Manga Mondays: Afterschool Charisma Vol. 7

  I haven't participated in Manga Mondays for quite some time due to time constraints. Manga Mondays is a meme hosted by Alison at Alison Can Read where bloggers can share their passion for reading mangas. It's a great place to get new manga titles to try and to meet new bloggers.

Description: The exclusive St. Kleio Academy is in jeopardy. Kai and his following have become terrorists who vow to protect those who remain at the academy. Rockwell, the head of the Academy, calls for Shiro to end his time at the school and move on to his next step: being the ultimate protector of St. Kelo Academy like his his original. What does being protector entail?

Review: Unlike other mangas that I've read, I read a volume of Afterschool Charisma at least twice. that's not to say that I put the volume down or that I become disinterested in it but rather the plot becomes more complicated with each volume. In this volume, we learn that Shiro is a clone of the person who created the St. Kelo Academy. He is caught in the middle of helping his friends by working with the Academy and joining the extreme terrorist group created by Kai.
  When he unexpectedly graduates from the Academy, he is given the huge responsibility to take care of the Academy. The Academy is still very much a mystery. From what Shiro is told, it was the vision that the clones of great and infamous historical figures is to lead society in the right direction. One wonders if that is the real reason or if it's the reason that sounds the best.
  Shiro is now educated by clone Leonardo De Vinci, where he is to learn how to become a leader. Once he arrived, he discovers some surprises such as an older clone Freud and even Marie Curie, who Shiro (and myself) believed to be dead. As Shiro tries to wrap his head around his new surroundings, Kai and the terrorists appear on public television to expose St. Kleio in hopes of getting the public sympathies how the clones are treated.
   Just like other volumes of this series, more questions are raised than answered. How does exposing the St. Kleio Academy help either side? What will become of St. Kleio in the meantime? I guess I have to wait until October to know.


Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is some sexual innuendo and mature themes. Recommended for older teens and up.

If you like this book try: Afterschool Charisma Vol. 8 by Kumiko Suekane, Unwind by Neal Shusterman, Hetalia: Axis Powers by Hidekaz Himaruya, Code Geass by Majiko

Manga Mondays: Afterschool Charisma Vol. 6

  Manga Mondays is a meme hosted by Alison at Alison Can Read where bloggers can share their passion for reading mangas. It's a great place to get new manga titles to try and to meet new bloggers. Afterschool Charisma manga series a great science fiction read that has an interesting story line and probes the reader to question everything that he or she has learned.

Description: Kai, the terrorist and leader of the clone rebellion, continues his story of the past and paints a bleak potential future for the clones if they don't spring into action. Meanwhile Shiro is in an odd position. He had always thought of himself as an original, but now he learns startling facts about himself: he is just like any othe clone. Now he wonders what his role in the St. Kelio's Academy really is.

Review:  Afterschool Charisma continues to be a manga series that focuses on the deeper philosophical questions rather than an action packed plot. In the sixth volume, the characters puzzle over the age old question, "Who are we?" and "What are we suppose to do with our lives?" Though we are given more details about the history of the elite academy, I'm still unsure of what percent is truth and propaganda. The militant Kia does paint a convincing picture of clones simply decaying and "reprogrammed" if they don't follow the same footsteps of the past. Like the last volume in which we are given two versions of clone Hitler as an example to illustrate his point, this volume gives us Elizabeth (Elizabeth the Virgin Queen). The first Elizabeth clone is obsessed with learning from books. She is secluded in a room and driven to insanity, claiming she still not educated enough. The second Elizabeth clone is depressed from not being chosen by a buyer. Unwanted and driven by curiosity of what lies beyond the gates of the Academy, she plans an escape and fails.
  I am enjoying the way this manga is told. We have been setup to believe one thing and find out that it is a lie. Shiro is in the works to be another Kai, a clone guardian. He has been led to believe that he is an original human and his only friends are the clones so he naturally bonds with them. Will he also take part in the clone rebellion? Will his opinion of the clones and himself now change? I guess I'll have to wait for volume 7 to see what happens next.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There are mature themes and brief moments of strong violence, and some language. Recommended for older teens and adults only.

