Never in my life have I read such a brilliant manga... and believe me, I have read A LOT (but Shoujo mostly). This manga starts off a little weird. One the first few pages I was a little disturbed admittedly and wondering what the heck was going on, especially since the summary really put me off. But, thank gosh I kept on reading!

The ending of the first chapter was really something. I fell in love with it because I had never read something with a mixture of morbid as well as romantic cliché scenes which somewhat gave off a gothic feel (though it's not really a Gothic manga). There was also very few smut scenes but I feel it was well-balanced along with the plot. And the art is just amazing!

The plot is quite tense but really, you just can't put the manga down once you get into it! It's just truely amazing. I admit the romance is extremely cliché but it fits with a complicated plot like this.

But maybe they should have focused on perceptions such as Mashiro possibility of being 'homosexual'... But then again, I guess there is no genre stating Shounen Ai or Shoujo Ai and it might put Yaoi/ Yuri haters off.

The characters are very well portrayed. You hated and loved them all, which is perhaps why I love this manga. It showed how everyone had a flaw like in reality. It was also interesting how everyone in this manga seemed to use others. It could get depressing/ annoying at times but just face the facts - that's what we all do!

The main character, Mashiro pissed me off most of the time. Nevertheless, I couldn't help liking him/ her at the same time. It was as if he/ her was portraying how us human make our decision whether it is wise or not.

Kureha is just awesome. Although she was whiny near the beginning/ middle, she really tried to fight away her fears and became strong. I seriously admire her for that. And in this case, it was as if the mangaka was now portraying our 'strong/ independant' side we have.

As for Sou, we all love him! He just made this manga so amazing... His character portrays our 'weak' side of humans or how we need to 'rely on others'.

I disagree with mogiks about the minor characters just 'dissapearing'. They were pretty vital as they gave away some of the clues or attempt people to not predict what would happen.

And as for the dream-like world, I thought it was even more interesting. I mean it represented the character itself and it made me think what would I be.

I also came up with a theory, for example:



Any, I also love this manga because you can come up with different theories... Also, after reading this manga my whole idea of life suddenly changed.

This is the best manga I've read in... forever!!! *____*
I even finished reading all 10 volumes in 1 day!! (my family has been looking at me weird for talking to the computer screen all day, lol XD)

Sure the love triangle(s) and all the drama that kind of go in circles in the middle can be a pain in the butt to read through, but little by little (and therefore believably) the characters learn so many life lessons through the often-disturbing plot (and I can also learn from more than a couple of them ^^ ; ) . Plus the drawing is absolutely beautiful (...Sou is beautiful... XD). Also it was fun to guess which characters takes which forms in the dream (believe it or not, my first guesses were actually right!! But I almost fell for the author's trap in the middle D: ) .

Ugh... now I won't be able to get it out of my mind for a while... it's just too epic and emotionally haunting O__O , that's how good this manga is.

In conclusion, READ IT! XD

... Last updated on June 2nd, 2009, 11:43am

Wow this has been a favorite manga of mine for a long time, though just recently I had the opportunity to finish. Awesome ending, and the whole manga is all really deep with fore shadowing and symbolism every where. It's like an epic adventure without the actual physical journey.

I'm really into boys love, and so all the reviews I've ever happened to pass by are yaoi fangirls bitching about how "IT'S A TRAP" and despite it's start, how it doesn't ever really fall into the yaoi category, and I must say who cares as long as it's a kick ass story? And this, definitely falls under THAT category.

one of the most unique endings and concept. It gets confusing if you don't think through it but it just sucks you in. i'm sad that this manga has to end.. *sighs*

The earlier part might be a little bit annoying but if you hold on to it until the last chapter, I'm sure you'll be satisfied.
It's different, but a great read.
You'll be surprised on what it's all about at the end.
Go read it

i like this manga... it is confusing yet it has the ability to stab you in the heart...

it can make you realize a lot of thinks and makes you think life is full of mysteries and reality is the truth... the romance of the story is quite confusing though...

you know what? i think that mashiro really likes kurosaki sempai and not sou... she might be thinking about sou but she cares for her sempai more than him especially when she keeps on praising her sempai and opening up to him... i think that their love is mutual since kurosaki likes to tease mashiro in the dream world and he also offered help even once... and also, he kissed mashiro before entering the gate..

this is a really great story... i recommend it, really...

ps: if you're gonna ask me what i want to happen after the ending, i'd say mashiro and sou will be great friends... kurosaki will show up and he will be together with mashiro...

I will not writte much about this story because I think same comments below are really good (like the big ones) and my english too is not the best.
One think I dindn't agree for the comments that I had already read was the ones that tell the manga was rather cliché that's not actually true and the people that has already read chapter 33 know that...
You must read it if you are looking for a interesting story and yes the way the characters behae is very anoying but nothing you couln't suport and they too have their reasons ... I too don't agree with the last comment Ichigo should has suported Sou but wouldn't you leave a person who says that might be using you ?... even the most simpatic person probably would kill his boyfriend after hear this.
Also the whole story about graduation has some misterious you would like to discover.
It's sad that nowadays people kill the mangakas when they do interesting and diferent storys ...

... Last updated on April 14th, 2009, 12:44pm

I'm so sick of Ichijo's whiny attitude...especially in these newer chapters (30-32). He should have stayed a boy and helped Kureha through her issues. He claimed to "accept Sou for what he was" and then turns around and cries about it when Sou says he might be using him? If he accepted all of Sou he'd accept the fact that Sou might use him.
I was so happy when that guy told him off, even if he didn't mean it. Ichijo'll probably mope about for the next chapter or two...

However, I have to admit, this manga is certainly interesting. I'm not going to say it's amazing because I find myself really annoyed with the characters, but I'm still reading it nonetheless.

Art 9/10
Story 8/10
Characters 5/10

...I HATE that cliche. And it's very VERY obvious in this story. So that's why I must say : This story is AMAZING. Even though it's cliched like that, it's still so addicting and very unique. It's cliched in a unique way. haha XD
It's worth buying <3

An atmospheric psychological drama with conflicted characters, After School Nightmare overturns the shoujo plot conventions of gender bender, love triangles, and the common high school setting. The characters seem to be trapped in limbo, and finding the "key" in the shared dream world is the only way for them to "graduate". The search for the key is also synonymous with the search for the characters' sense of self.

The mangaka succeeds in creating a fantastical plane of existence which is nightmarish and yet beautiful at the same time. I especially love how After School Nightmare questions many gender assumptions along the way, and the characters also grow up from their initial perceptions about themselves and others. There's always a pervasive sense of mystery, wonder and foreboding before you reach the story's conclusion: For example, what does it mean to "graduate"? What makes the characters appear the way they do in the dream world?

Another thing that makes the characters' "reality" more illusory and dream-like is how the students' existence are immediately erased from the memories of their schoolmates once they graduate, leaving only an unexplainable sense of loss and unsettledness.

Anyway, if you are addicted to shoujo but are looking for something distinctly different from the formulaic mangas of this genre, read After School Nightmare! :-)

... Last updated on August 27th, 2008, 3:06am