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Based on the Tokyo Grand Guignol play of the same name, Litchi☆Hikari Club is a twisted black comedy about teenage-hood.

Giving off a strong vibe of Lord of the Flies crossed with A Clockwork Orange; LHC is ironic, explicit, violent, over-the-top, sexist, and terrifying. Not entirely unlike the inner turmoil of an average testosterone fuelled and sexually confused boy toeing the line between what is taboo and what is acceptable, testing the waters before swimming through the shallow waters of puberty and out to sea... I guess you can call it a coming of age, except with more dangling innards and megalomaniacal zeal for death. ...

The Light Club itself is both a metaphor for society at large and for the cruelty of one's teenage peers. To submit or to perish. The comedic blind pursuit of beauty and youth, and the overwhelming innocence shown by the boys is complemented very nicely by a good dose of sexual violence. They capture and trap girls but are ultimately unsure what to do with them. They raise their chosen doll-like girl onto the pedestal to worship and neglect at the same time. They blush at the prospect of being in the presence of girls yet feel nothing as they strip and gut their female history teacher. It may just be me, but I felt the Light Club perfectly and strikingly illustrated the dichotomy between the treatment and view of women in society.

The story of the boys is contrasted by the story of Litchi (or Lychee), the eponymous AI monster designed by Zera which foreshadows his Frankensteinian fall. Litchi is the blank slate taught to kidnap, to hurt, and to kill by the Light Club. Without spoilering too much of what is already a short story, Litchi's growth and maturation is I think a highlight of the manga.

Another one of the stand-out features of this manga for me is the theatre-like atmosphere and lighting used in the illustrations. This particular framing allows a degree of suspension of disbelief over the outrageous activities happening on stage whilst not detracting from the shock and aesthetic value. It's only a play and we are only viewers. Thus giving viewers the permission to indulge in the heinous acts in the name of art, which in turn mirrors the actions of the boys in the manga itself.

There is no subtlety to be found in this manga, the metaphors are glaringly obvious and the actions of the characters are dramatised to the extremely. Litchi☆Hikari Club reads exactly like a grotesque play about the harshness and fragility of teenagers, and I loved every page. It's only a short manga, but definitely worth reading especially if you're a fan of Anthony Burgess' Clockwork Orange.

A very interesting short: beautiful art, great use of colours, and fantastic music.

The story itself was written between the two World Wars and explores the idea of pacifism, sacrifice, and in a way - the Japanese spirit of 我慢. It's written around the same time Ghandi was active but it's not clear if there are subtle references to him specifically or just general Buddist ideals.

In this bitter-sweet story the bullied Nighthawk is taunted by more powerful birds to abandon its identity, but it refuses to do so and resolves to pacifism and chooses to sacrifice itself rather than to inconvenience others/fighting - ... a silent resistance if you will. During its journey the Nighthawk questions the nature of the food cycles and the interaction between the weak and the strong. If you're familiar with history, at this point you can probably see the clear connections between the Nighthawk and Ghandi's principles of valuing truth and non-resistance.

It's interesting viewing in the sense that it shows very clearly the change in values over time and places; what is regarded as weakness in contemporary Western eyes is a sign of strength in 1920s Japan etc..

In summary, a fantastic short - absolutely worth watching!