The Flowers of Evil, Vol. 5

惡の華 [Aku no Hana]

by Shuzo Oshimi

Takao Kasuga is a bookworm. And his favorite book right now is Baudelaire's Flowers of Evil. While the young man may often be seen lost in thought as he rabidly consumes page after page, Takao is not much of a student. Actually when we are first introduced to the middle school teen, we find him sneaking some reading as he receives and F on a recent language exam. Nakagawa is known as the class bully. When she is not receiving zeros she is usually muttering profanities to those around her. While she doesn't care for books or their readers, she does have a thing for troublemakers. Takao may not be one, but having read over his shoulder a few times, she knows he is not very innocent. If anything he is bored and aware of it. Together, by chance, they shake up their entire rural community as Takao tries to break out of his shell in a random moment of passion and affection...not directed towards Nakamura. And 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.

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

192 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 6, 2012

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

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Saeki is lost. She cannot understand this new Kasuga who leans on Nakamura like a crutch. She discovers what he is up to, and it shocks her. Kasuga, whose face takes on twisted qualities as he continues to spiral downward, commits further acts of perversion while hiding it under a mask of lies. He does this with ill-conceived good intentions which makes Nakamura happy, but throws Saeki into despair.

The previous volume explored the inner mind of Nakamura, so this time the focus is on Saeki, who fell in love the the Kasuga who could so honestly admit his love for books despite how different that made him. The very books which he has abandoned. As the clock ticks done on his plans for the summer festival, Saeki, who cannot let go, acts.

A larger variety of emotions get brilliantly drawn this time, with lighting and shadows used to create a window into an individuals unspoken thoughts, and the complexity of their feelings. One sexual act is depicted, but in a tasteful fashion appropriate for older teens.

With this, Saeki too has revealed the flower that grows in her heart. She is no angel; her ingrained obedience finally breaks, but it is yet to be seen if this will make her happy.

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

All-consuming fire for all-consuming love

Okay, I need a breather this is freaking intense and my mind's about to explode.

Saeki, the Flower of Goddess, just broke down, peeling all the layers she had left... and Kasuga just professed his love for Nakamura. I felt so hollow inside after this gripping volume. I just realized Kasuga is just like that character from my favorite short story of all time. He's indeed as shallow as a man can be, and he can't handle the chase because he should be the one doing it to fill a void inside of him. I can't get enough of this series, seeing how the characters are slowly getting corrupted as they try to appease Nakamura's growling appetite for perversity or irrationality.

I'm thinking of the cover's color... (finally there's color!! Lol) I think, it mostly speaks of Saeki's loneliness in this volume, as the darker shade of pink in the previous volume relates to Nakamura's tainted purity, or maybe the thin line between innocence and passion or aggression.

[Tomasz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nie chce mi się kombinować z biblioteczką, więc oceniam 5, ostatni tom polskiego wydania. Mocne zakończenie, świetne podsumowanie historii, autor świetnie się rozwinął w trakcie rysowania mangi pod względem kreski. Zostaje w głowie na długo.

[daph pink ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

You keep asking yourself how the mangaka will top himself, believing there is no way in which he could possibly make things even weirder, but you would be sadly mistaken. This keeps happening up until Chapter 33, which is the manga's pinnacle. Aku no Hana would have undoubtedly cemented its status as one of the wackiest and most intense mangas ever created had the story finished then and then. Sadly, the tale goes on.

[David Turko · Rating 3 out of 5]

I keep telling myself to give up on this series. All of the characters have become deranged, the plot has gotten weird and unclear, and I feel like the author is pushing shock value for the fun of it. Yet it's fascinating. My annoyance and interest in this series are starting to blur.

[Leila ✨ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Definitivamente no es una historia para mí.

1 de 5 estrellas.

[Connie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book via Kindle Unlimited.

Saeki cannot stand the idea that Kasuga has chosen Nakamura over her. Despite his perverted ways and Nakamura's intense bullying and psychotic playing with everyone's emotions for fun with no care for the consequences, Saeki wants Kasuga back and she wants Nakamura to feel the pain she feels at losing him. She finds their hideaway in the fields and decides she is going to corner Kasuga there alone. They end up having sex though she definitely forces him into it, because he does say no multiple times. Then when Nakamura shows up, she tells her what they've done and asks her does it hurt that Kasuga and her did that, but gets more and more worked up when she realises she just wants to be Nakamura. This volume ends with their hideaway being burnt down by Saeki and it feels like this is when everyone is about to find out the truth about Nakamura and Saeki. These kids are going to wreck this small town aren't they? I still only see a way out of this that is basically just them dying. I wonder if the sexual assault is ever going to be addressed either.

[Jesus Flores · Rating 3 out of 5]

Las flores del Mal 5
Desarrollo de el conflicto, y con lo del final pinta que va a haber problemas

Spoilers

Saeki le cuenta a una amiga lo que sabe, y van al escondite de Nakamura y Kasuga. La amiga le pide que los denuncien, pero se lo impide, al contrario, Saeki decide enfrentarse a Kasuga, y decirle lo que piensa, como el pues no, eso llevara el conflicto a algo más, que terminara con un incendio y un enfrentamiento de palabras entre Nakamura y Kasuga.


