After school nightmare. 1

I had no idea what I was getting into when I picked up this graphic novel, but I found I couldn't put it down (and had to immediately head back to the library to get the rest of the series). Although there are rather horrifying moments in this series (because, let's face it, nightmares are usually horrifying), this story also challenges the reader to think about the difficulties faced by the characters. No character is simple, and all of them have issues in their past or present that they are dealing with. While the story may seem horrifying in places, the point is that the characters must pass through pain in order to achieve personal growth. Add a love story to the idea of coming of age and throw in a some gender issues and you have a very interesting manga. Go check it out!