...
There. I needed a little deep breath before doing this. To take the bad taste that Blue Ant left in my mouth.
OK... As we discussed in the Nozoki Ana review, Japan is very particular in its views on sex. On the other hand, public displays of affection is not well viewed.
Another big point in Japanese culture is shame. Shame is a
HUGE deal in Japanese culture. How bad it is? Well... have you heard of the term
hikikomori? Basically it's people that were considered inept to the
real world or that simply closed themselves into their rooms. Mostly by shame. I recommend the documentary
Hikikomori, for a better understanding of it.
What does it have to do with Onani Master Kurosawa? Well it start with shame & blackmail. Oh, and public masturbation. Let's get it straight: the problem is not that he is masturbating. It's where he's doing it. He's doing it on the girls bathroom. That in itself is enough for a guaranteed expel. And in Japan, your school info is always available. Where you study, grades, clubs & activities are all recorded & handed from school to school. Sometimes, universities & companies also get a hold on those files. So... imagine the harm it can do to anyone if you are caught masturbating in the girls bathroom. Well, guess what happens in the first pages of the manga? Yup, he got caught by what he calls a aloof student, the same as him.
More accurate, it starts with him shooting a load at the wall of the female bathroom. Them he cleans it up, explain his ritual for doing this and then getting caught. He already had an excuse, which the girl seems to accept. It's a weird bathroom after all, distant from the clubs & overall out of the way. He's not that wrong of choosing it as his place. One detail that I would like to point it out is that he looks like a fucking maniac sometimes. The art is not all that good, I had read much worse crap, so... I don't mind.
This guy... Oh my. I love him. He's an outcast, don't participate in any club, judges people around him, usually mocking them in his mind, arrogant as hell. And he has some pretty weird fantasies when masturbating, usually with his female classmates. I like when those kind of weirdos are well presented in any art form. I was one of them, but was very popular. Anyway, I always walked with weirdos and I can guarantee you: no better people to hang out with.
Since it's the last day before spring break, he went for his last load, out of his usual time. Then some girls enter. They tried to call him, but he ignores. He was about to judge them as trash, when they start to smoke. He see the similarities between them & stops. As he's leaving, they tell him to not try to report them. He smiles & go. He thinks of stopping doing it, but laugh it off. It's the thrill of getting caught what excite him. He goes, but this manga is a past narration from his own memories, so this first chapter ends with him stating that things will take a turn from now on...
Back in class, he's analyzing his future "victims". Then, the squirrel girl, the aloof student is the one sitting in front of him... They are using one of the classes to present themselves. Kurosawa did a pretty mediocre presentation of himself, because he has a pretty nihilistic view of the world. The other person of interest, the Cauliflower guy that always tries to get close to him is the only one really paying attention. After him, it's Squirrel girl time. And she made a bizarre presentation. Why? Because she's being bullied by those smoking bitches. Kurosawa, that had decided on her for his first "course" is one of the few people aware of the situation.
Since she sits right in front of him, he could see how bad the bullying is. As a matter of fact, bullying in Japan is a huge deal. Really huge, almost part of the culture. It's common to be bullied in schools, universities, work... even home, as you can see as some families treat their own hikikomoris. It's harsh. Being part Japanese gives me a great insight on this. My mom used to bully me, at least what is know as bullying in the West. She would made me climb on high unprotected areas for me to lose my fear of highs. Also for eating. For almost everything. She beat me constantly, for my... Fierce nature, let's say. Didn't changed me. But with others, it could have destroyed some people. I also know a lot of Asian friends. Usually it's way more harsh than other families.
And that's why Kurosawa don't mind it all that much. After all, he has his eyes on his next prey: the beauty of the class. She's always high & mighty, so it's no surprise his fantasies involves humiliation & submission. After he did it, he meets the Squirrel,trying to get her gym clothes back from a tree. She's hurt & he tries to help, but she promptly refuses him.
