Blood on the Tracks 16

血の轍 [Chi no Wadachi] #16

by Shuzo Oshimi

From the creator who brought you notable works such as The Flowers of Evil, Happiness, and Inside Mari, comes his latest suspense drama centering on the theme of a toxic parent.Dive into this latest thriller by master storyteller, Shuzo Oshimi."..if you enjoyed Oshimi's previous work with "Flowers of Evil", and you enjoy dark storylines with twisted characters, you'll no doubt enjoy "Blood on the Tracks"! Recommended!" - Neo Tokyo 2099The tale of Seiko’s past draws to a close, and Seiichi is left with one central, burning “Why did you ‘kill’ me?”Once that question has been answered, can some kind of relationship between mother and child be resurrected?The long night is over—now what will the dawn bring?

Genres: Manga, Horror, Comics, Graphic Novels, Seinen, Thriller, Fiction

Kindle Edition

First published May 30, 2023

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

[Gabby · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is just so sad and disturbing 😭 It was equally as heartbreaking as it was creepy. I can’t wait to see how it all ends.

[Katie Colson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading Vlog

what do you m e a n there's only ONE MORE VOLUME?!?!?!

I am unwell. The mangaka is undoubtedly unwell. Certifiably unwell. You know it's bad when the author's note's are the scariest thing in each volume.

[Michael Sorbello · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn’t prepared for just how bleak, tragic and heartbreaking this series turned out to be. I love just about every manga Shuzo Oshime has ever written and he really went above and beyond with this one.

It’s a chilling psychological drama between a clingy polite boy named Seiichi and his overbearingly protective mother that spoils him beyond what many would consider to be normal. While this scenario seems fairly innocent at first, it quickly becomes apparent that something much more sinister is going on. The subtle but uncomfortable storytelling hides a looming sense of dread involving toxic family dynamics, untreated mental illness, personality disorders, sociopathic cruelty and dehumanizing manipulation.

The character development of Seiichi and his mother is some of the most soul-crushingly sad and dark stuff I’ve ever seen, but it’s written in a way that’s so horrifyingly realistic and believable that you can easily get absorbed into the downward spiral of their lives. It shows you how people can break over a very long course of loosely connected traumatic events in their lives, how the kindest souls can be led astray into a life of crime or lose all sense of compassion for others along with their grasp on reality.

A brilliant character study and a haunting psychological masterpiece that isn’t afraid to push its characters far beyond their breaking points to show you the daily lives of the most broken people in the world in explicit detail. There are small glimmers of hope for these people, but they are few and far between.

My rating: 5/5

[Bookishrealm · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m not going to lie. I’m not really sure what to make of this volume.

The artwork is still amazing as always but this second half of the storytelling has definitely suffered. There’s much to be said about the storytelling and Seiichi’s character development. Both suffer from a falter in the pacing and I’m not sure that Oshimi really recovered. The miraculous turn around and new found purpose of life that is exhibited through Seiichi feels out of place and off considering the amount of abuse he experiences at the hands of his mother. There’s no mention of professional help so I’m not even sure how he got to this point. I’ll be finishing out the series when the next volume drops next month but this has been a lowkey disappointing series.

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

It was an empty volume. Full of empty stares and empty feelings, I guess. The irony, right? This is so disconcerting in that slow SLOW slow slow-pace manner. The undertone of "I'll watch you" in not a caring manner makes me feel anxious and agitated. The weird psycho feel of this book is kicking off again, with the choking atmosphere of Sei's vibe as if slowly becoming undone... just right after his life is consumed by his mother's appearance once again.

Adored this volume cover. It was the neatest in the series! My most favorite one. Sei here is so stunning and refreshing.

[Rod Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh. Yay. More dreams and hallucinations . . .

I'm so glad the next volume is the last.

[Llorona De Luna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series will haunt me for the rest of my life. 10/10 perfection.

[Ostrava · Rating 5 out of 5]

Y'all keep hating, but this shit is goated.

[Borja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Por favor que esto termine ya que no puedo con más dramas. Help.

[Zibbi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was not ready for the intensity of this volume, and it’s actually unsettling to think about where this manga might be headed. Someone actually put it perfectly: the character arcs of Seiichi and his mother are some of the most soul-crushing, hauntingly dark transformations I’ve come across. It’s written with such horrifying realism that you’re pulled right into their downward spiral, watching as each subtle event chips away at their lives. This volume does an incredible job showing how people can break down over time—how a series of loosely connected traumas can pull even the gentlest souls into darkness, stripping them of compassion and a firm hold on reality. It’s powerful, but terrifyingly so.

[444M · Rating 5 out of 5]

oh le camion qui m'est entré dans l'œil là

[Urbon Adamsson · Rating 4 out of 5]

At this point, I can't really say anything without giving away spoilers.

I'm not particularly a fan of the ending Oshimi is creating. His mother completely wrecked his life, and now he is helping her?! That is an incredible level of altruism. I couldn't do it.

In a way, it makes sense because his mother was a dark shadow over him. He never really recovered from all the things she did to him, so now that he sees her in this feeble state, it feels like he's slowly regaining control, realising she isn't the entity he made her out to be in his mind.

Still, she doesn't deserve his empathy.

[Bryan Burton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is now a manga about elder care. Somehow.

[Anni. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grandiose Manga-Reihe, auch wenn ich jetzt sicherlich Jahre brauche um das alles zu verarbeiten und mich davon zu erholen.

[Zai Zai · Rating 2 out of 5]

So glad this is almost overrr

[Anabel Samani · Rating 3 out of 5]

La historia ha perdido cualquier rastro de terror y suspense y ha girado más hacia el drama.

