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) .
ya'll....wtf did I read? This story has to be one of the most wild things I've ever read. It's not so much scary as uncomfortable af. There is nothing to be said because anything and I mean anything is like a damn spoiler.
If this weren't a library book, I'd be very tempted to rip it in two and throw the second half away because it is nothing but an . Don't foist that crap on me! And you're going to continue it into the next volume? Hell awaits you, sir!
A major push towards freedom. Towards realizing what being unchained feels like. How beat back the sensation of being strangled by someone who "cares" for you. This was a excellent chapter into a big fuck you towards mama but also this can turn around quick...
I hate you. I hate you, Mommy. More than anything else in the world.
Seiko, girl wtf.
Well, everyone at Seiichi’s school now knows what went down— very sad to see him being ostracized by his peers.
Fukiishi and Sei have a heart to heart, sharing similar sentiments about their mothers. It was sweet until they started (figuratively speaking) “killing their moms”— huge indicator that they are both suffering from deep-rooted trauma, anger, and resentment.
That makes me so sad.
While I’m glad Yuiko Fukiishi seems to be a person Seiichi can confide in and trust, I hope the path doesn’t turn dark for them as a pair.
You literally never know with this manga.
Anyway, the whole “killing their mothers” thing seemingly awakens something deep within Seiichi.
A part of me is so proud and the other part is absolutely heartbroken.
He then has a long-winded psychotic break on a snowy mountain overlook, confronting his mother who is not really there.
It’s actually someone else, and you’d be surprised to see this person’s appearance in the volume.
At first, I thought that was the hallucination.
Mangaka Oshimi depicts Seiichi’s break from reality in such a visceral, artistic, and profound way. I found myself staring intently at those last pages— wow.
My heart hurts for this kid, it really does. He’s finally trying to confront the abuse and heartache— and with this confrontation is the revelation that Seiichi has harbored so much, that mental illness has since overtaken him, too.
I felt that.
I hope he will find the light at the end of a dark tunnel.
I thought it's suppose to be the breather volume or something like it, and I actually felt relieved that I finally see the healthy, spotless, calm look on Seiichi's face after finding the truth about his past, but it immediately took a huge turn with Shigeru's unexpected visit. And I ache for Seiichi's existence...
Inevitablemente, Oshimi tenía que jugar la carta alucinatoria para seguir trabajando sobre Seiichi. Y la emplea con saña. Pero eso le pasa por salir a las cuatro de la mañana a ver nevar XD
I think this is the last complete volume for this currently ongoing manga and all I can really say is that Oshimi’s art style conveys such visceral horror I feel sick to my stomach rn. The psychological aspect is really thorough and has a lot of depth to it (actually it’s highkey wjat Evangelion could’ve been tbh) and the portrayal of trauma is legitimately harrowing and I think does justice to the horrible things Sei’s gone through.
My only qualms are with the latest chapters (93–95 as of rn). I thought the psychological introspection on Sei’s part was all very well done, as well as Seiko’s gaslighting, and the emphasis on the cycles of abuse, what with Sei seeing his younger self and pushing him off the cliff and his younger self calling him “mommy” etc etc. My only worry is that this plot line, with Shigeru being pushed off the Cliff in real life AGAIN, won’t lead to a resolution that doesn’t demonize Sei. I know this is a horror manga, and maybe hoping for any sort of catharsis is stupid—but it’s done such a good job at characterizing everything as a trauma response. I just don’t think it would be responsible to actually have those cycles play out, and the Shige stuff left a bad taste in my mouth.
PS the way this manga handles repressed memories is so fucking good yeah
Wow, the beginning to this volume is really sad and seems accurately representative of what it feels like to have a narcissistic (and I imagine, psychopathic) parent. I’m so impressed that this series has continued to be so psychologically tense and I’m so curious to see what happens in the following volumes.
I appreciate that we finally see Seiichi start to recognize what’s been done to him, but that realization felt a bit drawn out. It seemed to take a lot of pages and panels to reach that point, and it could have been more impactful if it moved along a bit quicker.