Happiness, Vol. 1

ハピネス [Happiness] #1

by Shuzo Oshimi

THE THIRST

Nothing interesting in happening in Makoto Ozaki's first year of high school. HIs life is a series of quiet humiliations: low-grade bullies, unreliable friends, and the constant frustration of his adolescent lust. But one night, a pale, thin girl knocks him to the ground in an alley and offers him a choice.

Now everything is different. Daylight is searingly bright. Food tastes awful. And worse than anything is the terrible, consuming thirst. The tiny shames of his old life have been replaced by two towering horrors: the truth of what will slake his awful craving, and high school itself.

Genres: Manga, Horror, Vampires, Graphic Novels, Comics, Fantasy, Paranormal

192 pages, Paperback

First published July 9, 2015

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

[Katie Colson · Rating 2 out of 5]

2023:
I so enjoy Shuzo Oshimi's other work, Blood on the Tracks. But this and Flowers of Evil aren't for me.
Love his art style and the way he animates faces. But can this boy top thinking about vaginas? And for the love of god, can Oshimi not continue to draw teenage girls in their underwear? Like...am I asking too much here?

2022:
I wanted to enjoy this so bad. But one thing held me back. The fact that the main character only ever salivates for blood when he smells it between a girl's legs. And it's every single girl. Like how is every woman on this earth on their period at the same time? Like, I'm big confused.

[Whitney Atkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars

I saw this cover in Barnes & Noble and immediately grabbed it because, hello, beautiful!
I ended up sitting down to read the first bit of it to see if it would grab my interest, then accidentally read the entire thing.

Overall, I think it was nice! Vampires are always an interesting plot point and I enjoyed watching the main character struggle with his new identity while also confronting his bullies and establishing some growth. Like a lot of reviews are saying, this volume ends pretty suddenly, and it feels like a very introductory book as opposed to a well-rounded storyline, so I think book two is gonna be where a lot more significant action happens.

But I was definitely invested in the plot and the developing friendships that this book establishes!

[Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾

[Bookishrealm · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars! This was a solid start! It left me wanting just a little bit more in the ending but I’m interested in seeing how vampire folklore is going to take shape in this story. It did keep me on the shelf of seat in some parts of the story but I think this is one that definitely is going to have to build up. I loveddd the artwork which isn’t surprising since I think that Oshimi did such a great job with the art in Blood on the Tracks. I’ll be checking out the next volume from the library.

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hadn't wanted to read this series because it features vampires and I am sick to death of stories about them. But from time to time I would pick this up, because it is the work of Shuzo Oshimi, whose series Flowers of Evil I really liked. I am now not going to put it down until I have caught up.

Flowers is a school-based bullying story that emerges from a single middle-school-aged bad decision--the male main character sees the gym bag of a girl he crushes on and he impulsively swipes it--and the story spins out of control, beginning with the fact that another girl who likes him sees him take the bag, and begins to blackmail him. Teen lust and jealousy are central, with over-the-top anguished emotion, ala Baudelaire. Yep, there's a nod to Baudelaire's poetry collection by the same name, things turningly increasingly dark and surreal.

In Happiness--which is not happy yet, and may never be! (see Happiness, the film also about middle school, by Todd Solondz) we have a similar situation, with a vampire girl who approaches a boy being bullied by a group of kids who make him buy them lunch every day. She (spoiler alert?) sires him, and as with many teen vampire stories, he gains a certain power. The story is also about teen lust, which is also a central part of most vampire stories, of course, and a sudden competition for the suddenly powerful nerd. Romance will clearly ensue.

So what's new? Oshimi's art, story, dialogue, are the stuff of poetry, juxtaposing snips of dialogue with evocative, dark images. I think this one gets darker before it gets happy, if it ever does, thanks to master storyteller Oshimi. Maybe it is the same story, basically, not sure yet, but I liked it a lot.

[Jan Agaton · Rating 4 out of 5]

the moment I realized this was vampy was the moment I found the next manga series I'm going to work my way through

[Brandon Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ive read vol. 1-8 of this vampire manga and overall I recommend it!! It MAJORLY falls off at vol 6-7 because of an unfortunate time jump, but picked back up with vol 8 so I have high hopes for the last two in the series. I’m gonna go through now and rate them and add little notes, but yeah it’s definitely worth the read, esp if you have KU since the first 8 are included. Some crazzzzzzzy sh!t happens and I was on the edge of my seat at times despite the few issues I had

[Jordaline Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

HOLY FUCK

[Starlah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Makoto Ozaki is a first-year high schooler dealing with bullies, friends, family, and puberty. Until one night, he is knocked to the ground by a pale, thin girl who offers him a choice. Now, Makoto is uncomfortable in daylight, food tastes gross, and he is consumed by a terrible thirst.