SPOILER MAYOR

Con lo del cuaderno que sobrevive al incendio, seguro haba problemas para Kasuga

3.5 star

[Aimé · Rating 4 out of 5]

Algo que me está gustando mucho es la forma que tiene el manga de mostrar las emociones de sus personajes a través del dibujo.
En este tomo sucede algo horrible y mientras los paneles de uno de ellos aparece distorsionado y sucio, el del otro personaje se mantiene nítido y con cierto brillo, destacando.

[BonGard]

اوشیمی هر وقت به
میانه روایتش میرسه
تصمیم میگیره
خاننده رو بشکل احساسی گروگان بگیره

[Miss Ryoko · Rating 2 out of 5]

This volume went back to boring, though I am curious to see how Saeki starts to slowly lose her mind too

[Camilaa · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️

[Moises Flores · Rating 5 out of 5]

otro capítulo de seis historias Me gusta mucho el encuadre de los dibujos en donde se utilizan fondos que parecen ser fotografías reales eso le da mucho dinamismo las escenas que aparecen en el manga. otro aspecto interesante es que la historia está tomando un tiro un tanto oscuro me da la impresión que es una de las dos protagonistas va a morir al final espero seguir leyendo para corroborar esta pequeña hipótesis.

[cynne★ · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is all way too crazy😭😭

[Maurine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Je ne savais pas que ça pouvait être encore plus malsain que les premiers tomes... 😳

[Hope L. Justice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Saeki is floundering, lost. Nakamura is impulsive, bored, slighty psychotic. Kasuga has come into himself as a sadist and appears as if he has accepted himself. However this book in the series takes complacency and acceptance and turns it on its head. I did not think it was as well paced or managed as the other books in the series. The actions of the characters seemed surprising even for this author. I wonder if this book was not all shock value. Anyways, I am captivated/obsessed with this series. I want to see where the characters are going, I just want to see them morph, not leap and bound. Saeki hatched a weird and out of character plan and Kasuga is spiraling into some form of darkness/desperation. Nakamura is unreadable as usual. We still see no reason for Kasuga's inability to stay away from Nakamura, though she clearly loves pushing him beyond normal boundaries. This book was dark, purely to be dark. I'm curious to see where we are going. The plot was muddled and unclear, but you sense a lot more of the emotions of the characters.

[mwr · Rating 5 out of 5]

We need a seven point rating scale.

This (series) is the best new manga I've read in a long time.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Boy and bully make plan. Good girl finds hideout and plan. Good girl tries to take boy from the bully.

[An Imaginary Cat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somehow I'm still hoping for an actual plot to pop out somewhere. His drawing style got a lot better.

[Paul Spence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Flowers of Evil is a manga that, when I started it, I found it interesting, but I didn't fully grasp what all the fuss was about. Still, I stuck with it, and reading volume five made me realize why this manga is as well received as it is.

First, this is not a starting point, or a jumping on point. Every even from the earlier volumes leads right up to here, and the tension that has slowly been building, and the darkness that has been building inside the characters all reaches an emotionally explosive crescendo. The most disturbed and dangerous character reveals themselves, and everything is sent into a tail spin by the end of the book.

Flowers of Evil has never been a pretty story. The language is course, the art simple. The strength of this series lies within it's storytelling and it's characters. The main cast is limited to only three characters, with a few side characters playing minor roles. Each character is a mystery in the beginning, a shell of a person. By volume five Oshimi begins to fill in these three people, and what is revealed is far from pretty. This particular volume is probably the most shocking, and includes one of the most intense sex scenes I have ever seen in a manga. It is not intense because of graphic content, as there is almost no nudity, but because of the shear emotion that the art is able to convey. The focus is not on the act itself, but on the character's faces. Oshimi manages to capture of level of desperation and need that I had never seen in his art before. The art itself is greatly improved since the first volume, with the characters bodies feeling more natural, and proportionate. The settings are simple, but create the perfect, almost suffocating small town.

A common theme in the manga is that the characters are "shedding their skin", and in this volume we see one character expose themselves, both physically and emotionally. These characters are not just disturbed, but in a way, they are dangerous in their desperation, and one character in particular proves just how dangerous they truly are.

The Flowers of Evil is a truly great manga series. The storytelling is slow and deliberate, taking it's time to properly develop it's core cast. The art, while simple, is effective, and perfectly conveys the plainness of world that these characters inhabit. The series is not for kids, obviously, but don't let the teen characters fool you. This is a story told, not through the lens of youth, but almost as a memory, looking back at the confusion and terror that adolescence can cause.

[47Time · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kasuga and Nakamura have their very own Fortress of Solitude where they plan more mayhem. Unfortunately, they can't keep the place a secret. Saeki and her best friend Ai Kinoshita find it.