Next day, things go as usual, (including guys ogling Naito's boobs), but as PE ends, they find a broken window & the clothes from a fat guy was stolen & found in the bag of Squirrel. She is the one to give it back, but the bullying bitches stops her. They start to accuse her of stealing it because she likes the fat guy. At this point, human nature prevails.Humiliation of others is always something that people are into. You may say it's not your case... but think deeply & you'll have done it at some point. The class starts to get into the play & chants of confess starts. Squirrel gives in to the pressure & confess, which made the whole class laugh. She then collapses crying, but the bitches made it funny. At this point, our cruel & apathetic Kurosawa felt his blood boiling. It bothers him. He decides to do something about it... and went to a real dark rape/abuse masturbation session. It may looks silly. But this is only the beginning. He went into class late & the bitches are going insane. Someone stole their uniforms. Yeah, it was him, but he has an alibi. And then... the uniforms are found & returned.But there's a addition to them: he unloaded into both of them. The shame is huge on them. They left, nobody mentioned it & so far, looks like a perfect crime. Soon they return to class & subdue the bullying, not stopping it.
Then, the usual & traditional excursion happens. It's a tradition on Japan to do a field trip to some historical place in the summer. It soon generate a commotion in class: create groups of 5. Since most cliques have more than 5, things get hectic. Kurosawa & Squirrel don't give a shit. Cauliflower then choose to left his own clique & band with Kurosawa & Squirrel, to the horror of Kurosawa... he went to his daily, but is approached by Squirrel, which called him by name, making him panic. As he starts to calm down, she asks a favour: make Naito suffers the same fate as the bitches. WTF? Before anything else, he demands how she found out. She explains & it became clear that he was busted. But she didn't report him... She intended to blackmail him into doing her bindings. Obviously, he accepts. But he wants to know why Naito? She explains: Naito is the mastermind behind the most complex plans, like the uniform stealing, or so she suspects. Kurosawa struggles with the idea. It's a rainy day, so the school is packed. As he's getting annoyed in the library, Takagawa, one of the hotties from his classes approaches him. She notices him & start some small talk. Since he's always reading, they talk about it a little. When the rain stops, she leaves & he made his decision: he will do the deed.
Obviously she reports the incident. To no avail. She doesn't even looked bothered by the ordeal. No one is caught & it seems like that's it. Squirrel & him talk a little. Kurosawa give her some advice & she asks if he will help her if needed. He assures he will. It's raining again & he meets Takagawa again. They talk & bond, discussing books. Then, it's getting late & she leaves. He don't feel compelled to do his daily & remembering the next day is the excursion, he wishes that it would rain. Yes, this bonding will haunt him in the future. Yes, this contact changed a few things inside him. It's a common trope. But very well made. During the trip, it's all gloomy. Cauliflower is bothering everyone with his usual excited character. Then... Takagawa approaches the group & Kurosawa is more open. And he starts to bond better with her. Then, Squirrel attacks again. She has two victims: the fatso that she was forced to confess, which take it seriously, to her disgust. She wants that he make him get away from her. He agrees. Then the second victim, is one that was part of the smoking bitches. She stopped the bullying because she's dating a guy. Squirrel saw then & can't stand to see her smiling. So... he agrees. But different from before, they had no plan. Either way, he will do something about it. His plan is to put a bottle full of jizzed tissues with a love letter. Since their latest talk, he starts to disagree with Squirrel ideologies, but has to keep on with it. His plan is not good, but leaves the chance of not dirtying his hands, which is his intention.
During the day, Squirrel holds hands with him, which is a big deal in Japan, so fatso gets sad. Then, Takagawa appears & he refuses to continue with the play. He don't want to have a misunderstanding. The day went by, Takagawa went away & Squirrel is pushing him to do the deed. At the last, he couldn't do it. Somehow, the happiness of the couple stopped him. On the way back, both had a open & frank conversation, where Kurosawa tells her that this stupid things won't change anything, nor would it heal her wounds. Even if she continues to blackmail him, at some point, things will have to stop. She agrees, but for now, it will continue.
Back to school, things are different. The group & Takagawa are much closer. And she's a nice girl, she doesn't care that they are outcasts. She cares for them. This touches him. Deep. Their meetings in the library became more frequent. At the same time Cauliflower gets more insistent on his invite to karaoke & at some point Kurosawa accepts. During the karaoke, he flees for a drink & meet Takagawa. They run away to see a movie. Then dinner. And lots of talk. As they depart, Kurosawa felt a strange feeling. His dick is so hard it hurts. He understands its because of her & violate their memories together by jacking off to then, but as soon as he finishes, he vomits.He spends a long time thinking about it, then concludes that yes, she is love with her.
