TW: Violence, Sexual Abuse, Self-Harm, Suicide, Graphic and shocking imagery.
So, Kitanai Kimi ga Ichiban Kawaii, the best or worst Yuri manga, depending on who you ask. We'll get to where I stand soon. Let's start with some pros and cons.
Pros:
- The manga gives a deep look into the psyche of both the abused and the abuser.
- It shows that not every abuser needs to have a tragic backstory to abuse, sometimes... they just do it for the love of the game.
- The two main girls are very memorable.
- It is a tragedy, and a good one at that.
- The ending will stick with you for a long time.
Cons:
- The manga had a few scenes that are just there to shock you.
- Both characters are underage and engage in sexual activities.
- It will not sit well with you if you can't handle dark themes or lack media literacy.
That's all I can think of for cons. I loved this manga. I give it a 9/10. Now, let's get to the fun part, shall we?
"Are you stupid!? Of course, I can't go back! Use some common sense! Why should I be the only one who's ostracized?! If I'm like this, then you shouldn't go back there either!"
Narcissistic, abusive, sadistic.
Airi is fucking batshit insane. She practically tortures Hinako. Not even practically, she just tortures her. In the end, her role does start to shift; I'll elaborate later.
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"After that, Ai-Chan started making embarrassing and gross requests regularly, but I've accepted them all because being by Ai-Chan makes me so incredibly happy."
Kind, sweet, innocent.
The best character in the manga. I have to say this now, no, she is NOT a masochist. She goes along with Airi's requests because of her emotional dependence on her, but she doesn't actually enjoy being put through painful or embarrassing situations.
Part 2: The Side Characters
voyeuristic, manipulative, sadistic.
I feel like the quote needs some context to really resonate. She said this while watching Airi and Hinako on a camera she had set up in Airi's room. Airi and Hinako were engaging in... activities, to say the least. And she was secretly watching them on the camera.
Obsessive, thinks she's doing the right thing, blackmails
When she discovers the relationship between Airi and Hinako, instead of helping Hinako, she decides to take pictures of stuff Airi and Hinako do to blackmail them. She does this because she wants to get Yuuko, her crush and best friend, away from Hinako because she thinks Hinako is disgusting.
"Yoshimi, I don't like how you have been bad-mouthing her. Frankly, I don't trust Sezaki-san. I really do wonder what Hinako's not telling us. But then someone else must have taken those pictures, to what, threaten her? It doesn't change that they're just another bully. It's revolting."
The only normal person in this fucking manga.
She does not love Yoshimi back; she views her as a friend. If she knew that Yoshimi was the one who took the pictures, they would not be friends anymore. After telling Yoshimi the quote above, Yoshimi says, "Ye-Yeah, I can't imagine doing that."
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Part 3: The Story
Airi Sezaki and Hinako Hanamura are both in 9th grade (I think). Airi's friends consist of forgettable side characters 1 and 2, and then Ichika Miyazono, who later attempts to manipulate Airi. Hinako's friends consist of Yuuko Hyoudou and Yoshimi Matsushita. Yoshimi has an obsessive crush on Yuuko. After discovering what's going on between Hinako and Airi, she decides to blackmail the two of them secretly. She thinks that she needs to get Yuuko away from Hinako.
The story takes a turn when everything shatters after Yoshimi sends a picture of Airi choking Hinako to everyone. Airi plays it off for a while that it's not her because her face is not in the photo; you can only see the back of her head. She goes so far as to cut herself to gain pity. But eventually, people stop believing her.
Airi shuts herself away in her room and stops showing up to school. That's when Hinako shows up to hang out with Airi in her room, but their dynamic swaps. Hinako begins to manipulate Airi. She cuts Airi's hair so that they have the same haircut, and unlike Airi, Hinako's manipulation is more sexual.
