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Old 06-24-2011, 02:02 PM   #1
McSweeney
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Masturbation Master Kurosawa

We here at the forum stumbled upon this manga quite by accident. I thought it would be amusing to read it as a joke. Imagine my shock when it turned out to be ... REALLY DAMN GOOD! If you can go just by my word, I urge you to skip this review and check this manga out for a completely spoiler free experience. If you need to be intrigued some more, read on. I won't spoil anything past the second volume (there are four in all).

The art is pretty bad. It's rough pencil work, like a cheap doujin. Damn shame, because it's not like the guy can't draw, he just got lazy about inking. Would have helped a lot if he made it more professional looking.

Onto the story. Our hero is middle school student Kurosawa, a loner, and a person who holds his peers in complete contempt. The friendly leader of the otaku clique always asks him if he wants to come hang out with them, but Kurosawa politely tells him to screw off every time. He spends most of his time fantasizing about his female classmates ...

Spoiler: show



He then indulges in his secret fetish: masturbating in the girls' washroom. He takes careful measures to make sure the coast is clear, before heading in and locking himself in a stall to jerk off. One day, however, he runs afoul of someone:




Her name is Kitahara. He makes up an excuse that the teacher sent him to organize some cleaning equipment inside, and goes on his way, figuring he's safe for the time being.

Kurosawa singles out three girls in his class as the top hotties, and they subsequently become his prime wank material: two of them are the typical hot chicks you all remember from high school. They aren't exactly stuck up bitches, but they never socialize with people "beneath" them. The third one though, Takigawa, is different. She's very sweet, and wants to make friends with everybody. Kurosawa actually thinks of his fantasies like a form of sexual domination, even though it's all in his imagination (he refers to the girls he plans to jerk off to as his "targets").

Kitahara, the meek girl who saw Kurosawa coming out of the girls' washroom, is a target for bullying by a group of punk girls. Kurosawa sees it and figures it's none of his concern. One day, the punk girls set up a prank: they frame Kitahara for stealing the uniform of a fat kid, nicknamed Pizza-ta, while he was in P. E. class. In front of everyone, they start teasing, "You must have stolen it because you have a crush on Pizza-ta! You wanted to cuddle with it and smell his essence!" Most of the students know that Kitahara probably didn't do it, but they join in on the teasing anyway, urging her to confess her true feelings for him. I found this to be a true situation, from my experiences in school and at my office workplace. People find a certain comfort in mocking others, as long as it's not themselves being made fun of. Some of the ugliness of school life is exposed in this story. All the students start chanting, "CONFESS! CONFESS! CONFESS!" Kitahara is so humilated that she covers her face and cries uncontrollably. "She must be so happy that she's crying tears of joy!" her bullies say with glee.

Kurosawa is finally pushed to the edge. No longer can he sit idly by and say that it's none of his concern.



They will fall. He swears vengeance on the bullies, the only way he knows how: he steals their uniforms and jizzes all over them. Shaken, they ease up on the bullying, now having a secret pervert to worry about. Satisfied with his victory, he returns to masturbating in the girls' washroom. He locks himself in a stall and goes about his business, but hears someone come in. No worries, as long as he keeps the door shut and doesn't say anything, he won't be caught. He waits for them to leave, when a voice is heard ... "ARE YOU IN THERE? KUROSAWA-KUN." It's Kitahara. With her Lawliet-like intuition, she figured out that it was him who soiled her enemies' uniforms. Instead of thanking him for dispensing milky justice, however, she uses the opportunity to blackmail him. His secret is safe, if he agrees to exact vengeance on more of her bullies. It is here where Kurosawa learns that she is not the squirrely girl that he imagined. A dark side is revealed; a deep hatred for her tormenters. Her resentment is so strong that she is not satisfied with just getting revenge on the people who directly bullied her, she even wants people who merely watched and laughed to pay. Having no choice, Kurosawa agrees to her demands.

