The Flowers of Evil, Vol. 2

惡の華 [Aku no Hana]

by Shuzo Oshimi

Bookworm Takao and class bully Sawa may not appear to be the best couple, but together, by chance, they shake up their entire rural community to its core.  In love with the class idol, Takao is given a chance to become a real hero and finally break out of his shell after righting a wrong he committed in a random moment of passion and affection. With the help, or blackmailing by, Sawa Nakamura, Takao is on his way to change his future and enter a world of decadence.

Contrary to Takao's predictions, the girl he was falling for, Nanako Saeki, responds by eventually accepting the bibliophile for who he is. Or at least, who she thinks he is. In the second volume of Flowers of Evil, Takao's lies have given him new life with his now new girlfriend Nanako. And as he becomes closer to Nanako, his relationship with Sawa only deepens as the "contract" they share weighs heavily on the teen.

Genres: Manga, Comics, Horror, Fiction, Romance, Graphic Novels, Drama

192 pages, Paperback

First published September 17, 2010

About the author

Shuzo Oshimi (押見修造, Oshimi Shūzō) is a Japanese manga creator.
Drawn in a realistic art style, his comics tend to be psychological dramas exploring the difficulties in human relationships and often touching on disturbing situations and perversions.
Oshimi debuted in 2001 with the manga series Avant-Garde Yumeko, appeared in Kodansha's 'Monthly Shōnen Magazine.' Most of his works since then have been published by Kodansha and Futabasha.
Among his first successes the single volume manga Sweet Poolside (2004), later adapted into a live-action film, and the series Drifting Net Café (2008–2011), also adapted for TV.
Oshimi reached international acclaims with The Flowers of Evil (2009–2014) and Inside Mari (2012–2016), both adapted into successful anime. Other notable works are Blood on the Tracks (2017–2023) and Welcome Back, Alice (2020-2023) .

Reviews

[James DeSantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one weird as fuck Manga but it's kind of addicting to read.

So this one is just as weird if not weirder. The main character is forced to keep dating the girl he is madly in love with while his torturer is making him still wear her gym clothes that she once wore. The stakes get higher and the crazy girl forces the main character to confess he's a big fucking pervert and needs to express himself. It's so weird and out of this world but highly entertaining and interesting.

Good: The art solid, it's funny, it's weird as shit, and addicting to see what will happen to all these characters.

Bad: They hit a lot of cliches on Japanese "scared to do anything" man-tropes and "weak" woman but it fits the story I guess.

Overall trashy but fun. I can't stop reading. Give me more.

[Keiko, the manga enthusiast ♒︎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

THIS IS MF INSANE. THIS IS TORTURE.

IS IT NORMAL THAT I WAS ACTUALLY WAITING FOR NAKAMURA GO EVOLVE AND LIKE GROW HORNS, WINGS, AND A DEVIL'S TAIL? I SWEAR THIS IS EVIL AND NASTY AND SOMETHING YOU'D DEF FROWN UPON BUT IT HAS ITS BOLD AND ARTISTIC STROKES... I was actually amazed.

[daph pink ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Among all the female leads I've ever seen, Nakamura must rank among the most alluring because, rather than being classy and endearing, she is BATSHIT INSANE! She is essentially the reason I found it impossible to put this comic down at all. When one of the main characters calls a teacher a "shit-eater" and scares him in the first chapters of a manga, you know it's going to be excellent.

Kasuga begins to wonder if he really is the deeply tortured artist that he deludes himself into believing he is, which is what makes this such a great read. Nakamura's humiliating demands and their impact on Kasuga's inner thoughts are what make this.

[edel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Am I the only one who's a little bit disturbed by the fact that I found this series in the YA section of my library? While I was grabbing this, a kid of maybe about 8 or 9 walked next to me and plucked a volume of a manga off the shelf. As a university student, I felt a bit uncomfortable. I feel like I should stop reading manga but this series is too crazy to put down.

But like. I'm not kidding when I say this is a bit crazy. I'm definitely going to have to look for more from Oshimi.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Damn, I cannot predict in the least where this series is going. It really stands on its own. It reminds me a little of the one about the socially awkward girl with the really long title, but she's in her own twisted world, as opposed to this mess of manipulation this poor boy has gotten himself into. As a reader, it's torture to see the boy end up with his true love but to have so many secrets and so much darkness he's hiding. Fascinating stuff.

[Elizabeth A · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume continues the story of bookworm Takao, class bully Sawa, and pretty girl Nanako, and picks up right where Volume One ended. It is painful to watch the story unfold, and I kept hoping some adult would step in. But as is usual in middle school, the Takao feels isolated and helpless. I'd be curious what middle school kids think about this Manga novel.

[Val Sarmiento · Rating 4 out of 5]

Este manga da miedo, aún así me encanta.
No sé muy bien cómo podría definir este manga, ya que presenta una historia tan retorcida, pero a la misma manera es esto lo que le vuelve tan curioso y entretenido. El autor trata de expresar que todos tenemos ciertas perversiones en nuestro fondo, y en este segundo tomo esto fue mucho más evidente. Resulta tentador y entretenido. ¡Necesito saber cómo continua en el tercer tomo!