This was good. A solid 3.5-star manga. I honestly flew through it. It's lighter on the text which helps but also, the pacing was great. There were a couple of times I chuckled and a couple of times I felt thrilled. The characters are likable and the artwork is beyond gorgeous. I think this story has a lot of potential and I look forward to reading the next volume.

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a first installment, I thought this was rather entertaining. This is essentially a story about a female vampire, who makes herself known to a boy, who is seemingly bullied at school each day by a group of boys.

The story also centres around the feelings of lust, and we see our main character has quite the obsession with his dick.

The atmosphere in this was dark, for the most part, and I think the artwork was pretty good, too. I wouldn't say that I was on the edge of my seat, but I'm intrigued enough to continue with the next installment.

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bullied high schooler Makoto Okazaki is attacked one night by a woman in rags who bites him on the neck and bounds away as if she is flying. The next day he can feel his body changing as he becomes more sensitive to the smell of blood and less tolerant of his bully. Oddly, this leaves me feeling like a vampire retelling of Spider-Man's origin. Oshimi's ability to shape side characters that are a little off from the expected draws me along past the more predictable bits.

[Ana Novkovic · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really, really enjoyable! The atmosphere is dark and mysterious and really vibrantly shines through. I LOVE the creepy art style, it's stunning all throughout and, it's not my favorite aspect about this, but I really liked the characters and I feel like there's a potential for the main protagonist and the others to grow so much. Also, it was really fun to read and I flew through it.

I will definitely be reading the next volume.

[scar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't finished this series yet, but I think it's really good in general. The first volume is pretty strong, too. The art is beautiful and creepy, plot is always tense and interesting. Really enjoyable.

[Tayjah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely fast paced. It’s literally a knock off vampire version of Tokyo Ghoul so points off for unoriginality. Still going to collect and read them all tho 🤷🏽‍♀️

[Sarah ♡ (let’s interact!) · Rating 4 out of 5]

One thing about me is that I like trashy vampire fiction - bonus points if it’s a high school one! This was a solid start to this series and I will be continuing on with it for sure!
The art style is so gorgeous and gory; the mysterious vampire girl who turns the main character Makoto Ozaki into a bloodthirsty new version of himself is just 😍 !!
I hope we see more interactions between them both, that is what this volume lacked for me.

🧛🏻‍♂️🧛🏻‍♀️🖤

[Alec Costa · Rating 4 out of 5]

AMEI!!! gostei demais d como cada personagem é apresentado e minimamente explorado! eu sou a pessoa q avalia mangás (e graphic novels no geral) como uma coisa só, então, tendo isso em mente, eu entendo o final ter sido desse jeito (e não recomendo q leia, a não ser q já tenha uns 2 ou 3 volumes em casa! kkk)! gostei mt msm e tô animado pra continuar! ❤

[Artemy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid high school drama about a wimpy boy who becomes a vampire. Nothing very original, but the artwork is nice, and it's pretty well-written.

[Victoria ✮⋆˙ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay this was actually great, I ended up reading it so fast and not noticing when I was reaching for volume 2! I'm definitely carrying on with this!

[Mir · Rating 4 out of 5]

This reminded me of the YA paranormal/horror novels I read in in my early teens.

I've been pleased with the items I've gotten from Kodansha Comic recently.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

An awesome start to a vampire filled manga series!

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

Gloomy from start to finish, we all love some irony anyway

A gloomy Okazaki was beaten by a vampire and survived. He wasn't aware that he became one, and only knew that he was attacked by a weird, bloody woman. Now, he's attracted to the smell of blood, most specifically, in his schoolmates with monthly period... and a blood from a fight.

The concept of the series is really engaging that I literally read it in one swift motion. I guess this is the perfect time to say that I really devoured this shit. I can't even believe my eyes it's already over. I mean, I'm not really into vampire stories like the only vampire story I read was the Twilight saga so...

The art sequence is wonderful. I love just how Shuzo Oshimi lets us in on the perspective of a vampire kid with a very effective art style. It's really a blessed day. I wouldn't be able to know about this without kindle unlimited for sure. I need to see more of this!

[Rachel Kathryn Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about this but I thought this was a really interesting story. I really liked seeing the main character grow a bit more in that he is now standing up for himself against his bullies. And I liked that he didn’t fall into the stereotype where he then mocks or makes fun of his former bully. The only thing I had a problem with is that this book was very much an introduction for the following books and the ending is very abrupt. I just wanted to see more of a transition of him becoming a vampire and him coming to a full realization of his fate.

