Kasane

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Like the story itself, Kasane strikes at the unsettling aspects of our own character as human beings. The psychological warfare influenced by the power of identity and what we attach to said identity is almost palpable. What better way to emphasize this point than through a world where eyes scrutinize every part of you; theatre. We see two different sides of Kasane: when she is herself with her own face, she is timid, reserved, unsettling, and visibly uncomfortable and inferior. But when she takes on the face of another, she exudes confidence, not only in how she walks and carries herself but also in how ... she speaks. She is like a flame, capable of being warm but also of burning everything in its path. It's a different face but the same person and the mangaka did a wonderful job of capturing this aspect.

It's not about what is just or who is deserving of this or that, life is never that fair. Whether Kasane was wrong or not is irrelevant. What is relevant is her fervent hunger to be more, her talent, her capabilities, and the anguish that eats her alive from the inside. On the surface, it appears that this manga is a shallow depiction of pretty privilege in a world where beauty and talent intertwine. But truly, it’s a harrowing tale of how we as humans are and can be. How putrid we are and how we hardly ever look at ourselves; we see ourselves through everyone else, thus determining much of what we do and how we act based on how we are received.

Then, are you really you? Or are you an idea of what you think others want you to be, or what is more digestible and acceptable within your world? It’s tough and uncomfortable, but this story is moving and captivating, riveting, like the scenes portrayed in each act. The art is bold and sharp - drawings that depict the sickly feeling that comes up in the story. It's gut-wrenching but somberly beautiful. A truly wonderful and painfully sad experience.

The ending did not come together neatly. It felt rushed, perhaps because we had gotten too comfortable. Oh, Kasane, of course, of course this manga had to be a name for in the end that is usually all that is left of us. A name. Not what we looked like but the memories attached to the name. The things that were felt and stained with our being is what remains and this manga is a harsh reminder of that.

I like Kasane, I couldn't love it.


I don't have much to discuss with Kasane because it is good. It's strange because while I really enjoy Kasane and have re-read it, it's very apparent to me that I like it, conventionally. That's to, I like it, but I wouldn't be gushing about it. The issue with it, might have lied in the overall story.

What's Kasane is about then. Well, Kasane is about a talented actress that couldn't quite go where she wants because she's ugly. The central conflict and the drama never quite blend well, in my opinion. On the surface, the emotions are very understandable: ... desire, ambition, envy, jealously, lust, love and so on. They all blend together in a soup, and while each component are delicious by itself, together they all belong yet don't shine as great as they should. It really reminds me of stews. Meats, vegetables, bouquet garni are all very good by themselves, but put together in a stew and cook too long, they all sort of blend together into something nice, familiar, warm but ultimately, well, ordinary.

That's not to say the characters are bad, I think individually they are all quite well done, if not, a little forgettable because of precisely how ordinary they are. They have desire, ambition, pattern of behaviour. However, none of them stand out that much, even the titular character. If anything, I feel like they are serving the story rather than the story being about them. There's the usual formula of "having extra-ordinary people in an ordinary setting or ordinary people in extra-ordinary setting". This falls to the latter, but the setting itself is not that out-of-the-box, which led to the entire package not being quite amazing as it should have been.

However, if there's one thing that it got right and stand out, is the art. It's not one of those "ordinarily pretty art". There's this tendency in the comic community to set the art standard around ease on the eye. Things that are out of ordinary are laughed at, such as that time Aku no Hana did the rotoscope thing. Yes, it looked weird, but that's not why it didn't work. It didn't work because it missed the note on everything that makes animation, animation, and the story of course. Aku no Hana central conflict was about the "conventional" vs the "rebellious". Two distinct characters on opposite spectrum are presented as "love interest". The "rebellious one" is depicted essentially as the "femme fatale" archetype. Mysteriously beautiful with an irresistible charm that's broken inside. The rotoscope completely failed to communicate that. It essentially turns the show into a beautifully directed teen drama. Some of the shots were nice, but that's about it because rotoscoping. But I digressed.

The point I was trying to make is that Kasane’s art is beautiful not in the way that it’s technically well done, although it can be argued so. It is beautiful in that it tries its best to communicate the emotions, feelings in the thoughts of the characters. That’s not something that’s easily done, and not with such frequencies. The drama of Kasane that makes me not dropping it and able to re-read it, is not in the plot, but in the emotion. We don’t often remember events directly but rather the emotion and the functional outcome associated with them. Kasane’s emotions like torments, anguish, grief, longing, fear, despair and so on are featured very prominently and the art tried its best to impart them. The use of shadow, long frames, the distinct facial expression, and body gesture, all combined to create a memorable experience. I also like how they are quite theatrical, connecting directly to the setting.

Unfortunately, this is also one of the parts that makes Kasane not quite standout. Kasane is fun and interesting for a modern work. However, if you had read girls and ladies comics since the 80s, like me, then this is essentially Shoujo comic 101. No, Shoujo comics are not “ordinary girls dating hot boys”. That’s the result of the genre being distilled to sell. Really, Shoujo is all about people giving soliloquy about how they feel. Feelings are not just kneejerk emotions, but also the emotions about thoughts. You think about someone’s wellbeing, that’s a thought. The emotion towards that thoughts can be longing, worry, frustration etc… Shoujo is all about communicating that. It’s a womanly pursuit to understand one’s own emotion, and there’s nothing wrong, strange nor weak about it. Now, the trouble is Kasane is just another great Shoujo, added to the pile. It doesn’t do anything quite out of the ordinary. Everything is well done, well packaged, but that’s about it.

I didn’t write this review to shit on Kasane. As I have iterated, I like to read Kasane, to experience the emotions again. In reality, I was sent an email about recommending comics to some sort of awards for MAL, and it occurred to me that I have not written anything for Kasane. Of course, if I am to review something, I need to be honest, even if it’s about something that I like. Kasane is just not within the rank of the great, the extra-ordinary, the innovators, but it is another good work, added to the pile.

Incidentally, the TV adaption is horrible as always. Not only did they not bother to make Kasane looks hideous, completely subverted the main conflict in the story, they didn’t hire people who can act in a show about acting! I was merely jesting of course. As usual, the directing is sloppy and conservative, but more importantly, they are often completely missing the point of the original work. Comics are not mere storyboard, directors better inserting their own creative mark on them if they want to produce something watchable.

Story: this has no pay off, as simple as that, not building, no mystery no nothing ... is void, is a souless attemp as to portray greek tragedies in manga but without impact

Why this has so many good reviews ???? I keep reading cuz i thouth that i would get a huge plot twist at the end that would make this soup opera worth

Characters: oh men here is the biggest issue, they are so 1D that hurts, not even the main character is worth wasting the time i spend reading

Art: mediocre, same face for all the "beautiful woman" and over the top ugly ... faces for the rest, so you could tell who was beautiful and who was not , they didnt even show the whole fsce of the monster ... lame.

Overall:this manga is like bad fanfiction, they dont show they tell you HOW TO FEEL
Example : they dont show the whole acting yet you see characters saying "this is intense, this is the best adting i even feel" .... nah it doesnt WORK THAT WAY, yoh have to show us why is impactfull, but sisnce mangaka can not show us thorth her lame art she has to write it

I seen shonens with better delivery of emotions , and that says a lot !!!!

Overall; dont waste your time, this is not a tragedy, this is not a good drama and finally this has barely any psychological aspect besides bullying someone looks, this story could be told in 50 chapters maximum, the way this story was unncesary streatch is annoying.

I end it and not drop it cuz of the good reviews, i still believed this would give me a great plot twist at tye end or good motives , nah .. all plain and boring.

Avoid this