MyAnimeList.net

Chi no Wadachi
Blood on the Tracks
Edit

What would you like to edit?

Add to My List

Add to Favorites

Alternative Titles

Synonyms: A Trail of Blood

Japanese: 血の轍

Information

Type: Manga

Volumes: 17

Chapters: 153

Status: Finished

Published: Feb 24, 2017 to Sep 8, 2023

Genres: Drama, Suspense

Theme: Psychological

Demographic: Seinen

Serialization: Big Comic Superior

Authors: Oshimi, Shuuzou (Story & Art)

Statistics

Score: 7.99¹ (scored by 34,272 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #783²

² based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #127

Members: 105,556

Favorites: 3,300

Available At

Resources

Write a Review
Reviews

Filtered Results: 60 / 74

Sort

Suggested
Most voted
Newest
Oldest

Filter Preliminary Spoiler

Jun 2, 2020

vaporweeb

Recommended

Preliminary (75/153 chp)

Absolutely stunning, and quietly horrifying. The slow pacing and the intricate facial details really make this horror series seep under your skin and fast! Near the 40 chapter mark I was gasping audibly at every chapter's new twist and horrifying revelation.

The full page spreads leave you absolutely breathless. The drawing style is sparse at times and dense at others, which really hit home the mood the artist was going for in each panel.

This is top tier manga horror that I think you'll love if the subjects of manipulation and moral decay are in your wheelhouse.

I recommend reading this alongside your favorite horror movie ...

Sep 10, 2023

ogblynz

Recommended

With the culmination of "Blood On Tracks," I am left in a state of profound speechlessness. This work has elicited from me multiple cathartic chapters. It proves to be a mesmerizing, terror-inducing, disconcerting, and paradigm-shifting work. A narrative that delves deep into the harrowing realms of manipulation and gaslighting, delivering a visceral and emotionally overwhelming experience.

The sheer magnificence of "Chi no Wadachi" lies in its ability to stun and disturb, employing deliberate pacing and intricate facial portraiture that submerge the reader in an inexorable and swift descent into the abyss of horror. The sprawling full-page illustrations leave one breathless, each brushstroke meticulously chosen to encapsulate ...

Sep 12, 2023

RaikoTheSaikou

Mixed Feelings

Well-written

Chi no Wadachi is a mixed bag with very high highs that would make it a must read if not for the disappointing lows. This dynamic makes it feel like a rollercoaster that morphs into a golf cart half way through; an exciting, nail-biting thrill ride that then becomes a safe and slow trip to the destination. This sudden change in tone could have worked if executed well, but the scarcity of meaningful progress, poor delivery on its messages, and the way certain key plot points were handled make it feel like a drag, which keep it from being the masterpiece it could have been.

If ... you're interested in my reasoning for these points, then this is where I'll talk in more detail about them.

-------SPOILERS START HERE-------

The strong parts of this manga really can't be overstated. The art is hauntingly and beautiful, and a lot of the story is told through the gorgeous landscapes and the detailed facial expressions. For example: When Seiko almost chokes Seiichi to death when he was a child, she makes this face of disgust and anger that no other character makes. Then later when Seiichi meets his mother for the first time in over a decade as an adult, he spills hot tea on her and makes a VERY similar expression to the one she made all those years ago while he's yelling at her, which is a really subtle way of showing just how deeply she's traumatized him. I also want to applaud how Seiko isn't just scary because of what she does, but because she exhibits a lot of realistic traits in people with insanity coupled with Narcissistic Personality Disorder, even when she's not actually *doing* anything particularly creepy. The fluctuations in her hatred and overprotective nature feel sporadic and unpredictable at first, but as you start to read more and more, the mood swings start to show an eerily sad yet coherent pattern. The pacing of the story was also well handled, in that it's slow in a way that isn't boring, but builds tension for a payoff that's nearly always worth it. Most of what I said in this paragraph is applied to the first half of the story by the way, not so much the second. I'll get into why the second half (AKA the timeskip) fails so miserably after I talk about how the timeskip is built upon a MOUNTAIN of contrivances that lie in the murder of Seiichi's cousin, Shigeru, which is more around the middle of the story. This mid-point is also where I'd say is when the story falls from grace

