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Once Upon A Glashma
The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communication has established a Magic Section in the Statistics Bureau in order to monitor and assess the growing wizard population. Unfortunately, the two investigators assigned to monitor them are as hapless as their subjects. The first half of this one-shot was serialized in Newtype from November 2006 to May 2007.
160 pages, Paperback
First published December 22, 2006
About the author
Kumiko Suekane
40 books43 followersSUEKANE Kumiko: スエカネクミコ
Kumiko Suekane worked at a video game company before becoming a successful mangaka. Besides Afterschool Charisma, her other work includes Blood+ A, Once Upon a Glashma (Hajimari no Gurashuma), and Seijou Koucha–kan no Jijō (The Seijou Teahouse Affair).
Doujinshi circle: Little Garden
Writes doujinshi under: Macho
Other pseudonyms: Cinnamon
Published boys' love under the alias: Ryo Mutobe (むとべりょう)
Kumiko Suekane worked at a video game company before becoming a successful mangaka. Besides Afterschool Charisma, her other work includes Blood+ A, Once Upon a Glashma (Hajimari no Gurashuma), and Seijou Koucha–kan no Jijō (The Seijou Teahouse Affair).
Doujinshi circle: Little Garden
Writes doujinshi under: Macho
Other pseudonyms: Cinnamon
Published boys' love under the alias: Ryo Mutobe (むとべりょう)
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
July 16, 2025
I don't know what I expected, but 191 pages* of cringe wasn't it.
The title is explained at the end as whoever named the story didn't even work on it but was assigned by an editor to come up with the name for it. Because...? ? ? :( Anyway, Glashma is a weird portmanteau of Cinderella imagery: Glass + shoe + magic = Glashma.
Okay, sure, it's not like stuff like Bleach makes any more sense.
The problem is, it's a weird pseudo-apocalyptic setting where all the women have disappeared—ALL women of ALL ages—and only men are left, and most of them have become "wizards" (magic-users) with various specific powers. It sounds vaguely interesting when phrased as "wizards," but it's much more X-Men or My Hero Academia, where each "wizard" has an ability unique to themselves that becomes manifest in the absence of any female presence, each ranked according to how well they can control their abilities.
Yeah, not wizards. No learning spells or any of that, just stuff like involuntarily turning invisible or exploding.
It's not even that interesting to read after learning that distinction, since it starts off as a "comedy" routine where the main characters—Nippori and his senpai Gotanda—investigate a dragon tamer, and it turns violent but de-escalates so quickly it doesn't feel like there was really any story to it. The next stories are similarly short and weird, and the fifth chapter starts the REALLY weird one, where ...
So yeah, cringe.
About midway through is when it gets more "serious" and starts wrapping up the story, though it's honestly not that satisfying finding out the reason is just and wanted to get rid of the "competition." Even the resolution is sort of weird in its open-ended way, and I just don't really like it.
I don't *hate* it, but it's very, "What is this, even."
*The listing says 160, but the book itself has page numbers through 190 and a few extras afterward (191 ends the actual story). Not that the extra pages aren't ALSO kind of cringe, but I don't want to count them.
The title is explained at the end as whoever named the story didn't even work on it but was assigned by an editor to come up with the name for it. Because...? ? ? :( Anyway, Glashma is a weird portmanteau of Cinderella imagery: Glass + shoe + magic = Glashma.
Okay, sure, it's not like stuff like Bleach makes any more sense.
The problem is, it's a weird pseudo-apocalyptic setting where all the women have disappeared—ALL women of ALL ages—and only men are left, and most of them have become "wizards" (magic-users) with various specific powers. It sounds vaguely interesting when phrased as "wizards," but it's much more X-Men or My Hero Academia, where each "wizard" has an ability unique to themselves that becomes manifest in the absence of any female presence, each ranked according to how well they can control their abilities.
Yeah, not wizards. No learning spells or any of that, just stuff like involuntarily turning invisible or exploding.
It's not even that interesting to read after learning that distinction, since it starts off as a "comedy" routine where the main characters—Nippori and his senpai Gotanda—investigate a dragon tamer, and it turns violent but de-escalates so quickly it doesn't feel like there was really any story to it. The next stories are similarly short and weird, and the fifth chapter starts the REALLY weird one, where ...
So yeah, cringe.
About midway through is when it gets more "serious" and starts wrapping up the story, though it's honestly not that satisfying finding out the reason is just and wanted to get rid of the "competition." Even the resolution is sort of weird in its open-ended way, and I just don't really like it.
I don't *hate* it, but it's very, "What is this, even."
*The listing says 160, but the book itself has page numbers through 190 and a few extras afterward (191 ends the actual story). Not that the extra pages aren't ALSO kind of cringe, but I don't want to count them.
September 15, 2018
I've wanted to read this manga for years, ever since I saw a spread for in in Newtype. This is a standalone novel, and the plot is, unfortunately, not paced well. The middle chapters have no real relevance to the plot, and stand as one shot stories more than anything else. I would still recommend this to most people, as the art is delightful and the characters are entertaining.
January 14, 2023
I really loved this Manga and my collection got burned by an accident.. if anyone can give me this book I'll be happy just send a message on Facebook
August 6, 2016
Thankfully, this was a quick read considering it's only a book long.
The first half of the book was a wonderful read, full of fun adventures and mishaps. Sadly, I can not say the same for the second half as we learn about the disappearance of the women. The reasoning was pathetic and the ending was cliched. The writing could have used more thought and creativity that was present in the first few chapters, where the book's charm truly lays.
Artwork was lovely though.
The first half of the book was a wonderful read, full of fun adventures and mishaps. Sadly, I can not say the same for the second half as we learn about the disappearance of the women. The reasoning was pathetic and the ending was cliched. The writing could have used more thought and creativity that was present in the first few chapters, where the book's charm truly lays.
Artwork was lovely though.
February 11, 2016
So I basically would have never read this if it weren't for the fact a friend of mine handed over a pile of her manga. The very premise of all women disappearing from the world is something I'm not rly here for. And then (SPOILERS??!!) the sudden incest gave me a whiplash.
But the art was nice?
But the art was nice?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 20, 2008
Well, that's a big shiny pile of misogyny I could've lived without.
April 19, 2011
Mostly what attracted me is Suekane's lovely art style. The story itself was pretty meh and had an all too quick ending.
December 26, 2016
Another rating: 7/10 (for whole series)
January 24, 2014
Well. That was... special.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews