Chikan Otoko

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So I know what you're thinking... A 10? Really?

Yes, really and with good reason.

Today if you ask a lot of manga readers what makes all these romance or slice of life manga that take a typical school or 'normal' life setting so infinitely great an answer tends to be "It's not boring like real-life." or "It's so exciting/thrilling compared to how it would happen in reality." Anyone who thinks this way now I'd like you to take a seat and read this manga. Chikan Otoko(Molester Man) is a 21 chapter manga with comedy, romance, drama and so-on. What makes this manga particularly different from ... others? It is actually a real-life story that was posted on 2chan that follows the events of a college student and the ordeals he goes through going from essentially an awkward anti-social shut-in to a really dynamic evolving character that you can't help but love in the end.


Story 10/10:

Let the criticism come forth, but this is the score I stand upon. The story follows a MC named Molester Man who has a part time job and goes to school, but besides that is really just a shut-in that stays on his computer all day long, plays games, watches anime and reads manga. One day on his way home from class he somehow ends up being mistaken as a stalker and is arrested by authorities. Thus begins the story of Molester Man and the ordeals he goes through while trying to find love in the end. The story is something that cannot really be mocked. Most manga tend to be fiction so it's easy to critic the faults in a story that is really just thought up; however, Molester Man stands in its own league that cannot be easily changed as it isn't fiction at all, but something that took place in the real world. The story itself is already great as it is, but just knowing that is is based on a real story just adds that much more to it.


Art 7/10:

The art isn't all that impressive, but it does have its plus sides with the added over the top silly facial expressions for comedic scenes. Overall it's not fantastic, but it's not bad. It gets the emotion across on the characters very well which is good enough.

Character 10/10:

The characters are what really make this manga what it is. Every character we meet have an important role in the story. Especially the MC who literally goes from the most nerdiest, anti-social shut-in to a guy that just becomes a completely different person(Avoiding spoilers.) They all develop very well and not one character is just some shallow supporting character that has no influence whatsoever in the story. We see the interactions between the characters and the MC as well as the interactions between one another that just really make each character shine. Characters crying for joy, loneliness, feeling betrayed, anger, confusion and so-on you'll literally see every character go through so much and so much more. All the characters have very vibrant and fantastic personalities and it's just really hard not to like any of the characters you'll meet throughout the manga.

Enjoyment 10/10:

From cheering, laughing and almost shedding a tear, this manga made me feel it all. The pacing is almost perfect and it doesn't drag on forever(Being only 21 chapter) having the perfect length for the story keeping me interesting from the moment I picked this up to the very last chapter. I couldn't have asked for a better way to end the year by reading such a fantastic manga.

Overall 10/10:

Yup, a 10/10. The story and characters all feeling so real(because they are) I just couldn't help but enjoy every last bit of this manga. Every chapter kept me excited to see what happens next and it made me really feel for all of the characters. I could have never imagined a story that came out of 2chan could be so great. This is a definite read, so I suggest you hop on it right away!

There is a common problem with character-driven stories that is often overlooked. They're supposed to engage the characters in various trials and tribulations, and by way of these occurrences, shape them into stronger individuals. It sounds simple, yet so many works fail to create memorable characters, instead relying on banal and insipid cliches to make the work seem more than it is.

Chikan Otoko is the antithesis to this trend.

It relies on the most frivolous acts and interactions between characters to naturally explicate the beauties of everyday life and characters. Moreover, Chikan Otoko never tries to be more than it is; and through its sincerity, it ... is laudable. Laudable for its shameless use of memes and potty humor. Laudable for it weaving together a narrative that is so ludicrous in concept. And laudable for its ability to blend heavier elements like loneliness and depression together with comedy and mundane follies, yet in a manner so lighthearted as if to remind us to laugh at our own miseries.

Be honest. Be yourself. A hackneyed phrase it may be, but simply put, you won't be able to get through life by being anyone else. This is a creed that our protagonist, Molester Man, follows closely. He's never been a hot-shot with girls. Since elementary school, he's engrossed himself in what one would consider typical "otaku" activities. However, his life takes a one-eighty when, during his college years, he coincidentally bumps into a beautiful female of the human species and, well, ends up trying to protect her, thinking that there's a stalker chasing them.

And so originates the name: Molester Man is, in reality, mistaken by Miss Understanding (the beautiful female of the human species) to be a stalker, and there was no one following them to begin with. Long story short, he gets accused of sexual harassment. Sounds ludicrous? Sounds insipid? Good, that's just what they want you to think.

The beginning chapters are arguably the weakest part of the entire story. Molester Man looks as if he's another two-dimensional geek who spends too much time browsing 2chan. Miss Understanding is yet another immaculate angel who has transcended the holy earth to become a cutesy reincarnation of Venus. Although initially unimpressive, these personalities and tropes quickly become entertaining quirks that will grow on the reader. Once the pacing picks up, the story also builds upon these quirks, making them a cherished and integral part of the manga.