They meet again at the library & during their conversation, she admits that she used to be an outcast, but when changed schools, decided to try to renew herself. And it worked. But her memories of being an outcast remains, making her very different from the other pretty girls. He makes a good analyze of the situation, and she laugh it off. His feelings overflow as she explains that she had never had this kind of talks with a boy. He goes to masturbate to calm himself. He states the obvious: he can't soil her beauty with his lust. And then... Squirrel attacks! She wants him to soil Takagawa.
Yup, it was pretty obvious that it would happen. I foreshadowed it, didn't I? So. It happened. Even full of tropes, this is clearly very well written. The introspective point of view from Kurosawa, how he thinks, feels, acts is very well designed. As it is with all characters. This manga is great because of that. Not the crappy art. The emotions are very well portrayed by the art.
Anyway, Kurosawa is not going easy on her. She won't admit why she wants it done. He keeps teasing her, pushing her. Then she says that she want Takagawa to be soiled in a way that she won't trust any men from this point on. That hits him hard. This is no ordinary request. It's way different from the usual. He refuses, but is threatened by her that he will regret it. It seems Squirrel has some interest on him, but he didn't even think about it. He went home, thinking that it was his victory. Suddenly he felt the urge to talk to Takagawa. She goes & find her... They talk & she looks really happy. Maybe it's him, maybe something else. She departs & Squirrel is there. She warns him again that he will regret. And next day... he does. She's going out with Cauliflower. And they are serious.
Squirrel & Kurosawa meet in the bathroom again. They share the same feeling. She was after Cauliflower. Takagawa also changed, starting to be more carefree & enthusiastic. Kurosawa can't stand it. She's being defiled. He has to do something. He perceive why she has fallen for him. It's his carefree & enthusiastic way. She always wanted to be that way. He burst on Cauliflower during PE & from there on, he started to ignore him. And her. Distancing himself from everyone. She still goes after him, but he don't enjoy it anymore. Something is off. He caught they kissing & at that point, she's destroyed inside him. He goes to jack off to her,almost vomiting & then Squirrel came, greeted by him. They agree with the destruction.
During the sports festival, their plan is acted. When he goes to her desk, he fantasizes, way out of character for him. He confess to her & she accepts him. He knows it's a fantasy. He perceive that she looks unlike her, like a husk of a being. But he keeps going into it. Into one of the most dramatic scenes of this story, as soon as he is cumming, she started to melt into nothingness. She disappears from his inside world. As people come back, she notices something is weird. As she was trying to hide it, Kurosawa ask for some notes & then she touches her books, all jizzed. She screams & everyone finds out. Cauliflower tries to hold her, but as he touches her, she vomits. At this point Kurosawa notices that he doesn't feel anything. The school goes into uproar. She keeps feeling nauseated when men approaches her. She take a few days off, but came back the same. Scarred for life. But Kurosawa? He is also on the same page.He's being incapable of feeling anything. So when Squirrel came and ask for one more attack,he accepts. He doesn't give a fuck anymore. So does Squirrel. As he himself put: their brakes are broken. And more & more attacks keep happening.
The weird thing? Even if Cauliflower is more popular than ever, he keeps going after Kurosawa. But he keeps getting pushed away, further & further. During one of the attacks, he go thru the art stuff of Takagawa. And find a painting of them all together: Squirrel, Fatso, Cauliflower, her & Kurosawa. It hits hard. It's her most treasured experience from middle school. Even after everything, she holds that time dearly. And it really destroys Kurosawa. He don't go on with the plan. When Squirrel confronts him, he says their pact is terminated. And in the next day... he confess everything in front of the class.
And from that point on, he's invisible. No one acknowledges him anymore. The smoking bitches came after him, with some tugs & beat the shit out of him. As he comes back the next day, his desk is vandalized. One stand out: Onani Master Kurosawa. He liked it. Even Cauliflower looks away from him. The teachers called him for a meeting. The teacher tries to comfort him, and inform that the family of one of his victims wants an apology from him & family. Kurosawa agrees. His bravery in facing his own acts touched his teacher. It seems Kurosawa is on a different mindset now. Even with it all going, he keeps his daily. Squirrel goes to confront him, and he admits that the bullying is getting to him. That he previous "I don't care what people think about me" were just words. He cares. He suffers. But he will endure. He will prevail. He will keep going till someone acknowledges him again. He's doing it for both of them. And his daily, ends today.
