ぼくは麻理のなか 4

ぼくは麻理のなか [Boku wa Mari no Naka] #4

by Shuzo Oshimi

この姿を手に入れたのに、≪ぼく≫はまたひとりぼっちになりました――。見かけは麻理でも、中身は≪ぼく≫なので、周りとの会話は「間違い」ばかり。そしてついに本物の麻理が所属していた女子グループから呼び出しを受ける――。『惡の華』『漂流ネットカフェ』で話題の押見修造最新作。

Genres: Manga, Comics, Seinen, Graphic Novels, Drama, Fiction, Mystery

192 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 28, 2014

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 4 out of 5]

This volume is really pushing that M Rated.

So our main hero is trying to be happy in the body of Mari. He's not sure how to feel but he knows, besides just trying to search for her he wants to enjoy having friends for once and playing games. So he even spends time with himself, who doesn't recall what happened, and plays games to cheer him up. Probably knowing that he himself would enjoy it.

We then have a big masturbation scene. And some people will be turned off by this because in a way he is violating Mari's body by using it and pleasuring himself/herself. And in a sense that is true. but his connection to her feels closer than ever in this scene, resulting in actually getting a call from Mari after he climaxes. This brings up new ideas and changes the game, and by the end I'm intrigued where we will go.

This is a heavy one, but also a very sexual one. If that's not your cup of tea might want to skip this. But I'm enjoying what it is going for. A 4 out of 5.

[Bryn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am interested in the story, very much, but I could do without the long sexually explicit chapter.

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

Freaky and note the graphic content is strong in this volume! So, Komori got a strange phone from someone claiming she's Mari, when he was in the middle of doing something on Mari's body. Finally, where could the real Mari be? and what exactly happened to her? I'm itching for these questions to be answered!

I felt emotional with real Komori though and that moment overpowering inside me, so however graphic, I'm keeping my 4 stars. I mean, he cried! He appreciated that moment however small and casual it was. I couldn't help my tears when I saw him crying!! Anyway, I felt satisfied when Komori stood up for Komori and finally trash-talked her fake friends.

[Urbon Adamsson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mari (as Isao) has finally reached her breaking point and it's telling everyone to f**k off.

[Xirimoya]

oshimi tienes que tomar estrogeno

[kerri leo]

I can confirm I am thoroughly disturbed 😖

I’m really interested in the mystery of Mari but I wish this volume didn’t get so sexual.

(I’m still thinking of my rating for this series)

[Shizeh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rien à dire j'ai hâte de lire la suite

[Sai Fighter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review for the whole series:



I read this series because of a video essay by ceicocat called "The Incel to Trans Pipeline and Inside Mari" which I highly recommend.

I read "Welcome Back, Alice" first, which I am glad I did because it really helped me understand the author's ideas about gender before diving into "Inside Mari." Inside Mari definitely feels like a gender exploration manga, but it isn't as straight forward about it as Oshimi's other manga.

This isn't your typical situational comedy gender swap manga (Ex. Ranma 1/2). This really feels like a more nuanced exploration of what it would really means to swap bodies with a teenage girl and all the stuff that would naturally come with it: complex female relationship dynamics, unwanted advances of men, social pressures of filling the role of a woman, school pressures, menstruation, etc. Not to mention at one point, it starts to feel somewhat like a trans narrative. The main character Isao Komori is struggling to decide if he wants to save Mari, be Mari, or just wants her sexually. It really reminds me of another manga, Until I Become Me by Satou Hatsuki which is another gender swap manga that slowly starts to take on a more trans story line. But Inside Mari feels a lot more abstract. The ending is honestly, ambiguous, and has more of a DID vibe which I didn't really enjoy. I would have rather it stayed more on the trans narrative track, but I also get that Welcome Back, Alice fills that narrative a little better so at least there is that. The "mystery" of where Mari is gets solved but its still pretty confusing.

This is definitely interesting. Not totally sure I would recommend but still pretty good.

[Bonnie_Rae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easily one of the most intense manga volumes I have ever read. There was a lot that happened in this particular manga - Isao managed to actually bond with two people and have fun for the first time in forever, Yori stood up for herself and for Mari, Mari's family dynamics were exposed, and of course - the big, mature m a s t u r b a t i o n scene. I can totally understand why people would find that chapter massively uncomfortable and downright exploitative. However, and this will sound bizarre, I kind of liked it because it is one the very few masturbation depictions that focused on getting the female character off (literally) and it served a narrative purpose - the notMari goes inside her and she has this literal out of body experience that triggers part of her awakening.

The downright sociopathy of the girl squad gang targeting Mari in the bathroom while deliberately ignoring Yori until she forces them to acknowledge her presence is both terrifying and exhilarating.

[Audrey H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've never seen a manga with such a thoughtful earnest exploration of gender before as this one. Isao comes to learn the pressures of being a high school girl intertwined in all these relationships directly from her shoes and unlike other gender bender mangas it's not a joke, escapist or some dumb sexist bullshit but an earnest and very depressing look. I would say it's like the opposite of escapism. This word is overused and I'm unsure about this sentence but it's almost like a deconstruction of gender bender mangas, most of which are vapid and do not even attempt to broach genuine questions about identity or the subject that would be naturally raised by the premise. I'm not sure if that sentence is right, you could also just say it's a serious gender bender that is actually done well.

