Inside Mari, Volume 1 (Inside Mari)

by Shuzo Oshimi

[lessthelonely]

REVIEW FOR THE FULL MANGA: 3.5/5 stars.

Another manga series I read last year close to one sitting and never got around to review, yay!

I remember how I got interested in reading this manga in the first place: Akidearest, an Anime YouTuber (her boyfriend is also an YouTuber, The Anime Man), mentioned this as one of her monthly favorites. Or maybe it was The Anime Man who mentioned it, but the truth is I only got around to reading it last year when I was in a Let's Read Manga mood. I wasn't disappointed, because the mystery intrigued me, and I like to say that's usually half-way into a good read. No use reading what doesn't interest you from its synopsis alone, usually.

This is probably the first ever seinen manga I've ever read. I doubt it'll be the last one, though.

The premise is unique enough to catch a reader's eye: your protagonist is a shut-in. Doesn't really get out of the house, doesn't really do much outside of playing at home and saying hello to his right hand. But he wakes up inside the bedroom of a high school senior, Mari, whom he recognizes instantly...

When he goes to the mirror.

Yes, this is a body swap manga. The MC ends up inside the body of a school girl. And while there is definitely a little bit of indulgence, as male authors tend to have, the mystery becomes clear: how did this happen and how can he go back to his body. Add a third character into the mix who immediately understands that the MC is posing as Mari and you get an incredibly intriguing manga going. That is truly the feeling that comes to mind most of the time. This is intriguing.

And that's when cliffhangers - and, occasionally, plot twists -, start hitting. While I also wished to finish the manga just to finish it, turning the page was incredibly easy. The author truly squeezed the mystery for everything it was worth, while never making it boring. The ending isn't as satisfying as I wanted, felt like a little bit of a copout, but then again, I sped through this. In the most basic terms, this is a Here's this seemingly perfect character. Now let me tell you why their life sucks ass.

Finally, I would like to leave a little word: I am a gay man so take what I'm saying with a grain of salt, but I would call some of the scenes on this queerbaiting. More specifically, of the lesbian kind. While it gets pretty fruity, you might get annoyed at how the author chooses to portray his characters.

Still, though I enjoyed it, I would call this a coin-flip, because it seems to pander to a very niche audience: either mystery fans or just... male fans. It was entertaining throughout, I remember the dialogue being sharp and enjoying the characterization - with a manga with so few characters, that was really all I could ask for.

So, have at it if it feels up your alley.