7. Gakuen Utopia Manabi Straight

I don’t remember much about high school. After all, it’s been over ten years since then. I do remember it being a pleasant time, however, and when I run into fellow geeks on the internet who describe their high school experience as if it were the tenth circle of hell, I often wonder if they’re exaggerating. Perhaps I got lucky. Or perhaps I just don’t care all that much anymore.

Every so often, however, I’ll get to feeling a little sentimental about it all. It’s not so much a longing for the halcyon days of my youth as it is a recognition of how the events of the time and the people I met shaped who I am today. And, in a nutshell, I think that’s what Manabi Straight is all about. It’s a reminder that every single thing you do in life, intelligent or idiotic, with or without success, worthwhile or not, still matters in some way. Be it organizing a school festival, creating a work of art, or making a connection with another person, it all matters. But it rarely seems obvious at the time.

So, when I saw Mikan walking toward toward her future in the final moments of the final episode of Manabi Straight, I thought to myself, “that’s every one of us.” It’s what every one of us strives for. Manabi Straight is just a road map for how to get there.

I’m not a religious person, but I think I understand now what Omo was going on about all the time. Perhaps the show really is a model for enlightened living.

It’s kind of subversive, ain’t it?