Onani Master Kurosawa

[MaxonTreik]

I just finished reading Onani Master Kurosawa and it gave me the inclination to make a thread about it. For some time I had paused at the end of chapter 16 to go do other stuff and prepare myself for the incoming shitstorm that was about to blow over from Kitahara's "request". However, I ended up forgetting to go back to it until a month later, which is bizarre because I was loving it so much until that point. That's water under the bridge, so I'll stop blabbering.

I was expecting a comedy when I heard the title name. It didn't occur to me that a plot device like fapping could be used for anything but laughs. Sure, I had heard the name "Fap Note" getting thrown around, but I assumed that it was in a parody sense rather than emulation. From the get-go I was surprised at just how dark this series was and quickly learned how wrong I was to take this manga lightly. It took me a while to get around the fact the hero of the story was such a pervert but once I did, I began to identify with Kurosawa. I too feel a sort of disdain for many of those around me for being so fake and doing worthless things, yet I also act like Kurosawa by putting on fake smiles because I still care about what others think of me despite my disdain for them. His hypocritical outlook was pretty fascinating despite the fact he was being a self-important prick. The reader is drawn into his world so well and actually begins to like him.

His spiralling out of control at the hands of Kitahara takes the manga to some rather dark and disturbing places, and I was rather worried that someone was going to commit suicide or Kurosawa would get killed from the repurcussions. In a great twist, Kurosawa forcibly stopped this descent into darkness however due to a tiny light of hope shining from him, and this really redeems him in the eyes of the reader. He accepts his punishments and even gets back onto the right path. As the manga reaches it's climax it's evident a massive change has overcome him, and he's willing to fix things with honesty and appreciating what and who he has. It's a great feeling to see such a dramatic change in a character's perspective.

Best read in some time.

10/10

 

[Aion]

Most people look down on it, until they sit down and read past its DN parody beginnings. At first I thought it was quite good, and the seemingly blooming romance in the library intrigued me... but it caught me completely off-guard with its twist, and at that stage I felt truly horrible for poor Kurosawa. He'd bet his happiness on love and found out too late he misunderstood the actions of an overly friendly girl - I was gutted for him, as the author intended me to be.

Like you said, at that stage it seemed destined for the series to end darkly, but Kurosawa's action after seeing Kitahara so distressed averted that occurring AND made his character truly respect worthy. One of the greatest, most easy to relate to characters ever created.

Both Onani and Kurosawa are in my favourite manga and character lists respectively.

The sad thing about Onani is that, afaik, an official release is unlikely 'cause it came out as a doujin. I'm unsure what its circumstances are now but I'd LOVE to own official English releases, at some point.

Here's what I had to say when compared it to NHK, by the by:

While Onani starts out purely as a Death Note parody about masturbation, complete with Light's 'Just as planned!' faces and in-depth planning, it quickly takes a turn for the serious, delving into anti-social behavior, bullying, first loves and, basically, school life in general. Think of it as a realistic school slice-of-life (with masturbation in the girls’ toilet!) about Light, without Death Notes and his popularity, and you wouldn't be far wrong.

NHK deals with many similar issues, such as not making friends out of fear of rejection and hiding away from the world. There's even a 'contract' with a weird girl in both, though what the contracts involve differ greatly. Both are very hard-hitting if you can relate to the struggles and emotions of the series’ respective leads. The only real difference is that, where as there's a good balance between comedy and drama in the case of NHK, the two often being blended together, in the case of Onani it's more along the lines of the story getting progressively darker as it goes on.

I hope Onani gets released in English at some point since I want to own it. But, until then, I recommend everybody ignores the title, as well as their initial impressions and reads it. By the end, you'll more than likely love it, and like me, add to your top manga list. I know I couldn’t stop reading it once I got into it.

 

[ilmaestro]

I can't agree more with the praise for this series, absolutely one of the most "complete" contemporary works out there, in terms of character and plot imo. Genuinely moving, and genuinely surprising.

Sure, I had heard the name "Fap Note" getting thrown around, but I assumed that it was in a parody sense rather than emulation.

This speaks a lot to why I try to involve myself as little as possible with "the internet" at large.

 

[VivisQueen]

What everyone else said. Still working out my ratings (I think I need to re-read it) but generally, yes, loved the way it surprises you. The DN parodies are a hilarious set-up but somehow meld smoothly into the emotional drama later.

My one criticism is that its ending with the blond girl and everything felt unnecessarily sappy. But not sure whether that truly affects the overall quality.

 

[MaxonTreik]

What everyone else said. Still working out my ratings (I think I need to re-read it) but generally, yes, loved the way it surprises you. The DN parodies are a hilarious set-up but somehow meld smoothly into the emotional drama later.

My one criticism is that its ending with the blond girl and everything felt unnecessarily sappy. But not sure whether that truly affects the overall quality.

It might have been a little sappy, but Kurosawa deserved it after the **** he went through and for opening up to people.