After School Nightmare

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From left to right: Sou, Mashiro, Kureha.

After School Nightmare (Houkago Hokenshitsu, literally translated as After School Infirmary) is a Shoujo psychological-horror Manga written and drawn by Setona Mizushiro. It is about a biologically intersex teenager, Mashiro Ichijo, whose body is male from the waist up but female from the waist down. Mashiro was raised as a boy but is terribly afraid that his various weaknesses and failings mean that he is actually a girl.

The manga begins with young Mashiro getting his first menstrual period. He comes across a strange woman, the clinician at a school clinic that he never noticed before, who tells him he must attend a special class once a week if he wishes to 'graduate'. In this class he and other troubled teens enter a Dream World, where they take on the form of their "true selves" and must fight for the right to "graduate". Mashiro also finds himself in a Love Triangle with Kureha, a pretty girl who fears men and likes him because he is not quite male, and Sou, a handsome boy who believes that Mashiro is a girl.

Angst, drama and Freudian symbology ensue...

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After School Nightmare provides examples of:

• Abusive Parents: Kureha's father.
• Bastard Boyfriend: Sou.
• Bifauxnen: Mashiro... sort of.
• Bittersweet Ending: In "the real world," a fire breaks out in the hospital where the lead characters' mothers are staying, and every one of the main characters dies, never having a chance to be born, except for Mashiro, who comes into the world as a female. However, Real-World!Mashiro meets a Real-World!Sou in the final few pages, which makes it a little bit sweeter in the end.
  • Except Sou's mother died in the fire, so it couldn't have been him.
    • They could have all simply passed out from smoke inhalation. Mashiro's mother says "We're still in here," after all. At least some of the other mothers might have survived.
• Black Knight: Kurosaki's form in the dream world, who acts relentlessly against Mashiro.
• Broken Bird: Kureha, who was raped as a child, now has a deep fear of men and has a mild Freak-Out whenever a guy gets physically too close to her.
• Brother-Sister Incest: Between Sou and Ai.
  • Except that the version of Ai that Sou had his "first time" with was the Imaginary Friend version of her, and he actually hasn't had any relations of any kind with his real sister in a while.
• Damsel in Distress: Kureha, which especially shows in the dreamworld due to the form she takes. She heavily relies on Mashiro to protect her there.
  • Until she gets her Character Development.
• Does Not Like Men: Kureha, but it's understable since she was raped as a child and her father was an abusive bastard.
• Does This Remind You of Anything?: When Kurosaki reaches into Mashiro's wound (the final time) and roots around in there to find the key. Mashiro's moaning pretty much sealed the deal.
• Dream World
• Dream Within a Dream: Chapter 36.
• Elegant Gothic Lolita: Ai as a child, and in the dream world.
• First Law of Gender Bending
• Girlish Pigtails: Kureha, complete with hair ribbons, and Midori with her twin braids.
• Hermaphrodite: Mashiro.
• Ho Yay: Between Sou and Mashiro, although it's debatable since Mashiro doesn't belong to either gender. Some consider Kureha x Mashiro to be Les Yay.
  • Although they really shouldn't, because Mashiro identifies as male, and that's the important part.
• Imaginary Friend: The more commonly seen version of Ai
• Kendo Team Captain: Kurosaki
• Magical Realism
• The Matchmaker: Mashiro tries to help Shinbashi so he can befriend his crush Kureha, but it doesn't work. Later, Shinbashi helps both Mashiro and Kureha with their relationship
• Meaningful Name: Setona Mizushiro often uses kanji for colours in many of the characters' family names as subtle hints to their personalities and identities.
• Megane: Shinbashi.
• Mind Screw: The ending.
• Mr. Fanservice: Mashiro.
• Nightmare Dreams: And how!
• No Periods, Period: Averted on the very first page of the Manga, to Mashiro's horror. Mashiro plays it off as "an illness which makes me bleed once a month."
• Rape as Drama ( Kureha)
• Running Gag: (May be unintentional) Try to count how many times Sou gets slapped by various people. Occasionally justified.
• Stalker with a Crush: Sou
• Stepford Smiler: Kurosaki.
• The Stoic: Sou, except around Mashiro.
• The Ending Changes Everything: Oh GOD
• Victim Falls For Rapist: ( Sou, on Mashiro)
  • Imaginary Friend-version of Ai tried this with Sou. It didn't work. yes!!