After school, Kurosawa goes into the library to read, as usual, when someone unexpected sits down beside him and asks what he's reading: It's Takigawa, one of the top 3 beauties of his class, the only one who is kind to everyone, even the losers. Kurosawa never imagined that he would be able to have a face to face conversation with a girl like her. They start talking books, and, impressed with Kurosawa's tastes, she asks for recommendations. She even says that he could write his own book, and that she would love to read it. Kurosawa can not believe it, that another intelligent soul would spend time in the library after school. He chalks up their meeting to a one time lucky incident, but she starts dropping in to talk with him every day. We begin to wonder, does Takigawa actually have a crush on Kurosawa, or is she just really friendly? It's actually bizarre to look at Kurosawa's face when he's talking with her. It's the only time he actually looks pleasant and happy, instead of insane and scheming. She also spends some time with him and the other outcasts in his group during a school trip. Kurosawa eavesdrops one of the cool guys in the class ask her how she can stand spending time with people like that. She looks puzzled, and asks, "Is there a problem with that?" After one of her library meetings with Kurosawa one day, she tells him that she has always waited for her soulmate to appear in front of her, just like in her romance novels.

Kurosawa rushes to the girls' washroom to masturbate to her, but he is confused when he feels violently ill afterwards and vomits. He can no longer defile Takigawa in this way. He has finally realized it: he's fallen in love with her. At that moment, Kitahara comes into the washroom. She has one more person she wants Kurosawa to destroy: TAKIGAWA.

All I will say is, for the remainder of the story, my chest grew tight, as I thought about the several different layers of heartbreak going on. It hit especially close to home for me, since I had something very similar happen to me. Unbelievably, this goofy story with an outrageous premise had managed to introduce some serious tension and drama by the second volume.


In conclusion, I was astonished at how good this manga was, and I can now say that both Legend of the Strongest Man Kurosawa and Masturbation Master Kurosawa are outstanding tales that I fully endorse.

(Akira Kurosawa is cool too I guess.)
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Old 06-24-2011, 03:30 PM   #2
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Read everything until I got to the top of the first picture, then quit reading (including not reading the picture, though I did scan down real fast to assess quality of art and character design).

Where did you get it from? On your recommendation, I've decided to look into it. If you do a search for "Kurosawa" on Tosho, I am getting the one that says "Onani Master Kurosawa (complete)". It's categorized as Manga (blue label) and it's halfway down the page. 1, is this what you got? 2, will I also need to get that "After the Juvenile" PDF I see above it? (PDFs, blagh.) 3, did you see the torrents for the picture drama? Not a fan of picture dramas, but L-O-fucking-L that this actually got not one but two! Is it that good!?

Anyway, I am FLOORED that you loved this. What I assumed was a ridiculous lame punny cash-in on Fukumoto's famous manga title is apparently a great story in its own right, you say? This I've gotta see. But tell me, tell me: "onanii master"? Does the story actually have to do with masturbation? Or do they just call it that because the protagonist is single and wants a girlfriend but hasn't gotten one?

The drawings certainly don't seem that bad for a regular manga, but they're not top-of-the-line by eromanga standards, either.
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Old 06-24-2011, 03:44 PM   #3
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BPK isn't the first person I've met who was transformed by OMK, but I'm as stunned as Talon. I've tried to read this manga and couldn't get past the premise and art. Now that BPK has surpassed me, I must reclaim my honour.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Talon87 View Post
Anyway, I am FLOORED that you loved this. What I assumed was a ridiculous lame punny cash-in on Fukumoto's famous manga title is apparently a great story in its own right, you say? This I've gotta see. But tell me, tell me: "onanii master"? Does the story actually have to do with masturbation? Or do they just call it that because the protagonist is single and wants a girlfriend but hasn't gotten one?
Kurosawa masturbates all over the place. In his mind, on her face. Upon floors, then a chair. In a stall, on her under-wear.

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The drawings certainly don't seem that bad for a regular manga, but they're not top-of-the-line by eromanga standards, either.
I personally found the art atrocious, so much so that it was harder to deal with than the ridiculous premise. Those first few chapters were so acrid, I fell casuality to the eye strain and had to put the manga down.

