Afterschool Charisma

The story of clones brought up in a clone academy, Afterschool Charisma (Houkago no Charisma) revisits the message of nature vs. nurture. Do they become who they are because of their genes? Or is it the environment that creates them? Both sides of this argument are tackled in interesting ways throughout the story without truly saying either side is correct. Story- 9/10 Taking place in a boarding school, the first scene of this series gives a lighthearted tone. The story itself, however, quickly grows to be a lot darker. The question of nature vs. nurture and the ethical aspects of cloning come to play. The storyitself has a very logical progression, with major reveals, but nothing coming completely out of left field. The pacing can be a little slow at times, especially coming into the later volumes where the author explores the few non-clone characters' backstories. However, if you enjoy political fights in the middle of the action, this would be a particularly splendid read for you. The story ultimately loses out on a point from me because it isn't something particularly new. The concept has been compared to Clone High and some of the advancement in plot reminds me of Gakuen Alice. Nevertheless, Afterschool Charisma is well done and thought provoking at times (really, fandom?! Your favorite character is Hitler of all people??). Art- 10/10 Not much to say here, the art is amazing. Everything is very clean and the author's way of drawing characters serves the story's purpose very well. The clones look alike and characters related to each other have subtle similarities. Character- 9/10 Wow, the characters may very well be what makes this series unique. The author has certainly taken to designing these characters to her own liking. Despite having a historical figure as the base, the author still gives her characters their own flare and her own take on their personalities. This, however, could also be seen as her own spin on the nature vs. nurture theme. It isn't so strange that, brought up in a different environment, these characters would act differently from the way they were perceived in history. (Ex: Ikkyu being laid back and always trying to have fun.) The psychological development of these characters are amazing as well. Each character changes immensely from the beginning of the series-- in understandable ways as well. The situations they face force them to think carefully about their place in society as clones as well as the people they're meant to be and each character ultimately comes to their own conclusions. The author doesn't shy away from creating controversial characters as well. Clone Hitler. I mean, way to make a character that everyone is sure to dislike... wait what?? He's actually quite well liked! I suppose it's no surprise that everyone likes this character (to some extent). He is the underdog, the small and shy kid in the corner... The occasional yandere... However, whether or not the character is well liked, it doesn't change the fact that his character serves as an important plot point in the story. And the author certainly gets a few points for her creative way of using a character like Clone Hitler to move the plot along. So in a way, this serves as a warning: there is Clone Hitler in this series and if that bothers you, maybe you should stay away from this series after all. Enjoyment- 9/10 A very fantastic read in terms of plot and character development. It may be cliched here and there, but a very intriguing series so far. Overall- 9/10 (See above in Enjoyment!)