Nayameru Kare wa Mahou Shoujo

nathandouglasdavis Nov 23, 2022

2

So, obviously, the best way to engage with this shallow doujinshi is by breaking down its philosophical implications. This manga deals with questions of selfhood, the nature of consciousness, and the nature of love. There are essentially two broad ways to interpret what's going on. Interpretation #1: Akira and Akirara are two separate people who share some memories, two personalities within one system. Under this interpretation, the two people will have to learn to share their body and be respectful of the wishes and desires of the other person while also maintaining their own identities. Interpretation #2: They are actually the same person. Under this interpretation, we have to assume that Akira is repressing feir romantic feelings for the friend, and only allows femself to be true to those feelings when outwardly changing form into "Akirara." Either way, it seems clear that during the physical transformation that occurs, the brain is staying intact on at least some level. We can infer this from the fact that memories are preserved and shared between the two forms. Unless this manga is prescribing to the idea that souls exist and that consciousness and memories are more than just a byproduct of brain activity. In which case, who knows what sort of hooey we can infer. [Reviewed at chapter 13]

RiamuRamu Jul 20, 2021

8

Having an identity crisis with yourself as a magical girl. So fucking funny. Wholesomeish. Overall pretty good.