Welcome Back, Alice, Vol. 4

おかえりアリス [Okaeri Alice] #4

by Shuzo Oshimi

From the creator of Blood on the Tracks, comes his latest work tackling adolensence with a gender bender twist...

Yohei, Kei and Yui are childhood friends and things get complicated when Yohei witnesses Kei and Yui in an intimate moment. But when unexpectedly Kei moves away and returns a few years later to reunite in high school, he seems to be a bit different.

Genres: Manga, LGBT, Comics, Queer, Romance, Japan, Graphic Novels

192 pages, Paperback

First published April 8, 2022

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

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

Okay, I'm losing my mind! Yo's gotta make up his mind, and fast please 😩 Just let the poor guy be, he's happier when he's with Kei!

Also, I can definitely see the parallelism of Nanako's character (from Flowers of Evil) her insecurities, and stained purity coming to light with Mitani's character in this series. Also the mysterious character archetype of Nakamura to Kei. Even though these archetypes are kinda like repetitive now, and definitely became a prevalent characteristic in Oshimi series, it's not tiresome lol. I find it really enjoyable.

[daph pink ♡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

It seems to be dragging now, and I've noticed that while Shuzo Oshini's works are quite easy to read, they frequently lag and occasionally veer off course, much like this one did. I'm not entirely sure what we are expected to get from this. I've been reading the author's afterword as well, and while it seems personal, I don't believe I am the target audience. While I still adore Mr. Oshini's work, I cannot get behind this.

[Joseph · Rating 2 out of 5]

For every tiny little moment in this series that suggests a deeper introspection about gender identity, there's like, 20 pages dedicated to something totally heinous.

[Urbon Adamsson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yo is finally catching a break and it's wonderful to see. ☺️

[giada · Rating 3 out of 5]

we're back to the messy situations! it is hilarious how much action this boring guy is getting ngl

[DitaHunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

¡Wuola!

¿Soy yo o han pasado muchisimos meses entre un tomo y otro? Iba bastante perdida cuando empece este volumen. La relacion entre nuestros tres protagonistas cada vez esta más encarnizada. Con el paso de los volumenes Yui se ha convertido cada vez en el peor tipo de persona posible en una relación y tras el desenlace del tomo anterior esperaba que dejara al pobre Yohei tranquilo con Kei.... pero parece ser que no va a ser ese el caso (mi gozo en un pozo).
Shuzo Oshimi tiene una extraña forma de contar sus historias, pero a la vez tan absorbente que terminas pegado a sus paginas sin ningun tipo de remedio. La forma en la que retrata los dilemas morales y personales, como refleja la mentalidad rota y como, poco a poco, vamos viendo las astillas de sus personajes es, sencillamente, fascinante.

[Djendon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I understand what he’s trying to do story wise with these characters and understanding sexuality but it just ends up being kinda perverted and almost rapey.

Oshimi should really stick to intense story telling like blood on the tracks which also has some themes of teenagers exploring sexuality, that feels natural and real.

I will continue with the series as I do see some interesting ideas but it just feels a bit off at times.

[leti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mitani te hubiera encantado Lana del Rey

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pinche mitani 😡

[Toby · Rating 3 out of 5]

yui and kei just seem to have a competition of who can be the worst fucking person

[Estrella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intrigada en cuanto a la dirección que esta tomando este manga... A ver con que nos sorprende Shuzo Oshimi esta vez

[Janae (The Modish Geek) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

[Annabelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️

[billy]

I think this story is an interesting take on growing up and sexual awakening. Adding a psychological twist makes it feel more authentic, the fear and pressure one has to be sexually active or sexually appealing. It's such an intriguing manga and it makes you uncomfortable all the time, which Shuzo Oshimi is great at.

[Sai Fighter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review for the whole series:



This is such a wild read. This series absolutely has to be paired with the author's notes that appear at the end of each volume. It puts a lot of stuff into context.

The "romance" in the series is so back seat to literally everything else going on in the manga. This isn't about a love triangle between childhood friends, this is about Oshimi's own struggle with what it means to be a man. Kei and Yui are not people, they are the two paths of masculinity that Yohei has to choose from. Kei is the ambiguous agender/gender queer departure from strict social expectations that are required to be masculine in the world. Kei represents freedom, an escape from gender all together. This is desirable but not an easy choice to make. Yui is the path of traditional masculine gender identity and masculine sexuality. Things that happen to Yui and Yohei are basically direct translations of Oshimi's own sexual trauma around masculinity. And this struggle between the two paths is represented by a love triangle, which i think its pretty powerful and brilliant.

