Story: Fap Master Kurosawa starts off as a humorous tale that gradually grows into a coming of age story, with subtle character development all throughout. On the surface, it’s a story about an introverted student, Kurosawa, and his daily habit of masturbating in the girls’ bathroom. Of course, as all good things must come to an end, he is inevitably caught by the meek, withdrawn, and often bullied
Kitahara and, as the logic of such stories dictates, she forms a pact with him via the threat of blackmail. [As a side note, I had already achieved a sense of empathy with the main character by this point, as his routine was frighteningly similar to my own]
Now, though it may seem like a shallow beginning, the manga actually delves into numerous meaningful themes; with subtlety and a self-aware sense of humor, no less. In fact, each stage of the story is accompanied by at least one theme or another: in the beginning, it handles the sense of helplessness felt when being targeted by others and using sexual expression [wanking, basically] as an emotional conduit. Around the middle, it broaches the topics of being ostracized from the social hierarchy and growth through hardship. Near the end, it handles people’s yearning to change and the dangers of walling yourself away from the outside world, and it does all this and more in a way that is both heartwarming and impactful. I loved the story and everyone in it.
Art: Pretty good, not really important, keep reading.
Characters: Kurosawa’s story in particular really resonated with me, and not just because I too like masturbating in women’s stalls. There is a genuine depth of character with Kurosawa, and his metamorphosis from asocial, egotistical slacker to someone who is more open to the people and possibilities around him is conveyed in a natural, down to earth way. He is realistic and relatable, and not once did he say anything that struck me as implausible. In fact, the whole cast of characters [barring the teacher, he was a little too awesome] were realistic and, impressively, most get some form of character development or another. They were also astoundingly likable. At any rate, while I found myself especially drawn to the main character, I also found that Kitahara’s development near the end, which occurred as a subsequent result of Kurosawa’s influence, was likewise compelling and emotional. Between her and others I won’t mention for fear of spoilers, it becomes quite clear that the driving theme of this story is change. Sweet, gooey, heartwarming change.
All in all, by the time that I was finished reading I found myself well endeared to each and every character [except the sweaty fat one and some of the bullies, but they weren’t important], and found myself quite moved as well; for a time, I genuinely considered what my life would be like if I stopped masturbating on school grounds.
To summarize: Though it may not look it, at least in the beginning, Sap Master Kurosawa is an ultimately hopeful story about self-realization, struggle, and people’s inherent ability to change, if they do so desire. To be honest, I haven’t read much manga as of yet, but woe to those that follow this one, as it’s a high bar to reach.
