History Manga / KotouraSan

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kotoura_san.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:The ESP Society. From left: Hiyori Moritani, Yoshihisa Manabe, Haruka Kotoura, Yuriko Mifune, and Daichi Muroto.]]

* AbominationAccusationAttack: [[DeconstructedTrope Deconstructed]]. This is how the CrapsaccharineWorld's [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tatemae Tatemae]] ideal is maintained, even if the [[PsychicPowers esper]] is perfectly innocent.

* BecomingTheMask: Played UpToEleven and [[DeconstructedTrope Deconstructed]]. Japan has an idea called [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tatemae Tatemae]] which basically amounts to hiding your true self away from others as a means to be accepted into society. The DownerBeginning's tension stems from a [[CuriosityIsACrapshoot naive]], CheerfulChild named Haruka Kotoura who has {{Telepathy}} and has no idea since PsychicPowers [[Mohs/SpeculativeScience are not recognized by this setting's science]] (ergo no formal and proper diagnosis for it). [[HonestAdvisor She]] [[MindOverManners openly states people's true feelings]] [[InnocentlyInsensitive even though she doesn't know any better]], especially since speech and thought sound exactly the same to her due to PowerIncontinence. Because [[CassandraTruth nobody wants to admit that she's right]] and risk being rejected, [[AbominationAccusationAttack everybody blames her for their problems]]. Cue BreakTheCutie via TraumaCongaLine.

** To a lesser extent, [[spoiler: Tsukino]] is the BigBad of the "mysterious attacker" storyline.

** ...the second which is that the story directly challenges [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tatemae the idea of lying to hide one's true self]]. Is it worth the risk of BecomingTheMask just so you can belong in society? Is it really okay to hurt and [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer shun]] the HonestAdvisor [[InnocentlyInsensitive who may not know better if at all]]? Take a look at a few of the related tropes to these questions like AbominationAccusationAttack, YesMan, and especially CrapsaccharineWorld.

* FantasticRacism: To the CrapsaccharineWorld around them, [[PsychicPowers Espers]] are either [[TheCassandra fakes]], [[YouMonster monsters]], or both even though they blatantly prove their powers to be real. Any YesMan would do this to maintain the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tatemae Tatemae]] ideal since espers are [[MindOverManners a threat towards his/her chances of being accepted into society]], [[NoSympathy even if said epser]] [[InnocentlyInsensitive doesn't know better]] (such as [[{{Telepathy}} Haruka]]). So, they [[InvokedTrope intentionally]] [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer outcast]] espers to keep other people from knowing [[BrutalHonesty the cold hard truth about themselves]] and risk being rejected.

** Bad Victims: {{Yes M|an}}en who [[BecomingTheMask uphold]] [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tatemae their facades]] to deny the truth they already know or their feelings which need to be admitted. [[TheBully Hiyori]] and her GirlPosse are such examples in the PresentDay [[spoiler: at first]]. Kumiko is another one for her use of IHaveNoDaughter when Haruka revealed her [[YourCheatingHeart parents' adultry]]. [[spoiler: Like Hiyori, Kumiko also develops away from this during the GrandFinale. It's even implied that [[HeelRealization she finally realized]] that Haruka is {{Telepath|y}}ic during that time.]]

* TheyreCalledPersonalIssuesForAReason: The whole reason why [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tatemae Tatemae]] exists in the setting. {{Deconstructed| Trope}} during the DownerBeginning due to Haruka's presence as an InnocentlyInsensitive LivingLieDetector and a {{Curio|sity Is A Crapshoot}}us HonestAdvisor which causes everyone to [[BecomingTheMask play on their facades]].

** Invoked by Haruka in Ep. 11 [[spoiler: ducking from a baton strike by Detective Tsukino that's probably meant to kill her]]:

* YesMan: They are everywhere since [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tatemae Tatemae]] is a dominant concept in the setting. These are the people that [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer chase away]] psychics like [[{{Telepathy}} Haruka]], [[spoiler: [[SuperSenses Yuriko's mother]]]] (who was DrivenToSuicide), and [[spoiler: Yuriko herself]] [[InTheBlood by extention]] even though the last one doesn't have any PsychicPowers. It's the fact that Yoshihisa and Dai'ichi [[AvertedTrope aren't this]] which gives the former two some solace in an otherwise CrapsaccharineWorld for them.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Kotoura_2182.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:The ESP Society. From left: Hiyori Moritani, Yoshihisa Manabe, Haruka Kotoura, Yuriko Mifune and Daichi Muroto [[TheRuntAtTheEnd (bottom-right corner)]].]]

* TheAbridgedSeries: Courtesy of [[https://www.youtube.com/user/IishTehScourgemaster Scourgemaster]], involving an ''even more'' {{emo|Teen}} and broken Haruka. [[WebVideo/KotouraSanAbridged Now has its own page]].

* MundaneMadeAwesome: Episode 7 has a truly SugarWiki/{{heartwarming|Moments}} example, both InUniverse and likely out: [[spoiler:Haruka's SurpriseParty]]. {{Justified|Trope}} for two reasons: [[spoiler:One, it '''''was not''''' easy to keep this a secret from a {{telepath|y}}, and the gravitas of the success made everything WorthIt from Yoshihisa's perspective; and two, this is likely Haruka's first birthday ''in years'' that was actually worth celebrating. It's understandable that she would take the time to enjoy the surrealism of the moment]].

* {{Bookends}}: The anime both opens and ends with Haruka going to school. The opening was DeliberatelyMonochrome, people are avoiding her, and she has DullEyesOfUnhappiness. The ending was colourful (if not overexposed), and with her friends saying hi to her. No guess about what the symbolism is.

The story follows Haruka Kotoura, a fifteen-year old {{telepath|y}} who [[PowerIncontinence can't turn her ability off]]. As a child, she naively blurts out sensitive information and personal thought. This causes her to be unjustly labelled a compulsive liar; her friends and classmates reject and bully her, and her parents divorce because they cannot understand her special ability or how to deal with its repercussions. After years of persecution and ostracizing, she transfers to a new high school, where she meets Yoshihisa Manabe, a good-hearted boy who is transparent, honest, and not scared of her ability.

Viewers in USA, Canada, South America, United Kingdom, Ireland, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Spain, Portugal, Denmark, Finland, Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden [[http://www.crunchyroll.com/kotourasan can watch it legally on Crunchyroll]], or Netflix in some locations.

Currently getting a sub-only DVD release by [[Creator/NipponIchi NIS America]] under the title of ''The Troubled Life of Miss Kotoura'' (available August 2015).

%% * HealTheCutie: This trope essentially describes Haruka Katoura's character arc: the show starts with all events lining up to BreakTheCutie seemingly as much as possible, and the majority of the plotline is a depiction of her slow, steady return to being a CheerfulChild.

* MistakenForGay: Yoshihisa sees this between Haruka and Yuriko in episode 2, nd again in episode 12.

* MeanwhileScene: In episode 7, Haruka haven't been able to contact Yoshihisa and asked Yuriko and Dai'chi for assistance. Yuriko thought he maybe doing ThisAndThat with Hiyori, but Dai'chi disagreed, saying she's still [[BookDumb still struggling]] her summer assignments. The scene then cut to the Moritani dojo and we see Hiyori desk was moved to the middle of the hall, being surrounded by trainers.

* MundaneMadeAwesome: Episode 7 has a truly [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments heartwarming example]], both InUniverse and likely out: [[spoiler: Haruka's SurpriseParty]]. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] for two reasons: [[spoiler: One, it '''''was not''''' easy to keep this a secret from a [[{{Telepathy}} telepath]], and the gravitas of the success made everything WorthIt from Yoshihisa's perspective; and two, this is likely Haruka's first birthday ''in years'' that was actually worth celebrating. It's understandable that she would take the time to enjoy the surrealism of the moment]].

