A post made out of fappery and whim.
So here I am, obsessing about the concept of GAR, thinking on how exploratory and analytical posts on the subject matter (that I’ve done, at least) can be viewed as intellectual masturbation. Well, if it is, is it necessarily a terrible thing? Self-pleasure is treated as if it is some shameful thing that one should feel guilty about, and I wonder if it is really just the case.
First, it must be established (at least in the case of analytical and exploratory posts I make) that they have no value except to the maker, that there is no contribution to the community of anime and manga fans, or to the readers of related blogs and websites. It is not for me to argue that I do create value, only that I wankput these posts out with the intention of engaging the interest of, if not providing entertainment for, the reader.
If indeed such posts I make are masturbatory it would be remiss in that it is public, and nobody wants to see someone pleasure himself in front of others. Should this be true, then I can actually relate to the deviant lead of a surprisingly heartwarming manga: Onani Master Kurosawa.
Kurosawa Kakeru is a deviant indeed. While it is normal and healthy for adolescents and adults to masturbate, Kurosawa obsessively practices his habit by routinely finding a stall in girls toilet at the third floor of his school after classes, then wank off to a girl schoolmate, every day.
In blogging terms, it could be like writing almost about meta posts (other blogs) exclusively and then not allowing comments. I need to stress this very strongly: I don’t make it my business to make value judgments about Kurosawa and the analogs I make. Masturbation is such a loaded concept, and I don’t intend to speak into its moral considerations in a prescriptive or judgmental way.
For the most part, especially early on the manga can be enjoyed as a lighthearted yet dark comedy. It directly parodies works such as Death Note, and Code Geass; who both have daring, larger-than-life characters using wits and planning to accomplish morally ambiguous or outright reprehensible goals.
The Yagami Light parody is enjoyable enough, but I took more pleasure in the Lelouch Lamperouge parody later on; especially that it occured during one of the emotional high points in Kurosawa’s life: the school field trip to Nara.
Beyond these parodic and comedic turns what I find very interesting (and it FEELS GOOD) is how I managed to feel GAR for such an unlikely character. This manga was introduced to me by The Animanachronism while we were conversing recently, and we contrasted two known masturbators in manga and anime: Kurosawa Kakeru, and Ikari Shinji (Neon Genesis Evangelion)
Kurosawa considers his masturbation a powerful, assertive act. Shinji immediately condemns himself for what he’s done. Also, Kurosawa thinks about it at a (Yagami) Light level, Shinji does it almost sub-consciously.
—The Animanachronism
Many male fans considered this selection, just as Shinji probably is doing so in the image.
Well, he did the contrasting really. So we have an extremely anguished and perhaps reluctant masturbator in Ikari, and a powerful aggressive one in Kurosawa. In the manga we are often invited to his thoughts, lewdly but powerfully communicated:
I JUST GOT MY WHOLE LOAD OF MAN JUICE… SQUIRTED ALL OVER IT!
I have written before how GAR can be inspired by rhetoric. Speeches, and even internal monologues are triggers for GAR feelings. The Animanachronism coined the portmanteau GARSTURBATION, which FEELS SO RIGHT if you ask me. In the discourse about GAR, I feel that it is positioned as a feeling beyond awe, as ‘awesome’ is quite devalued as a word the same way ‘epic’ is devalued (I myself wholeheartedly use EPIC as a four-letter-word, which admittedly devalues it of its ability to underscore the truly great and magnificent). That said, awe is still a powerful emotion and I (re)position GAR as a feeling within the context of awe.
This is how I can feel awe (and then GAR) for seemingly inappropriate, or even absurd things, like Kurosawa’s masturbation. His ‘heroic’ devotion to carrying it out the way he does, how words in his mind are expressed in relation to his habit. I find it liberating in its shamelessness. I, like perhaps many people grew up with masturbation as taboo along with sex itself as a repressed idea under prevalent morals. This is why Kurosawa’s FAPPING FOR VIGILANTE JUSTICE arc (in particular) is heroic. While another character in the story may not see it this way, given the nature of her relationship with Kurosawa, I don’t have a problem thinking that she’s GAR for him.
And this is not only limited to the fapping. This is because Onani Master Kurosawa shifts in direction in an awesome way. Stakes got really high for the characters involved, and there is much, terrible shame, and loss. I find it personally heartwrenching and cringeworthy (See Omisyth’s reactions [1] and [2]). But as I’ve mentioned, this is a fell good story and the resolution is stunning. I’m a sucker for redemption stories, especially those wherein the redemption is accomplished wholly out of one’s own power. This manga had one of the more satisfying and fulfilling endings I’ve read in a while, and I could feel the respect and care felt and lavished on the characters. Many of them gave me surprising turns that just blasted me with good feeling.
I want you to read Onani Master Kurosawa, and enjoy it as much as I did. If you do this much, I’d feel like I didn’t spend the last hour just wanking to myself in making this post.
Further Reading
Shin’s jizz is all over this, predictably (Shin 2008/07/19)
David considers it the best comic about a serial masturbator he’s ever read (David Cabrera 2009/07/28)
SDS pulls through with the manga’s plot twist: “It ends up being good somehow.” (SDSamshiel 2009/07/30)
That’s not art, that’s just wanking! (Hidoshi 2008/04/08)
I explore the idea of GAR and rhetoric [->]
Kaiserpingvin takes the idea of GARhetoric in phonetic analysis (Kaiserpingvin 2009/07/22)
The Animanachronism, via ani-tations (屮゜Д゜)屮, extensive discussion and analysis of GAR (lelangir2008/12/22).
We Remember Love 
“In blogging terms, it could be like writing almost about meta posts (other blogs) exclusively and then not allowing comments.”
I can’t be the only one here who immediately thought of Author. So does that make me a voyeur for reading Ani-nouto?
I’m not so certain about the analogue I made, but it could be yes. But if so, yes you watch someone pleasure himself you are a voyeur.
Unless, an author really has you in mind as a reader and caters to your interests. You’d just be on the receiving end of oral sex – since you can’t interact with him; staying within the analogy.
So I thought I should say something more.
It’s a wonder that the doujin that began publication as an absurd Death Note parody actually ends up in many ways better than that famous manga. While Light began his story morally ambiguous, or even slightly leaning towards being an agent for justice, he became drunk with his own power and self-described righteousness, falling in love with his own cleverness and being utterly remorseless, which drove readers to despise him more and more and wished him to get his just desserts. Kurosawa takes the exact opposite journey, from arrogant mastermind-in-his-own-head to a caring and socially well-adjusted person, even triggering positive change in others in his life.
I guess what I want to say that Death Note is fun and entertaining but leaves you pretty empty at the end, while Onani Master Kurosawa goes on to be something redeeming and gives its audience some real substance to chew on.
What drove people to hate Light was not his self destruction but the fact that people are idiots who blindly love justice and want to see bad guys go down. That they saw Death Note in a black and white manner is truly one of the most unfortunate things ever, and I’m sure the creators of Death Note never intended for their readers to be so simple minded.
I for one, always supported Light and wanted him to win in the end. As the protagonist of Death Note I saw no reason for him to lose in the end and that is why I hated Death Note’s ending so much. So what if Light wanted to rule the world? So what if Light wanted to eliminate people trying to stop him? Just because Light became downright villainous doesn’t change the fact that he was the main character of the story and we saw the story from his POV for the majority of the time.
Onani Master Kurosawa, in all seriousness, feels like the most realistic story I’ve watched or read in a long time. That’s even considering the slice of life anime I’ve been watching.
And yes, Kurosawa is most definitely GAR, as is any man (or woman) who takes life by the horns.
I guess this means I need to read it.
You need to live it.
Yes, agreed. I felt like the characters felt emotions and had thoughts that I would feel even in not as similar situations, given the dramatic extremes in the story.
Afro dude was also very inspiring. He moved me.
I think I’ll be enjoying this manga . . . the death note and code geass parodies amused me so much xD Checking it out someday~ (unless it actually has H scenes, which I can’t read)
LOLz! If Kurosawa is a garsturbator, I hope his masturbating side (bwahahahahah!) isn’t that similar to Shinji’s, because that’ll suck *Shinji hater*
There are no H scenes, the way H scenes are done usually anyway. They’re suggestive of H but is nowhere like it. There’s more nudity in seinen manga like Team Medical Dragon compared to this.
I still won’t be caught at work reading this, that’s for sure. 😛
I should get that entry out faster.
As Baka-Raptor said, I found Kurosawa’s actions in the latter part of the series more GAR than anything. When he took responsibility and faced the repercussions of his actions, that was more awe-inspiring. It’s like Lelouch at the end of Code Geass – I felt that at point Kurosawa truly became a MAN.
*FROFIST*
i was “suckered” so to speak, into reading this within the previous 7 hours by how you showed the images of kira and lelouch parody and how i was able to grasp the situation based on bubble speech from the manga. i avoided reading your post first in order to save myself from spoilers and now that i’ve read it (before blogging this in my own perspective) i would like to share a comment.
i don’t know for the rest but for me, after reading this manga, i was left with a swirl of emotions. the redemption theme is glorious especially for kurosawa. i never thought that he would even date the bitch girl that he fapped for vengeance. that certainly came out of the blue but i liked it. as ironic as it was since the manga didn’t show much development around them, having him end up with her isn’t a bad thing, i consider it as a bonus that he earned for being GAR in the end. i’m kinda pissed though since he wasn’t able to go out with his one true love which kinda leaves that melancholic feeling to me. also, for some reason, the story progressed quickly midway. i really find it hard for kurosawa x kitahara to not develop any more than partners in crime. since the two are constantly reaching out for help amidst their similar darkness, i think it wouldn’t be impossible for them to stumble upon each other amidst that dark path. overall, this is one of of the best that i’ve read and i thank you for sharing this
You’re welcome!