A virgin he is, but an absentminded and oblivious individual he is not. Unlike innumerable other got-it-from-the-recycling-bin harem leads, Molester Man bares honesty. He is perceptive of his actions and, as such, reflects upon their consequences; he has the upbringing of a chivalrous man gone insane. At first, Molester Man feels apathetic towards (3-D) women, but by the end, he understands the importance of human relationships. He slowly reaches the epiphany, begins to feel original, vivid emotions, and most importantly, accepts his own flaws to reach a new perception of his world. His development feels so tangible that it's almost as if the author intended to involve the reader directly. It is not a call to action, but more so an emphasis on Molester Man's inner thoughts and emotions through the entire process. He grows, he trips, he falls over, and we experience this vicariously as we see him stand up. That's life.

Accompanying Molester Man's main development are numerous side characters that contribute to the story. Eventually, as Molester Man attempts to clear his allegation of being a stalker, he reconciles his relationship with Miss Understanding, becomes friends with her, and is introduced to her circle of friends. Contrary to the depictions of trite and (literally) flat characters, these newly introduced female leads all carry realistic personalities, more so than your generic blow-up dolls. And more than being believable, they are invaluable to Molester Man's development. Although not completely free of cliches and conventional tropes, most side characters are given a substantial role within the story that literally churn the gears of the plot. They influence Molester Man to feel feel-good feelings and become a feeler of all feelings that can be felt. Molester Man truly begins to taste the feeling and feel for the sentimentalities of manhood as he cops a feel from other characters. He feels more than just feelings; he is the feeling.

The simple-looking artwork, familiar setting, and its basic paneling are all largely why Chikan Otoko's comedy works so well within the context of its mundanity: unobtrusive speech bubbles, average-looking phone texts, and standard 2chan messages; plain, white backgrounds and plain, modest looking human figures. The art does not aim to impress, but rather, aims to complement the down-to-earth tone of its character interactions and conversations. It not only enhances the naturalism of the manga, but also enriches the dynamic and cleverness of the dialogue. The comedic antics are all so diverse and unpredictable that the reader will never know what bizarre nonsensicality is coming next.

And the comedy is just that: simple, direct, and clever on the one hand; at times shrewd, dark, ironic, and immature; or in many cases, it's just downright base and coarse internet humor. These may sound inappropriate in text, but Chikan Otoko manages to make it work. Some of the most memorable scenes from the manga stem from its brilliant humor, which range from exaggerated expressions to allusions made to Kuso Miso Technique. One might laugh so hard that they would actually spit orange juice through their nostrils while reading it. Not that I'm suggesting that I did such a thing... But in any case. Bravo, bravo.

Between its zany humor and breathtaking drama, Chikan Otoko is a manga that aspires to be something simple and ultimately shines in its simplicity. It's hilarious, silly, random, and presents to us a mundane story with phenomenal characters. Chikan Otoko is more than an example of a character-driven story done correctly, it is a story that will make one feel. Feel the feels. Live the feels. And become the feels. Feels the become.

Chikan Otoko was inspired from a post in a certain forum, that read something along the lines of “Today I was mistaken for a stalker”. Indeed that is how the manga begins. Actually, our protagonist seems like a suspicious guy due to his foul bachelor lifestyle; 20 years old, living alone, half-assing his studies, and acts as a woman repellent. His gateway out of his half-hikikkomori, irl-friendless lifestyle is the darkest corner of the forum, where the foulest of bachelor's lurk, ready to troll and humiliate. A most glorious lifestyle. Hail to those of us who have experienced it (except the repellent part. I sure ... hope no one lived through such a phase).

After clearing the misunderstanding with the cute girl, he manages to get her to have another cup of coffee. Along the way he meets 3 beautiful friends of hers and the story goes on.

The first thing that is clearly wrong stares right at you; the art is bad. Simple as that. As you read the first handful of pages a second problem emerges; the panel arrangement has no sophistication. A lot (and I mean a lot) of pages consist only of text squares relaying a forum post or an email, basically switching the medium to a novel. A third thing that's wrong is, that while this manga tries to pass as a comedy, it is clearly not. After a couple of OK jokes in the beginning the humor dries out and the genre becomes that of a hardcore slice-of-life.

I noticed that people praise that style and find exciting the meticulous realism in the way that the manga develops. That would be nice and well, if it retained that realism in the major plot turns. Well it doesn't; at every major “event” the outcome is unrealistic, all to force the conclusion upon us, making all the realistic details we have been reading pointless and tedious.

Nothing in this manga stands out, and I can not understand the hype. Overrated, while being mediocre through and through. 5.0/10.