Then there is Yohei themselves, who is struggling with gender and body dysphoria. Kei and Yui also seem to represent Yohei's struggle between his sexuality and his gender desires. There is a REALLY intense scene during the final volume that just blows my mind and feels like the perfect physical manifestation of this struggle for Yohei. It was honestly amazing.

With that out of the way, this series is going to make you uncomfortable. This manga has sexual assault and dubious consent. I would not say it is full blown rape but its uncomfortable for sure and its suppose to be. There is also self harm in the form of self mutilation. Even with all of this, the manga really made me think about my own gender experience, and while I don't really identify with Oshimi's struggle, this was still such a good read. I literally binged it in like 2 days. Recommend if you can handle it.

[mio · Rating 3 out of 5]

i don't really know what to feel tbh

[france · Rating 2 out of 5]

nah man. is mitani just forcing herself to do it with yo? At this point i feel like, it’s just going back and forth between the three of them, i don’t like it. Their relationship it’s so messy and neither of them know what they want…

[mina ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

i'm starting to like it more i think, but actually i think the most interesting parts so far are the afterwords by the author!

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Of course when I was growing up in the sixties and seventies there were no books, films, comics or any resources of any kind to address issues of gender dysphoria. Nor sexual identity generally.I can’t imagine any sex education class addressing the possibility that any student might actually be gay. Whihc is what the right here wants to return to, of course. Don’t talk about it and it will go away. In this manga series, Oshimi introduces us to a girl Mitani, who likes a boy, Kei, who likes her and they also like another boy, our mc, Yo.

Kei announces he “is done being a boy,” so wears what he prefers, “girl clothes” by which he largely means pretty dresses. Both boys and girls agree he is very pretty, but upon being invited to hang with boys or girls at school, he turns them all down. Too conventional for him, I presume.

The end of volume three saw the break up of Mitani and Yo, as she was too controlling, and the reuniting of Yo and Kei, though this leads to a sexual shower scene (not really explicit, but you know what is going on; I assume if anyone on the right knew this book existed, it would be banned as porn, but it is not about porn in the least--though it is about the complexities/confusion of desire, for sure), so you have been warned. Jealousy still exists in this fluid scene, as Mitani is hurt that Yo is back as friends with Kei, and no longer her boyfriend. And finds out some kind of sex happened between them. And so then wants to be aggressive with Yo in the ways she perceives Kei to be. Bottom line: Neither of these two are good for Yo, as they are way too pushy. Power hungry, at the very least.

But it’s not just Kei who is sick of being his birth gender; in this one we meet Ren, a girl who is sick of being a girl and who wants to be friends with this, more questioning, more open crowd. At the periphery of this world seems like a bunch of cis-gendered boys and girls who are perfectly happy being “who they are,” whatever that means, though the boys tend to enact stereotypical aggressive male traits, following what they perceive to be cultural norms. So it’s all too aggressively fast for Yo, all of it. Unhealthy. But could it become healthy, in a way? Maybe. It could just as easily lead to damage. I am sure it will make some readers uncomfortable, as it is clearly confusing for Yo.

Is the gender questioning group “happy”? I don’t think so. Feels like a lot of anguish, but maybe at some point the anguish will lead them to some kind of knowledge of/acceptance of identity. Maybe, as with most people, they will figure out what is best and healthy for them? Not clear at this point.

[47Time · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shower scene, action! Yep, Yohei and Kei went through with it, with all it entails. And it's the best Yohei has ever had. I mean, it's not he had any before it, but it still felt amazing.

The nutty Ren Amo gets thrown into the mix, perfectly out of the blue. She is one year older that Kei and wants the latter to model for her. Kei refuses, so Ren tries another approach - to befriend Kei and Yohei. Her interest comes from not wanting to be a girl any more. She was drawn to Kei for feeling the same vibe from him. Kei is apprehensive about befriending the weirdo. Maybe this will be explored in the future. Something like transgendered people being more confortable coming out to people like them. It better not be pointless, creators! I'm cutting stars off the review. You were warned!