So, Seiichi just so happens to be awake in the middle of the night and goes outside. He then sees Shigeru; his brain-damaged, physically handicapped, cousin who can barely stand, who managed to walk to all the way to Seiichi's house in the snow, delirious, barefoot, wearing a hoodie...Needless to say, it should be impossible for Shigeru to make this trip alive, but he did. And the ONE time Shigeru makes this trip is the ONE time Seiichi's awake at night and goes outside so that Seiichi notices Shigeru without Shigeru having to call out to him... Anyway, Shigeru wants to go to up the mountain, but Seiichi tries carrying him inside the house, but Shigeru breaks free, and leads Seiichi up the mountain. He had enough strength to do that? Huh, I guess the fall that put Shigeru in a coma wasn't really all that bad 🙃
ANYWAY, Seiichi's having a hallucination which was coincidentally triggered by Shigeru talking about Seiichi's mom, and in this hallucination, Seiichi kills his younger self by pushing him off a cliff like his mom did to him all those years ago, but in real life it was Shigeru that was coincidentally lined up with young-Seiichi, and Seiichi ends up pushing Shigeru for real, which then leads to Seiichi getting arrested. Most of these events are straight up impossible, and so many of these factors have astronomically low chances of occurring on their own, let alone all at once. The author clearly had this intense urge to create a scenario where Seiichi would push Shigeru, to the point where he was willing to sacrifice realism and coherency to get it to happen. This is the mountain of contrivances and coincidences that acts as the foundation that the second half of the story is built on...YIKES

As for the second half of the story, Seiichi's development has good ideas, but are ultimately half-assed. He goes from killing his cousin, and attempting to kill his mother in the courtroom, to becoming a depressed, hollow, shell of what he once was. I think this 180 in personality is an interesting idea that has a lot of potential, but one that needs more explanation as to how he got to this point. The only real info available as to how he got there is that he got put into an asylum and then let out, but we never get to learn what actually happened in the asylum, and are instead discouraged from thinking about it too much, because it's never brought up again. This level of blind acceptance was never asked of the reader before Shigeru's death. Anyway, with this version of Seiichi, the plot becomes very slow paced and depressing rather than tense and anxiety inducing, which isn't inherently a bad thing. It's making us really feel what a drag life is for the poor guy, but the conflicting messages scattered throughout the timeskip make it feel more like the author's stalling for time while he comes up with ideas on how to end it. I'll talk about these conflicting messages now

At first, Seiichi's trying to move on; distancing himself from his mom by as much as humanly possible, not knowing where she is or wanting anything to do with her. Then he decides to meet her when given the chance after some hesitation, so it would seem as if it's not so much about moving on, but rather still needing closure before that process can start. After meeting her after all these years, it's clear she's too far gone to have a meaningful conversation with her, but then he hears her talk about her past, and decides to take care of her until she passes, so it would seem he's starting to forgive her, and that the message is about forgiveness...until he has this weird "final confrontation" in his head between his child self and his mom, where they're laughing about not wanting to be related to each other, and he laughs for real when she actually passes away, so it seems she's not forgiven at all. And then there's another timeskip, (albeit an extremely short one given that it's only the very last chapter) to when he's an old man, except he's actually happy this time, as if his mom dying was the only thing holding him back from happiness, and all the trauma and grief he's built up over the years was undone seemingly in an instant. The fatal flaw in all of these developments is that it's harder to feel attachment to these characters and scenarios when they get from point A to point Q without sufficient or reasonable explanation as to how they ended up there.

Ultimately, I would say the manga's lasting messages that seem to be there throughout the entirety, are about time, and loneliness. Nothing lasts forever, and your past can trap you and rob you of your future if you dwell on it. Another aspect is how time doesn't necessarily always "heal all wounds", but rather time always has an affect on wounds. Seiichi was traumatized to the point of insanity by a manipulative, abusive, controlling monstrosity of a mother and a lazy, naive, idiot of a father, then as time went on, the insanity turned into depression and numbness. Had he not taken action witnessed his mom's end, he would have never healed that well, and he wouldn't have reached the point of the final chapter; peace and tranquility. With enough time, change is inevitable, and nothing will ever stay the same forever, for better or worse. As for the loneliness, Seiichi's lived most of his life having someone supervising him or weighing him down due to their own loneliness with the main example being Seiko, until both of his parents died. After their death, he's old and alone, which most would consider sad, but not only is he happy on his lonesome, but it's been foreshadowed that pretty much his entire life, he's just wanted to be alone. This is what he's always wanted, so I find the meaning of the ending to be a profound one, but having only one chapter of this and very little content in it, it is left up to a bit of interpretation, and maybe the ending isn't supposed to be quite as happy I'm making it out to be, and is supposed to be more bittersweet. Either way, I think the author had no idea how to get it to this point reasonably, so there's a whole lot of dragging your feet through the mud of the plot to get to a payoff that doesn't hit as hard as it should considering the weight these themes could have carried if the execution wasn't botched

-------SPOILERS END HERE-------

This is why I give Chi no Wadachi a 5/10. If not for its weakness tying it down so much, it could have been a 9 or a 10, but its weaknesses without the strengths present turn it into a 3 or a 4. The suspension of disbelief required for certain parts as well as how the story drags its feet make it hard for me to judge whether or not this ride as a whole was worth seeing to the end, and if it'll be worth it to people who're thinking of picking it up. Personally speaking, I'm happy I decided to read and finish it. I can say from a bigger picture, I enjoyed it, but I was also far more let down with Chi no Wadachi than most of the media I've consumed.

