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An episodic structure facilitated inside a high-school and its lonesome 2-member literary club, though moreso facilitated within the enigmatic, oblique mind of defacto literary girl Maria Kodama. While the school club romcom of Girl A and Boy B macro-genre is something I've grown a stale taste for, Kodama Maria is a refreshing baptism with its captivatingly dry dialogue and humor. If thinking inside the box is the norm and thinking outside is the goal, then Kodama Maria does both simultaneously. As straight-forward it'd be to reference literary works inside a literary-themed story for easy meta-humor, Yoshiharu Mishima interestingly writes not with reference of, rather, inspiration ... from literary works. What makes this furthermore interesting is that these literary works are literary, cultural, linguistic, even scientific essays and papers, from Roland Barthes' The Eiffel Tower to Albert Einstein's Relativity: The Special and the General Theory, therefore takes inspiration from the diverse, obtuse subject matters for its chapters.

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What derives from this is conversational bingo and metafiction extremely reminiscent of the Monogatari franchise. The most puzzling aspect of Kodama Maria is also how wonderfully introspective, meditative it is. That is, the softcore, layman linguistic linguini Maria shoves down your throat at every given chance. Although the episodic plots initially find themselves situated in humdrum, Maria contrives semantic, philosophical, even existential, meaning from them. In the process of verbally communicating oneself through Lego blocks and the likes, come the demarcated, yet understanding conversations between Maria and Fueda. Perhaps best described as an Araragi-Hanekawa conversation with a Senjougahara personality majoring in literature, the main staple interaction builds off of Maria's vast knowledge and Fueda's ignoramus. Easy it'd be to turn their dynamic into a slapstick, they both play off rather apathetic and pokerfaced, giving ambiguity and vibrant quirk to their relationship. The typical exchanges include dry banter, but mostly comprises of Maria's pensively semantic lectures and Fueda's weak, clueless reactions.

The meta-humor, while touching on character archetypes regularly like others, tickles the cerebrum more than the funny bone. With cultural and linguistic papers at its inspirational disposal, the metafictional aspect of Kodama Maria takes apart literary tropes, semantics, sentence and grammatical structure, cultural phenomena in lieu of language and literature, etc in a way that one questions the plot. Though, it does water down the concreteness with quirky metaphors and examples. For such a literary-centered story as Kodama Maria, it surprisingly references literary works on such few occasions that the literary-inept need not worry about being gatekept out of the humor. Though, you most certainly will be rereading and questioning.

And for how literary it is, Kodama Maria possesses an stylistic dependence on strong, organic strokes and lines smelling of calligraphy. Nearly all of my favorite mangaka in the weird market draw with blobbish simplicity and Mishima is no different. Character designs and backgrounds are leveled with such dullness that contrasts the lively, eccentric nature of dialogue and interaction and complements Maria and Fueda's usual apathy and deadpan mannerisms. I often subtly preach it in past reviews, but simplicity is a fine virtue.

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Comprehensive of linguistic and cultural phenomena, yet more of a phenomena itself, Kodama Maria is a silent and enigmatic force to be reckoned with. Perhaps written with no audience in mind, rather, written in of itself for the sake of clever metafiction; the episodic chapters are unsuspectingly idiosyncratic with no real plot in mind. Kodama Maria Bungaku Shuusei reads off very much like a collaborative work between NISIOISIN, tugeneko and panpanya, with its frivolous, chattering nature. Yoshiharu Mishima writes with original and refreshing meditation of language, verbose, culture, interpersonal borrowing inspiration from real-life published papers that give consistent color to the incomprehensive dialogue and interactions in his story. Though, his intent isn't at all so intently deep as I worded it. There's no push for the audience into meditating or learning from the eccentric verbal jamborees, but perhaps to immerse them into the world of the enigmatic existence known as Kodama Maria.

Oshi no Ko is steadily developing to be another fantastic psychological manga from Kaguya-sama: Love is War's author. However, those with light hearts, take caution. Whereas its sibling series is much more comedic-oriented, Oshi no Ko strives to draw open the grandiose curtains of the entertainment industry and bare its murky colors. And in its pursuit, Aka depicts topics such as suicide, social pressure and bullying in an unapologetically pessimistic manner. In conjunction with a supernatural subplot, the story only becomes more dramatic, darker, and intoxicating. Regardless of if his information is truly accurate or not down to the last detail, Aka depicts an interestingly ... dark world that many of us are unaware of.

