such a short number of pages. Things start in the same way that many transgender stories in fiction do, a girl meets a cute boy and helps him find himself. The two become close over their shared secret, she comes to his defense when he is bullied. It’s a step away from the fetishized M/M fiction written by cis women.

“I’ll just have to make you look even cuter.”

Transgender youths are targets of increased physical, sexual, and verbal abuse by family and peers, a sad reality that should never be ignored. Kashiwabara is bullied at school, he likes dressing as a girl and he admires his neighbor Onaga, who also takes an interest in him. While I struggled with one particularly violent scene near the end, the cold reality that “this isn’t abnormal” washed over me and it was a bitter truth to swallow.

The stigma of being a transgender woman and the lack of safety is keenly felt. What appears like a heartwarming ending left me feeling chilled, abusers are abusers no matter what mask they wear. I really admire how Shuzo Oshimi highlights the ugly side of youth with his stories. His stories are filled with imperfect people living difficult, imperfect lives, but there is something haunting and beautiful about his work.

Rating:

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Hare-Kon.

My Thoughts

Harems are a dime a dozen in the world of anime and manga, portrayed as the ultimate male fantasy and often played for laughs, it’s a trope that is riddled with issues while not portraying polygamy with any real accuracy beyond gratuitous sex. For some, polygamy is an alternative lifestyle that can be fulfilling and painful for others.

Polygamy has been a vehicle for numerous abuses all over the world, and it is generally misunderstood by many that see it as free reign to cheat on partners. The truth is, there are committed polygamous relationships, but rules are set by those within the relationship in the same way that they are set by those in monogamous relationships.

“The Hare Kon will continue to push you to your limits and bring you agony. And as long as you continue to love me, I will continue to destroy you and will protect you forever. This is the form of my love to you.”

This series is pretty large, spanning nineteen volumes, the reader follows the ups and downs of a hare-kon family. In response to Japan’s declining birth rate and low marriages, a pioneering town decides to make polygamous marriages legal. With this, the readers are introduced to a marriage between a man and three completely different women, each one representing some favored romance tropes. Despite this, Hare-Kon faces the question of polygamous relationships head-on, showing the absolute worst sides of this kind of family set-up along with the joys and kinship that is possible with a large family.

To say that this series is frustrating is an understatement, there are many issues with the way that the story is presented spearheaded by a husband that is unabashedly detestable at times. Ryuunoske could be charming and funny, but he is also extremely selfish and manipulative. Koharu “falling in love” was also extremely weak, she goes overnight from hating that she feels forced into a sham marriage to suddenly deciding that her unhappiness must mean that she’s jealous and in love.

Understandably, reactions to this series have varied wildly with many people swinging from hating characters to loving them. Honestly, what made me keep coming back was the gorgeous artwork and a genuine interest in seeing if the series actually goes anywhere. It starts off extremely weak, but the middle volumes become stronger and even enjoyable with some genuinely heartfelt moments. Despite the issues, many of the characters are engaging whether they are likable or not, and the author did a marvelous job in stirring up conversation about harems in the medium that glorifies them the most, an achievement in and of itself.

Warnings: sex, gaslighting

three-half-stars
Posted on by — Leave a comment

The Girl from Class

My Thoughts

I didn’t expect to get dragged so deep into this story. The Girl from Class caught my eye with its simple line art and minimal use of color. It’s a slice of life drama manhwa about a guy that gets a crush on a girl from his class. I wasn’t sure what kind of love story this would be when I started, but it was one that explores themes about the relationships that happen so naturally with life, we don’t even notice.

“Don’t do this… to someone that you aren’t serious about.”

The comic draws comparisons to the Greek tragedy of Orpheus, a brilliant musician that was loved by many who falls from grace after being heartbroken with the loss of his love. The comparisons aren’t immediately clear until further along, and the beauty of the story and its real-world repercussions becomes clear. Despite the simple art style, there is a lot of emotion that can be felt even with such a minimalist style. The characters are nameless and faceless, intentional as they are all true to life stand-in’s and many people can probably find themselves in the place of one of the characters.

This story was also a cautionary tale not only to be more sensitive to other people’s feelings, to not take love advice from other people, and for goodness sake treat the person that you’re interested in kindly. Your feelings will be obscured to the object of your affection if you’re rude. I really enjoyed this little comic, it surprised me how much depth and consideration was put into the development of the story, and despite it all, I felt satisfied when it was finished.

four-half-stars