Abnormal-kei Joshi

Edit

What would you like to edit?

SynopsisBackgroundAlternative TitlesPictureChapters/VolumesPublishing DatesRelationsTypeExternal Links  

Only one chapter is out, but since it hasn't been updated in months, it's safe to say that a review is okay to write.
Warning, this review may contain spoilers that relate to the “revealing” of each character’s personality.

Shinya, the main character, is a boy who dislikes women because of the trouble they cause- a boy who barely reacts and shows barely any emotions.

If you think you've seen every type of harem out there, you haven't seen one like this.

Abnormal Kei Joushi revolves around Shiina Shinya, a high school boy who scoffs as his friend squeals about a cute girl at their school. You see, Shinya ... believes that women never bring any good. He can’t believe that women are even the same creatures as him, but he has good reason.

You see, most of the women in this harem are yandere, an anime character who is psychotic or violent. Think Mirai Nikki’s Yuno, and we’ve got ourselves a match.

In Shinya’s life there’s a masochist (if you want to see boobs, here’s your chance!), a creepy girl who believes to be Shinya’s knight, a too-happy murderer, and a beautiful stalker. (The description describes a sleeping beauty and a wannabe vampire, but the updates haven’t shown us them yet).

In the beginning of the manga, you meet every girl one by one with no clue as to how they relate to the main hero or what their issue is. I enjoyed how the author revealed each character’s personality towards the end, throwing you off guard.

Another great thing about the manga is that the hero isn’t a typical weakling. He barely even seems to care that he’s surrounded by a girl who makes him whip her, two stalkers, and an insane killer who could slice him open at any minute. His only solution to it all is that women are “hard to understand”. For example, at one point the murderer of the bunch calls him outside to view the corpse she’d just killed. His response is, “Don’t call me to the scene of the crime,” and “Can I go now? There’s a new anime I want to see.” He’s calm, cool and collected- a definite change from the sterotypical 'gasping' main harem hero.

In all, this was a random, unique manga which I hope to see more of within the next few months.

It can be difficult to explain to someone why this manga is worth reading - simply because it's a difficult manga to describe. I guess you could recommend it to people that are tired of trite and banal harem stories, because Abnormal-kei Joshi is unlike most harem manga that you'll encounter, that's for sure. It can be described as a dark manga that incorporates elements from the psychological, mystery and horror genre, and it features a cast of very bizarre characters that keep the protagonist busy with their shenanigans.

The protagonist of this manga is Shinya, a seemingly average high schooler--if not a bit cold and ... cynical--who happens to dislike girls, but ironically he's surrounded by the strangest and most fucked up girls you could imagine. The manga mainly revolves around him and his strangely entertaining interactions with these characters, but the plot becomes a bit more apparent when rumours about a mysterious serial killer starts spreading. Going any further than that would be treading into spoiler territory. All I can say is that the interactions between the characters are very intriguing and worth following.

The art of Abnormal-kei Joshi really appeals to me. It has a simplistic and minimalistic art style that compliments the atmosphere, and the characters are distinct and neatly designed. It probably won't blow you away, but it's pleasant to look at nonetheless.

The characters are (surprise, surprise) definitely the highlight of this manga. It features a group of very bizarre and eccentric girls that Shinya has to deal with. They are by no means realistic in means of personality; in fact, they're exaggerations of typical character tropes, and they are executed very nicely by the author. Shinya himself is also unique in the way that, unlike most harem protagonists, he's not a retarded moron. He's sharp and seemingly cold, and few things manage to surprise or frighten him. Because he is far from as twisted as the rest of the characters, his personality also serves to balance and create contrasts between the other personalities in the manga. I'm not sure if this was the original intention of the author, but it works well.

To conclude, Abnormal-kei Joshi is a unique harem manga with bizarre characters and fucked up shit, and I'd definitely recommend that you check it out. It has a very peculiar vibe that I appreciate and I hope that other people are willing to give this relatively obscure manga a go as well. That being said, it is definitely not a manga for everyone, but if you've read this far, then you probably knew that by now already. The main gripe I have with this manga is that it updates SO slowly - to the point where I'm completely thrown off by the time another chapter shows up. If you're reading this in 2015 or later, chances are that you aren't very many chapters ahead of me, somebody who's reading this in 2014.

Abnormal-kei Joshi isn't a terribly good manga. It's a somewhat interesting take on the harem genre, and it might be worth the hour or two it takes to read it, but there isn't much else to appreciate - which is unfortunate, given that the series is indefinitely suspended.

Chapters 1 and 2 introduce the girls - the stalker, the serial killer, the 'Sleeping Beauty,' etc. One girl is nearly a copy-and-paste of Ochibana from Denpa-teki na Kanojo, down to her short stature and long dark hair. Following these introductions, the first story arc more or less begins with some grisly cannibalistic murders. This is a world, ... like Denpa-teki na Kanojo, where serial killings are the norm, and the focal point is the edgy, unflappable lead characters. As for setting - well, this is just your typical high school harem manga setting. Nothing to see here, folks.

It's a bit interesting how Abnormal-kei Joshi tries to implement its cast of girls into the plot. Each girl has a role to play, however contrived or convoluted. They each get their moment. Dialogue reads like discount Nisioisin in its directness, but the girls look nice enough in the style they're drawn, and the manga lacks the unjustified fan service of other, weaker harem manga. The girls are able to stand on their own merits (or lack thereof).

The message of sorts to this manga is that apathy is attractive. The harem is drawn to the main character, Shinya, on the basis that he's unfazed by their strange and often harmful quirks (it's his EYES, man! His cold, cold eyes!). Though I say apathetic, he's also somewhat of an enabler to their tendencies - despite his internal monologues that show antipathy towards girls in the first place. He's somewhat inconsistent that way.

Anyway, this is my first review on this site, so I can at least say that Abnormal-kei Joshi got me to WRITE about it. It's fairly mediocre, but you can read it quickly and maybe get some enjoyment out of it. It has potential, but I can't grade it too highly on potential. 5/10 for me.