Ressentiment

"res•sen•ti•ment noun 1. any cautious, defeatist, or cynical attitude based on the belief that the individual and human institutions exist in a hostile or indifferent universe or society. 2. an oppressive awareness of the futility of trying to improve one's status in life or in society." That was a definition I ripped off straight from dictionary.com. I usually wouldn't start anything with a textbook definition of a word – because 1) its cheesy as hell and 2) most titles are arbitrary – but I felt the need to bend the rules just this once to emphasize how important the title is to this manga. Defining its literal meaning thoughis only half the battle – “ressentiment” is also a philosophical term. If we take Wikipedia to be accurate, ressentiment also refers to the hostility directed at the perceived cause of one’s frustrations. More importantly, out of a sense of inferiority one creates a morality to oppose the “cause” of our frustrations, which effectively separates the “cause” from the self, thus denying one of any culpability. The important take-away points here are that ressentiment involves a sense of inferiority, the creation of a specific morality and the rejection of blame. With that unwieldy definition of “ressentiment” out of the way, I can get to why it’s so important to this manga. “Ressentiment”, in both its literal and philosophical meaning, encapsulates the characters and the story so perfectly that just knowing what the word means will tell you everything you need to know about “Ressentiment”, the manga. At its core, this is a dark, misanthropic story that is a scathing critique of both otaku fandom and human greed and vanity. However, it is also incredibly funny, nuanced and – at times – even humanistic in its portrayal of despicable men. It is this tension between these two seeming dichotomies that make “Ressentiment” both so fascinating and tragic. I believe a review should answer the question: Should I (as the reader) watch/read this? In this case, the answer is a resounding "yes". Though it has its flaws -- much of which I've neglected in this review -- "Ressentiment" is an intriguing manga that features an atypical lead and a lot more depth than you'd initially assume. Overall, a hidden gem that isn't for everyone.