Kasuga and Nakamura plan to use the stolen panties of almost everyone in class for a chaotic display during the town's Summer Festival. Ai is disgusted by their preparations and wants to go to the police. Saeki stops her from doing so because of her feelings for Kasuga, so they have a falling out.

Saeki confronts Kasuga about his relationship with Nakamura, but in an unexpected way - she asks him to sleep with her. She even forces herself onto him, but he declares his love for Nakamura. As he runs away, Saeki burns down the fort and later brags to Nakamura about sleeping with Kasuga. She wants to hurt Nakamura, but the latter doesn't flinch. All three of them are left just a bit more empty as a result - Kasuga doesn't know who to love and still focuses on the Other Side, but Nakamura has lost all interest in it, while Saeki is left high and dry in both body and mind.

[AsianMerr · Rating 1 out of 5]

This volume deals with Rape and it’s between children so the moment it happened it was an automatic 1 star. Which is a shame cause leading to it the volume was solid, it should’ve been the kiss since he’s actually never kissed anyone, did not need to go overboard. Everyone has officially lost it, Nakamura is a red flag and Kasuga is color blind. Leave her dude, she isn’t going to risk her life for you and sees you as a toy as we find out in this volume and I know it’s going to get worse cause he isn’t taking the hint. I do like what Oshimi did with his hair growing out to show how much he doesn’t care anymore.


P.S- I stumbled upon an interesting experience, read the series while listening to JVKE’s two popular songs “golden hour” and “this is what love feels like” on loop. It’s odd but works, it’s twisted but yet works this series.

[Rhys · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the first half but then saeki makes me mad. Why is she acting like this guy is some god when she’s known him for 3 days and done all of this fucked up shit to her. I can understand wanting to be care free and wanting to talk to him about it but what she did was definitely not the approach. Also why do they have a plan book that’s so dumb it’s a simple plan why do you need to write it down and shit that’s so stupid. I also don’t like how saeki was seen as a angel for takao but then he just has absolutely no interest. I can understand why but I just don’t like it. I feel like this was the book where i truly felt like I understood the characters the most I still don’t like them there dumb with not to much complexity. 7.2/10

[Luisa Maula · Rating 4 out of 5]

💭 Why isn't Nakamura or Kasuga getting any disciplinary action? Especially to Nakamura herself, as she's grown to be such a delinquent the more time passes.

💭 Ai is the only decent character who knows what's up and is acting accordingly in this story, geez. Saeki is becoming just as unhinged. She just might be the scariest from the three, I'm sure.

💭 Kasuga's totally losing it, oh my. I wish someone would snap him out of his already manipulated mind to realize he's gone delusional by now.

💭 This just might be my favorite volume so far. It's getting me hooked as the story's finally starting to unravel as the worst is yet to come.

[Irene ➰ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5

The atmosphere gets darker and daker with each volume.
In this one there's another big part of the story that is mostly dedicated to Saeki.

In this volume, in fact, we start to see her falling into this oblivion of obsession and desperation and her actions speak for her.

What I still question myself is how are these teens able to go in and out of the house in the night like nothing, I mean hello? Where are all the parents?

Ai so far is the only person with some brain cells left, you ma hero girl, don't give up lol

[Shizeh]

Toujours cette impression qu'on tourne en rond mais d'un autre côté je trouve ça hyper intéressant cette sorte de triangle amoureux qui s'installe entre les personnages, j'aime de plus en plus le personnage de Sawa, elle est vraiment stylée, son caractère à elle, elle est difficile à cerner même pour nous, lecteurs, c'est intéressant, j'ai dit qu'on tournait en rond mais en vrai, y'a quand même eu de l'avancée dans ce tome

[Facundo Hermosid · Rating 5 out of 5]

La verdad, es un manga excelente. Tuve la suerte de poder leerlo como un adulto, ya pasada la adolescencia, lo que me permitió apreciarlo con mayor profundidad desde una "distancia segura".

Trama entretenida, personajes profundos y bien diferenciados y cierto grado de identificación. Una de mis mejores lecturas del año pasado.

Es un manga que no dejo de recomendar.

[Sneha Jaiswal · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars.

The weird triangle between the lead trio is simply being dragged out at this point.

Kasuga and Nakamura are living in their own bubble of twisted pranks and 'perversion', while a baffled, confused, heartbroken Saeki desperately tries to bring him back to his side.

Only in fiction can a girl like Saeki lose her marbles over a dude like Kasuga.

[Michael Sorbello · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series is like a car crash, there’s not that much substance to it but it’s so fascinating that it’s hard to look away from. All of the characters have become so deranged and perverted that I just find myself unable to stop reading it even though there’s not much of a plot.

[Alessandra S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Vamos, tócame, ¡yo soy un ser humano!, vamos a hacerlo, Kasuga-kun, las personas tienen que hacerlo para seguir viviendo".

Reseña en el último tomo; sin embargo, debo decir que, todo tiene un rollo bastante turbio.