Ijousha no Ai

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With such a straightforward storytelling and pretty simple artstyle, it may be no great piece of art, but overall keeps tension well enough to keep us invested.

Many would consider this manga being too, so-called, ‘edgy’, because it shows twisted thinking of a psychopath and its victims in a very awkward way, and that may be very hard or even grueling to read for many people. Be ready for a lot of blood, torture, psychological damage and other kinds of violence.

Characters are developed just for the needs of plot progress, which is enough. The manga offers pretty good insight on what the victims of a psychopath ... may feel, particularly fear, grudge or even episodes of insanity and irrationality. The same goes for the other side. We get into the head of a psychopath and her emotions (or rather lack of them). What is especially well showcased, is her behavior, including deceit, obsession, cruelty or fanaticism.

There are also some action scenes spread throughout the story. Some other parts are very hard to get through, however, whether because of too much 'psycho-stuff' is happening, or the exact opposite – blandness of other story elements (there are some parts where virtually nothing happens). The story contains strong psychological/suspense elements, but is weak on other aspects of storytelling.

This kind of story is certainly not for everyone. But, if one happens to be in the target group, it is very likely one may get hooked until the last page. With all the insanity that accompanied the story, it was concluded well enough to be considered decent.

Pros:
+ adrenaline-filled experience
+ keeps us invested until the end

Cons:
- frustrating read
- attracts only a specific group of readers

Double-edged:
+/- lot of violence, blood, torture and other 'edgy' elements
+/- character behaviors may discourage some readers
+/- plot progress goes up and down; sometimes intriguing, sometimes boring

6/10 (OK)

I recommend this if you're a fan of yandere characters and disempowerment. Don't read it if plot inconsistencies or excessive torture bothers you.

I came across this manga randomly, so I didn't really have any expectations. Gore and torture in manga don't bother me, but I expected this one to be much more violent than it turned out to be. The story is about a girl who's in unrequited love with a boy and the lengths she goes to in trying to be with him, told from the point of view of the boy. It was interesting to see an entire manga structured around the yandere ... archetype, but the characterization and plot consistency were lacking throughout the narrative.


Story: 6 / 10

POTENTIAL SPOILERS - The plot spans many years of the main characters' lives - not something that you'd typically see in horror manga, but it works here. The narrative flows pretty well until the build-up to the conclusion, which isn't all that impactful or satisfying. It's not bad, but you probably won't remember the story over other elements of the manga. A lot of the torture sequences / violence performed are pretty similar, but there are a few surprising and unique moments scattered throughout. Inconsistencies in characterization and consequences really subtract from the impact of both the plot's harsh moments and its victories.


Art: 9 / 10

The art style wasn't what I'd expect from this genre of manga, but it ends up feeling perfectly suited for the story being told. It's cute like a kid's manga, but the artist's attention to detail is clear, especially in things like the characters' facial expressions or clothing design. The gore almost exclusively takes the form of blood and cuts with minimal detail, so even moderately squeamish people should be able to tolerate it (as long as they aren't uncomfortable with torture scenes!)


Character: 4 / 10

Several characters lack consistency in their personalities and behavior, and despite the amount of time that passes it feels like all the characters have the exact same personalities that they did when they were kids, except with more anxiety. It kind of feels like the characters mostly embody archetypes, with a lack of any unique characterization or personality. That made it kind of difficult to care about them beyond the typical feeling of not wanting innocent characters to get hurt. The antagonist's capabilities are also very inconsistent, which really takes you out of the narrative at times.

I really enjoyed the author's exploration of lasting trauma and the process of recovering from it. It's a subject that even something as prominent as Chainsaw Man handled very poorly, so it was a relief that the subject's interpretation here is both brutal and hopeful.


Overall: 6 / 10


I don't think I would have stuck with this one if I knew it would be so iffy on the consistency. Decent violence, forgettable story.