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Book Review of After School Nightmare, Vol 1

After School Nightmare, Vol 1
reviewed on + 25 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2


This book was interesting! Disturbing, but interesting. I don't think I've seen a manga (or a book, for that matter) with quite the same premise before.

The premise: a group of students in this school are messed up in one way or another, mentally and/or emotionally. They've been enlisted by a shadowy female doctor to participate in an afterschool course, where they all sleep. During their dreams, they have forms that reflect their "true" selves in some way, and are given a necklace with three glass orbs on it. When they're upset enough, the glass orbs shatter one by one. If all of them shatter, they've failed that particular class. In order to pass the course, they need to find a "key," (and also, it's implied, conquer their internal demons). They need to pass the course to graduate.

The main character, Ichijo Mashiro (mid-cover), is a hermaphrodite (male on top, female on the bottom). Ze's been raised as a guy, and has real issues with getting hir first period and being identified as feminine. (Among other issues, which are too spoilery to mention here.) Other students have issues ranging from being afraid of men due to being raped as a child, being expected by parents to change their personality in order to get into a good university...etc. Pretty heavy stuff.

I'm intrigued, and hope to continue the series. I'd like to see how things turn out.