[Luna Miguel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mucho mejor que la primera parte, me encanta el final. Ganas de más.

[Aimé · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hasta el momento me estaba pareciendo un manga bastante normalito. Es una historia muy retorcida con personajes aún más retorcidos, pero más allá del impacto hasta cierto punto cómico de algunas situaciones, no me estaba pareciendo nada demasiado especial pese a todas las cosas que había escuchado.

Entonces llega el capítulo 12 y... Joder. De alguna forma conectas. Sus personajes siguen siendo escoria, pero entonces llega Ese Momento y de alguna forma, te dices "Muy bien, con que esas tenemos".

[Connie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read a digital copy of this book.

Something about Shuzo Oshimi's work is addictive. It's easy to read despite the incredibly dark themes throughout it. In this volume, Takao gets to go on a date with Saeki, who seems to be developing a genuine interest in Takao. She goes to his favourite bookstore with him, and wants to hang out with him again. However, Takao is being plagued by Sawa who still holds his 'contract' with her over his head, threatening to tell Saeki that it was Takao who took her gym kit. This book is a wild ride. Takao really is delusional in his little perverted mind, and Sawa is clearly beyond a bully, her hold over Takao seems to be next level weird. The art in this series is outstanding, I really like the character designs and I lowkey also like that I can't predict where this book is going to go next.

[Leila ✨ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Amigo soy de boca no entiendo lo que estoy leyendo.

1 de 5 estrellas.

[Bea (beansbookshelves) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started reading these books after I watched the anime. The anime was good, a little different from the original series, but it made me interested since it was incomplete.

Aku no Hana is a story that goes around Kasuga Takao. He’s a boy who loves reading books, particularly Baudelaire’s Les Fleurs du Mal. A girl at his school, Saeki Nanako, is his muse and he admires her from distance. One day, he forgets his copy of Les Fleurs du Mal in the classroom and runs back alone to pick it up. In the classroom, he finds not only his book, but Saeki’s gym uniform. On a mad impulse, he steals it. Now everyone knows that “some pervert” stole Saeki’s uniform, and Kasuga is dying with shame and guilt. Furthermore, the weird, creepy, and friendless girl of the class, Nakamura Sawa, sees him taking the uniform. Instead of revealing it was him, she recognizes his kindred deviant spirit and uses her knowledge to take control of his life.

This is a very dark story, but still fascinating. It messes up your brain a little bit, but it’s really worth reading.

I enjoyed reading this story so much that I’ve started reading other works of the same author. I recommend it to everyone who likes thrillers, mystery and drama.

[Mark Robison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not quite as compelling as the first volume because the situation is not as surprising, where a boy is being blackmailed by a classmate into feeling like a pervert and a "shitbug," which was an insult a girl used on the author when he was young. In this book, she adds a new insult: human foreskin. He also takes the girl he has a crush on to a bookstore where he quotes her a line from the French poet Lautreamont about being as beautiful as the chance meeting on a dissecting table of a sewing machine and an umbrella. This is a weird kid. Maybe he is a pervert.

[Dani ❤️ Perspective of a Writer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is so weird and odd...yet if I think so why did I read a second volume?! I don't know. Whatever the author has happen isn't what you expect but it sort of works even if you do feel rather uncomfortable with it. I guess just the fact its different drew me in.

The cliffhanger is pretty incredible! I'm not sure if in a good way or a bad way... I do love how Kasuga unexpectedly gets around Nakamura's demands. Though she certainly rises to the occasion asking him to do freaky things. Sacki seems to be in the middle now too, I worry for her sake! I do like she stepped up and asked Kasuga to tell her the truth.

The art draws you in as if you are watching this crazy stuff unfold, if the drawing wasn't so superior I probably would not be as compelled to read the series.

BOTTOM LINE: Twisted, compelling, not for everyone.

*There is talk about sex and being perverts between two middle school aged kids. This is not appropriate for children the age of the characters.

[Miss Ryoko · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, the boring obnoxiousness continues with this volume. God, Kasuga is seriously the most annoying character. He can't even push the buzzer to his girlfriend's house without having a full blown panic attack. His anxiety is so ridiculously overdone. It grates on my nerves.

This manga has a bit of a Peach Girl problem happening in it - just like Momo who would believe everything Sae said even though Momo KNEW Saw always lied and made things up, Kasuga the Stupid apparently believes everything Nakamura says, even when he says to her "You're lying!!"

I want Kasuga to suffer horribly THAT'S how annoying I find him. Ugh

[Camilo Guerra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mira tu, este volumen me gusto muchísimo mas que el primero, que si bien fue bueno pues me dejo algo...mehh, acá Takao se apersona mas y deja de ser ese niño que hacia caras de miedo y ascos, aca saca algo que tiene adentro , ¿sera para bien o para mal?, pues no creo que termine muy bien, ya que al finalizar el tomo, vemos como es arrastrado por Nakamura, que si bien es el diablo, es el mejor personaje del manga, te saca sonrisas y te da miedo a cantidades iguales.

