DoLL

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tl;dr: A manga with no substance whatsoever but decent comedy centered around awkwardness.

This manga is about a young woman named Izumi who goes to visit her art now retired art professor. The reason she goes to visit isn’t entirely made clear, but she seems to want some sort of emotional support. Her professor may have been the type that was able to provide such support when he taught her, or maybe he never was and it was all in her head. However, he clearly isn’t the type to be able to provide such support now. However, for some reason or another, she seems determined to ... get whatever it is she’s looking for and pushes him into letting her live with him for a summer. It’s not like he dislikes her so he doesn’t want to force her out, but at the same time he has no clue what she wants or how to deal with her. And to make things even more extreme, she discovers that he’s somewhat of a pervert that’s into various things including love dolls, which she finds creepy. Though at the same time, not creepy enough to leave, but rather something that she uses to constantly poke at him.

Thus, in the midst of a complete failure to communicate between the two, there are constant arguments about nothing at all in particular and a lot of awkwardness all around. And sometimes this awkwardness expands to include various other characters. This awkwardness is the core of the soft but steady comedy that exists throughout the manga, which overall is pretty solid and results in the manga being pretty amusing. Still, in the end nothing really happens. There are hints of background to both of them, but not enough to actually paint any sort of picture or flesh anyone out. There’s no character development. No relationship development. No plot whatsoever. There’s no moral. No message. It really doesn’t feel like the manga is trying to convey anything. Ultimately, the manga just ends. The art was pretty weak both in terms of style and quality. And for a manga so heavily focuses on fetishes and raunchy aspects, there’s very little ecchi.

I honestly didn't get this series. What did it want to show or tell?

A girl is attracted to her old art sensei and makes a trip to his house to stay there a few days. From day one, they keep yelling and shouting and arguing about... nothing. Well, not exactly nothing. The story has some initial excuse for the argument, but after that, their fights and yelling seemed completely pointless. I felt that the author had the intent of the whole thing being something artsy and deep, that their relationship was besides the point, that the events themselves with the other occupants were besides the ... point. But I just didn't get it because the presentation and dialogue were completely casual. There didn't seem to be anything between the lines of the dialogue and the sketches. The whole thing in the end just seemed... pointless.

Is it worth a read? I think this is the first time I'll ever say this: Nope, it's not. But if you care enough to try to comprehend what this series was trying to communicate, be my guest, because I got nothing from it.

DoLL is weird, but underwhelming. To its credit, DoLL is at least unique and I can't think of any similar work off the top of my head. It succeeds at invoking a particular kind of awkward discomfort, but then it doesn't do anything with that emotion. Beyond the initial reveal, very little happens for its brief length. The main characters almost talk about things, characters come and go to perv on the girl, and then it ends. Its subject matter almost seems to demand discourse or even shock but it does so little that it feels pointless to develop any opinion on it beyond exasperation. ... Your time is better spent elsewhere.