Now, the pages BPK posted don't look as terrible as the OMK in my mind's eye. Maybe the art improved, or maybe BPK just picked really spot-on pages for his examples. But I still don't like how the manga is shaded - it reminds me strongly of Fred Gallagher, and had me questioning if a Japanese artist even penned Kurosawa - and it still has that sketchy look of a rough draft, rather than a polished final product.
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Old 06-24-2011, 03:47 PM   #4
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Yep, that torrent is what I got, and includes the special (I have no clue why it's PDF in that other one, it's just another chapter). No, I don't know about those picture dramas.

Masturbation does play a role in the story, but it's not the whole focus. It's not one of those shounen stories where he dreams to become the strongest masturbator or anything. (Maybe the final challenge is to jerk off to grandpa porn?)

About the art. Yeah, those pictures I selected do look better than average, I didn't do that on purpose (the one where he makes the Light face is probably the single best drawn thing in the entire manga, lol), but honestly the art isn't atrociously bad. The beginning is colourized and actually looks quite good ... unfortunately that only lasts a couple pages. I actually don't know the background story of this manga, like is this an honest to god amateur's work, or was this in a professional publication?
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Old 06-24-2011, 05:05 PM   #5
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http://www.mangafox.com/manga/onani_master_kurosawa/


I read it all today. Sickening premise aside, the story was pretty top notch. I liked it a whole lot. I also liked the random anime references (Haruhi, Code Geass, Death Note, etc).
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Old 06-24-2011, 06:52 PM   #6
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BPK, and now Kuno, too?!

Dang, I really need to get in on this circle jerk.

Spoiler: show
Don't shoot me!
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Old 06-28-2011, 08:18 AM   #7
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Sorry, I was mistaken about "After the Juvenile". It's something different than what I thought it was, and isn't included in that torrent. It's a TEXT ONLY special (wtf? Is he not only too lazy to ink, but too lazy to draw now?) that takes place after the manga. I just read it now. Check it out if you want to, but it's not necessary.

Now, as for these picture dramas ... I'm almost too scared to look. I'm still reeling from the aftershock of the manga, and don't want to sully my impression of it!
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Old 07-15-2011, 11:16 AM   #8
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My thoughts on some of the stuff that happened in volume 3.

Spoiler: show
I said in my first post that there were several different layers of heartbreak going on. It really was quite remarkable. The revelation that Nagaoka and Takigawa had begun dating was an apocalyptic event in the story, and caused every major character to get screwed over. There were so many parts that made me tear up:

-We find out that Kitahara liked Nagaoka, and also had the person she liked stolen away from her. "Even now, I hate seeing those two. I hate seeing Takigawa-san. I hate seeing Nagaoka-kun. I hate it ... I hate it ..." and she just starts crying .

-Nagaoka wants to stretch with Kurosawa before the run. Kurosawa just turns away and tells him to go find someone else, but Nagaoka insists on stretching with him and takes his hand. Finally, Kurosawa yanks his hand away and snaps, "WHAT THE FUCK? I SAID GO CHOOSE SOMEONE ELSE!" the dejected look on Nagaoka's face was so heartbreaking . Yet, at the same time I don't blame Kurosawa for being pissed off. It was just an awful situation for everybody.

-Takigawa sees Kurosawa being taken outside by some punks, and she worries, oh no, is he going to get beat up? She runs upstairs and looks out the window, and just sees Kurosawa crumpled on the ground, alone .

-Kurosawa breaks into Takigawa's locker, and finds the painting of all of them on the trip together, despite everything that happened ;_;. It was so appropriate that it was this that pushed him over the edge into seeking redemption.
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Old 07-15-2011, 12:30 PM   #9
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I also said in my first post how "that" event hit close to home for me. ALLOW ME TO REGALE YOU WITH MY SAD TALE ...

Spoiler box, because it may as well give away what happens in Kurosawa too .