In its current serialization span of roughly 8 months and 30 chapters, the story has yet to fully tap into its full potential. But these past 2 arcs have served as great samples as to what you can expect from this series. Strong side characters, thickening plots and bold themes. As of now, the story is one-sidedly focused on Aqua's entertainment ventures, pushing Ruby's idol endeavors to the sidelines momentarily, and slow burning the overarching supernatural, revenge plot.

The side characters have thus far been the central focus on each arc, serving as damsels-in-distress for Aqua to save and carries into entertainment industry expositions and nuances. I can only hope these side characters aren't sidelined after time has passed, since the two presented considerable potential for development and enjoyable dynamics with the protagonists. I can't say I especially like or dislike the protagonists yet.

Scum's WIsh's Mengo's art has been nothing short of impressive. Her delicate character design works strongly in Oshi no Ko's favor, nourishing the dichotomous nature between the seemingly perfect appearances of its celebrity characters and their murky thoughts. The paneling and blotchy use of black often adds immensely to the dark undertones and narratives, as well.

At this point, it's expectantly unclear if and how the story direction will change or if its quality will fluctuate. Its measly two arcs have been interesting hooks into what one can expect, but insufficient in foretelling future consistency and direction. I have trust in Aka that he'll continue expanding upon everything and I commend him for creating something boldly contrastive to Kaguya-sama: Love is War. In short, Oshi no Ko has an interesting supernatural and dramatic hook, with an unclear outlook, but nonetheless an intriguing read with its introspective commentary of the entertainment industry and dark subplots.

Bleak, grotesque, chaotic, lighthearted. Q Hayashida's craft is embodied by these traits and excellently incorporated them into the seinen cult classic known as Dorohedoro. Turning the clock back to 1997, Hayashida's debut one-shot, Sofa-chan, already laid the ground work for and implicated her distinctive style. A bizarre narrative, surreal personifications of mundane objects, a murky, heavy use of black, and an equilibrium of lightheartedness and horror.

And today, this style has earned Hayashida to be one of the faces on the non-existent seinen Mount Rushmore. Seinen is often viewed as an umbrella term for anything gore, violent and dark. Which Dorohedoro and Hayashida's other work unapologetically ... are. But giving them more than a brief glance, you'll see how carefully crafted her stories are. Beyond the extravagant bloodiness and chaotic narrative, Hayashida crafts marvelously fun characters, multiple engrossing mysteries and a memorable story. Of course, I wholly understand those who aren't fans of her style. But there's no denying the popularity her work has garnered, which is now focused on her most recent and on-going work, Dai Dark.


Dorohedoro ... in Space

While Dorohedoro was set in two separately connected worlds, Hayashida makes a grandiose move by setting Dai Dark in the vast universe, complementing her style extremely well. The vast outreaches and "emptiness" (fun fact: space is actually not empty!) of the universe contrives the common man's fear of the unknown and dark. And Hayashida capitalizes on this to create simultaneously craft grand world-building and a spice of horror. Unknown territories, creatures and phenomenon are constantly explored, enrichening the story's world.

The plot itself consists of 14-year old Zaha Sanko, legendary throughout the universe for the rumors of his bones fulfilling anyone's wish, and his wisecracking, grumpy and boney companion, Avakian. In their quest to release Sanko from his tragic situation. From the get-go, fans may see that Dai Dark bears some similarities to its popular predecessor. How Sanko and Kaiman bear unfortunate fates, one stuck with a reptile's face and one hunted down anywhere he goes, and their goals to escape them all while encountering many people along the way.

But I'm not suggesting Dai Dark is simply riding the tail coats of Dorohedoro, this series has its own unique and enjoyable charm. Most notably, its space setting. Expanding more on it, Hayashida manages to flawlessly weave in different planets and places in a single chapter from another. It'd normally seem like a tedious challenge to characterize the immenseness of the universe and end up scrambling and lost in that immensity. However, Hayashida doesn't trip herself up in this grand setting and info overload her audience, but instead takes her time to lay the ground work of the story. While some settings, like the Dark, are essential to the overarching plot that is still being crafted, others exist for episodic misadventures. Or in short, Hayashida places differing importance in the changing sub-settings while retaining enjoyment in every chapter.


Oh, the horror!

And additionally expanding on the horror, it's expectedly enjoyable. Hayashida's trademark lighthearted horror plunges in strong in this series, with its persistent gore and frequent skull and bones imagery. And thanks to its space setting, Hayashida creates a plethora of uniquely horrific aliens and species, from three-headed giants to a skull-faced dog(?). It also provides interesting abilities to its diverse cast, often gorey. Sanko's abilities all have "darkness" in their name and include melting bodies into bones. And there's Shimada's ridiculously overpowered death abilities, allowing them to casually blow enemies up in a frenzy of organs and guts. So as long as you follow the mischievous protagonists desensitized to gore and death, you'll be guaranteed to witness humorously bloody massacres.


