Sweet, horrible freedom.
Creative Staff
Author/Artist: Kumiko Suekane
Translation/Adaptation: Camellia Nieh
What They Say
In the suspenseful final installment of the Afterschool Charisma series, the devastating Clone Protection Act has passed, and Shiro’s efforts to lead his classmates to freedom are stymied. In the midst of this turmoil, one of Shiro’s confidants comes out as a rogue agent, determined to eliminate the clone student body! The ensuing battle reveals to the public the immense pressure the students of St. Kleio have endured. Will the resulting fallout benefit the clones or the corrupt figureheads attempting to control them?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
We reach the final volume of Afterschool Charisma. It’s finally time to see what Shiro and the others end up deciding on about their lives and their place in the world. Will they come to the obvious conclusion that they aren’t predestined to repeat the mistakes of their genetic twins centuries before? Or will they be trapped by the strange ideologies that they’ve formed or had foisted onto themselves?
For some, it’s the latter and others the former. St. Kleio is raided by the feds in an effort to free the clone kids from their strange existence. What the authorities and press weren’t expecting were the clones not feeling like they were being rescued, but simply exchanging hands from one master to another. The school was all the structure and purpose these kids ever knew, as we had seen before, and they simply don’t know what to do with themselves once removed from there and placed into therapy.
It feels like the events of this ending, while not rushed, don’t exactly carry the emotional punch I was expecting. (This series changed magazines at the last moment, and I do think the artist took that as a sign to wrap things up.) The raid on St. Kleio feels strangely forced, and while some of that is intentional it does undermine any sense of tension. Even when bodies start hitting the floor it never felt like there was ever really anything at stake. Even after Shiro is shot by an unlikely suspect it all remains lacking. This is supposed to be the big, emotional final conflict and showdown but it’s such a small event and one that ultimately carries low stakes when we see that everyone involved in the shootout lives.
There’s also the lingering issue of being able to track who is who, especially with the Kais. Granted, a bit more time than I expected passed between my readings of volumes 11 and 12, but I lost track of each of their motives. With so many different generations of clones and so many changes of loyalty, it felt impossible to keep track of anyone’s motivations.
The end, while very open-ended, does provide a bit of closure. The politicians which funded the project and orchestrated its downfall are exposed by the students and others who knew what was truly going on. Despite that, Rockswell escapes scot-free with some of the clones who had originally started the whole conflict. It’s frustrating watching one of the most despicable characters in this mess escape. The core group of kids, lead by Shiro, do manage to make it out alive if not unscathed. Each has a plan for the future which doesn’t hinge on their genetic donor’s histories, which is nice to see. Also, Shiro’s ‘father’ does indeed decide to do the fatherly thing and protect his son, which is good for both of those characters.
There are a few last extras at the end of this volume, a couple of short gag comics. The last of which points out the title doesn’t make any sense. In a series full of things that don’t make sense, it kind of fits.
In Conclusion
Afterschool Charisma finally reaches its expected conclusion. After several volumes of retreading the same arguments about free will and destiny, genetics versus environment, the students are finally free to find their own way in the world. It’s not a neatly tied-up ending, there’s simply too much baggage and easy answers wouldn’t be fitting. However, it does feel as if the story just slowly finds it’s way to a stop. The most bombastic and shocking events are volumes in the past and this does feel very much like a mop up of lingering emotional ties.
Some of my early complaints about the title were never addressed. Ultimately the writing remains a bit too on the nose with the way characters address each other and the actions of most of the adults are absurd. While not a totally original idea, and one that doesn’t make any sense when thrown under scrutiny, Afterschool Charisma does provide a nice twist on the usual manga school setting.
Content Grade: B –
Art Grade: B +
Packaging Grade: B +
Text/Translation Grade: B
Age Rating: 16+
Released By: Viz Media
Release Date: December 20th, 2016
MSRP: $12.99