[Nicholas Driscoll · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story remains compelling, though the fan service also gets worse. Komori makes some realizations about some of the miseries in Mari’s life. There is also a really cute bonding scene wherein Komori, Yoro, and other Komori play games together. However, there is also a very sexually explicit masturbation sequence where Komori finally gives in to his baser instincts. To be honest this event was pretty much built up to. Still, I appreciated that Komori had tried so long to treat Mari’s body with dignity and respect. The fact that he gives in, and the climax of his lust seems to be a trigger for the real Mari to contact him, is disappointing. Though I wonder if there will be greater repercussions later in the story.

[Kastie Pavlik · Rating 5 out of 5]

I binge read volumes 2 - 9 so this is a generalized review until finale. The story was weird, and uncomfortable and funny at times. The eros commentary at the end of earlier volumes was probably creepier than any single moment in the books. The first volume described this series as having a "scifi" twist, but every volume after that stays a "dark" twist. There is no sci-fi. That mischaracterization made me form a theory that was way off the mark, but I caught the change early and let my imagination take over. I tried more to enjoy the story rather get than figure it out. Without spoiling anything, I did enjoy the entire series, am glad I opted to collect the effort series, and and satisfied with the conclusion.

[The Wrath of Eleny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, so clearly the mood has definitely changed from the happy bubbly mood from the first volume to something more dark. Had to skip a lot of pages but that's just me finding particular things icky to read. A lot of it was really symbolic especially after he touches himself and says he is Mari and Mari is him and then he gets a phone call with who we are led to believe is Mari lasting longer then the phone call with his actual self I just hope things end well, oh and also I have to say I LOVEEEDD that He stands up for Komori in front of the fake friends. Like such a girl boss move to call them "sluts" like heck yeah!!

[Brianna Jo♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

So this volume was all about....masturbation. And transformation...Isao's transformation truly into Mari that is. Specifically in chapters, 31-33. Chapter 33 is entitled--"I'm Mari". That's what I think it all it was. During the explicit auto-stimulation scenes, Isao keeps saying he wants to live inside Mari, wants to become her, and...that's exactly what he does. I'm really hoping it was all some kind of metaphor and judging by the tiles for those three chapters, I'm guessing it is. Especially with the scene ending with og Mari-san apparently calling him and asking, "Who are you?".

I think this is the case of loving someone so much that you want to become them...but it's that's what I surmised was happening here.

I hoping that my explanation is closer to what the artist meant for the scenes to be...because otherwise, this entire volume would just be an exploitation of a teenage girl's body.

[Phou · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unsure whether to rate this one 2.5 or 3 stars

-really like the cover (strongly disliked the other ones)

-page 111 with the black hole and the line 'who are you' looks amazing

-a thought in spanish because I'm not sure how to articulate this in english: desde el primer volumen me ando durmiendo pero todo me está sacando tanto de onda que me espantó todo el sueño

-did not like the afterword at all this time

[47Time · Rating 5 out of 5]

Isao and Yori spend time with the old Isao to try to figure out how the body switch happened. This cut into her school time which worries her teachers and parents. Isao not only tells Mari's parents off, but also says he doesn't want to go to school any more. Then he celebrates by getting naked in front of the mirror and fondling Mari's body. He feels like he is making love to her. He gets interrupted by a call from somebody who claims to be Mari and then hangs up.

[Robert Pierson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The artwork is nice You can see the conflict it definitely start to boil over and there’s definitely a scene in here that earns it it’s 18+ rating so I think it’s good that it’s in there for the main character to discover not only her own body but the issues surrounding what’s happening I don’t want to go into much detail because I was going to spoil territory I am definitely looking forward to reading the next issue

[Ivy~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Nobody is looking at me. They have only looked at my skin. They pretend to have fun... They pretend to laugh... They pretend to bond... They pretend to look... But everyone is just looking at themselves! Isn't that, like...hellish?"

What does this mean, and why does it speak to me so deeply?

I'm not entirely sure about the masturbation section, but there's still definitely a lot of interesting stuff in here.

[Thomas Hale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Our """hero""" finally succumbs to exploring Mari's body. There are some explorations of psychosexual fears (including the very revealing afterword about Oshimi's own sexual awakenings) and it's...not tasteful, but definitely more interesting than one could expect. The highschool social life thing is untangled and maybe resolved for now? This has built up some proper momentum.

[Rowan D · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is crazy. I know the ending because I watched a YouTube video where I learned about the series, but I’m going mad on the edge of my seat even so. I do wish this book had a warning for the sexually explicit material mentioned, but I’m okay with there not being one. I would like to say I wish the scene was shorter but I think it wouldn’t have been as impactful if it was.

[KarleeXx0 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm still very invested in this story.. I want to know what happened to Mari. Who is she now? Where is she, and why is this all happening? A bit sexually explicit with this volume but otherwise really good!

[Fabiana Valentino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Para este punto la historia es atrapante y complicada. El despertar sexual del cuerpo de Mari está escrito con sutileza, me parece lo suficientemente explícito para expresar los temas de la historia. Sin embargo el trope me sigue pareciendo algo mmmm.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Francescana]

Ü

[Sanne Blomme · Rating 5 out of 5]

A surprising phone-call for sure...

[Jillian -always aspiring- · Rating 3 out of 5]

2020 Read #551

The characters are pretty unlikable, but there’s just something very gravitational about how they mesh together.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally...something actually happens. I guess we will see where it goes from here.

[Valerie S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review is gonna be on the volume 9 log lol

[Markl Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The body horror of feeling your body and not interpreting it as your own body.

[LivThebooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5