It really is an astonishing read and surprising in how it started getting powerful just when I was ready to dismiss it as lightweight, though dark humor.
I really enjoyed it how for Kurosawa, GAR courage isn’t some kind of manly cure-all. He remains vulnerable and challenged to the very end, and in the moment of near defeat he finds the will to not be cowed by shame, and treat his woman the way she really wanted to. His promise to never be boring is pretty awesome as well.
Seeing Kitahara on the train station was awesome enough for me. It’s not a tidy redemption, but often it’s best to offer possibility instead of solution. I would’ve enjoyed this story just as much without the bonus chapter.
Was this due to some debate I’ve read in some other blog? Anyway, I’ve read one chapter from the early parts of this manga. It gets better, huh? Hm.
Nope, I wrote this post weeks ago. I mentioned it in that discussion though. It gets better yes, but not to say that the beginning isn’t awesome in its own right.
Okay, so I’m up to ep 17 and FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
The twist was plausible but it really came out of nowhere.
Oh lawl, did I just say “ep 17”? I meant chapter 17. Damn, I guess it really affected me. That, and I must sleep, I’m gonna finish this tomorrow.
Hehehehe. Glad you’re enjoying. Get yourself to the karaoke chapter and remember a little love.
Yeah. I think the karaoke happened before the twist. I almost missed the exact page when it failed to load the first time, good thing I reloaded and remembered love. They put more emphasis on the Hare Hare Yukai though, but it was also awesome, complete with the facepalm.
When I asked myself why the twist affected me so, the answer came quickly: I’ve experienced it a lot of times myself. I think I’ve learned enough that ever since the date (which happened right after the karaoke) I knew that Kurosawa ought to confess, confess, do it, DO IT NAO! His whole body is telling him. Why not do it with Takagawa for a change? The hand needs some rest. With the way she was treating everyone, I knew it won’t be long before some other guy would feel the same way. Just that it came out of nowhere that that other guy would be Nagaoka.
However, when thinking about it, with the way the story is told in Kurosawa’s perspective, it would really be a surprise, but the clues were there, and in a story where the characters infer and act based on few and subtle clues, I think it’s consistent. Firstly, I don’t find Nagaoka as the stereotypical otaku. He does have otaku interests, but his personality is a genki nice guy, which, come to think of it, is similar to Takagawa’s. (And he looks like Ronald McDonald, I really can’t get past that.) Secondly, Kurosawa is passive; he waits for a chance to bump into Takagawa. Of course Nagaoka may be passive himself, and this leads to the third point, which is what I think is the major advantage Nagaoka had over Kurosawa: the former had more chance to interact with Takagawa. During the summer break, Nagaoka would have had daily interaction with the girl via cram school. Kurosawa? Zero. And this lull came after Kurosawa’s date with Takagawa, which I think was her testing the waters and coming out disappointed due to the lack of follow-up.
Sh*t! While doing this analysis, the hurt from my own heartbreaks are coming back to me. Inuman na ‘to!
Let’s see if I’m correct by reading the succeeding chapters.
Nagaoka is an alpha otaku. He’s a connector and social magnet. I don’t think he’s that passive pare. He’s actually quite shameless. This shameless wide-open otaku behavior is part of what Kurosawa found irritating about him.
Nagaoka may or may not know this, but it doesn’t matter: he is unstoppable, in the face of no agreement. Nagaoka is one of my heroes. No doubt about it.
“Wag nating idaan, sa maboteng usapan…”
Ok, finished it.
Glad that I got the similarity of Nagaoka and Takagawa (another fansubber call her Takigawa, hm, I’ll just call her Takki). You’re right about Nagaoka. That thing about cram school interaction is just speculation, but could be valid given what happened with Kurosawa and Sugawa later on. Glad that the fapper learned some love lessons after all. I find the Kurosawa+Sugawa pairing quite funny because it follows the harem rule: first contact gets to be the end girl.
The events surrounding Kurosawa’s admission of his crime was gloriously sublime. It wasn’t just a test on his character but also on Nagaoka’s and Takki’s and the two passed with flying colors. I was actually worried Kitahara won’t be saved. I was hoping though that she save herself and help Kurosawa by coming clean on her part in the fap attacks, and at least the motivations would be revealed. Maybe she’d do it eventually. Maybe it doesn’t matter anymore. Or maybe Kurosawa would do it: the entire manga is actually his fulfillment of the deal with Takki–this was the story that would shock her heart.
