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ニッケルオデオン
39
3
Finished
Sep 25, 2010 to Aug 25, 2014
8.5/10
Average Review Score
100%
Recommend It
2
Reviews Worldwide
MOOD: A veritable thought-particle collider of a series. It’s hard to describe what makes Nickelodeon great. People have compared it to the works of novelist Haruki Murakami, to anime the like of Lain, Penguindrum, or Kyousougiga, ad infinitum; none of this really fits the manga. It could be chalked up to its way of approaching fantastical and absurd concepts with a mundanity one would see in a realistic manga and a warmth one would see in a slice of life work. Yes, it’s weird, but it doesn’t point itself out; instead, it lets you discover its weirdness on your own. Perhaps it’s the brevity of its chapters -each chapter is about 6 or 7 pages long, but in those pages ideas are explored to extremes in ways full series haven’t tackled the same concepts. Its flash fiction stylings create a structure that is never boring nor rushed. More likely, however, is how well it manages to channel the spirit of its namesake media format, the nickelodeon. Although the manga is very inclusive (tackling a multitude of LGBT themes in its 39 chapter run), it relies on weird, new ideas, shock value, and occasionally erotic content to recreate the sheer fascination of an emerging medium. This and its brief lengths (as mentioned before) really do make it feel like you’ve walked inside a seemingly magical box and been shown things that you’ve never experienced the likes of before. The stories run a broad range of genres, tones, and styles. There are stories ranging from conversations about buckets to a woman who eats her lovers to a story about a girl born on the day of the Columbine attack. In this, it tackles themes of unrequited love, manipulative lovers, sister interactions, determination, and a slew of other thinking pieces on human life. The art is entirely unique in its field, sporting a pop art/saturday cartoon inspired aesthetic, with solid but disarrayed lines, exaggerated features, sharp angles, intentionally stretched proportions, and vivid shading. It’s not entirely describable, but it’s utterly gorgeous to look at. If there’s anything to take issue with, it’s that the series will perhaps leave you feeling unfulfilled. There was much more of it planned, but when the magazine it ran in tragically closed up shop, mangaka Dowman Sayman was forced to bring a sudden end to the series, leaving threads of worldbuilding and plot hanging in an emotionally dissatisfying fashion. Despite this, the first and last chapters still manage to serve as great bookends to the series for anyone unaware of the corporate politics behind the ending. FINAL VERDICT: With its tales of conjoined twins, buckets, vore, unrequited love, hypnotism, space, pop culture references, and much more, Nickelodeon’s pace, boldness, and intrigue will leave you blown away and needing more.
This is a collection of one-shots from Dowman Sayman. It contains short stories about serial killers finding love, historical figures brought back from the dead, a clever take on the the September 11th attack, yaoi fan-girl ghosts making suggestions to the men she watches, and everything in between.
This manga is effectively a collection of skits in manga form, with some small tie-ins between disparate chapters. If you don't want to read something without an extended narrative then this isn't for you. Ok, are they gone? Yeah this manga is an absolute blast to read. While there isn't any strong narrative throughline to speak of, the collection is held together effectively by the strong tone and atmosphere shared across each vignette, with a general focus on the morbid and dark all the while having an undertone of bizarre comedy. Personally, that's a sweet spot. In general, the characters are quirky and charming. I wouldn't call anyof them particularly normal and more than most of them would be considered twisted. This works hugely in favour of the overall tone and does a lot to keep each chapter entertaining since you can never pin down exactly what will happen next. The art is also banging. It's personally right up my alley but I recognise that it's also extremely stylised in that way so not everyone will like it. That being said, the baseline quality is still good so, if nothing else, if you enjoy a more cartoony style akin to Panty and Stocking (or just any of the author's other works) then this will be straight up eye-candy. Overall, this is a really fun read that can be read at any pace without feeling rushed or stale. Pick it up and read at your leisure, I can wholeheartedly recommend at least giving this one a go.