Sep 9, 2017

Felipsu-

Recommended

Preliminary (20/153 chp)

Remembering suspense movies, Chi no Wadachi is an experience that makes you chew your nails through the next chapter. The story begins with a slow pace, making you wonder what's really going to happen, until the psychotic mother makes her first move, from there you'll clutter once in the story of the shy teenager with an insane mother, worry about what she can do with the other characters who get envolved with the protagonist and feel bad for his own life.

The art follows the pattern of the author, which fits very well with the genre. From the same creator of Aku in Hana and ...

Feb 9, 2018

Lux_et_Chaos

Recommended

Preliminary (20/153 chp)

This manga I'd recommend to anyone who likes more of a psychological, morbid approach. It's art on it's own self as it makes you feel the suspense and the insecurity of the main character with the pacing and the the thought out scenes.

Story: 8/10 The story itself is interesting and fairly original for a manga. It centers around an insecure boy and a psychotic mother who causes... hmm.. a lot of harm in a lot of different ways. To the boy and the family in general

Art 9/10 the art is pleasing to look at. Not the classic style yet very neat and to the point. ...

Oct 28, 2017

Wotakunai

Recommended

Preliminary (16/153 chp)

Here's my take after reading the 16 chapters of Shuuzou Oshimi's Chi no Wadachi (A Trail of Blood).

The story centers around the mother Seiko Osabe's uncanny "Over Protectiveness" towards her son Seiichi Osabe which leads to Seiko slowly being broken and unhinged in the process.

This manga will swallow your perception of motherly love, make you experience conflicting emotions, and will shock you in the most unsettling ways.

The characterization of the characters and setup of the story is well established at the beginning of the story which makes getting from chapter 1 to the latest chapter surprisingly easy.

The art compliments the ambiance of the story, ...

Feb 23, 2023

Elhwing

Recommended

Preliminary (138/153 chp)

Why do we read books, mangas, or watch anime ? Entertainment is a vast subject, it doesn't have an unique definition, and it can be done through many different activities.

Regarding Chi no Wadachi, or Blood on the tracks, I believe this manga fits really well its entertaining purpose : you'll be on the edge of your seat when reading it, wanting to discover more and more of the story as you'll progress through the chapters.

It's an interesting take on parenthood, abusive relationships, how can it affect children, to some extent this manga also questions the idea of existence, individuality. Now after reading this ...

Aug 3, 2022

modesto_medicino

Recommended

Preliminary (126/153 chp)

JESUS

I have read a LOT of horror manga. You name it, I've probably read it. I've read a lot of gory manga, too. I've read thrillers and mysteries. Basically, I've read every kind of manga that is designed to make you uncomfortable, tense, and scared.

But when it comes to pure dread, no other manga has come anywhere close. Blood on the Tracks is an examination of the relationship between a 13 year old boy and his overbearing mother. It does not use gore or the supernatural. It is entirely mundane - the sort of story that could happen to anybody. And it most definitely has. ...

Jan 28, 2024

khaego

Not Recommended

Preliminary (93/153 chp)

This manga is a lot to take in. It's confusing, it's convoluted, and sometimes it feels like it was running in circles, and maybe I'm just too stupid for it.

Story
Premise: 7/10
Main character's mother is abusive and controlling, which leads to her (and/or the son) to lose control. It's simple, until it's not.

Execution: 5.5/10
The first 60 or so chapters are extremely well written. The characters have depth, and you can understand their motives for the most part. But later on is where the constant back and forth starts of "did she do it? did she not do it?" and it's just frustrating, it makes you question ...

Jan 28, 2024

XOArama

Recommended

This was a very thrilling read. To start the art in this is amazing, most of it is pretty simple at times but when its at its highest effort its really something else. A lot of the story is conveyed through the art and through the characters expressions and this does a very good job at conveying them. The art style will change depending on the mental state of the main character and it makes for some amazing visuals throughout. The story in this was very good, starts off with a punch to the gut right away and things only get more uncomfortable and harrowing ...

Nov 14, 2023

syunus

Recommended

It is really a masterpiece in terms of plot and visuals, it is one of the few manga I have read in my life, and I never thought that I would experience all the emotions so intensely in a manga, the only manga I cried in my life, ...

Sep 10, 2023

Gorenko

Mixed Feelings

Chi no Wadachi is a psychological horror manga that follows the story of Seiichi Osabe, a middle school boy who is being manipulated by his overprotective mother. The story is slow-paced and suspenseful, and it does a great job of building up the tension and dread. The characters are well-developed and believable, and the art is dark and atmospheric.