Ichika Miyazono texts Airi asking if she is okay, and they begin to hang out. But Ichika secretly sets up a camera in Airi's room to watch Hinako and Airi for "entertainment." Yeah, I know. However, the camera was discovered by Hinako, who had set up her own camera before Ichika to spy on Airi. Hinako shows it to Airi, truly making Airi believe she can only trust Hinako. After this, Ichika decides she wants to attempt to destroy Yuuko and Yoshimi's relationship. Unfortunately, that plot is never expanded on, which makes me somewhat think this manga was axed behind the scenes.
Airi decides that she wants to run away with Hinako. They get on a bus and travel outside of town. Hinako picks up odd jobs so that they can stay in a hotel. Airi, thinking that she has no other choice, asks Hinako to commit suicide with her. Hinako agrees only because she thinks Airi will back out of it. Which Airi does. Then, at the end of the hotel room, Airi asks the question,
"When do you think something becomes eternal?"
She then answers her own question and says,
"I think something becomes eternal when it ends. Hina, would you like to make us eternal? Do what you want with me."
Hinako kisses Airi, Airi says,
"That's not what I meant."
Hinako replies,
"I know, but that's what I wanted to do."
Airi says,
"Do with me like I used to do with you."
She gets Hinako to strangle her, mirroring the way Airi had done with her in a previous chapter. Hinako is telling herself to stop, but repressed anger and resentment are bubbling up. Hinako eventually kills Airi, and she then takes Airi's body out to the snow and walks around during the night. She collapses and freezes to death in the snow, followed by a page of them on the beach with Airi extending her hand out to Hinako, saying,
"Come on! Thank you for always staying with me! Now we can finally be together forever!"
Then it cuts to a panel of their bodies in the snow holding hands. It zooms into their hands and says
"Kitanai Kimi ga Ichiban Kawaii
FIN."
If you really think about it... in a way, we are all just like Ichika. Think about that for a moment.
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Part 4: Hinako's and Airi's various activities
I'll just make bullet points of the stuff Airi did to Hinako from worst to least bad
1. Dangling Hinako out a window so that she pees herself so she can taste it... I wish I were kidding.
1. Baby play
1. Making Hinako get a piercing
1. Making Hinako eat a bug
1. Making Hinako throw up
1. Putting Hinako in a blindfold and remaining silent to see if she would take off the blindfold to see if she was still there or if she trusted her. She didn't take it off
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Part 5: Controversy
Here, I am going to break down some of the many things people say as criticisms of the manga.
"It's just fetish content!"
True, it is content with fetishes in it. But that's the point. Airi and Hinako both use these fetishes to control each other. The point of the manga isn't for people to get off to; it's to show the very real world of abuse.
"The ending is bad."
The ending is realistic. I don't see any other way it could end without it being cheesy. All because you wanted something happy, and it's sad, doesn't equate to the ending being bad. The ending does feel slightly rushed, though.
"I do not wanna see all that between KIDS."
Fair.
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Part 6: The Spin-Offs
Side story 1: "What I Remembered"
"Though, sometime ago, I heard a rumor that Sezaki-san was sexually abusing Hinako-chan in some way. Everyone always said how she was such a good girl. But honestly, I wouldn't put it past her. It was only once, but when I think back on her actions that day, I'm not even sure if Sezaki-san's feelings towards Hinako-chan were pure sadism. They felt like something different. That's what I remembered when I heard the news report one morning."
This side story is about a girl who fell in love with Hinako in middle school, but Airi beat her to talking to Hinako. Airi goes out of her way to mock the girl subtly. It ends with the girl hearing about Airi and Hinako's deaths on the news.
I AM ABSOLUTELY NOT TALKING ABOUT SIDE STORY: "WARM SUMMER" THE TAG "WATERSPORTS" IS ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW.
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Part 7: The End
It's not a romance. It's a tragedy about romance.
Thanks for reading my first review! I really should be doing my Geometry homework and making a slideshow for English. I nearly cried writing this.