Spoiler: show
About five years ago, I was at work. I just did my work in silence for the most part, since I never had anything to add to the conversation about reality television and trashy office gossip. I was in the break room playing my Nintendo DS, totally owning up some bandits in Fire Emblem, when a female voice behind me asked, "What are you playing?"

It was a girl, the same age as me who worked in a different department. She wasn't a knockout, but cute, and somehow had a no doubter 10/10 body. She smelled nice too. Most importantly though, her interests. We got to talking about how she started playing games since Zelda: Ocarina of Time, which got her into Final Fantasy and other stuff. I told her about the wonders of 8 and 16 bit gaming and what she missed out on. We began meeting in the break room almost daily, and it turns out she liked anime as well. I never had someone to talk anime with before, well except for you guys of course. It's weird, it was the first time that I had said words like, "manga" and "Haruhi Suzumiya" out loud, so they sometimes came out awkwardly. We talked history, classical literature (her favourite books were Great Expectations and Romance of the Three Kingdoms), which anime girls and guys we thought were hot ... we even joked about hentai a few times. I said, "Are you serious?! So do you just read them for the plot, or do those guys with shadowed over faces actually turn you on?" Like me, she was shy, and didn't have any experience with dating. I thought to myself, "An attractive, smart girl who likes video games, anime, reading, and has never had a boyfriend before? How can this be?! HOW CAN I HAVE SUCH GODLY LUCK!" I was too afraid to ask her out though, I figured that I would take my time and things would fall into place. I honestly had this idea like I was protected by fate.

The work flow at the office changed, and we couldn't take our breaks at the same time anymore. Because of this, I couldn't meet with her for nearly a year. I'd sometimes see her around the building and briefly say hi, but that was it. Did I mention that she was a super good artist too? One day, I logged onto her Deviant Art webpage, and saw this message plastered on the blog:

"I'M ENGAGED! ♥"

I spent a good five minutes on the ground in the fetal position, clawing at my face and going, "AGGHHHH." It was some guy from Tennesse that she met on the Internet, and had only known for about a year. She flew down a few times to meet him, and on the latest visit, he proposed to her. Now, she was moving down there to be with him.

I actually got to meet with her again after that, and I told her that I had liked her. She just blushed, looked down and said, "Oh." I didn't know what to say after that. I said, "It's good that you found someone, though. We're both getting older. There's a lot of pressure on girls to get married before they're 30. Luckily, us guys have it better, so I still have some time left." Like Kurosawa, I avoided her as much as possible after that. My pride just won't allow me to continue being friends with a girl after she gets together with someone else, and I've confessed my feelings. it's stupid. I never had the courage to say that I liked her, until she was already engaged, because it didn't matter anymore. The game was over. I had lost. I could lay all my cards out on the table. I still don't know if she got together with that other guy because I had never asked her out in all the years that I knew her, so she figured that I didn't like her in that way, or if it's because SHE never liked me in that way. Bah, what am I saying! How could that possibly be true!

Thus, ends The Tragedy of Mcsweeney. So let my and Kurosawa's experiences be a lesson to you all! If you find someone you really like, playing it cool is all fine and good, but you've got to make your move eventually and lock that down! Who knows though, maybe it's a blessing in disguise, and it will now allow me to date a tsundere girl, lol.
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Old 07-15-2011, 09:40 PM   #10
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Having recently finished this great manga, I no longer have any reservations about adding my input.

It was really quite good. Despite their flaws and exaggerations, the characters were some of the most realistic portrayals I've seen, and I could relate to all the main ones on some level (especially Kitahara). Middle school is really harsh since it's a period of transition, and contained the worst years for myself.* But if/once you get past it, I think things start to get easier, depending on how you choose to evaluate and conduct yourself. The important thing, as OMK stresses, is to have and accept allies who can help you through the tough times.

The ending felt a bit weak in comparison to the rest, but overall it was a strong, solid coming-of-age story.