Tomo que explora el perdón y la superación de los hechos del pasado.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

The visual choices to show his mental state continue to be impeccable and vivid.

[Lau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buen cameo de elisasue monster

[Valerie Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

"then summer came again"

this has taken such a 180 from the beginning and I'm very intrigued how this could end

[Myridia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewing the overall series here since the installments were so short, I don't feel like going back to write a review for each one. (Spoilers to follow)

This manga started out just as chilling and horrifying as I expected, with creepily beautiful artwork to match. The first half definitely kept me guessing, with a morbid fascination, at how exactly Seiko became the way she was. It was crazy how she could switch from demure to demonic at the drop of a hat. And I was so scared for Seiichi at times I wanted to reach through the screen and save the poor boy from her clutches. The culmination of all the twisted drama was shockingly well done... and then the story just seemed to thin out from there.

For one, the fifteen (?) year timeskip felt too long for me. I wanted to know how Seiichi made it through juvie, how he coped when he was first released, and maybe see him track down his mother and confront her. Because it's hard for me to believe he didn't even try for over ten years. If he did and I forgot it was mentioned, it still has less of an impact when told from a retrospective point of view. And when he finally found her, she was deteriorating with old age and could only provide an underwhelming explanation of her past. It all felt as though Oshimi wanted us to feel sorry for her, but I couldn't. All the abuse and violence were too recent for me to simply follow the artificial timeskip, and I also don't have it in me to forgive and forget a character as evil as Seiko. So that's where my reading ends with this manga, at least for now.

Sure, I'm still mildly interested to find out how it all ends, but how else could it end - Seiko will inevitably die, Seiichi will either remain alone or get back together with Fukiishi by some miracle. But there's no catalyst left to the story with Seiko, the main antagonist, basically gone. It's a shame, because the first chunk of the manga was so tense and terrifying, but all things have to end sometime, I guess.

[Sassy Sarah Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars(reread)

I still stand by this being the weakest volume in all of Blood on the Tracks. Solely because it's so mundane. The concept is important in showing us that Seiichi wants to keep on living and no longer desires suicide, but it is very mundane and that doesn't do it favors.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
4 stars

This is my lowest-rated volume of the series, but I believe I can't fully have a solid rating for this until the last and final volume comes out. This is a volume with some immense healing for Seiichi. It also feels like the hatred, anger, resentment, and fear that has been placed on him by his mother, Seiko, is transitioning into something else. Seiko is sick and her age has destroyed her, but the opening chapter of this volume imagines her as the same age Seiichi was when the first moment of abuse in his early childhood occurred. Absolutely devastating, and haunting, and I am so ready to read the final volume in what has easily become my favorite psychological manga series.

[James DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Our boy is breaking. His reality isn't sure. At the same time though he finally seems to have found purpose in his life? Maybe because he sees he refuses to be in the shadow of such a demented person's life. I'm excited to see the ending.

[لِيو.]

قاعدين تقولولي ان انتهى؟!!!! بعد كفاح ٣ سنين معاه و الصملة،،
ا ن ت هـ ى؟؟
sooo I guess he found his peaceful life and peace for mind.....

happy ever after.................

[Kesa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark and empty.
Been missing the series, wasn't ready to read the last two volumes. I'll miss reading new volumes.

[ste · Rating 5 out of 5]

La storia di un ragazzo legato alla madre da una relazione MOLTO tossica. Un horror psicologico capace di colpire senza il bisogno di jumpscare o di scene violente. Tiene l'attenzione alta capitolo dopo capitolo, dall'inizio alla fine. Forse unica nota dolente gli ultimi capitoli dove l'autore fa un salto temporale troppo ampio, ma rimane per me un capolavoro. Ho adorato i cambi di colore nei momenti cruciali della storia, con un fortissimo uso del nero che non ho mai visto in altre serie manga. Bella la caratterizzazione di Yuko che, pur essendo un personaggio secondario, mi ha colpito perché è temeraria e trasmette il suo coraggio al protagonista.
Le espressioni dei personaggi...PERFETTE
ok, sono molto inquietanti, ma riescono a trasmettere sempre l'emozione che il personaggio prova e viene trasmessa direttamente al lettore. Consigliato al 100%

[Nim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somehow this reminded me of the time when I first read Vinland Saga and Thorfinn's story went from vengeance to atonement. This doesn't feel like psychologocal horror at all anymore, but I'm still interested to see where we will end up.

I feel like I breezed through this in minutes. There's not a lot of text, and everything felt like build-up so I ended up turning pages pretty fast to see what happens next.

[Klinton Saha · Rating 5 out of 5]

এমনটা হওয়ারই ছিল!! হওয়া উচিত!!

যে সেইচি ছোটবেলায় মায়ের অতিরিক্ত নিয়ন্ত্রণে নিয়ন্ত্রণহীন হয়ে নিজের সত্ত্বা হারিয়ে ফেলেছিল , যে সেইচি সবচেয়ে বেশি ঘৃণা তার মাকে,আজ সেইচির কি হলো!! সেইচির ভিতরে থাকা কাজিনের সত্ত্বা বিদায় নিয়েছে,সেইচি সুস্থ। অসুস্থ মাকে দেখাশোনা করতে গিয়ে মায়ের সুপুত্র হয়ে উঠেছে। মায়ের জন্য তার অনেক দায়িত্ব।

[Synoeca · Rating 5 out of 5]

if it’s 5 stars it’s either giving depression or just overall horribly dark;;,,,, or both

[David García · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tomo final de un manga que me ha gustado, distinto, lectura rápida, un dibujo precioso, muy refinado sobre todo cuando dibuja a la protagonista.

[Berd ♡ · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 ☆

Ch137-145 | I mean.. I guess..