Mousou Shoujo Otaku-kei
Fujoshi Rumi

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I rate this 10/10.Why,because its simple because I love it. No matter how matter times I reread this manga I would still enjoy it like how I first read it. You might think I exaggerated a bit but its just show how much I love it.This manga will keep you entertaining with humor/good art/romances with multiple couples/otaku topics/parodies of stereotypical fujoshi which makes it so interesting to read.This manga IS truly hilarious so don't worry about it not worth of your time.Have nothing to read, bored, wanna kill time, just give Mousou Shoujo Otaku-kei a try you won't regret it.
Plot:
The series is a comedic romance ... between two high-school fujoshi and the boys who fall in love with them; much of the humor comes from parodies of stereotypical fujoshi behavior and other otaku topics, and a large number of pop culture references.

There is something terribly ironic about me reviewing this surprisingly wonderful attempt at making yaoi fangirls likable and, to a certain extent, understandable. After shedding many manly tears in my attempts to become an infrequent MAL reviewing-person, I eventually retired, following much moaning about MAL being controlled from the shadows by the evil known as the yaoi legion--every horribly typed yaoi review having a near perfect score when I glanced over the latest review offerings. It must surely have been fated in the stars that, not only would a TRULY hilarious series that details the lives of the yaoi fangirls I once hated become a ... favourite of mine, it has no reviews on MAL. How often can a reviewer expect to find a new favourite title without any reviews, on a site as large as MAL? THIS MUST BE MY DESTINY!

I am not going to lie: my oh-so-old, 22-year-old mind cannot follow the the conversations of crazy young girls who rave over this 'uke' and 'seme' business. And as a straight, somewhat hairy male, the mental image of one imaginary ladyboy violating the anus of another does not make for pleasant viewing. But, as much as is possible, Fujoshi Rumi has changed my views on yaoi fangirls, and for someone as stubborn as myself I can offer no greater praise than that.

The tasteful person who recommended the series to me had also recommended High School Girls previously; a series that reveals the truth about the shaving woes of females and proved to be a most educational read. And I can fully understand why she recommended Fujoshi to me now because the series is, basically, a love child of High School Girls and Genshiken. When you combine *somewhat* realistic high school girls with Genshiken's often comical exploration of 'otakuism', what you get is Fujoshi Rumi. So, if you liked either High School Girls or Genshiken, save yourself some time by stopping reading my rambling and, instead, starting Fujoshi, because there is a 99% chance you will love it as much as me. Seeing is believing, as they say.

In case you are curious, four or so paragraphs in, Fujoshi's story is about four characters: two male, two female; two normal guys, two yaoi loving young ladies.

Rumi is an otaku girl who cares not for appearances and often loses herself in her own little BL (boy love) world - she cares not for real men. Abe is in love with Rumi and, in order to win her over, he will do anything - even posing with cat ears. Chiba is Abe's best friend, as well as the school stud, and he often complicates Abe's love life by adding to Rumi's fantasies in an attempt to avoid receiving one love letter per day from his own personal fanclub of hotties. And Matsui, my personal favourite and final main character, is the sexiest girl (G-CUP!!!!!) at school, as well as a closet yaoi fangirl, and she is madly in love with Chiba.

The story gets going in a realistic manner. I am sure, at school, some of you guys (sorry girls; guys only here) have found yourself alone in a classroom with your best friend; examining his nipple hairs... No, you say? Well, whatever: that is what happens when Abe and Chiba are left alone in a classroom... and Rumi JUST SO HAPPENS to spot them with their shirts open. Her imagination runs wild, she accidentally gets a knee in the face by a panicking Abe, Abe offers to pose for her drawings in order to make up for his knee, and hilarity ensues.

It would not be a lie to say that the series pokes fun at those in lust with ladyboys deflowering each other but, much like Genshiken, the true purpose of Fujoshi is to show that even people with obsessive interests in disturbing things are lovable. In fact, Fujoshi goes as far as to suggest that otaku are worthy of respect, as opposed to being disrespected, because of the passion they have for life. I know from personal experience how hard it is to move forward without having any passion for anything, and it made me almost envious to see two people SO enthusiastic about something - laughing, crying, and talking the night away. No matter what anyone else thinks, if you have friends who share your interests and are able to live life to the fullest with them, life starts to look a whole lot brighter, and that is what I think the author of Fujoshi tried to convey with her work. Differences make people unique and draw people together, and different does not always have to be a negative thing.

I started this review by highlighting the irony that follows me wherever I go on my travels, and a certain aspect of Fujoshi's story is deliciously ironic, also, and it goes along nicely with the above paragraph.
Matsui, the big-breasted, long-haired, aggressive but very loving BEST CHARACTER EVER candidate from the series (note: any girl who pushes a guy's buttons, testing his manhood, is a-ok in my mind) was once a fat, glasses-wearing otaku - the sort you cannot help but automatically visualize when you think 'otaku'. In order to fit in, she changed herself; pushing her hobbies away and becoming a drop-dead gorgeous stunner. And, in order to complete her transformation into a 'normal' person, she set her sights on the the #1 boy (Chiba) at her school; hoping to enter into the perfect relationship, in terms of looks. But he rejected her because she was too normal. The irony here is that Chiba only fell in love with Matsui AFTER she reverted back to her true self; expressing her love for boyxboy action - Chiba being amused by her eccentric side and it endearing her to him.