*details in second spoiler if you care to hear

In response to Mcsweeney's tale/volume 3:

Spoiler: show
Ouch, man. I can only imagine how much that must have hurt. A real shame, she sounded like a perfect catch. Heck, if I met a cute, smart girl who also loved video games and animé I'd be tempted to ask her out myself. She sounds almost exactly like me, right down to the shyness/never having a boyfriend and getting converted to gamer by OoT. ^^; Surprised she'd all of a sudden agree to marry someone online after only knowing them a year though. >.>; Hope she wasn't getting in over her head or anything. =/

I spoke a bit about my experience with unrequited love in the Ano Hana thread, though I've never had a particularly wounding case - for which I am thankful. While I normally eschew romance, I definitely felt for Kurosawa at the moment he discovered Takigawa and Nagaoka were together. The fact that the manga managed to tug at my heartstrings speaks for how realistically convincing the story is. I completely didn't see their relationship coming, nor did I expect Kitahara to be in love with Nagaoka. Yet the explanations for each person's attraction to the other were so sound and yet simple, it made the couple seem beautiful beyond appearance and the unlucky ones' heartbreaks all the more agonizing.

The painting was one of the most beautiful moments I have ever witnessed. Hands down. I was in complete suspense wondering what Kurosawa could have seen on that sheet of paper, and having to wait for dial-up just heightened the anticipation. When the pic finally loaded, I was just as stunned into silence. Cheesiness aside, it was absolutely pure and brilliant and washed away all my dark thoughts as it did Kurosawa's. I have a tendency to look down on girls who care about makeup and fashion, etc. - which I'll get to in my own personal rant - but I admire how this story went to lengths to remind that prejudging others in the opposite direction based on looks is just as wrong.


My own tale of woe:

Spoiler: show
Believe it or not, I used to be a very bright and outgoing child. I was also proud, passionate, and adventurous - in essence a lot like Haruhi Suzumiya. In part what fueled my spirit was the company of my best friend at the time, the one I've mentioned in the Ano Hana topic. She accepted me for who I was, and I never thought twice about refusing to bend to society as long as I had her by my side.

Come middle school, and my friend and I were separated for the first time. I found myself placed in a class full of complete strangers. No worries. I, naďve fool that I was, made the effort to try and meet new friends in my own manner. I showed them my true self, defiant and willing to say whatever was on her mind. I expected them to welcome me wholeheartedly without question, just as my friend had. And for a short time, I thought I had succeeded in winning their accord.

However, it wasn't long until I realized they all thought I was weird - including the ones who had seemed friendly - and were making fun of me behind my back. As time went on, the teasing became more apparent and direct, oftentimes clearly mocking me. I was very rarely openly harassed like Kitahara, but it got to the point where I wondered if every whisper, giggle, or side-glance was meant for me. I began to understand this was probably how others had viewed me in elementary school as well.

I became majorly depressed and misanthropic, trusting no one. I'd bury all my thoughts and emotions, no longer daring to voice my opinion. Had I obtained the kind of leverage and power Kitahara did at that time, I doubt I would've hesitated to use it either. Looking back, I deeply empathized with Kitahara when she screamed her soul was blacker than Kurosawa's. Even now I have a hard time forgiving my tormentors.

But, I am trying to forget and forgive. Since I found new friends in eighth grade, outcasts like me who were proud to be themselves, I began to gradually open up and smile again throughout high school. I know I can never go back to the way I originally was, and the dark scars will always remain on my heart. In part I'm reluctant to enter a job in society where I have to deal with or care about people, because I'm afraid one incident could trigger a relapse into dangerously antisocial behavior - perhaps even worse than Kitahara's level.

In a way, I try to look on the bright side by calling it an "eye-opening experience", for which I am grateful. Even if it's ugly, I've learned to accept the world for what it is. Now, thanks to Zelda, I try to focus on and also appreciate the good in people. Similar to Takigawa, I'm trying desperately to change myself for the better and break out of my shell. But there always remains that shadow of doubt in the back of my mind...

