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コンプレックス・エイジ [Complex Age] #4
Complex Age 4
CONFLICT
As Nagisa struggles with her boyfriend's attitude toward cosplay, she finally hears back from Hayama. But Hayama refuses to see her in person. Nagisa goes to visit her anyway and discovers a change in her friend. Can she convince Hayama to come back to the world of cosplay?
As Nagisa struggles with her boyfriend's attitude toward cosplay, she finally hears back from Hayama. But Hayama refuses to see her in person. Nagisa goes to visit her anyway and discovers a change in her friend. Can she convince Hayama to come back to the world of cosplay?
208 pages, Paperback
First published May 22, 2015
33 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
February 6, 2024
Me cayó muy mal Riu hahaha
March 16, 2017
Love this series!!
August 18, 2017
Volume 4 of Complex Age starts off with Nagisa dealing with struggles within her current relationship (which began in Volume 3). She begins debating if the partnership and cosplay can ever safely coexist after her partner becomes jealous of the pictures of her posted on the internet. However, this isn’t where the volume really shines, as the latter half of the book tells a much more interesting tale (for me anyway).
About a quarter of the way through the book, a new character is introduced, known as Riu, who Nagisa previously talked down to at a convention by telling her that she hadn’t put enough effort into her cosplay (this happens in Volume 1). It turns out that Riu has been working hard since that conflict to become better at creating her costumes and wishes to be involved with Nagisa and her group of friends. Everything seems fine on the surface and Nagisa invites Riu to a photo shoot with her group, but afterwards one of Nagisa’s friends, Aya, runs into some trouble online where photos of her are receiving nasty anonymous comments. When Nagisa and another of her friends, Shiho, get involved they quickly discover that Riu may not be all that she seems…
I picked the opening quote for this article because I truly believe it’s true to life. Every hobby has its ups and down, and one negative within the world of cosplay is attracting hate online. Of course hate messages aren’t limited to cosplay, and as a writer in this day and age it’s easy for people to single you out for no particular reason and have a laugh at your expense or send you hurtful messages (I’ve certainly been a victim of it). It’s a very real and important issue that I’m glad Complex Age dealt with in a realistic way. Not only did the series perfectly convey Aya’s thoughts and emotions as the victim, it also provides the perspective of a bully and why they picked out Aya.
Throughout its run Complex Age has never shied away from dealing with hard, genuine issues that young adults deal with and this volume just reinforces that. It’s something I really respect mangaka Yui Sakuma for because they’ve created a series that offers something different in the manga market that nothing else caters to. I also like that many of the issues we deal with, including the bullying in this volume, generally isn’t limited strictly to cosplay: much of it reflects anime/manga fans on the whole and can even stretch into other hobbies. This makes Complex Age easier to recommend because, provided you have the slightest interest in cosplay, the characters and story will carry you through the rest of it.
It has to be said that the artwork for Complex Age also remains a strong point with Yui Sakuma and showcases that she has a good grasp of how cosplay is put together and how the clothes should fit on a woman. Panels are well detailed throughout and the soft, rounded faces of the cast are always very welcoming to see as a reader. It’s not hard to slip into the series from volume to volume and feel right at home, despite there being months between releases.
Overall this volume of Complex Age is one of the best yet. It’s highly emotional but deals with issues that a lot of media shies away from. With a cliffhanger at the end of the book,I find myself hooked yet again and eagerly awaiting Volume 5. I always pegged Complex Age as a strong series, but I think this volume brings the manga to the point of being something truly special that I’d highly recommend to everyone.
About a quarter of the way through the book, a new character is introduced, known as Riu, who Nagisa previously talked down to at a convention by telling her that she hadn’t put enough effort into her cosplay (this happens in Volume 1). It turns out that Riu has been working hard since that conflict to become better at creating her costumes and wishes to be involved with Nagisa and her group of friends. Everything seems fine on the surface and Nagisa invites Riu to a photo shoot with her group, but afterwards one of Nagisa’s friends, Aya, runs into some trouble online where photos of her are receiving nasty anonymous comments. When Nagisa and another of her friends, Shiho, get involved they quickly discover that Riu may not be all that she seems…
I picked the opening quote for this article because I truly believe it’s true to life. Every hobby has its ups and down, and one negative within the world of cosplay is attracting hate online. Of course hate messages aren’t limited to cosplay, and as a writer in this day and age it’s easy for people to single you out for no particular reason and have a laugh at your expense or send you hurtful messages (I’ve certainly been a victim of it). It’s a very real and important issue that I’m glad Complex Age dealt with in a realistic way. Not only did the series perfectly convey Aya’s thoughts and emotions as the victim, it also provides the perspective of a bully and why they picked out Aya.