I think I know why Nagaoka is one of your heroes. There is actually a significance in him saying “Listen to my song!” This manga is Macross 7 all over again, with Basara and Sivil saving Geppelnitch from the depths of darkness.
Yes and yes. I agree with your observations. And at least the Macross 7 reference is at least plausible and/or consistent, if we consider how Kurosawa is at least internally hostile to Nagaoka.
And the lulz option: MIKE’S LEFT HAND. (Sexy Losers, NSFW, etc.)
This manga is what would happen if Mike was a teenager living in Japan.
WTF is wrong with people named Mike? They’re like, plagues of society!
I HAVE NO IDEA.
But the comic I mentioned is plenty fun :3
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OH SH- I have to read this!
Yeessssss, you must!
This made my frickin’ day. I’d fap to high school girls too any time, real-life or anime type.
Spoilers are okay in the comments, from what I see?
On topic, this is definitely one of the better tales of redemption that I’ve seen in a while. Kurosawa has a nice golden pair.
I couldn’t stop the spoilers, so I just hope would-be readers would not be ruined.
Agreement in full. Pair is golden.
I cried manly tears (and jerked-off manly juice) after reading this. The mangaka deserves a round of applause.
I’ve never thought that for a crazy premise and the Death Note/Code Geass-ish moments (I swear Kurosawa is a cross between Takasu Ryuuji and Lelouch Lamperouge), the whole series was a whole lot of win. I couldn’t stop reading. Even at the office. Never have I been emotionally-invested in a manga in my entire otaku life, and I so love this from start to end. *fapsinsomuchdelight*
Redemption is the key word here. I liked how some characters got theirs.
There are a lot of things I want to say, but if I had a blog, I could have probably wrote an article dedicated to this awesome work.
Highly recommended.
Hehe. Do a guest post here at WRL man. With your white hammer, fap your fucking brains out (in digital text).
Thanks for the suggestion. I’ll take note of your blog when I suddenly begin to brainfap.
Here’s something that may catch your attention.
That was very interesting! I can’t wait for more!
I seriously hope Katsura isn’t teasing us (or at least me) to another Kurosawa X Takigawa pairing after this development.
Here’s a crazy/fun idea.
Try listening to the sound dramas (http://www.onamas.net/#download) while while reading the manga for another time.
I swear, I have to commend Naito’s voice actress for doing a great “job” in Chapter 3. 😛
LOL I will! Thanks!
Thank you very much for the suggestion. If you hadn’t suggested it I would have most probably never read it. This is the second time I pick up a great reading and watching suggestion from you. Suggestions and philosophical fappery are a few reasons why I read this blog.
Thank you! Glad you had a great reading experience. Check out the link Sadakups posted above for the latest OMK literature translated by the heroic Emergency Exit.
Thanks again. It’s kind of weird getting such an involved extra story though. The main story is over and done with. And even though it still deals with growing up and changes the extra story really seems out of place especially with so much happening for a simple extra. Maybe he’s prepping for an extended novel?
A re-telling, so yeah, an extended novel might be just the thing he’s doing. I won’t mind at all, even if it diverges from the manga.
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Now I remember. I did read this before. I wish I got in on the love-fest while it was still fresh, though.
It’s still ongoing! Very interesting writers have just finished reading it. I would love it if they’d give their own perspectives on the text. Now that the thing is fairly popular, there could be less focus on recommendatory writing, and more on stronger analysis.
Man, GL, you always recommend the best manga… I guess now I have to add Team Medical Dragon to my list too, huh? I started Five Star Stories but got distracted a few chapters in. I’ll get back to it soon, promise~!
.lolikappa
I just pass on the good stuff that gets recommended to me. IKnight told me about this one, as you in turn got me finally to start Bokurano.
Solanin is a melancholy wonder. I’ll try to write about that soon.
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And almost all of the charakters are supposed to be 14 years old, right? 😛
Loved that manga so much that I downloaded all the chapters and their coresponding sound episodes (and waiting for the rest) as well both parts of “after the juvenile”! Unfortunately I can’t buy it, still living with my parents (18 years old).
Don’t know if it’s just me, but the artist changed his style a little throughout the chapters, as my first impression of Kurosawa was that he is “Sasuke cosplaying as Light Yagami”, and now he reminds me of Ryuuji Takasu (haven’t watched Code Geass so dunno about the protagonist there).
Also Kitahara is Sonic/Konata xD
Everything I can think of saying about the plot was already being said, so I commented on the art. I haven’t read this manga because of the pictures!
Interesting comparisons you make there… especially re: ryuuji takasu. Not only does Kurosawa start looking like him, he becomes analogous to him as someone who looks like a delinquent but is actually quite harmless and wants to do right by people.
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