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Jul 31, 2015
Gakkou Gurashi, a surprisingly creepy manga, didn’t seem to be the type of story I would like. Originally sounding like a cheesy, slice of life comedy about a “School Life Club”, I almost skipped right over it. However, noticing “horror” tag I thought that it could be interesting. So far, the manga greatly exceeded my somewhat low expectations.
Although the plot may not seem especially unique - hundreds of movies and shows exist about apocalypse scenarios - the execution makes the manga special. With the show continuing to have a school setting and fake slice of life theme, it allows the characters and each of their
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mentalities to truly shine. The main character, Takeya Yuki, blocks out the horrible truth of her surroundings and tricks her own mind into believing that their life is normal. She constantly keeps up a cheerful attitude by generating exciting club ideas and keeping the situation light-hearted. Wrapped up in her own fantasy, she keeps herself in the dark about the apocalypse; even Yuki’s friends continue to support her by playing along with the false life she creates. They all live in an abandoned school building together, along with one teacher, but Yuki hallucinates healthy students and normal buildings. Blocking out the tragedy: a common defense mechanism for many people who go through traumatic experiences. Yuki is a fairly complex character, growing and fighting just as any other normal girl.
Kurumi, the “guardian” of the group, constantly carries around her shovel for protection. She devotes her time to cleaning up the campus so that the zombies won’t interfere with Yuki’s life, and carries out many of the most terrifying tasks. She works very well with Yuuri, the somewhat soft-spoken club leader, who constantly works on making sure the school building stays livable for everyone. Both desperately cling to the idea that by helping Yuki, they can also find happiness within their devastated world.
As an artist, I can see the strengths and weaknesses of Sadoru Chiba’s artwork. Everything appears very charming without any overwhelmingly large flaws. Although the styles are quite different, the art can be compared to “Madoka Magica” because of the “kawaii-but-actually-dark” theme. The art, without being overly gory, manages to create a creepy atmosphere even if the characters are simply smiling and participating in everyday club activities. The artist takes advantage of creepy textures to create mysterious atmospheres that make the manga more thrilling. Never knowing what lurks around each corner, the reader can only see from the character’s perspective, which works well with the theme. Character design is rather simple - girls in school uniforms and common hairstyles - but it may have been the author’s purpose so that readers can relate to them.
Overall, the manga seemed to be very well-written and planned out. No mile-wide plot holes or unnecessary time-skips. The pacing feels very natural because the reader won’t be bombarded with events, but it stays exciting enough to not become boring. Someone with a weak stomach, but still a love for creepy stories, would probably like this because of the censorship (not sure if that’s the right word) of creepy scenes. Stories that leave room for one’s imagination to roam generally produce better results, and that certainly seems true for this manga.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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May 4, 2015
Sweet enough to give you a toothache, Sweet Magic Syndrome truly melted my heart. This adorable manga is about a girl named Amako, and her adventures with other girls from the Kingdom of Sweets. Definitely a slice of life manga, so people searching for a legitimate plot probably would not be interested. However, everything stays very cheerful and humorous so it’s a great read for someone needing a little sweetness in their life~
The main character, Amako, is a genuinely kind person with an upbeat attitude. She consistently recognizes the positives in every situation, but not to the point where she becomes a ignorant nuisance.
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After moving many times at a young age, she found herself having social problems and realized that she kept losing her friends. After coming across Pudding, a girl who magically appeared from a pudding cup, she began to make new friends and move beyond her past. Amako loves to bake sweets for her friends; the manga even includes recipes that I definitely plan on trying.
Another main character, Pudding, appeared in the very beginning out of a pudding cup. Extremely gluttonous, Pudding constantly snacks on all kinds of sweets. She stays extremely attached to Amako and they have a beautiful friendship as time goes on.
The manga mostly consists of quick gags, as it’s a 4-koma, and the text can be a little overwhelming at times because of this. The plot, which originally seemed to be about Amako helping Pudding, changed into a slice of life. The manga’s plot shifted to the adventures of the girls as they try to recruit new members for their club. The characters all interacted wonderfully, the manga presented plenty of humorous scenes, but their personalities stayed pretty static. Nevertheless, they all acted very sweet and the entire manga felt extremely soothing.
The art, created by CuteG, is overwhelmingly gorgeous even without using complex designs. Many artists attempt to make their art appear better by adding extra details, but true talent shines through when an artist can create simple characters that still appear beautiful. Sweet Magic Syndrome has all of the characteristics of my favorite art style: squishy faces, shimmery eyes, and cozy designs. The art certainly fit the relaxing theme, and their personalities fit their designs extremely well.
Overall, the author should have made the plot a little more clear and stuck to it. The art, characters, and slice of life humor all appealed to me due to the manga’s relaxing nature. I thoroughly enjoyed the personalities of each character, as they all appeared pretty complex and realistic. Thankfully, the manga did not rely on overused personality tropes and kept them relatively unique. I enjoyed the comedic humor, and the manga inspired me to try baking my own sweets; I realized that I should start to pamper myself, just as each of these girls do.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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