#09 – Mousou Shoujo Otaku Kei by Natsumi Konjoh

Mousou Shoujo Otakukei (Fujoshi Rumi) by Natsumi Konjoh
Published by Futabasha/Comics High
Translated by MediaBlasters.

This is a fujoshi story ((You can read more about it from bangin’s entry on fujoshi)) . Yes. It involves fangirls oggling over BL with their crazy imagination at work. I’d like to warn people that the world of the fujoshi is insane, and as the title of the manga captures it, even delusional. However, it can also be charming and outright hilarious. In the tradition of non-otaku men falling in love with rabid female otakus is a story of a boy that explores the world of the fujoshi and everything else in between — Mousou Shoujo Otakukei. The Delusional Girl Otaku.

Delusional? Are you for real!?

No. Fujoshis aren’t really delusional. In fact, many fujoshis would claim that they can always distinguish the line between the real world and their fantasy world. Although, when fujoshis switch on their fantasy world… they can really be insane. In Mousou Shoujo Otakukei, we’ll see the insane world of Rumi Asai, one happy Fujoshi who kinda feels lonely since she thinks she’s the only one of her kind in her school. She’s rather pretty although when she looks at boys she always thinks of their likeness towards her favorite characters in her favorite series, Hagaren no Oujisama (( A pun on fujoshi favorites, Full Metal Alchemist and Prince of Tennis)). Somehow, Asai can’t seem to distinguish the line between her reality and her fantasy. Everybody relates to her fantasy… even the two hottest boys in school, Chiba and Abe.

For her, Chiba and Abe’s relationship is similar to the relationship of the characters from HagaPuri. One’s the naughty type while the other is more princely. After witnessing a ‘sinful’ exchange between Abe and Chiba, Asai is more convinced that Abe and Chiba’s relationship is beyond her fantasy but a reality. Things get a lot crazier when Abe finds himself falling in love with Asai and tries his best to convince her that… he can’t be in love with Chiba.

The comedy and insanity starts when Abe tries to know more about Asai’s world and is trying his best to understand her. He tries to get in her fandom by reading through all 20++ volumes of Hagapuri (which she happily lent him!). He even helped her sell some doujins in a doujin exhibition. He takes Chiba’s advice of ‘becoming the character that she likes.’ But still, well as far as I read, Abe can’t still capture Asai’s heart. Asai is much too innocent, maybe even too pure to really understand the realities of love. Her definition of love strictly adheres to how mangas define it. Nonetheless, he’s getting there. I mean… he’s gone to the ‘Kaworu x Shinji’ stage already.

“You can call me, ‘Shinji-kun'”

Mousou Shoujo Otakukei wins in fandom. A LOT. It has lots of references on Fujoshi culture such as BL seiyuus, dramas, and even pairings. And you don’t get lost in them. If you’re a fujoshi, you probably immediately know what Asai is oggling with Matsui (another fellow Fujoshi in the series). If you’re not, then you go along with Abe and you discover together what the hell is going on in Asai’s head. The most famous reference to fandom would be the Kaworu Nagisa and Shinji Ikari pairing in Evangelion. Personally, it’s one of my favorite couples, one that I’d say triggered a spark in my then burgeoning Fujoshi heart. But I didn’t know the impact of that pairing in Fujoshi-dom and how their pairing is considered as one of the best, maybe even monumental, couple in fandoms today. The series uses this pair to show the level of affection Abe has on Asai and the impact his confession made in her life. Amazing, really. I wish I had a Kaworu-kun too.

For a me, reading Asai and her fandom babbles is like a Sunday chit-chat with fellow fujoshi friends on the latest in fandom. Why is he uke? Why does this pairing suck? Why is he the seme of them all? These babbles go on and on forever and it’s a heartwarming to see it in print. Konjoh-sensei herself must be a fujoshi to perfectly capture what’s going on inside the fujoshi head. She knows what we love and places them in this series… and even adds more stuff.

Exposing the Fujoshi World… and more

On Konjoh-sensei’s art, it’s quite erotic and familiar. Familiar because it is reminiscent of a shoujo manga. Her lines are thin and uses shoujo manga’s insane and dreamy paneling. At the same time it’s also erotic, since it’s released in a seinen magazine, sensei tried to lure more men into the series by drawing really lovely girls who occassionaly get into some girl and girl action. The lady’s proportions are closer to some H manga than they are shoujo. But fujoshis shouldn’t feel disappointed because the guys are quite handsome too. More so, despite the shoujo-style art, the story feels more masculine, with panels often catering to the male otaku. Towards the latter part, the fanservice was more for the men and the story has geared towards the already budding relationship of Asai and Abe.

It’s a great hodgepodge of both the fujoshi world and the male otaku world. It’s this balance that makes Mousou Shoujo Otakukei work as a title. As she gives the boys some fanservice with how she draws Asai, she also gives voice to the fujoshi by showing the boys their world and their concerns. Of course, fujoshis know better that the Asai type of fujoshi is merely a fantasy, nonetheless, it’s funny to read how bad we can get as fujoshis. lol.