Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.21 AVERAGE
4.21 AVERAGE
the art was nice and i was happy to see ace rep in a manga. the characters didn’t feel very three dimensional though, and it felt more like an introductory text to asexuality than a story about the characters.
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A good manga basically showcasing you can be who you want to be, and don't have to fit into a box. A lot of talk about sexuality and feelings, and being comfortable, that hit home to probably a lot of people. While I enjoyed the characters, sometimes they felt more like a mouth peace for the actual story than characters inside a story if that makes sense. But overall a well written, and in some ways probably eye opening story for people questioning themselves.
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The story of an asexual aromantic girl in Japan who struggles with feeling like an alien who can't figure out how to be 'normal' - shouldn't she be having crushes and boyfriends like her classmates? Why does that 'normal' stuff confuse her and feel wrong? Is she a prude or somehow sick like people say behind her back? Will she really find 'The One' someday, like friends insist? - until she starts college (studying psychology so she can figure out how 'normal humans' work) and meets a professor who stuns her by saying that not everyone IS into love and romance, and asking "Why should you have to do it? Why would you force yourself to do something that doesn't feel natural?"
Soon she meets others with similar experiences, and finds out about asexuality. Is that what she is? After years of feeling defective, it turns out she's not alone - and her feelings are perfectly normal. Though even in the psych department, she finds similar peer pressures as in high school, which causes her to keep questioning herself and feeling insecure in her identity. But together, she and other new friends can help each other feel strong enough to more openly be themselves, whether they're aroace, gay or bi, fangirls, etc, and stand up for themselves against the pressure to be some idea of 'normal'.
This manga does a good job of showing a lot of the social pressures and prejudices ace and aro people face on a daily basis, and how damaging that can be, for both female and male aces/aros; it's interesting to see how the nuances are slightly different in a collective/conformist society like Japan, compared to the more individualistic North America. It also shows some of the many lifestyle choices aces might have (different forms of partnership whether for companionship, legal reasons, etc). It's a little clumsy in handling the difference between asexuality and aromanticism, but from what I've read so far that's characteristic of Japan, where the distinction between the two is not as recognized. Chika's constant self-doubt can muddy the waters as well - every time she starts to feel like a term fits her, she starts worrying whether she's 'ace enough' to call herself ace, or wondering if maybe she DOES have a medical condition so she doesn't belong as an ace, etc; it can feel self-defeating and like it's giving fuel to readers predisposed to ace/arophobic opinions, but it reflects the experience of some aces, and the tone is overall ace-positive, inclusive, warmhearted, and hopeful.
Overall I do prefer 'I Want to Be a Wall', but this is still pretty good aroace representation, which is much-needed!
Content warnings: no on-screen sex scenes, but one early scene where a high school boyfriend tries to force himself on her, there is mention of a few characters' sexual history, and one friend writes steamy fanfics (not explicitly shown, just mentioned); no violence, swearing, drugs, or drunkenness; peer pressure and occasional acephobic comments and internalized acephobia
Soon she meets others with similar experiences, and finds out about asexuality. Is that what she is? After years of feeling defective, it turns out she's not alone - and her feelings are perfectly normal. Though even in the psych department, she finds similar peer pressures as in high school, which causes her to keep questioning herself and feeling insecure in her identity. But together, she and other new friends can help each other feel strong enough to more openly be themselves, whether they're aroace, gay or bi, fangirls, etc, and stand up for themselves against the pressure to be some idea of 'normal'.
This manga does a good job of showing a lot of the social pressures and prejudices ace and aro people face on a daily basis, and how damaging that can be, for both female and male aces/aros; it's interesting to see how the nuances are slightly different in a collective/conformist society like Japan, compared to the more individualistic North America. It also shows some of the many lifestyle choices aces might have (different forms of partnership whether for companionship, legal reasons, etc). It's a little clumsy in handling the difference between asexuality and aromanticism, but from what I've read so far that's characteristic of Japan, where the distinction between the two is not as recognized. Chika's constant self-doubt can muddy the waters as well - every time she starts to feel like a term fits her, she starts worrying whether she's 'ace enough' to call herself ace, or wondering if maybe she DOES have a medical condition so she doesn't belong as an ace, etc; it can feel self-defeating and like it's giving fuel to readers predisposed to ace/arophobic opinions, but it reflects the experience of some aces, and the tone is overall ace-positive, inclusive, warmhearted, and hopeful.
Overall I do prefer 'I Want to Be a Wall', but this is still pretty good aroace representation, which is much-needed!
Content warnings: no on-screen sex scenes, but one early scene where a high school boyfriend tries to force himself on her, there is mention of a few characters' sexual history, and one friend writes steamy fanfics (not explicitly shown, just mentioned); no violence, swearing, drugs, or drunkenness; peer pressure and occasional acephobic comments and internalized acephobia
informative
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
This was a decent manga that did its best to teach the reader about the wide spectrum of asexuality. But it's more of a teaching tool than a dramatic manga with complex characters (for that I really recommend I Want to be a Wall). The MC Chika is kinda blank and bland and a bit daft. She'll spout weird dialogue or exclamations that feel stilted or repetitive. Like, "Oh! You mean a person can be asexual but still want intimacy with someone they have an emotional bond with and it's called demisexual? Wow! I never knew that! I really want to learn more about others!" *not an actual quote but my approximation to something Chika would say*
So anyway, maybe 2.75 stars and a recommendation to read this for more information about asexuality and then reading Want to be a Wall for a good, engaging, character-driven manga with an ace character.
So anyway, maybe 2.75 stars and a recommendation to read this for more information about asexuality and then reading Want to be a Wall for a good, engaging, character-driven manga with an ace character.
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Pretty interesting read into the confusing coming-to-terms of one’s asexuality