[Michael Sorbello · Rating 4 out of 5]

Going on a date with the girl of your dreams while wearing the gym uniform you stole from her while a psychotic bully that’s obsessed with perverts blackmails you? This manga is very uncomfortable to read and that’s what makes it so addicting. The reverse-blackmailing scenario between a socially awkward pervert and an abusive female pervert controlling his actions from the shadows is disturbing.

[Paco Correa · Rating 5 out of 5]

No se porque pero hay algo que me encanta de este manga, aparte de sus dibujos, sus personajes, no puedo explicarme porque estoy disfrutando tanto esta lectura

[Francesca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kasuga is for shinji kinnies who read too much Sade

[Irene ➰ · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.7/5

After finishing V3 of Welcome Back, Alice I was inspired enough to continue with this crazy journey I put aside.

I'm honestly still very uncertain about this one.
The structure is pretty much alike, with the only difference that in here things are way more out of control. I dont't get Nakamura's character. What's her purpose in giving Kasuga a super hard time and treating him the way she does and so on...

Kasuga has constantly ups and downs in this volume, I definitely didn't get what happened in the last chapter, what got into him all of a sudden and especially WHY he somehow searches for Nakamura's approval...
With this volume we start to have Saeki thrown into this whole mess as well but it will need more volumes to see how far they will include her in all this.

My curiosity has been for sure raised a little with this last volume, so I'll continue for now to see how the story will evolve.

[Phoebe · Rating 2 out of 5]

All this book discusses is perversion… Pervert this, pervert that. I haven’t read The Flowers of Evil by Baudelaire, so I’m not exactly sure if this is meant to emulate it somehow. Anyway, I feel like this book regurgitated the same point over and over again.

I don’t really understand Nakamura as a character, like at all. She seems obsessed with sex and perverts, but only to shame them and coerce them into doing even more obscene things. Some kind of sadism/degradation going on (mind you, there is no need to be THIS freaky in middle school).

I’m really surprised Kasuga managed to go out with Saeki despite his lack of social skills. Good for him.

I don’t really get this series. Still can’t believe it has 11 volumes. Leave a comment if you want me to subject myself to more of…whatever this is.

2/5 ☆stars

[Kesa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trashy and weird ... liked this volume more than the first one. Kind of addicting.
The classroom scene at the end was the best. Reminds me of my time in secondary school.

[alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

mais qui est le gooner qui a mis ces enfants de 13ans dans cette situation🤯🤯🤯

[cynne★ · Rating 3 out of 5]

now im even more confused😭

[Camilaa · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[Kimi Meredith · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one isn’t for me 😂😅

[Maurine · Rating 4 out of 5]

C'est tellement dérangeant... Mais fascinant 😖
J'aurais presque des envies de meurtre 😅

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the traumatic experience of volume one, things are looking up for Kasuga. Despite the presence of the sadistic Nakamura, his date with Saeki goes relatively well. He manages to stand up for himself, and even enters into a steady relationship. This bliss is doomed from the start though, and as the pressure builds, he finally snaps. Whereas the previous volume threw a lot of concepts at us, this one has greater focus in studying the characters. The author begins to peel away Saeki's mask to show that there is more to this "perfect" student than first appears. While her personality is slowly introduced, Kasuga's mask is removed forcefully and painfully, revealing the base human nature beneath that Nakamura so desires to see. It becomes clear that what she hates is the falseness of this mask; the social veil which we all wear to make ourselves acceptable within a group. During her "evil" moments, her face lights up in glee, on the other hand, Kasuga continues to present mostly timid, nervous, or embarrassed looks. The story continues in its uncomfortable vein, however with a greater focus on the inner workings of the characters it becomes somewhat easier to bare.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much better than volume one.

In this one we see a bit more into Kasuga's personality and we find that he's not quite as 'stuck-up' as we first thought. Although he does look down on those that don't read complex books like him, we find that he does have a heart.

Saeki becomes more of a main character, and awww, isn't she sweet. What a lovely girl. I really hope nothing bad happens to her. The scenes between her and Kasuga are very touching. I'm sure we've all experienced an awkward scene with someone we liked before. Despite it's 'perverted' undertones the story seems quite realistic.

And wow, Nakamura. What a character. Very interesting and a bit on the disturbed sign.

I really liked the ending of this one.

[Mya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Woah I flew threw this one! Right now I really cannot understand Nakamura....like what exactly is her point of tormenting Kasuga? What happened to her in the past to make her so evil? Hopefully we find out soon because I need some some sort of information lol. To be honest it upsets me sometimes when I think about how Kasuga constantly allows Nakamura to torment him, I know that she has something over his head, and is blackmailing him, but he lets her walk over him. Maybe as the series develops, Kasuga will become more strong-willed, I really hope so. But overall great sequel, I'm currently binging the entire series!