After School Nightmare

This manga is a very good manga. The plot is scary and makes you want to read more. The conflicts the characters face are very dramatic and satisfying. The story drags you into awesome twists and turns. I loved this manga because it kept me wondering untill the end. If I had time I will re-read it.

"Everything I’ve done up to now has led me here.” I had started a review on this manga when I was half way through it. Then as my mouth was hanging open at the end, I realized- my review was crap. After finishing the manga, it was nothing like I thought it was. So I began writing again knowing I would still come up short. But I'll start at the beginning before I tell you the end… Being human is hard enough; getting to know yourself and finding out who you are and where you’re going. For Mashiro that’s even harder. See, Mashiro is half woman and halfman, that’s how he was born. He is a woman from the waist down but a man from the waist up. One random day at school he get’s a call from a teacher to follow go to the infirmary. The teacher explains to him about the extra class he needs to graduate that take place every week. In this class, which you do through your dreams, you have to find and triumph over your personal obstacles in order to find the key that opens the door that enables you to leave the dream world behind through graduation. Only after you completely find what you need to find and free your soul of the thing bothering you will you succeed. The trick lies in the details since in the dreams you can’t lie and are always yourself, meaning the person you are deep in your heart, your true form will be incorporated in the dream. That part is easy for the readers and for Mashiro, well know what his dilemma is about, his gender. If you lose in the dream is because your soul is weak and you will have to redo for as long as it takes until you conquer it. But don’t worry you are never alone there, there are other students with their own quest similar and yet different to yours there. Wanting something to be true against all odds, even to the point of trying to change your own mind - is the beginning. Accepting yourself, all of yourself, and coming to terms with reality - is the ending... or is it? All of the characters in this manga are broken in one way or another. There is no one that travels the road called life unscathed here. Bearing that in mind it’s the courage and not to mention a great ending that makes this manga just, “wow.” It didn’t start off like other manga do. That should have been my first clue that Houkago Hokenshitsu was going to be a peculiar and yet shocking ride. I didn’t know why at fist there weren’t any characters I liked, they were all selfish, shallow, and hurtful, not deep enough to warrant not even my sympathy. I just felt detached, even from our very own protagonist. Right off the bat Mashiro befriends Kureha and attracts Sou. The manga is dark and yet light, touching on serious topics with a suaveness that's almost insulting to the darkness of the subjects. The manga balances the time spent on the dream world and on the real world immensely well, you never get bored waiting for one or the other. There are secrets and people you try and guess about only to be wrong. Mashiro perceived being a girl as the weaker of the sex. He wants to be a boy for all the wrong reasons. Because they’re strong and have more freedom. This is where me and this story clashed at first. I thought he was just being sexist. He was confused to the extreme but can you blame him? He was walking around with girl and guy parts…high school is hard enough as it is. I couldn’t do with his character at first, he wasn’t honest to anyone, not even himself. Which just ends up in a lot of people getting hurt. He wants to be a boy, he dooms himself with the thought that it either has to be one or the other. I think it’s because it never occurred to him that he didn’t have to choose, he was half and half. He grows though and that’s all I can say on his behalf. Kureha role frustrated me. I think she was weak all around until she wasn’t. But even then I just couldn’t help not liking her, the damage was done. I can whine about her until the cows come home (which is a long time since I don’t live in a ranch…or own a cow) but she redeems herself. Not enough for me to like her but enough to get my sympathy. She wanted to be loved and protected. Which isn’t so bad. Sou what can I say about him? The dude has serious issues. He is a complex character . He was looking for what we’re all looking for a t some point, someone to save us. That shinning light at the end of dark tunnel that leads us home, to safety. It’s through the dreams that Mashiro meets many new classmates that are also wanting to graduate and in the dream realm. Of course not all of them look like themselves since how their hearts are is how they resemble. Suffice it to say not everyone is nice or pretty. But all of them are interesting in some way, though not all are necessary. The one decent character that I thought was human enough was towards the end and he was there for a short time only but he did end up having his own chapters, so not all is lost. His feelings were hidden because his future was already set and the real him, didn’t want any of it. But he didn’t want to disappoint so he bit his tongue and moved forward. What made him more balanced to me as a character though was that we got to see him interact wit his family which made him just a little more real to me than the rest like the the frustrating Kureha. The art is unusual on Mashiro’s face sometimes, like lumpy. It also messed up sometimes on the characters clothes not being consistent throughout the same scenes. Also the faces where not proportioned right or sometimes the mouth wasn’t centered right…it just didn’t look right. If you consider that some of the images were kindda creepy than the art fits just fine in the whole scheme of things. One thing can be said for sure, a bubbly art wouldn’t have done this one justice, so I would keep it as is. The ending: I didn’t expect it. Which is weird because there are few manga that surprise me. It answered enough questions to make it ok but not nearly enough to not think about and try and guess at, which results in writing this review at 2 a.m because you’re wondering of the “if.” It’s about not being yourself and being what everyone expects you to be. To the point where you don’t even recognize yourself and feel lost. Trying to find it, that is the journey. A twisted and bumpy one, but very well worth it. A cruel dream some might say but I think the nightmare was necessary at least when you wake up from it you know you lived through watching it and experiencing it. Like a character said, that it wasn’t the size of the problem that makes a difference but the strength to overcome it. It was all a journey to accepting yourself. I have to say that I feel better about this review, because although I have told you a lot of the manga at the same time I haven’t told you anything. You think you know but you don't. Where do the mind games start? The moral of this story-- We’re all fucked up somehow. Nah, though it is true I think it was more of a, “In three words I can sum up everything I have learned about life. It goes on.” “It really was just a dream.”