I almost wish I had read OMK back in middle school. Or even better, that I had met someone like Kurosawa, Takigawa, or Nagaoka, who could not only show, but help lead me to a stronger path. It's a bit late now, and I've managed "all right" on my own. Someday I'd even like to be that guiding light for someone else in my position.


On a final note, afro dude totally puts the "bro" in "broccolli".
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Old 07-16-2011, 10:03 AM   #11
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That's a damn shame. So your friend went to a different middle school than you, or did she move away completely? It sounds like you had a similar experience through school as me: Charismatic in elementary school, then turning inward in middle school. In elementary school I had loads of friends, in fact, I was practically the leader of the group (I oversaw the design and construction of our snow forts!). Once I entered middle school, my supply of friends had been whittled down to only a few (my #1 best friend had moved away, just like yours). There were two separate occasions, one in grade 6 and another in grade 8, where I had a good friend, but a third person was introduced into the group, who decided that he didn't like me, and conspired with my original friend to exclude me from the group. I'll never forget the first day of high school, grade 9. We all went to the auditorium for orientation, and I tracked down my two friends who I had not seen all summer. I sat beside them and was like, "Hey guys, how's it going!" and they just stared straight ahead and ignored me. Ouch.

However, High school was actually not too bad, because I was finally all alone, and didn't have to endure any more bullying and mockery from my "friends". Even though I didn't have any real friends, I got along okay with my classmates. Nowadays, I'm happy with my lot in life. The charisma that I once had in elementary school is starting to come back. It sure helped to develop an ego. Before, I would struggle to fit in, but now I act like it's other people who should be grateful for MY company, haha.

Spoiler: show

I agree that, while heartwarming, the ending was a bit weak compared to the rest of the story. I would have liked to see a bad ending, with Kurosawa returning to being an outcast. I did like how he ended up dating somebody completely unexpected, that was a nice touch of realism. In stories we always see people end up with THE PERSON THAT THEY WERE DESTINED TO BE WITH. In reality, love is often found in unexpected places. When I first started reading the manga, and Kurosawa met Kitahara, I assumed that they would end up together. It was so obvious that it would happen. When Takigawa entered the picture though, I thought, "Well, this is interesting. Now it's leaning more toward her." When Kurosawa lost her to Nagaoka, normally I would have thought, "Oh well, now he has Kitahara to fall back on. The two people who lost their loves will now find each other." But ... having seen the characters fleshed out some more, I actually did not think this was likely. This wasn't some stupid ass Freddie Prinze Jr. movie where he's stricken by a nerdy girl, takes her glasses off and teaches her how to become the prom queen. The characterization was too good for that. Kitahara was beyond that kind of repair. I could not see her successfully being in a relationship. I also would have liked it if Kurosawa failed to get her to come out of her room. It would have supported that great bit of foreshadowing we saw after she stabbed herself: "That was the last time I ever saw Kitahara."

Quote:
On a final note, afro dude totally puts the "bro" in "broccolli".
Broccoli Head is a cool guy and all, but I can't forgive him for stealing Takigawa. PERHAPS I'M BIASED THOUGH. As far as I'm concerned, he's the guy from Tennesse!
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Old 07-16-2011, 03:10 PM   #12
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Originally Posted by Mcsweeney View Post
That's a damn shame. So your friend went to a different middle school than you, or did she move away completely?
We still went to the same middle school, but we put in separate classes for the first year. We sometimes had lunch together on days our classes ate at the same time, but otherwise I sat alone. The next year we were in fact together again, but things were never quite the same. By the eighth grade we were apart again, and drifting farther away from each other. She ended up going to a different high school, and that was the last I saw of her except for one visit. Upon seeing how she changed and had little interest in me anymore, it drove the final nail into the coffin.

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It sounds like you had a similar experience through school as me: Charismatic in elementary school, then turning inward in middle school.
That's why I say middle school sucks. Seems like a lot of people have had bad experiences during that time.