Buff women and excessive gore

While Dai Dark has an array of unique looking aliens and creatures, you'll be sure to notice hints of Hayashida's memorable art-style and design. The characters are generally towering, with 14-year old Sanko measuring in at 190 cm (6'3" in burger units) and others following in similar suit. Sanko also bears striking resemblance to Shin from Dorohedoro. And of course, what's a Q Hayashida series without muscularly loveable women?


Besides character design, Hayashida's excessive use of black is blotted in nearly every panel. In conjunction with the gore, it adds greatly to the bleak and chaotic nature of the series. There's also the occasional stand-out panels permeating an unsettling tone and sense of surrealism that I adore.

Admittedly, I suppose the art and paneling can be hard-to-follow at times if you're not used to the deranged use of black and general chaotic nature of Hayashida's art and narrative. I see this as strengthening that chaotic and erratic personality of the narrative, but it's something that may turn some off.

And to once more fawn over the space setting, Hayashida creates a diverse cast of unique aliens and creatures that constantly reminds of us that it's set in different planets and places in the vastness of space. While Dorohedoro had Devils and peculiar masks that erased the presence of humanoid characters, Dai Dark features different species nearly each chapter and cloaks humanoid characters in unsettling garbs.



Silly and Goofy

And again, Hayashida's trademark style is found through the casual and dismissive nature of death. Even if you're new to Hayashida's work, you'll find yourself rapidly desensitized to the gorefest of spilling organs and torn faces and instead smirking at how comical these deaths can be. Provided you have a somewhat tolerable stomach, that is.

But Hayashida's comedic repertoire also extends to humorous dialogue and lighthearted banter between characters that offsets the rampant chaos from the previous panels. Sanko's skeleton companion, Avakian, is perhaps my favorite character whose sarcastic and irritated wisecracks I look forward to the most. And there's also some downright silly sides and traits to our seemingly hardboiled and daunting protagonists, like Sanko's obsession with mespa (*meat-ball and spaghetti sandwich) and Shimada casually eating the deceased's spirits like chicken wings.



Conclusion

Fans of Dorohedoro and dark comedy, praise be to the almighty. Though just under 20 chapters of the series have been published as of now, Dai Dark is shaping up to be a worthy replacement of Q Hayashida magnum opus. The dichotomous personality between gorey horror and lighthearted fun that earned her a cult following runs strong in this series' blood. And with its grand setting in space, you'll be sure to enjoy the prolific misadventures our protagonists get themselves into and the idiosyncrasy of the character design. I'm confident that this sci-fi move Hayashida made turns out to be one just as enjoyable as Dorohedoro with its own charm.

To summarize this series in one word: PAIN

SOME SPOILERS AHEAD

Story

This is genuinely painful to read. In a great way. Musume no Tomodachi portrays the unblemished consequences of the societal taboos, namely age-gap relationships, and failure to follow societal norms. The darkness is much more relevant and empathetic than something intense like murder or rape, because many of us may struggle and question some of society's unspoken rules, making this series painfully relevant to our lives.

Whereas other slice-of-life, drama series generally follow plot structure, this series seems like it's in an infinite climb of rising action. The slow, steady, looming drama and excellent cliffhangers make for ... an unreachable climax. Just when I think shit can't get any worse, each chapter proves me wrong. The suspense and indefinite delay of resolutions really claws at my heart. Every time I see a new update, my heart always sinks and my breath tightens in anticipation for what else will go wrong.

I'm a sucker for age-gap series, it's always interesting to see how authors tread upon delicate, taboo matters. Musume no Tomodachi portrays the subject of age-gap relationships in a refreshing manner. The consequences follow through in the most dire manner and we see how their relationship affects everyone around them. There is not a speck of hope or acceptance, only hardship and disapproval.



Characters

The characters are, to put it simply, fucked up. It's clearly conveyed just how shitty their lives have been, so their questionable, sometimes downright "wrong", actions have never annoyed me. Instead, it just strengthens their character.

Kousuke, the main character. Lost his wife, has a shut-in daughter who won't talk to him, works like a dog and silently pressured by societal norms. So when his only salvation is Koto, a teen girl, he jumps at the chance at escaping his life temporarily. However, this seemingly rehabilitative relationship only worsens his mental/emotional state, tipping his moral scale and turning his life for the absolute worse. He's nearly never in a healthy mindset. Eventually, the only thing he yearns for is escapism from societal demands, in the form of Koto. Thus, he traps himself in an eternal downward spiral of despair and angst.