Maybe I am reading too much into it, but I think the author was trying to express with the ChibaxMatsui romance that being true to oneself is better than living as a fake for all of your life in order to qualify as normal. And she is on the ball, if that was indeed her intent.

As you have no doubt gathered from my typing thus far, Fujoshi is primarily a comedy. But it also has a LOT of romance; the vast majority of the comedy resulting from the woes of the main four as they come close to getting it on.
Abe and Rumi's relationship is a little difficult to take seriously due to Abe doing all the chasing while Rumi shows no interest in anything outside of boyxboy action. But, on the flip side, Chiba and Matsui's romance is one of the best I have seen to date. It starts out with her chasing him, then he kinda-sorta starts chasing her, then they have a standoff as they compete over who is going to wear the trousers in their inevitable relationship, and then... well, I will leave that for you to discover! But it is pretty steamy; Matsui taunting Chiba into making him do the tongue dance. Also, it is hilarious how Chiba, typically for a guy, struggles to say the 'L' world but does not struggle to go for boobies and Matsui refuses to lose her virginity out of fear of him only wanted her body, because he cannot say he loves her. In a twisted sense, they are perfect for each other.

Aside from the comedy, romance, and realism, what REALLY sells Fujoshi is its artwork. Typically for a female artist, there is an awful lot of whiteness where backgrounds should be, as well as random dots, but the character art adds to the humour AND highlights just why two normal guys would suffer such hardships, risking their anuses, to get with such weird girls. The horizontal v's for eyes and deformed style change works wonders for the witty, reference heavy (if you happen to be a Gundam fanatic, you will LOVE the dialogue!) comedy bits, and the mangaka is also able to draw sexy girls. As a guy, I cannot help but grade art based on how much my lower brain appreciates how the ladies are drawn, and the way Matsui is sexualized pleased Aion #2. Her lips become juicy, her eyes passionate, her cleavage exposed, and she truly does turn from cute to lust worthy. So, a big +1 for the artwork enhancing both the funny and sexy parts in equal measure. Females know how to draw female characters from experience, I guess!

My main disappointment right now is that it is impossible for me to read further than the third volume in English. Media Blasters released the third volume back in 2008, and it seems like they have been forced to drop the series due to no-one buying it, or even being aware of its existence. Worse still, the only English scans on the net are scans of the volumes Media Blasters released; meaning, unless you understand Japanese or do not care about missing out on all of the witty dialogue, not even the internet can save you. It is a real shame if Media Blasters do not continue releasing the series because, at the back of each volume, there is a detailed list explaining ALL of the references to the anime, manga, and various other Japanese things mentioned--I would have been lost without the help of whoever took the time to explain everything. At this point, all I can do is hope that Fujoshi is not set to join Life and GTO: The Early Years on my list of manga that I will probably never be able to complete...

...In any event, there is little else of value to add. Where as Genshiken focused mainly on the more accepted otaku activities - anime, manga, figurines, models, etc - Fujoshi focuses exclusively on yaoi moe, and the way the subject is handled with both delicacy and humour makes me regard Fujoshi higher than even Genshiken. As far as I am aware, there are six volumes out in Japan, and although it is not possible for me to state whether the high level of quality continues past the third volume, I can say that the first three volumes are up there with the best manga I have ever read. It was consistently entertaining and I often had to hold myself back from laughing out loud. The fact that there are only four characters who get a decent amount of time makes it very easy to care strongly about all four of them, and the romantic drama blends well with the yaoi craziness. Considering the story is about yaoi fangirls and even I, being the manly man I am, was able to favourite it, I seriously doubt there will be too many people who would come away from reading Fujoshi unhappy. Heck, even a person I know online who has the worst taste EVER should be able to appreciate it, so I will be at loss if I should receive an angry message, complaining that my review is misleading. Blame God, rather than me.


Short version of my review:

Guys: In volume three, Matsui is shown naked in the bath; nipples and all. And, GOD, does she ever have BIG, lovingly drawn boobies, complete with space saucer nipples. (If you only care about the boobies, I will hook you up. I would never let a brother in need down.)
Girls: If you pleasure yourself at night while looking at drawings depicting young men being ravaged by other young men, you probably need to feel better about yourself. Reading about Rumi will make you feel better about yourself. Trust me.


Extra: Despite being a manly man, I run away from bees. This is a sad but very true fact. That said, I cannot tell you how reassuring it was to see Abe afraid of a cockroach when he was asked by Rumi to deal with it. I think I would honestly need therapy if I was alone in a house with a cockroach... spiders are bad enough. I AM NEVER GOING TO JAPAN!


Unless I happen to find another favourite that lacks a review, this will be my final-final review. DO NOT EVER TRY TO TALK ME OUT OF IT!... Well, ok, everyone needs love once in awhile. A nice message or two would not go amiss. Maybe even three.