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Nothing is going well in Rika’s life when she decides to join a school chat room during her free periods in the library.
There, under the alias “11” she meets 3 other people who couldn’t agree more, an EGL shy girl, a young man abused by his
mom, and a lonely biology teacher. Fast becoming friends, the four think of a solution to all their problems: blowing up
the school.
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Ah, nothing quite like an angst-filled drama with depressing characters. I actually wasn’t expecting much out of
X-Day when I picked it up, but quickly became pleasantly surprised.
One of the biggest highlights of this manga is definitely the characters. Rika, the main character, didn’t strike a
cord with me… but then I met “Polaris,” who fit with me well. No matter what walk of life you subscribe to, you’re bound
to find some common thoughts with at least one of the characters
Even the story in itself is an interesting concept. I mean, who hasn’t at least once in their life thought of blowing
up the school, even jokingly? It’s definitely a shocker, and I was half surprised Tokyopop even translated X-Day,
especially since teen violence has become such a taboo in society ever since the Columbine shootings.
However, this idea quickly dissipates towards the ending, which really irked me in itself. The entire concept of blowing
up the school is lost in favour of pairing up the characters romantically. There isn’t even any sort of climax;
just an... ending. There are so many more areas to be explored and character developments to happen that I personally
feel that this manga could have gone on at least another volume or so.
I would recommend this manga in a heartbeat to any lover of drama, or even someone just looking for a quick, enjoyable
manga. Just don’t come crying to me in search of the next volume, because, sorry honey, there isn’t one.
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