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Spoiler: show
When I first started reading the manga, and Kurosawa met Kitahara, I assumed that they would end up together. It was so obvious that it would happen.
Spoiler: show
Indeed. Up until the point she explicitly confessed her feelings for Nagaoka, I thought she liked Kurosawa and was getting back at Takigawa for stealing his attention.


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Kitahara was beyond that kind of repair. I could not see her successfully being in a relationship. I also would have liked it if Kurosawa failed to get her to come out of her room. It would have supported that great bit of foreshadowing we saw after she stabbed herself: "That was the last time I ever saw Kitahara."
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Despite the preachiness of the ending, I'm really glad Kitahara was able to heal as well. Namely because I've been there - almost - and was able to bounce back. I didn't want to believe her character was beyond redemption, or anyone really.


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Broccoli Head is a cool guy and all, but I can't forgive him for stealing Takigawa. PERHAPS I'M BIASED THOUGH. As far as I'm concerned, he's the guy from Tennesse!
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Ha ha, I noticed a lot of guys felt this way in other discussions. They also tended to boo Takigawa for leading Kurosawa on, and wondered like you had IRL whether since Kurosawa never made a move, she thought he just wanted to be friends, or if she never liked him that way in the first place. Seems to be a common problem for males in general. I can't claim to know how most females' minds work either, but perhaps I'm biased as well for siding more with Takigawa and Nagaoka.

On another note, one thing I found kinda weird was that Kurosawa kept up his "daily ritual" to the very end, just in the privacy of his home. But again, I'm a girl, so maybe I shouldn't comment. >.>;
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Old 07-20-2011, 05:56 AM   #13
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So, I read the entirety of this manga today. I was surprisingly impressed. This is probably one of the best coming of age stories I have actually been able to follow.

And now, personal anecdotes and an interpretation of this manga.

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When I thought about it, the entire story really does resemble Catcher in the Rye. For the record, I loathed that book with a passion. Holden didn't have the balls that Kurosawa did. When I first read the topic on UPN, I was immediately turned off by the childish premise, but decided to give it a go. The first few chapters were pretty predictable, in my opinion, but the story quickly developed and took on a much more mature tone.

I guess the character I emphasize with the most is Kitahara, simply because that's how my life was and still is, albeit without as much outward abuse. As depressingly stereotypical of me as this sounds, I more or less grew up without people that gave two shits about me. This only carried on into my school life, in elementary, I wasn't happy and innocent like everyone else, thanks to my parental units, so nobody really wanted to be around me. In middle school, I tried being happy, and i tried to be social, but nobody accepted that facade, nor did they accept my normal self, so i was more or less stuck drifting around trying to belong.

Of course, this only lead to people finding ways to use me, and torment me to my face and behind my back. I'm sure a lot of the oldies from ASB and shit can remember how I was years ago. I didn't really fit in to the "cool kids" group, and didn't even have friends online. Given, this was probably because I was annoying as fuck or something like that, but yeah. It didn't help that I didn't have much of a sense of humor. Years of being tormented kind of does that to you.

Even now I don't exactly fit in anywhere. I have a few friends, but I never open myself up to anyone. The moment that hit me hardest was somewhere in chapter 30, with the statement that Kitahara was always speaking to the world from behind a door, because I myself am familiar to that feeling.

I think the true beauty of this story is that the premise of masturbation and "soiling" other people could have been replaced by any kind of malicious pranking, and the story would have retained most of its value. I think the purpose of masturbation in this story was to present the reader with a paradigm shift from the metaphorical to the literal. Kitahara and Kurosawa were both figuratively soiled; Kitahara's dignity was soiled through the years of torture. and Kurosawa was soiled by the loss of a love. In return for the mental anguish, they literally soiled items of the ones who hurt them as a sick kind of revenge.


In the end, I was truly surprised that I was able to relate to this story so well, and I'm sure I'm one of many who this story hit.
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Old 07-20-2011, 08:58 AM   #14
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Are you a guy or a girl?