Then Yui comes back into the picture. The internet informed her about reasons why guys fail to perform in bed. She accepts she is at fault and promptly locks lips with Yohei, tongue and all, just like in the movies. See? You can learn useful stuff online. This time, her ministrations get him hard. Again she offers to sleep with him and promises to do anything he wants. It goes fine and Yui wants to to it again when time allows. Neither of them seems happy about it, though.

[Marcos Oliveira · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume surpassed all my expectations, I was enjoying the story immensely already but the addition of Ren as a character and her developing relationship with Kei proved an interesting surprise to read. I also love that we are finally getting to peek more into Kei's head. I was also not expecting a Mitani POV and the ending to that shocked me so much?! Her fantasy at the end made me audibly gasp.
Just in general have fallen in love with Oshimi's way of telling a story, visually and subtextually but also through dialogue. It's so interesting and so well done. Although the story is short, he still finds time to give depth to each character that needs it. I like that Mitani is not one-dimensional so even if I dislike her, I can see why she's doing what she's doing, and that's also true for all other characters of importance.

[Des Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

So we continue down this sexual black hole with Yo. Seriously, the hell of an emerging libido is such suffering, and I've never seen it captured better. The author's post script is awfully familiar as well, describing a sort of dysphoria that I connect with. The lines about returning to before guys and girls were put in our heads resonates. I still don't know what sort of depths we'll hit, but if read like a diary manga this still hits the voyeuristic part of my mind that just wants to see deeper into another human's soul.

It's hard to say what the author really has to say about gender at this point, and it's not likely to match 1 to 1 with western ideas. It's fascinating in itself, but still feels more like a meditation than a craft.

[Jessica Walsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let’s talk about Mitami. While the manga series is from Yo’s point of view, the journeys of Mitami and Kei are just as important and these two volumes really focus on Mitami’s own doubts and messy feelings.

When vol 2 ended, Yo just promised to Mitami (unknowingly in front of Kei) that he would look and think only about her as they were dating. Yo is now trapped in a situation he thought he always wanted. He’s finally dating the girl of his dreams, Mitami and has what he wanted. And yet he can’t stop thinking about Kei and he’s only starting to unravel his own mess of feelings.

Read the full review at Well, Are They? A Queer Review Blog:
https://wellarethey.blogspot.com/2023...

[Kristin Katsuye · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one is much better than the last one. Especially with that edition to the artsy girl. It’s puts more of the psychological meaning into it compared to just the drama.

Still unsure if this has some deeper meaning or just teenage boy fantasy.

Mitani is still not my favorite. She’s gotta be more than just some girl forcing herself onto Yohei right? That last panel with her unreadable expression after her time with Yo. That was good, so many emotions can be theorized there. Is she smiling? Or does she have a blank expression? Could be either, even so, the author does really well with creating expressions to make the reader feel unsettled. That is what I’m here for.

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phew, these volumes go by real quick. I guess this series is supposed to wrap up at vol. 7, so I guess these are my mid-series thoughts.

Welcome Back, Alice will seem quite familiar to anyone who's read Oshimi's Flowers of Evil or Inside Mari. Identity and sexuality, purity and perversion, ecstasy and shame — it's all there, and I can't get enough. What's not there is consent, but Welcome Back, Alice is no Drifting Net Cafe.

The afterwords are gold, too.

[Erica | · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this one until the last few pages, and then all I felt was anger and sadness.

Kei and Yo seem so happy and light when they are together and free from societal expectations. I can't figure out what their relationship is supposed to be or meant to be, but I'm not okay with that ending.

I've had an issue with Mitani's character from the very start. I've never trusted her or her motives. And I think Yo is an idiot towards the end in that whole situation.

Obviously, I'll read Vol. 5.

[AsianMerr · Rating 1 out of 5]

*sigh* the MC gets forced onto having sex…and no repercussions. The writing is taking a nose dive, then you have Ren who forces Kei to be a model and then instead of Kei being like “eww no” at when Yo talks about them being friends, he is just ok with it…IT MAKES NO SENSEEEE. Honestly thought Yo was about to get hit by a car in a panel, that’s drawn for no reason. Man, I feel like there’s so much potential for the actual message of this story but it’s rushing and tackling it the wrong way.

[-moonprismpower- · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don’t get it. What is the point of this story? Is it about gender??? Jealousy? Revenge? Sex??? Because it’s very sexual….

[Samy Sanzana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me dan tanto asco los personajes como Mitani, de verdad morra asquerosa ojalá la arrolle un bus o algo

[Cole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Poor Kei...