400https://i.ur.com/8RNpkeN.jpg Gravitation in a nutshell is like when you go to a lowdown convenience store and you see a colorful but super tacky pack of candy and you just know it probably tastes like shit but you buy it anyway out of pure curiosity and then you eat it and it actually does taste like absolute shit but you cant help but keep eating it because the stuff is like some weirdass drugs and at this point youre starting to suspect whether it possibly could be laced with it and by the time you snap back to reality youve finished the entire bag and all you can think is Fuck that was bad. I couldve lived my entire life without tasting that. But Im kinda glad I didnt. Ive been hearing about Gravitation ever since I was a wee young weeBLet browsing the interwebs hanging around places like AarinFantasy and Yaoi Haven Reborn back then it was sort of obvious Id stumble upon it. I also remember seeing the books at the local bookstore near my house back when I lived in Canada. Through some Godgiven miracle though I managed to pass through into adulthood without ever actually consuming it. Until now. And Lord am I glad I didnt read or watch this as a kid. I was am already trash who already still liked trash my small brain was still is absolute mush and I dont think I needed anymore of that. But I enjoy suffering so fuck you supposed adult brain. Listen I have absolutely NOTHING against artistic freedom. On the contrary being an artist myself I know how important it is and how the fact that art isnt to be and shouldnt be judged by objective standards. But do you ever get the feeling that some people may have a bit too much of it? And by some people I mean Maki Murakami specifically. This woman wields the most dangerous and destructive power known to mankindto completely fuck your mind upsidedown rightside out in the most Ren and Stimpy way possible. And she did that singlehandedly with Gravitation. Am I overexaggerating? Maybe maybe not. Honestly youd have to read the manga to see my point. Its a roller coaster. And reading the Tokyopop localization? May as well be an airplane on the verge of crashlanding. Its like the Ghost Stories dub only on paper. Its just...I still dont believe Gravitation was supposed to be a shoujo on top of everything else included in its genre/tag cocktail. Like if I didnt know better Id think it was missing the Dementia tag because its just THAT bizarre at times. I took the liberty of browsing through the other titles that were serialized in the magazine it originally ran in none of them seemed that out of pocket. Theyre your runofthemill preteen/teen romcom stories. But then again maybe thats exactly what made it such a cult classic. I mean this thing is the most unironically NSFW supposedlySFW manga Ive come across thus far and no I dont give a fuck if that doesnt even make sense thats literally what it is. And the cherry on top is Murakami herself constantly whining in the sidebars about how much she wanted to just go fullblown lewd with it and if you check the Others section in the entry you can see for yourself the madwoman eventually managed to accomplish that with another dangerous powerDoujinshi. Well? Did they manage to relieve your ladyboner Murakami? Because after reading them I think you need more than just a bonk and a trip to Horny Jail. Its not just the rampant juvenile 12yearold boybirthed sexual innuedos that make Gravitation the acid trip it is. Its also how much hypothetical or maybe not crack cocaine and marijuana its stuffed with. One moment were talking about a characters serious and traumatic experience and literally the next were fucking bashing our heads into a vending machine until alarming amounts of blood is drawn. Band managers are fucking assassins with more guns and heavy duty weapons than the fucking Expendables and enjoy shooting people right through the fucking brain REPEATEDLY. Illiterate 30yearolds are running around playing tag and sucking on bunny plush ears and music labels are at war with each other not through sales numbers but through actual war machines in the form of giant fucking robot pandas. I dont remember seeing SciFi or Mecha amongst the tags but you do you I guess Murakami. Its not like I dont like this kind of ballsupthewalls batshit insanity on the contrary Beavis and Butthead Do America is my favourite movie and Brandon Rogers is the only YouTuber I find funny. I eat this shit up for breakfast. And its not like I dont know it exists in the animanga scene either. Gintama Pop Team Epic Popee etc. I think Ive got a pretty good idea of how stuff like gross humour and dark surreal comedy works in either parts of the world. Its just that Gravitation isnt any of what I mentioned. Its its own breed. Its the fact that despite its batshit out of pocketness that didnt stop it from breaking through the genres mold it was placed in and becoming this sensational. To put it into perspective it was a manga that ran for 12 entire volumes had not one but TWO different sequels/spinoffs spawned both an anime and OVA with some of the most prolific VAs in the industry on its cast list and still has a faithful fanbase that refuses to consider it anything less than a masterpiece to this day. And honestly? Thats pretty kickass all things considered. Im well aware the time frame Gravitation unleashed its pink and sparkly leatherclad 10 inch whopper unto the world was an entirely different time with a different degree of what rolled and what didnt but I think even Murakami herself was well aware that what she birthed would probably be a bit hard for the world to digest. Evidently though it didnt stop it from getting a nice long suckingoff anyway. The whole thing was purely indulgence and selfgratification on Murakamis part. She never failed to remind us that she was drawing and writing exactly what she wanted how she wanted and when she wanted editors and publishers be damned. I feel like shes the type of person whod eat a baby and be like Fuck you I /am/ going to do it and I dont care what laws I break or whos mom I offend. Her brain process exists on a different plane from us peasants. For Christs sake the woman introduces herself as The Scum of The Earth what do more do you expect? Gravitation is basically Maki Murakamis grand middle finger to the entirety of BL and shoujo and its plethora of depressioninducing melodramas and I was just too smallbrained to truly comprehend her artistic genius until now and I apologize for that. I respect the hustle. I respect the insanity. I respect the rebellion. I respect the throwing of all reason and logic to the wall and fucking it sideways I really do. I actually think the world needs a bit more of that especially now. Sometimes what you need to do is just turn your brain off and just watch characters with the most hideous fashion taste and hairstyles for rock stars and the cheesiest lyrics to songs drive each other to utter distraction. The point is that its fun. Gravitation is fun. Its not bad its not good its not an awardwinner by any means. Its just a hell of a lot of fun. And that should be the only reason anyone should read it or watch it. Murakami wrote it for fun for someone to pick it up and think damn whoever wrote this needs therapy but thats not stopping me from finishing it. And the anime which although I didnt mention as much specifically since it wasnt as out there as the manga everything I said applies to it as well. In fact the anime was even more fun because of the stellar voiceacting and the music and visuals which were products of their time. Its a great way to destress and get lost in the crazy world of fiction and remember just how far people get to take it in there. Maki Murakami is the poster girl for ITS JUST FICTION and its making presentday Twitterraised teens shake in rage while she unbotheredly sips on their very tears and I fucking LOVE it. Now I dont drink or take any substances but if one ever needed an anime to watch or manga to read while theyre drunk or high out of their minds Id say Gravitation would most definitely do the trick.