These past 2 months certain flew by for me. It's been a hectic time on my end and reading has taken a bit of a backseat as a result. Still, I managed to find some interesting manga to talk about. Without further ado, let's jump into Lonely Professor and…
These past 2 months certain flew by for me. It's been a hectic time on my end and reading has taken a bit of a backseat as a result. Still, I managed to find some interesting manga to talk about. Without further ado, let's jump into Lonely Professor and Robot Girl's Despair-Like Utopia.
This is a comedy-drama manga by Frieren author Kanehito Yamada. It follows a mute professor who appears to be the only human left alive after a terrifying sickness wiped our species out.
The professor now spends his days goofing off, together with a snarky robot girl that he created to stave off the loneliness. Much of the manga revolves around their daily life together, formatted as short stories where every page ends in a punchline. A setup that works really well owing to the lovable personalities and cute expressions of our protagonists.
At the same time, there is a persistent undercurrent of depression running throughout it. For all his wacky antics, the professor has been through a lot that he hasn't had a chance to process. Both as a result of the apocalypse, but also before that. A lifetime of loneliness and isolation, of feeling distant from every person in his life. How come that now, when everyone else is gone, he finds himself finally connecting with someone else?
Lonely Professor and Robot Girl does a good job of building on that and other related drama. It makes for a strong, bittersweet influence that elevates it a step above the usual comedy manga. While also keeping readers hooked with questions as to where the story might go. I both laughed and shed tears reading through it.
Another story that had me tearing up was My Brain is Different. This is an autobiographical manga by Monzosu, an author who was diagnosed with ADHD in a late stage of her life. She created this manga, both to share her own story as well as that of others who struggle with developmental disorders.
This is a topic I knew about, but didn't really understand the scope off. People with ADHD are a bit hyper, people with autism process information differently, that's the level of understanding I was working off. I picked this manga up because I wanted to learn more. Wanted to hear the personal experiences of people dealing with these disorders. My Brain is Different delivers exactly that.
Reading through these was genuinely eye-opening. There is so much to growing up with ADHD or autism than I ever expected. The stories that affected me the most were those from people who didn't get diagnosed until well into adulthood. People who endured for years, desperately trying to be a part of a society that seemed designed against them. Who were made to feel inadequate as they struggled with things everyone else did so effortlessly. Driven into depression or suicide, unaware that none of this was their fault at all.
If you have people with ADHD or autism in your life—or maybe you're just curious—then I highly recommend this manga.
Instead of tackling a bunch of shorter manga, I decided to catch up on longer series that friends of mine are also invested in. This meant catching up on a few volumes of Nagatoro, but also reading 9 volumes of Gushing Over Magical Girls.
This is an erotic comedy manga by the same bloke who wrote The Many Flavors of Kumika. Its story is set in a world where magical girls are kind of like celebrities and watching them beat the forces of evil is just an everyday thing for people. Utena is a big fan of these magical girls, particularly the local team Tres Magia. This turns unfortunate when the evil Venalita appears before her and blackmails Utena into becoming a villainess. Now her beloved Tres Magia consider her an enemy to be eradicated!
When I said "unfortunate" though, I meant unfortunate for the magical girls. Because it turns out that Utena is actually a horrendous pervert. Most of her magic is either directly fetishistic or serves to accommodate those fetishes. Scissors that rip clothing apart, candles that drip wax on people, tentacles and ropes, you name it. Battles with Utena aren't so much fights as they are improv BDSM sessions. While she is initially distraught at being hated by her idols, Utena soon takes a liking (and pride) at turning them into her playthings.
To say that the ecchi pushes boundaries would be an understatement. Some storylines just involve straight-up sex depicted in as much detail as you could get away with. At the same time, this manga has plenty other qualities that make it entertaining. It's not just lewdness and shock value.
Like Kumika, Gushing Over Magical Girls is incredibly funny. The characters are enjoyable and have ample depth to them, which is genuinely fun to explore. The stories also manage to stay fresh. It's always doing something new and the overarching plot advances at a good pace.
Obviously the erotic theme and playing loose with consent will make this manga offputting for some. Certain for people who are generally into, you know, "normal" magical girl manga. If you like raunchy comedies or "adult" takes on mahou shoujo though, then absolutely gives this one a shot.
Manga
Volumes
Genre
Lonely Professor and Robot Girl's Despair-Like Utopia
2
Comedy
Spectral Wizard: An Adventure About the Magic of Today
1
Fantasy
My Brain is Different
1
Autobiography
Kaijuu no Tokage
3
Comedy
Let's Get Together in Shibuya
1
Comedy
Mayuri-chan Who Quickly Gives Up
1
Ecchi
Strange Goddess
1
Hentai
The Bitter Orange, Translucent it Goes Back to Sleep
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