Abnormal-kei Joshi

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It can be difficult to explain to someone why this manga is worth reading - simply because it's a difficult manga to describe. I guess you could recommend it to people that are tired of trite and banal harem stories, because Abnormal-kei Joshi is unlike most harem manga that you'll encounter, that's for sure. It can be described as a dark manga that incorporates elements from the psychological, mystery and horror genre, and it features a cast of very bizarre characters that keep the protagonist busy with their shenanigans.

The protagonist of this manga is Shinya, a seemingly average high schooler--if not a bit cold and ... cynical--who happens to dislike girls, but ironically he's surrounded by the strangest and most fucked up girls you could imagine. The manga mainly revolves around him and his strangely entertaining interactions with these characters, but the plot becomes a bit more apparent when rumours about a mysterious serial killer starts spreading. Going any further than that would be treading into spoiler territory. All I can say is that the interactions between the characters are very intriguing and worth following.

The art of Abnormal-kei Joshi really appeals to me. It has a simplistic and minimalistic art style that compliments the atmosphere, and the characters are distinct and neatly designed. It probably won't blow you away, but it's pleasant to look at nonetheless.

The characters are (surprise, surprise) definitely the highlight of this manga. It features a group of very bizarre and eccentric girls that Shinya has to deal with. They are by no means realistic in means of personality; in fact, they're exaggerations of typical character tropes, and they are executed very nicely by the author. Shinya himself is also unique in the way that, unlike most harem protagonists, he's not a retarded moron. He's sharp and seemingly cold, and few things manage to surprise or frighten him. Because he is far from as twisted as the rest of the characters, his personality also serves to balance and create contrasts between the other personalities in the manga. I'm not sure if this was the original intention of the author, but it works well.

To conclude, Abnormal-kei Joshi is a unique harem manga with bizarre characters and fucked up shit, and I'd definitely recommend that you check it out. It has a very peculiar vibe that I appreciate and I hope that other people are willing to give this relatively obscure manga a go as well. That being said, it is definitely not a manga for everyone, but if you've read this far, then you probably knew that by now already. The main gripe I have with this manga is that it updates SO slowly - to the point where I'm completely thrown off by the time another chapter shows up. If you're reading this in 2015 or later, chances are that you aren't very many chapters ahead of me, somebody who's reading this in 2014.

This will be a short review to give some insight to readers on the manga. First off, that 7 rating is likely to go up within the next couple chapters,it's highly unlikely for me to give higher than a 6 or 7 rating to manga's with fewer than 20 or so chapters but this is special. This manga is so clever with its portrayal of the characters, and let me tell you that this is far beyond a normal harem, these girls will viciously attack the others in some cases of getting to close to the protagonist! Among the Harem is a; Knight, Serial killer, ... Vampire, Masochist, Stalker, Sleeping beauty, and a Little sister. These aren't spoilers, they are CLEARLY portryayed in the first few chapters. In this manga, each chapter is brilliant, out of the 160 manga I'm currently reading, I am always waiting for the next chapter Anormal-kei Joshi.

- Thanks if you read the whole review, I'm happy to talk about this manga through messages or whatever as well. =^.^=

Abnormal-kei Joshi isn't a terribly good manga. It's a somewhat interesting take on the harem genre, and it might be worth the hour or two it takes to read it, but there isn't much else to appreciate - which is unfortunate, given that the series is indefinitely suspended.

Chapters 1 and 2 introduce the girls - the stalker, the serial killer, the 'Sleeping Beauty,' etc. One girl is nearly a copy-and-paste of Ochibana from Denpa-teki na Kanojo, down to her short stature and long dark hair. Following these introductions, the first story arc more or less begins with some grisly cannibalistic murders. This is a world, ... like Denpa-teki na Kanojo, where serial killings are the norm, and the focal point is the edgy, unflappable lead characters. As for setting - well, this is just your typical high school harem manga setting. Nothing to see here, folks.

It's a bit interesting how Abnormal-kei Joshi tries to implement its cast of girls into the plot. Each girl has a role to play, however contrived or convoluted. They each get their moment. Dialogue reads like discount Nisioisin in its directness, but the girls look nice enough in the style they're drawn, and the manga lacks the unjustified fan service of other, weaker harem manga. The girls are able to stand on their own merits (or lack thereof).

The message of sorts to this manga is that apathy is attractive. The harem is drawn to the main character, Shinya, on the basis that he's unfazed by their strange and often harmful quirks (it's his EYES, man! His cold, cold eyes!). Though I say apathetic, he's also somewhat of an enabler to their tendencies - despite his internal monologues that show antipathy towards girls in the first place. He's somewhat inconsistent that way.

Anyway, this is my first review on this site, so I can at least say that Abnormal-kei Joshi got me to WRITE about it. It's fairly mediocre, but you can read it quickly and maybe get some enjoyment out of it. It has potential, but I can't grade it too highly on potential. 5/10 for me.