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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
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News of Transformations

Also by this author: There’s Nothing Wrong With Me, Prologue-Gymnopedies-


My Thoughts

Henshin no News is a collection of one-shot stories that explore human relationships and loneliness. It is an extremely experimental slice of life manga that comes to life due to Miyazaki’s unusual art style and expert storytelling in a relatively small package.

“It’s only when it’s time for goodbyes that I finally come to like everyone.”

Like most manga in the slice of life genre, many of the situations that the characters deal with are relatively mundane, but what sets this manga apart is that there is this element of the fantastical that removes the stories and the characters from reality. At times bordering on being absurd, Miyazaki weaves magical realism into her narrative smoothly and doesn’t compromise the central theme of relationships.

Each story has a character facing some form of a crisis and meditates on humanity’s propensity for loneliness and isolation. What is truly magnificent about this manga however is the way that humor is used to cut the tension, giving the collection a pure and dreamy feel. The last story in particular was fantastic for referencing manga legend Osamu Tezuka and it had me smiling from ear to ear.

While a little offbeat, Henshin no News is a hidden gem and I’ve never read anything quite like it. It subverted my expectations with every story and managed to make me feel extremely sad for each character while also making me laugh. It is a breath of fresh air and managed to be both serious and lighthearted at the same time.


four-stars
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The Way of the Househusband


My Thoughts

I didn’t know I needed this manga until I chanced upon it. The Way of the Househusband is a laugh out loud funny manga about a former Yakuza legend adjusting to his new life as a dedicated house husband. The manga follows Tatsu as he tackles every day tasks such as cooking, cleaning, and shopping. He faces judgment from other gang members that run into him but doesn’t let things phase him.

The relationship between Tatsu and his wife Miku is also adorable. He is completely devoted to her and they make such a silly and sweet pair. There is no swoon worthy romance, just the every day antics of a married couple. Right at the start I was giggling and had to send this manga to my husband, we read the manga together and had a great time. Tatsu and Miku reminded me a lot of my husband and I in terms of our personalities, so it made me extra happy.

“You think bargain hunting’s some kiddy shit? This is a war-zone for a house husband.”

This manga was just great and I’m honestly waiting for more, I read all the available chapters that I could and it is still being serialized. I would love to see an anime adaptation of this manga, I think that it would translate well and be an enjoyable series for many. This is a great manga with commentary not just on the role of women as homemakers, but also how a former delinquent can reintegrate into regular society.


five-stars
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Solanin

Also by this author: A Girl on the Shore, Goodnight Punpun, What a Wonderful World!


My Thoughts

Meiko is a college graduate that has been feeling unsatisfied with her life. She has an office job that she doesn’t care for and a live-in boyfriend that works part-time and regrets never being successful with his music career. Meiko struggles with the feeling that she has stagnated, at that point between college and adulthood, having nothing that she feels passionate about. Solanin is the story of discontented youth that is painfully relatable for many young people in the modern age.

“The way I look at it, adults are just a bunch of people who go ‘whatever’ to everything.”

This manga was incisive in the way that it explores what it means to grow up and the tragedy of letting go of one’s teenage dreams. The main cast of characters feels like they are simply drifting along with their circumstances, aching to be ‘free’ but conceding to the necessities of work. Meiko feels bored, but no matter what decision she makes to try and free herself, she finds that she’s no freer of boredom. The characters grapple with what it means to be anti-establishment and desperately hold onto their college days.

The first volume of this manga was really great, and I like the way that it talks about contentment, regret, and settling down. The second volume became a bit cheesy to me, focusing more on a heartfelt musical underdog story that I got a bit bored with. The epilogue chapter, which was published a decade after the completion of the series provided some closure that I could feel satisfied with. The epilogue takes place a decade after the events of the manga and shows where the characters ended up, and it continues the narrative of growing up and settling down, it was the missing piece of the puzzle that was needed in the original series.

Also notable is that when I was reading I kept thinking about Asian Kung-Fu Generation and hearing their music in my head when I imagined Rotti playing music. I was surprised to find after finishing that there was a live-action movie, and guess who performed the theme song?

Solanin is a great story for young adults that perhaps find themselves in the same rut, struggling with the prospect of settling down and leaving their wild youth behind. Asano writes these themes in a way that is intuitive and fun, with a level of understanding that can only come from someone that has felt that same discontent and yearning for freedom.


four-stars
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Peephole


My Thoughts

Ah, what a convoluted nightmare this manga is, but engaging at the same time. Nozoki Ana, which literally translates to peephole, is an erotic romance manga about an unwitting college student that finds himself blackmailed into playing a perverse game around a peephole with his neighbor. Kido, who is a pretty average guy, finds himself with an absurd amount of good luck with women. Like most guys, he just wants a happy relationship but ends up trapped in a psychological nightmare with the mysterious Emiru.

“In reality, relationships where you can’t show your true self – make you feel like even trivial matters might cause them to suddenly break. It’s scary…”

Nozoki Ana follows the duo through their friend group, their relationships with other people, and ultimately their strange friendship that is forged by their peeping on each other’s lives. It is a strange and questionable manga, drawing readers in with a wild premise that ends up developing into something more as the reader finds out more about the standoffish Emiru. Kido goes from various relationships, hookups, and other dangerous scenarios under the watchful eye of Emiru, as she orchestrates scenarios that force him into troublesome sexual encounters.

You want to root for Kido to get his act together and build a genuine relationship, or at least give in and get together with Emiru. The amount of cheating that happens in this manga is a serious turnoff and many readers end up understandably frustrated with the main character. Kido is a pushover for a majority of the series and seems to have a serious inability to say no when a girl comes onto him. The few times he does try to resist, he ends up attacked and placed into a situation where he can’t fight back in a few instances of attempted rape. Don’t worry though, Kido isn’t the only character that betrays others; betrayal is everywhere in this manga.

In a way, this manga was like an overly dramatized version of what dating life is like for college students, particularly in the current hookup culture that we live in. There were some surprisingly good takeaways about relationships and the horrible way that people treat each other that speak to true experiences. The story also took a bold turn with commentary about trauma and the ways in which a victim can own their trauma and learn to heal through the very thing that caused so much tragedy in their lives. I had very mixed feelings about this last part in particular; on one hand, it feels like a cheap and easy way to explain the peephole. On the other hand, it also gave me something to think about the ways in which victims of trauma interact with and come to terms with their issues.

I ended up enjoying this manga, despite the abundance of issues and frustrations with its plot and characters. Most of the characters had distinct personalities that I enjoyed, good and bad, and there are times where I found myself laughing and feeling heartbroken while reading. This manga won’t be for everyone, but it’s definitely an experience and I can see why this manga was so popular while it was still being serialized. I have to add also that I absolutely adore Emiru, she is one of my favorite characters from any manga series, so there’s that!


Warnings: explicit sex, violence, sexual assault


four-stars