One of the things that I really appreciated about Chi no Wadachi is the way it explores the themes of manipulation and abuse. The story does not shy away from the dark and uncomfortable aspects of these topics, and it does a good job of showing the ...

Feb 21, 2020

NMP_Chan

Recommended

Preliminary (46/153 chp)

Everything we do and everything we say in and of itself is false. We may think that everything is fine and dandy but deep down there's always going to be another side to the story. In this manga, we have that lesson taught to us in the most psychologically understandable way possible.

We live in a world where everyone's crazy. From the mother of Seiichi's cousin who thinks too highly of herself right to the teenage girl (Fuukishi) who thinks too highly of someone else. In some ways, having too much of something can be crazy.

For Seiichi as well, the craziness accumulated from the mother's ill ...

May 23, 2022

deepfiction

Recommended

Preliminary (120/153 chp)

Art Style and Facial expressions steal the manga!!

Warning: Spoilers!

The story is about a young boy named Seiichi Osabe, whose mother seems to be lovely from the outside and a bit weird. She is overprotective of his son but has some issues, some gravely terrible issues of her own.

Her son’s life is soon turned for the worse when her mother does something unimaginable.

The manga highlighted a very grave issue of child abuse and Shūzō Oshimi portrayed it all so exquisitely.

...

Apr 9, 2024

_Ferris

Recommended

Chi no Wadachi is one of the most successful psychological-thriller manga that I've read. Based on my own experiences, I made an analysis of its content. Given that the analysis might be too extensive for a comment, so I wrote a basic review and you can find the analysis on my profile.
Chi no Wadachi tackles a trauma rooted in the Oedipus complex. It touches the conflicts between the subconscious and the conscious during the formation of this complex, and the concepts of persona and shadow. Through the concepts of persona and shadow, we actually see how dominant a role society has over the individual. ...

Sep 18, 2018

matiasotaku

Recommended

Preliminary (35/153 chp)

One of the best works made by Oshimi Shuuzou ,its drawing is dirty in details but clean in the facial expressions and the fact of bothering the reader is great. As for the argument I must point out that it is built on the psychological relationship between the protagonist Seiichi and his mother seiko. His mother is the center of the conflicts in the life of seichi to the point of turning him into an outcast and socially repressed person.
If I had to recommend this manga, I would have to advise you to read the previous works done by Oshimi Shuuzou in order understand the ...

Dec 10, 2021

AcidJames71

Recommended

Preliminary (110/153 chp)

*Spoilers*

This is a manga by the notable author Shuzo Oshimi, and to be honest, It's his best work yet.
This manga is it's own entity, the level of manipulation and psychologically breaking someone down is conveyed perfectly in this work. It will be a story remembered long after it's finished by those who dare to read it.

The story starts out with an innocent 13 year old boy by the name of Sei. He's your everyday junior high student, gets along with his friends, interested in girls etc. Sei's world comes crumbling down however after Sei's crazy fucking mom yeets the cousin off the cliff. From that ...

Jul 16, 2020

AktifAF

Recommended

Preliminary (78/153 chp)

SPOILER-FREE REVIEW!

Plot/Story: 8/10. The story is really interesting and it unravels by every chapter, we get to learn more and more details about the past of the main character and the plot of the story of why this and that happened. There are basically no filler chapters who have nothing to do with the story, the manga focuses on the story A LOT.

For someone who is a big fan of a Psychological genre mangas and read a lot of them in my time, this has to be one of the best out there. It's not some manga that you can pick up and read in ...

Mar 12, 2022

old-creepy

Mixed Feelings

Preliminary (100/153 chp)

it was fine. not nearly as scary as super eyepatch wolf made it out to be and some parts are goofy in ways that the author probably did not intend. maybe psychological horror just isn't for me. also, this manga goes on for way, way longer than it should. the prospect of a scary, sociopathic mother is only going to stay scary for so long.

art is good; the artist has a firm grasp on human expression and utilizes them well, though some expressions are silly when they were meant to be serious. the characters are believable to an extent. the boy annoys me which is ...

Oct 8, 2023

Adnash

Recommended

Another brilliant manga created by Shuuzou Oshimi, placing psychological aspects and realistic presentation on the highest place. It's an intriguing story about a toxic relationship between mother and son, unveiling everything related to it without any sugarcoating and focusing equally on both sides - the parent (overprotecting, but also abusive mother) and the child (victim).

What's more, with each next few chapters, we learn more about the characters featured in "Chi no Wadachi" (both the main and secondary ones), which allows us to understand better their motifs and personalities. All of that to get a broader perspective of those characters. All of that to allow ...