Litchi☆Hikari Club
Lychee Light Club

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Zera is my toxic Sigma male "literally me" character ngl... Now, I came into Litchi Hikari Club as a fan of Japanese Angura and Eroguro Kei and shock material in general, so I had a semblance of what was going to happen, though LHC turns it all up to an 11. If you don't know what Eroguro usually entails, then be advised that this manga has ultra-violence/extreme gore and explicit sex scenes. I only recommend this work to readers over 18 and those who enjoy dark themes and shocking material. Albeit, Litchi Hikari Club is so much more than mere shock material, trust me.

The art ... style is fantastic. The art style has a very strong Angura aesthetic, with Shironuri (white face makeup) and Gakuran (black boy's school uniforms) complimenting the dreary monochromatic background of their Shouwa-era, worn-out, industrial town. Despite each member wearing the same clothes and having the same hair/eye colour (not typical in anime/manga), each boy has a unique look to him and stands out, from Kaneda's half-hidden face to Raizou's effeminate gestures. Colour is used sparingly, and when it is, you can FEEL it, despite the comic being in black and white (that's how effective it is).

Though the leader gets the most screen time, LHC doesn't have a main character and mostly focuses on the Club as a whole. Zera is their leader, a calm and calculating young man who obsesses over aesthetic beauty. He demands order in the club and commands calmly, but with an iron fist. The members seek his approval and follow him in his goal; to give life to their robot Lychee, and have him successfully kidnap a human girl. His members include his right-hand man and lover Jaibo, a sycophant with sadistic tendencies. Tamiya, the somewhat disgruntled former leader. Niko, the ultra-dedicated "#1" of Zera's. Dafu, who is fairly quiet yet dedicated in his own right. Dentaku, a highly intelligent young man in charge of programming Lychee. Kaneda, whose nail-biting habit reflects his anxious spirit. Raizou, a highly effeminate and spirited young man who isn't afraid to get his hands dirty in the club's business. Jacob is the youngest member and is the most innocent of them all, however, he is still very much complicit in the club's heinous activities. Other major characters include Lychee the robot, and Kannon the kidnapped girl (despite being in captivity, she has agency and plays a major role in the plot).

While it is comparable to Lord of the Flies with its isolated and self-governing male-centric, barely pubescent cast, I feel as if LHC reaches a separate logical end conclusion of LotF's more open-ended themes. Mirroring Japan's own extremely group-centric society, LHC functions with far more social cohesion and centers around the constant battle of appeasing (not rebelling) leader Zera in order to gain power... Well, except for what happens later, but that's a spoiler. Not to mention that it breaks down NatSoc (we know it as Nazism) into a smaller, digestible scale and shows how it influences the club's power structure and culture, that being of brutality and aesthetic worship (Nazis heavily used pleasing aesthetics to advertise their regime). As you would imagine, a large group of the same sex does indeed create sexual tension, which is shown in Zera and Jaibo's relationship and the resulting "power-couple" dynamic that is equal parts a shockingly NORMAL depiction of a gay relationship and a spiral of bad influence that emboldens each boy to embrace his negative character traits. This may be me reading into it too much, but I feel like, despite its dated setting, LHC still applies to the modern day with how our post-industrial society is creating dystopias where increasingly isolated men/women seek echo chambers and borderline cults in order to feel a sense of belonging. It also offers a mild character study of Zera, who slowly devolves into a mess of paranoia as his club devolves into chaos, his personal anti-thesis. The greatest theme, I'd say, is what it means to be human. I won't spoil it, but the end shows that humanity is earned and not begot by simple existence.

"Litchi☆Hikari Club" is a work by the renowned manga artist Usumaru Furuya, promising an immersion into a dark and complex theme. My journey through its pages was marked by mixed feelings and profound reflections. Undoubtedly, Furuya's artistic style stands out as a pinnacle of the manga. His meticulous aesthetic manages to capture the narrative's essence, serving as one of its foundational pillars. Furuya's drawing delivers an atmosphere of sociopolitical horror, effectively alluding to Nazism. However, this is executed satirically and responsibly, exaggerating and ridiculing the group, providing a biting critique to the plot.

The manga is notable for its "nazi chic," a controversial element that, in ... many contexts, can be misinterpreted. Yet, Furuya deploys it in a satirical and theatrical manner, acting as a subversive reflection on the rise of fascism in Japan. Through a group of youths led by a charismatic but manipulative leader, we witness a sharp commentary on the mentality of "just following orders" without questioning. Despite its promising start, the character development falls short of expectations. It would have been enriching to know more about the group, their origins, familial backgrounds, school environments, and the socioeconomic dynamics of the city they inhabit. Such elements could have added more depth and understanding to the characters' motivations and actions.

The story kicks off with an intriguing premise: a fascistic group of youths that, due to its inherent dysfunction, is on a path to self-destruction. This core plot is captivating and well-constructed. However, the introduction of a secondary narrative in the latter part of the story disrupts its balance, becoming a detraction that compromises the initially established pace and focus. "Litchi☆Hikari Club" is a work that shines in its aesthetic and sociopolitical critique, but, at times, strays from its potential. The manga could have benefited from a deeper exploration of its characters and a more centered narrative. Still, it offers moments of reflection and stands as a valuable addition for those seeking a read that transcends the conventional.

What if you asked an AI system to write a manga after feeding it data like a classical story about the fall of a ruler after becoming paranoid and insane, nazism, cultism, "machines have feelings too", ultraviolence etc. Litchi hikari club is what you get.

Story: Its a 'story' about a 'ruler' going crazy and paranoid because of possible betrayal, which eventually leads to his own downfall. It also involves a bodyguard robot that thinks it is human and is only devoted to hikari club's nonsensical motivations and who is 'turned into a human' by an innocent girl. The story consists of many such themes/ideas/situations that ... have already been done many times. These themes are conveyed by a story that doesn't make sense purposefully and its pretentious. If those themes were new and though provoking, and had the author managed to invoke feelings of mystery, thrill, sadness, creativity etc through an utterly nonsensical story proving that story isn't relevant after all, I would've like this a lot more.

Character: Themes of loyalty, jealousy, paranoia, lust, scientific achievements etc. were associated with various characters or members of the cult. Almost every character had their arc concluded meaningfully. The characters however weren't particularly interesting. Just a bunch of crazy cultists teenagers for whom i didn't care about in the slightest. They remind me of A clockwork orange's immoral teenage characters but the latter were more interesting. The interaction between the innocent girl and the robot was more interesting than that between lychee club members.

Art: The art is really good looking portraying a bleak industrial world and some of the scenes are drawn perfectly especially the climax panel.

Enjoyment: Reading this manga was almost a drag. It does not have anything that can be considered enjoyable.

Overall: The manga just wants to shows how scenes can be powerful and how themes can be conveyed despite how nonsensical the story is. Although the themes were pretty simple and have been done many times before, I did like some of the scenes and the atmosphere thanks to the art but that just isn't enough. Also it can be an uncomfortable read since it involves lots of violence and sex and there is not a shred of decency in this manga.