Okay, After School Nightmare is about a teenager entering school, but he has a big secret. HE is half boy and half female. You may be thinking "ew, this is another one of those shojo gender-bender manga". Do not be fooled! The story is quite good! Story 9/10 The story line seems simple at first, but becomes continually confusing as the manga wares on. The author drops subtle hints to the ending frequently throughout the manga. You may find yourself back-pedaling a few pages just to understand a specific part. The flow of the story keeps you entertained along with many plot twists. Art 9/10 The art is beautifulin this manga, and matches the feel the mangaka is trying to achieve. Some images may seem disturbing, but careful detail is put into the art and is apparent throughout the story. The art also remains consistent, so you don't have to worry about putting faces with names. Characters 8/10 Each character is very unique in their own specail way. Each main characters personality is very well-thought. Sometimes though, the characters personality will gradually change, which may confuse you. The side characters, whose personalities aren't as in-depth, still move the story forward. Some of the side characters become important at some point in the story, and a little background info is given. Enjoyment 9/10 Together with all the aspects above, the manga is great! The chapters could have been shortened maybe alittle, since each was around 60 pages long, but other than that, it really is a good manga. Overall:9/10 I recommend this to you if you like sci-fi, romance, but a little horror. You really need a fine-toothed comb to pick up on all the little details strewn throughout the story. If you don't have a lot of time on your hands, I wouldn't suggest this to you since the story is rather long and you may have to reread some chapters.

This was such a good manga that it left me at a loss for what to say with tears in my eyes because I managed to get so attached to it in such a short amount of time. The story is of Mashiro Ichijo and the conflicts that he faces because he has a male upper half but his genitalia are that of a female. Two people enter his life: Kureha Fujishima and Sou Mizuhashi, he likes them both but can't decide which one to go for because he can't decide if he's a boy or a girl. The struggle to find his gender is carried onthroughout the manga. The 'class' that he along with other students join after school makes him decide his fate (to be a boy or a girl) so that he can graduate and be free of the worries that he previously had. The main reason I liked this and why it got to me was because it addresses things that happen in the real world: a struggle to find yourself and who you really are. People can identify with the lead character (aside from the ol' downstairs mix-up) and it makes us feel for him. Also, the fact that he's fallen for two people at the same time makes a lot of people relate to that; it's just the fact that those two people happen to be male and female that confuses Mashiro. The fact that Sou and Kureha are male and female is nescessary for Mashiro to see which gender he feels better as: the one who protects the weaker ones: the male, or the damsel in distress who wants to be loved and accepted: the female. Sou sees Mashiro as female, regardless of how he looks on the outside, and Kureha (someone who happens to hate men) sees Mashiro as a male but also as a female, that's the only reason that she can trust him because he isn't like other guys. Aside from the main plot, the twists and the twists within twists are what made it really enjoyable for me as I love being taken by surprise! And the twists aren't confusing either like I know some twists can be... The characters in this were very good and I liked how Mashiro handled his male and female sides; he pulled off being a male as well as a female very well. He has many comical moments and gets flustered easily so tripping over his words and blushing is inevitable when it comes to him. Kureha is the one with a tragic past which triggers her hate for men. It's sweet that she feels comfortable with Mashiro because of his unique situation and because of that, they both help each other with their problems: Kuhera gradually becomes more comfortable with men and Mashiro finds out the gender he feels better as thanks in part to her. Sou's childhood was also interesting but I can't say much without giving things away, all I'm gonna say is that he loved his big sister. Sou has a front: he's cool and nonchalant but deep down, there's something more to him... I loved this manga a lot and would urge anyone thinking of giving it a go to do so because I'm so glad that I did!