* VomitDiscretionShot: When Haruka had a HeroicBSOD after [[spoiler: knowing what [[PokeInTheThirdEye Hiyori thinks]]]] in Episode 2, she covers her mouth as [[FadeToBlack the screen turns dark]] to hide the horror that prompts a student to exclaim with understandably surprising disgust since the {{Trigger}} wasn't apparent to anybody else. See the [[http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/eym5gcx_8134.jpg trope's image]] for [[QuiveringEyes the]] [[DullEyesOfUnhappiness more]] [[WideEyesAndShrunkenIrises queasy]] [[TearsOfFear details]].

* OrbitalShot: This is used during the DownerBeginning when Haruka's elementary classmates chant "[[YouMonster Monster! Monster! Monster!]]" towards her after they figured out she has {{Telepathy}}. It is done ''very effectively'' since that moment forever and clearly establishes her {{Trigger}} as well as gives the viewers the sense of loneliness and betrayal even though she was being InnocentlyInsensitive.

* CrapsaccharineWorld: ''[[ExaggeratedTrope Good grief]]''. The people are [[AddedAlliterativeAppeal literally living in lies]] and [[IgnoranceIsBliss ignorant bliss]]. Practically everyone has NoSympathy, and Haruka is among the rare few who realizes what's wrong with this society thanks to her {{Telepathy}} and [[InnocentlyInsensitive innocently exposing everyone's true feelings]] [[CassandraTruth to their denial, disbelief]], and [[MindOverManners chargin]] even though [[PowerIncontinence she can't help it]]. [[FromBadToWorse Worse]], her once "ChildhoodFriends" [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer then outcasted]] "[[YouMonster the monster]]" (Haruka) so disgracefully, [[{{Trigger}} the insult haunts her for much of her life afterwards]].

''Kotoura-san'' is a web-published {{yonkoma}} manga by Enokids which has been adapted into an anime by {{AIC}} in the [[Winter2013Anime winter 2013 season]]. Enokids ended the series in 2015 in favour of the new series ''Magical Girl Paracel''.

The story follows Haruka Kotoura, a fifteen-year old {{telepath|y}} who [[PowerIncontinence can't turn her ability off]]. As a child, she naively blurts out sensitive information and personal thought. This causes her to be unjustly labelled a compulsive liar; her friends and classmates reject and bully her; and her parents divorce because they cannot understand her special ability or how to deal with its repercussions. After years of persecution and ostracizing, she transfers to a new high school, where she meets Yoshihisa Manabe, a good-hearted boy who is transparent and honest and not scared of her ability.

** And in episode 12 [[spoiler: Haruka's mother, Kumiko, is also easily forgiven by the former. Sure, she read her mind and saw that she cried right after she told her "I should have never given birth to you!", but that doesn't change the fact that she abbandoned her, and wanted to have nothing to do with her for 10 years.]]

--->'''Kotuora:''' ''(internal monologue)'' Until recently, I thought the world would be better off if I'd never been born. Sometimes, I even felt like I should die. *Images of her [[TrueCompanions friends]] flash in her head* But, I don't want to die! I want to live! Manabe-kun!

--->Kotuora: (internal monologue): "Until recently, I thought the world would be better off if I'd never been born. Sometimes, I even felt like I should die. *Images of her [[TrueCompanions friends]] flash in her head* But, I don't want to die! I want to live! Manabe-kun!"

Currently getting a sub-only DVD release by [[Creator/NipponIchi NIS America]] under the title of ''The Troubled Life of Miss Kotoura'' (available August 2015),

* ShoutOut: A possible one to ''VideoGame/DarkSouls''. The entrance to the ESP Club bears a striking resemblance to the room where the first [[ThatOneBoss Capra Demon]] is encountered.

* ShoutOut: A possible one to ''VideoGame/DarkSouls''. [[ThatOneBoss (! Trigger Warning !)]] The entrance to the ESP Club bears a striking resemblance to the room where the first Capra Demon is encountered.

* EatingLunchAlone: How could this ''not'' happen back then to Haruka?

* BookEnds: The anime both opens and ends with Haruka going to school. The opening was DeliberatelyMonochrome, people are avoiding her, and she has DullEyesOfUnhappiness. The ending was colourful (if not overexposed), and with her friends saying hi to her. No guess about what the symbolism is.