Koto, the main heroine and femme fetale. Initially presented as an angelic deus ex machina for the exhausted Kousuke, she's steadily characterized as someone the same as Kousuke. Someone that lives to maintain a constraining image. As opposed to Kousuke maintaining his image in respect to societal norms, Koto maintains her image in respect to her mother's wishes. Her family life is just as broken as Kousuke's. As opposed to Kousuke's family situation, where he's rejected by his only family, Koto is latched onto by and is necessary for her mother. Rather, she's an object for her mother, a mere possession to fill in the missing holes in their family. Koto is just as broken as Kousuke, and equally seeks out escapism in him just as he does.

Kousuke's daughter shut herself out from the world and her father after her mother's death. However, she eventually opens up again to Kousuke and their situation seems to have taken for a better turn. However, upon witnessing Kousuke and Koto's intimate relationship, her parent-child relationship was once severed. She isn't characterized by societal/familial pressure as intensely as Kousuke and Koto, but instead by her utter confusion.

Koto's mother, arguably the antagonist of this series. Left by her husband, her personality takes for the worst. Manipulative, controlling and selfish, she will do whatever it takes to keep Koto wrapped around her finger. Her character is defined by her chaotic love for Koto. Seemingly a more moral cause than what Kousuke and Koto possess, as a parent's love and nurture is expected, but her motives are arguably much more dark and worse than anyone else's.



Art

Stylistically, aesthetically pleasing and works incredibly well. The art is finely detailed and wonderful to look at, but it's strength lies in the "show, not tell". The facial expressions never warrant explanatory dialogue for a character's feelings and motives. It's quite literally all there, plastered on the face, slight gestures and body movements. It creates the usual stuffy, tense atmosphere and smoothly conveys the internal. Sometimes, it's almost like I'm watching, not reading. The character designs are quite nice, as well. I especially love Koto's design. Her blush, big teddy bear eyes and soft looks exudes a feeling of relief and angelic ... but there's also something there that contrasts that perceived image.





Enjoyment

I love reading despite the pain. It's rare for me to not get annoyed by the characters' dumb actions in drama, but here? It's painfully enjoyable to see it all. Honestly, I'd put this on the same level as Oshimi Shuzo's works, like The Flowers of Evil and Blood on the Tracks. I love the dark empathy and immortality, the sense of catharsis is one hell of a drug, man. 10/10.



Final Words

If you've enjoyed The Flowers of Evil, Oyasumi Punpun, Blood on the Tracks and other heavy drama series, I believe you'll find great enjoyment in Musume no Tomodachi. Successfully creating a constant air of quiet tread and discomfort and portraying the dire consequences of societal self-images and taboos, I think this is one of the best on-going slice-of-life drama manga.

Story:

Starts off on a weird note and no telling where it'll go. Is it a romance between an unpopular guy and most popular girl in school? A chuuni-edge lord living his life? A SOL about an awkward kid? It didn't know what it wanted to be at first, but the chapters are too amusing for it to be a huge rain-on-a-parade. It definitely does shift towards a romance tone, though largely remains a subtle-comedy SOL.

Art:

A goofy art-style that'd you expect from a SOL school-life comedy. This series has a great "show-not-tell"-style of comedy. The characters' expressions & the background never fail to ... crack a smirk on my mug, it's not blatant but subtle. Overall, a very fun art style that does its job.

Characters:

If you've read WataMote, you'll likely enjoy our protagonist, though his awkwardness is much more comedic and light-hearted than Tomoko. You might wildly cringe or adore Ichikawa. At the start, his character was purely an edge-lord chuuni, which has toned-down over the progression of the story. Now, he's an awkward kid that doesn't know how to interact with girls (aka every middle-school guy). His narration is hilarious, couldn't ask for a better MC. As for our heroine, Yamada, she's the exact opposite. Bright, cheery and extroverted; her character allows for amusing interactions with Ichikawa. Though sometimes an airhead, she has some self-awareness and tact that doesn't make her an annoying bubbly character. The side-characters are also great for amusing scenes, that also help bring the two MCs together.

Enjoyment:

Though this series isn't entirely transparent with what it wants to be, it's nonetheless a very amusing and casual read with its wandering plot with its subtle comedy and romance. Very epic enjoyment.

Overall, I reward this an 8/10.