[Stay Fetters · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Vampires. They are pale, brooding, and like to bite/drink blood. *sigh* They are the total package.

This manga was recommended to me because of my fondness of vampires and that it’s a little different than what we’re used to.

Umm.... this was weird. Like totally weird and different. Not much happened but there was a lot of scenes where the main character breathed heavily. And sorry if this bothers anyone.... since his sense of smell is heightened, he can smell period blood! Wtf!? Like I said, weird.

Happiness was an okay read. Not sure if I would read any more in this series.

[daph pink ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I laughed so hard when Okazaki came flying in to save Yuki. Regarding the volume, this appears interesting and intriguing, and I must admit that I am extremely taken aback by the artwork. I truly appreciate how clear and concise and to the point Shuzo Oshini's works are.
This is his third manga series that I've read, and I'm eager to see how bizarre it can get.

[The Artisan Geek · Rating 4 out of 5]

13/12/19
Not bad at all!! It's a solid 3.5 stars for me on this one. It's slightly on the pervy side, but definitely not as revolting as it could have been. The pacing was great! You honestly fly through the pages and the story is fun, I definitely chuckled sometimes and at a certain point even became thrilled by the action. The characters are likeable and there's definitely a lot of potential in this story, so I can't wait to see how this will all unfold :)

[Dylan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first manga I've read through so I can't compare this to manga as a whole, but looking at it from a more general perspective I thought it was pretty good. It's a vampire horror type thing with the protagonist becoming a vampire early on in the story. The characters are decent and I thought that the art was good. I would have given it 4 stars but I felt like there wasn't a whole lot that happened in it, hopefully the second volume will be a bit more eventful.

[Kadi P · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Number 5 of 37 from the Kodansha Amazon sale)

There was not nearly enough bitey-bitey action in here, but that was a testament to how serious a vampire manga this was. It was trippy with small chapters that focused a lot on the characterisation for the protagonist and other supporting characters. This helped to attach the reader to the characters before they all assumedly get torn apart by vampires. So, lots of fun things to come in this series, no doubt!

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Una serie manga molto intensa. Il vampirsmo vissuto in modo molto singolare, che ricorda molto quello affrontato nel romanzo "Lasciami entrare". Sono piacevolmente stupita come Shuzo Oshimi sia così eclettico nelle sue opere, passando da una tematica all'altra sempre molto diverse tra loro.

[James DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Man, this was going to be a 5 star, but then a section really drags it down for me. Still, we got something pretty damn good here.

I've read a lot of Oshimi now, some really good "Flower of Evil" and "Blood on the Tracks" are both great reads. Where's the oldest stuff he's written, Internet Cafe, is pretty bad. But this? This is pretty damn good start.

We have our main character, Makoto Ozaki, as he's basically unsure what to really do with his life as a middle schooler. He's bullied and treated like shit by all his classmates except one, and he seems kind of bored with life. Then one night he's attacked by a vampire and she offers to let him live or kill him, and he doesn't want to die. So now HE'S the vampire.

This has been done many times before. However, this time the ascent into being a vampire is pretty bad. Hates sunlight, makes him weak, blood drives him mad, and he can barely control his urges. He soon learns walking around crowded classrooms in his school that a lot of girls his age have their periods and this makes him sick. Usually I'd say most of Shuzo Oshimi work involves some type of sexual moments but this felt more like a actual interest plot. I also enjoyed Ozaki as a character, which he is a coward at times, and brave at others. The artwork is top notch too and it's a really easy fast read.

My negative comes with another character who is introduced to help Ozaki. And while she's okay it's her introduction and the next 30-40 pages that just feel kind of dull and cliche. I didn't like this part of the book much.

But, this is a interesting start. enough to make me order volume 2 and 3. Hoping it continues to get even better. A 3.5-4 out of 5.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okazaki es un joven estudiante que es víctima de bullying en la escuela. Una noche sale a devolver un DVD y es atacado por una chica.
Desde esa noche extrañamente su vida comenzará a cambiar.

Un primer tomo que se lee muy rápido, con una historia llamativa y entretenida, con varios temas bien interesantes que se nos presentan.
Por otro lado, el dibujo me ha gustado, como por ejemplo los primeros planos que hace, pero siento que cuando más se destaca es al momento de mostrar a la chica desde esta perspectiva, realmente esas escenas son muy limpias y con detalles delicados a pesar de la escena que se esté desarrollando. Muy interesante este aspecto, distinción y enfoque que hace con el dibujo en este primer tomo.