AbuNormal tells the story of Eiko Abu a 29yearold woman who has never been normal and as such needs help from others to become her ideal normal self but what if instead of achieving this goal she learned all the wrong lessons out of it? Its a pretty solid premise that doesnt fully set in until after the 17chapter mark. Dont get me wrong it leaves a great first impression with chapter 1 but after that it shifts focus to another character I didnt care as much for as I do with Abu since shes the stellar selling point for the series. However after that specific story arc I can say Im pleasantly surprised with the rest of the manga it manages to balance comical/ridiculous situations and serious suspenseful moments remarkably well. https://i.ur.com/whHsZmW.png The joy of reading this story comes from how Abu will react to certain social situations such as being given a difficult task at her job dealing with difficult coworkers finding love etc. Since its never a straightforward answer. Sometimes Abu can be very gullible while other times shes extremely calculating and thorough in her problemsolving some may say this onandoff switch in intelligence leaves her character to feel inconsistent while Id argue its more about her inherent innocence and ignorance she emanates an uncanny presence because of how weird she is and always comes back with unique solutions to her issues. Another strong point of the series is its art. It makes great use of contrasting black and white colors to elevate the characters emotional states and always renders their reactions sublimely with lots of ugly faces Theres not a single boring chapter to look at. One thing to keep in consideration though is that the world present in the manga is an exaggerated portrayal of our own dont go in expecting it to be realistic since thats not the point what the series does is heighten any and all situations through absurdity. https://i.ur.com/yGhyasJ.jpeg In conclusion AbuNormal is a unique character study about someone who lacks what wed consider normal attachments and sensibilities trying her best to adjust to society and in a way that in which she wishes to fit in is just as weird as her. What anybody considers normal is purely subjective and Abu takes in all the wrong conclusions from others teachings which makes for all the more hilarious and tense situations in the story. I recommend it but admittedly I find one of its initial arcs very weak in comparison to the rest of the series its not instantly engaging but sticking with it absolutely pays off.