If you like this book try: Afterschool Charisma Vol. 7 by Kumiko Suekane, Unwind by Neal Shusterman, Hetalia: Axis Powers by Hidekaz Himaruya, Code Geass by Majiko

Manga Monday: Afterschool Charisma Vol. 5

  Manga Mondays is a meme hosted by Alison at Alison Can Read where bloggers can share their passion for reading mangas. It's a great place to get new manga titles to try and to meet new bloggers. The last volume of Afterschool Charisma left me with a cliffhanger of sorts. A huge event happened and ended in the fourth volume with a promise of an explanation in volume five. My problem? Volume five was constantly checked out since last May and by that time volume six was also published. So, I guess it's a mixed bag that since I got a  hold of both volumes and read them. Unlike the Nana manga series that is filled with drama with a capital "D", the Afterschool Charisma manga series gives me a brain cramp filled constant flurries of "What if?"s floating in  my head as I turn the pages.

Description: In the aftermath of the disastrous school expo at St. Kleio Academy, an exclusive school of famous historical clones, where some of the clones were killed (most noteably Joan of Arc who was burned the stake), a returning clone known only as “Kai” who bears a disturbing resemblance to Shirou tells a story about the previous generation of clones and what could have turned him and others into “terrorists” working against the school.

Review: I really wished the publishers and the authors would work harder in recapping the story thus far before continuing the story arc. It's a good thing that I reviewed my older review posts as well as checked out some other reviewers before diving into this latest volume. Volume 5 promised some answers, but like the nature of this entire manga series it provides more questions than answers.
  Volume 5 centers around the main questions of why clones, regardless if they are famous historical figures, are made? What is the purpose of St. Kleio Academy? Are the lives of clones entitled to make their own mark or are they predestined to follow their footsteps of their predecessor?
  The mysterious "Kai", who is an ordinary person that was cloned, is our peek inside St. Kleio Academy. Though set up like a school, the academy is a breeding farm that herds clones like cattle and sell them off to auctions. The clones are forced to follow their predecessor's footsteps (i.e. have the same accomplishments, skills, and even behavior/personality). If the clone is seen to be out of place, they are aborted and created anew. Kai is an interesting character, who makes you feel torn between feeling sorry for him and making you wonder what plans he has up his sleeves. As the main figure who catalyzed the clone rebellion (or is the rebellion just for the amusement of the Academy director?), he provides information to the current class of clones. Now whether this information is true or just another form of propaganda, that yet to be determined.
  In addition to Kai, we are given different scenarios of what clones can accomplish in this volume. The most striking clone for me in this series has been the young Hitler. Like his care-free personality, his youthful and innocent physical appears is very striking. There are two clone Hitlers explored. The first Hitler is a very talented young artist who has no political ambitions whatsoever. Once discovered this clone suddenly disappears and a new Hitler clone appears. The second Hitler clone is aware and appalled by his original's actions. He gives his whole life up to a religious institution and atones for his original's sins and dies a noble death. With these two versions of what could have been, we can't help but wonder if the old saying "history will repeat itself?" rings true.
  I really enjoy how the moral ambiguities of cloning as it lends itself to discussion and it's really what draws me to this series. I really want to know about what society needs these clones of historical figures for that they are producing them and auctioning them off like a meat market. What societal pressure is causing this? What exactly are they expected to do out there?

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is some crude sexual humor, a brief scene of nudity, and violence. Recommended for older teens and adults only.

If you like this book then try: Afterschool Charisma Vol. 6 by Kumiko Suekane, Unwind by Neal Shusterman, Hetalia: Axis Powers by Hidekaz Himaruya, Code Geass by Majiko