A few days latter, yes. Cauliflower went after him & he accepts. Gladly. And thanks him. He would not relinquish this friendship again. But the bullying doesn't stop. No one even reacts to his pain. And it keeps getting worse. But Cauli is there to help. Always. But for Squirrel, there's no one. She talks to him, that she's not like him. She's not strong. And she wants to get back to being strangers. But he won't accept it. On that she bursts. She screams that she's dirty, that she won't change. She is incapable of changing. After everything, he keeps saying that they are not strangers. And if she needs help, call out for him. He went to the library... and yes, she goes there. She starts to explain how she saw the facts. She understand something was strange. That he wouldn't do it. That she forgives him. But she found herself incapable of even talking to him. When he was being beat up, she tried to help. One of the bitches asks if she wants to hit him, but she doesn't. The bitch explain that she's not doing anything that he wouldn't want. His confession would generate all this. But they both doesn't understand why.
She keeps struggling, thinking of how she didn't changed from that shy girl she were. Until the day she saw Cauli helping him. They are still together and Cauli explains a few things for her. In particular that he see that Kurosawa is trying to change. And then she understands. And that is why she's there. Kurosawa apologizes for hurting her. And she accepts. As he's suffering & crying, she revokes her pardon. And says that she would only forgive him if he keeps the promise they made. He will go to a high end university & became a writer. He goes to a cram school, where he meets with one girl from his class, Sugawa. She's one of the girls that bullied Squirrel. He found that she's shy with men, even if she puts a tough act. And even if she's very aggressive with him, she still asks him for help in studying. They get close. He starts to get interested. All seems well till an incident occurs.
Squirrel was in an Arts & Crafts class, being bullied. Then she snaps, grab one of the wood carvers & stomped it into her own hands. She smiles & as she was going to do something, Kurosawa stops her. And she disappears. She won't appear even in the graduation, where Kurosawa meet one guy from class and he asks him to go to the meeting of the class.
Time skip. He's hunting Squirrel. He finds her home & goes there. Remember hikiomori? She's one now. She tried to commit suicide on a fairly firm basis, always saved by her mom. He tries to talk to er to no avail. Sugawa & him are apparently together, but not confirmed. He likes her. Wouldn't even fap to her. He keeps going to Squirrel home, till the day of the class reunion. As he arrives there, he can't go in. He got into a bike & went to try to get Squirrel to come. Everyone is shocked. Arriving, they talk & in the end. He convinces her & off they go. They talk a bit more, then he opens up: isn't it better to try than to keep hiding your own feelings? It sunk into her. They go to the class reunion.
A few days latter, on a train with Sugawa, she catch a glimpse of her on the station. She's out.She's living once again.
This is the official ending. But fans demanded a bit more. And they receive Kurosawa & Sugawa finally being together. It's cute, but nothing much.
Well, I personally have a problem with the fan base of this manga. Most people didn't like the ending. To me, they don't understand Japanese culture. This is a heavy psychological drama, with some pretty dark & mature themes, BUT let's not forget: they are early teens. It's a comming of age drama. Yes, it's harsh, but at the same time, you are almost constantly reminded that it's a class of children. And I truly believe this is not a bad thing. Specially the ending. He overcame. Overcame what he did, the consequences, the fear, hatred, disgust. In the end, he even changed himself, like he intended to.
Go read it. Take your own conclusions.
Real talk: first I want to thank you for reading this. As the number of hits grew, the more I want to present a good point of reference with my reviews. I search for interesting books to review, from authors that I love or things that caught my attention. But sometimes, I need a little space for breathing. My routine changed a lot from when I started this blog. I'm working in a produce plant, which made me go back to do yoga, which made with less time. When I started, I was usually one week ahead, sometimes two from the actual reviews. Now, I'm getting behind the schedule.
So, I'll take a week off.
I'll find more interesting stuff for me to review, get a little ahead of the schedule & provide you with interesting stuff. I'll go to analyze a few comics, (maybe, maybe, I'll review one HUGE series that I love called Cerebus the Aardvark, but maybe I won't, since it run from 1977 to 2004. It's something for a future, since it's 16 books! I would be talking about it for around 4 months! Are you up to it?), review a few different manga & some good books.
I'm also thinking about posting an schedule here, for you to see what to look forward & maybe read together. Who knows? I'll await your comments on the subject.
Seriously, I'm waiting...
Someone.
Anyone...
We will come back with a review of an good old classic: Strange in a strange land!
See ya
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