And that is: despite the brilliance of the plot, the intricacy and accuracy of the science, and the exciting pacing of events, the actual solution was so simple, and scope of the hero's quest (ie: saving their love interest) so tiny, that instead of admiring the mangaka's ingenuity, all I came away thinking was: "Such brilliance, wasted on such a boring goal!" I mean, why, really, should I care about someone's quest to save their love at the cost of everything and everyone else? What does it matter to me, the reader, whether s/he succeeds and lives HEA, or fails and is miserable for a couple of years before s/he meets someone else? No manga where the MC's primary motivation is love has ever managed to answer this question satisfactorily, and Murasakiiro no Qualia, despite being so delightfully philosophical, was no exception.

My personal issues aside, here's something that concerns the readership as a whole: Manabu and Yukari barely know each other; they're nothing more than very amiable (but not too emotionally involved) friends right up until the moment the plot starts rolling, and I can't fathom where Manabu's obsessive love that caused her to give up everything just for Yukari's sake came from. Most people wouldn't do this even for their long-term spouse and kids, let alone for a sort-of girlfriend they'd known for all of two months. Which wouldn't have been noticeable if Murasakiiro no Qualia were just another dumb romance story, but when the rest of the psychology behind the characters' personalities and mindsets is so chillingly realistic, the fact that such abnormal behaviour is central to the plot sticks out like a sore thumb. (In that sense Stein's;Gate was much better, since the three main characters had enough history between them to make their all-consuming devotion plausible)

Still, those are the only flaws I could find -- which is excellent, as they're just minor quibbles. I won't elaborate on its many good points because the other comments have already covered that, but I will say that Qualia is a must-read for any GL fan, since you'll never find another shoujo-ai or yuri even half as intelligent as this one.

... Last updated on April 11th, 2015, 12:07am

At first, seemingly a slice-of-life about female friendship in a school setting; then it switches to mystery and action with a heavy sci-fi background. And that's what sets it apart from similar manga: the scientific concepts involved are truly intrincate (quantum mechanics, nothing less), and they're thoroughly and extensively discussed by the characters. Unless you have prior knowledge of the topics discussed, you'll probably have to reread the chapters two or three times to get everything. But it's worth it. The plot manages to integrate all the abstract physic concepts wonderfully, and makes them central to the development of the story. In fact, that's the strenght and charm of this manga, the unpredictable, astoundingly solid and fascinating story.

On the other side, the characters, while not bad by any means, are pretty flat and generic, despite the extraordinary circumstances they are forced to go through. Because of them, the manga turns out to be half philosophical physics reflection, half moe loli lightheartedness, but it works, and very well.

Even the weakest thing about this manga is pretty rare itself: the excessively fast pacing. Simply, too much happens in too little time. It's not that it feels rushed, but a lot of juicy events that are going on -some of which could easily have provided material for another manga- are explained away with one or two sentences and a panel. It's a shame, really: if keeping the same quality as the present three, this manga would have benefited greatly from ten or even fifteen more volumes, even mantaining the same story! This is specially bad for the characters: they don´t get enough time to develop properly, and seem to react too weakly to the most traumatizing events, perhaps because these terrible events have only been mentioned in passing.

That last paragraph may seem a turn off, but it's only a complaint about something that could have been excellent, but only turned out great. Do yourself a favour and read this carefully crafted, irresistibly addicting story: three hours or three weeks, when you reach the end you won't think you've wasted your time, I guarantee it.

If you liked that movie then you're gonna love this one (I havent finished reading it so this is an assumption), probably it will end like that movie. Sometimes there are things you cannot change, or will the heroine change fate? Read it!

I really wasn't expecting it to be more than just pretentious. But it is!
If you want to read something that's like a combination of Steins;Gate and Madoka Magica, you'll find this one interesting.

The plot is not very complex, but if you're not getting all the actual scientific theories, it'll be hard to follow.
Just 18 chapters and a letter included in the last volume of the manga (I think) that works as an epilogue. So, go give it a try, it's awesome

... Last updated on March 5th, 2015, 4:43pm

This manga starts as a light scifi story, but it slowly becomes something else. It becomes unique and mindblowing experience. I really recommend it if you want to read scifi story with very interesting 'what if' - scenario. Just warning, story becomes quite dark. MC will become badass, but she will also starts losing her humanity and morality.

i cant wait until i get to see the end of this series.... it's absolutely amazing, interesting, and weird to unbelievable proportions.

overall i cant imagine the ending being bad in total(for reasons i wont mention it's inconceivable for it to be anything else)... i just wonder just how happy one can be after doing so much for that ending.... the chick is flat out scary already and it's just getting worse XD

At first I thought it was just a typical light-yuri manga.... and I've never been so wrong. This manga is super 'heavy'; not a dramatic tear-jerking, nor a fluffy-feeling kind of story. You'll be given a lot of references to understand the story better, and you better not to skip it. A quantum theory, parallel world, etc, just.... just read it slowly and try to understand every word they mean.

I must admit, it's kind of refreshing to read this. For you who expect kind-of-light story... you better rethink it before you read. But if you like, say, Steins;Gate, maybe? I think you will like this manga.

of schoolgirls, sci-fi, secret orgas and a heavy dose of random theories attached together. Good thing they made sense (some even said they are all genuine theories weaved together craftly), unlike most of this kind I ve read so far. But this manga is sci-fi at its core, so be prepared.



edit: now after I searched around for a bit, apparently the novel this manga based on was greatly praised for its scientific accuracy, which to a sci-fi fan like me is a huge plus. Too bad I skipped many pages explaining quantum theory concept and such under the assumption they were worthless garbage used as plot excuses as usual. Thus the wording of this post's first page was changed a bit to reflect on the novel's 'discovery'.

... Last updated on July 1st, 2013, 6:23am

It's really rare for me to rate and review a manga that's just starting out, but each chapter has managed to deliver something extraordinary that it has easily set itself apart from other manga of its kind.

Qualia has a lot of things going for it: good art, interesting characters, unique premise, and, above all, simply stunning execution. Both the psychological and the sci-fi aspects of the plot interact well together, and the characters themselves are all so well-fleshed out that it's a joy to watch them interact with each other even during some of the less plot-heavy moments.

So far, it doesn't seem like the manga is slacking at all in its delivery, with revelations and questions coming out in equal measure with each chapter. Really, this is a manga to look out for.