Yeah, I wondered myself if it would have been best if the author replaced the masturbation aspect of the story with something else so he could gain a wider audience. No matter how great the story is, some people will never give it a chance just because of the title.
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Old 07-20-2011, 02:07 PM   #15
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Guy, xd.
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Old 05-24-2020, 04:02 PM   #16
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Onani Master Kurosawa

I've resolved myself to challenge the unholy trilogy of "tough to read" manga, namely:

Onani Master Kurosawa
Oyasumi Punpun
Planetes

Planetes should be the easiest given I've already read most of Vinland Saga, although the workplace setting makes it tougher. Punpun could potentially destroy me, so I opted for the middle road first with Kurosawa.

I actually barely read the first chapter before so going forward a lot more things are becoming clear. I'm guessing,

Spoiler: show
Kurosawa falls for glasses girl after saving her from bullying, then she dumps him for Nabeshin?
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Old 05-24-2020, 07:54 PM   #17
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Onani Master Kurosawa

Isn't this like Oregairu? Maybe I'm being a tad premature, but it seems to be similar subject matter, sans the harem trappings.

Anyway, it's nowhere near as troublesome of a read as I thought it would be. BPK says I will "hate this". We'll see!
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Old 06-01-2020, 10:33 PM   #18
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I have the motivation to finish Masturbation Master either today or tomorrow.
There might be heartbreak, but it's notwhere near the dumpster fire of Domestic Girlfriend. Anime/manga was much more innocent when Molester and Masturbation were released.

Stuff's all crazy up now.
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Old 06-06-2020, 02:21 PM   #19
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Masturbation Master Kurosawa



Why isn't this set in high school? It makes no sense set in junior high AT ALL.
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Old 06-07-2020, 11:35 PM   #20
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Guys hit peak horniness in junior high. At least, I did.
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Old 06-08-2020, 06:01 PM   #21
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Masturbation Master Kurosawa



Why isn't this set in high school? It makes no sense set in junior high AT ALL.
Given my own worst school years took place in junior high, I'd say it's more believable and relatable in that way.
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Old 06-08-2020, 06:45 PM   #22
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I disagree with that because of how the Japanese schools are structured.

Grades 8 + 9 are devoted to exams to get into high school, and then Grades 11 + 12 are devoted for schools to get into college. Much of the premise of OMK, or the catalyst for change, is that "we don't have much time before we have to grow up". At least, that was Nabeshin's persuasion that got Kurosawa to finally go to karaoke.

The fact that there is a system after junior high, usually perceived as the "springtime" for Japanese youths, means that the motivation and justification for moving the plot forward doesn't make as much sense. Kurosawa could continue to decline Nabeshin's offer because it's not actually true that there's not much time left.

I want to compare this to Haruhi. Haruhi's eccentricity is that she's a chuuni in high school, where middle school/junior high was the last environment where chuuni attitudes could be acceptable. It comes across as "too strongly tied to the past" in an environment that is strongly pushing the characters foreward.

Consider Volume 10. It's a soft ending for Haruhi because we see the biggest change in Kyon, where he resolves to move toward the future he saw. He's no longer biding his time in high school or trying to indulge in the past like Haruhi, he wants to move foreward, because it really is his last and only chance.
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Old 06-09-2020, 12:32 AM   #23
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Chapter 18

OK, now that I've reached the part I was spoiled on, I understand everything. Although to be honest, this was telegraphed pretty clearly. Kurosawa was too...enchanted to notice the hints.

I think this manga will be easy street going foreward. Here's my projection for the end:

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Kitahara follows what Takagawa did and becomes a new person, and a hottie. She and Kurosawa get together to "lick each other's wounds" to paraphrase Misato, but that opens up the scandal involving Kurosawa.
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Old 06-10-2020, 04:06 AM   #24
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This is hard to read.

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Old 06-10-2020, 05:00 AM   #25
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I think this manga will be easy street going foreward.
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This is hard to read.

Where are you and in what sense is it "hard"? Eau my
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