Throughout its run Complex Age has never shied away from dealing with hard, genuine issues that young adults deal with and this volume just reinforces that. It’s something I really respect mangaka Yui Sakuma for because they’ve created a series that offers something different in the manga market that nothing else caters to. I also like that many of the issues we deal with, including the bullying in this volume, generally isn’t limited strictly to cosplay: much of it reflects anime/manga fans on the whole and can even stretch into other hobbies. This makes Complex Age easier to recommend because, provided you have the slightest interest in cosplay, the characters and story will carry you through the rest of it.
It has to be said that the artwork for Complex Age also remains a strong point with Yui Sakuma and showcases that she has a good grasp of how cosplay is put together and how the clothes should fit on a woman. Panels are well detailed throughout and the soft, rounded faces of the cast are always very welcoming to see as a reader. It’s not hard to slip into the series from volume to volume and feel right at home, despite there being months between releases.
Overall this volume of Complex Age is one of the best yet. It’s highly emotional but deals with issues that a lot of media shies away from. With a cliffhanger at the end of the book,I find myself hooked yet again and eagerly awaiting Volume 5. I always pegged Complex Age as a strong series, but I think this volume brings the manga to the point of being something truly special that I’d highly recommend to everyone.
September 1, 2023
Auch.
Este tomo si rompe el corazoncito, pero bien roto.
Cada vez es más triste y duele, la protagonista empieza a dudar mucho sobre si misma y su pasión. ¿Por qué debe haber una edad para cumplir los sueños? Es injusto. Espero con ansías el siguiente tomo.
Este tomo si rompe el corazoncito, pero bien roto.
Cada vez es más triste y duele, la protagonista empieza a dudar mucho sobre si misma y su pasión. ¿Por qué debe haber una edad para cumplir los sueños? Es injusto. Espero con ansías el siguiente tomo.
March 22, 2017
This volume delve more into some drama when it comes to cosplay and we are introduced to a new character who is bullying and putting one of Nagisa's friend who is new at cosplay down. It is nice to Nagisa's character growing and realize shouldn't be taken too seriously where it hurts people's feeling or losing passion for it. Can't wait for next volume!
January 9, 2019
Wow. That girl needs help.
October 28, 2020
Too much drama, but the bullying is real
did-not-finish
January 19, 2022Got through chapter 28 before I decided to drop the series. It's just not bringing me any joy.
October 22, 2022
I like this series, but the anti-fatness seems to increase with each volume. It's really off-putting.
Read
March 21, 2020A good continuation of the story that shows how Nagisa has grown
Although the romantic subplot gets tied up pretty quickly near the beginning of this book, the introduction of Rui adds a new level of drama and gives us insight into how Nagisa's opinions have changed and how she has grown as a person. Rui is a particularly unlikable character but she shares enough similarities with Nagisa to make her an interesting foil. She does rather dominate these chapters though so if she is too much for you then you may have a harder time enjoying this book.
My main complaint about Complex Age is still the fact that the art isn't especially distinctive and it's hard to tell some of the characters apart when they are out of costume. There's three characters who have almost the exact same hairstyle so whenever they're in a scene together it can be hard to keep track of who is who.
As always, this volume ends on an interesting cliffhanger! I can't wait to find out what happens next.
Although the romantic subplot gets tied up pretty quickly near the beginning of this book, the introduction of Rui adds a new level of drama and gives us insight into how Nagisa's opinions have changed and how she has grown as a person. Rui is a particularly unlikable character but she shares enough similarities with Nagisa to make her an interesting foil. She does rather dominate these chapters though so if she is too much for you then you may have a harder time enjoying this book.
My main complaint about Complex Age is still the fact that the art isn't especially distinctive and it's hard to tell some of the characters apart when they are out of costume. There's three characters who have almost the exact same hairstyle so whenever they're in a scene together it can be hard to keep track of who is who.
As always, this volume ends on an interesting cliffhanger! I can't wait to find out what happens next.
July 24, 2017
Oh my God! I've never felt so much rage and hate for a character in my life! I nearly threw the book across the Taco Bell dining room! That girl is... RGHR! She is ALL the bad words!
Now to suffer until the next volume. *tears*
This series has 6 volumes.
Now to suffer until the next volume. *tears*
This series has 6 volumes.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews