Kimi ga Bokura wo Akuma to Yonda Koro

Aug 2, 2022

Minearm

Recommended

Okay, this manga is very special. It starts off with just showing you endless amounts of stuff that you don't want to see, rape, extortion, torturing, and the story revolves around all this, and the people affected by it. But not in a good "we've been through this but can work it out together" way, the main character has lost all his memories and we're forced to relive all the bad shit he's done as formerly mentioned, as he regains his memories, and has to face the consequences.

If you're interested at this point then sure, go for it, but I wouldn't call this part of ...

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Nov 7, 2023

hexashadow13

Mixed Feelings

Well-written

tl;dr: A manga that is full of terrible writing but can still be surprisingly deep at times.

This manga is about a devil of a person who ceases being a devil. Yusuke was a complete monster throughout middle school that performed a long string of vile acts just for the fun of it. However, soon upon entering high school he lost the memories of the past fifteen years of his life, and comes out a pretty normal and reasonably nice guy. But it’s not like the crimes he’s committed have gone away. As such, this is a story of him trying to find some sort of ... life he can accept living despite the evil of his past. The manga deals with a number of related themes and manages to make some profound statements about the human condition, but these are essentially just short glimmers in a sea of nonsensical writing.

The first arc which takes up the first third or so of the manga, involves him just trying to survive not having any of the memories of his past and others taking advantage of that. There’s a mystery of sorts involving his past that he’s trying to solve, but it’s mostly just him going around haphazardly until he triggers memories. It involves exploring how he acted as a devil and his relationships with his victims. Characters aren’t fleshed out very well and there’s a lot of aspects that feel really forced. It’s also not particularly well paced. It tries to make some overarching statements about how sins never go away and how one can atone for them, but it feels pretty superficial.

The second arc is pretty distinct from the first arc and takes up the majority of the rest of the manga. The core of the first half of the second arc is supposed to be somewhat of a thriller where it isn’t quite clear at all what’s going on. I feel the intent of this was essentially to make the reader question how much they trust the protagonist as that itself somewhat plays into the larger overarching themes in the work in whether someone evil can ever be truly trusted to be good. However, that doesn’t really work in context, because it becomes less a question of whether the reader trust the protagonist and more so whether the reader is willing to believe that the author would completely just drop all the progression that occurred in the first third of the manga. And from that perspective, this portion is overtly slow and not particularly interesting.

The second half of the second arc turns into somewhat of a battle of wits. It’s somewhat interesting in that the battle of wits is pretty much entirely oriented around who’s willing to trust in whom. Still, beyond that it’s pretty stupid with none of the twists or moves feeling all that intelligent or particularly well planned. This also touches on themes relating to how people with the best of intentions can cause terrible things to happen and also delves into how good people can be pushed into doing terrible things due to just small nudges here and there and thus that even devils may deserve some sympathy. However, the situations surrounding this were ridiculous to the point it doesn’t really feel like these points landed properly.

The epilogue plot wise feels incredibly forced. There’s hinting at it through random cuts to the future in the second arc so it’s not like it wasn’t planned. But despite that it still doesn’t feel cohesive at all. This part is the most direct in trying to try to convey a message to the reader regarding forgiveness and empathy that permeate through the entire work to the point that it gets pretty preachy. Still, I would say that it does a better job than the entire rest of the manga so I would say it works out well as being the conclusion to the work thematically as it’s very clear what the manga was trying to say. Still, that doesn’t change how it doesn’t really fit the flow of the manga at all and plot wise is full of massive gaping holes in logic that it’s attempts to write around don’t really do much to fix.

The art in the manga is okay. It fits the atmosphere and type of story it is reasonably well, but it’s pretty rough and it never looks particularly good or well drawn.

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Nov 23, 2023

Chufal

Not Recommended

I binged this manga over the last week or so and I regret doing so

In this manga we have the story of a "Devil" a man that committed such heinous crimes (SA, extortion, extreme violence etc) in middle school and his life and the consequences after the fact. The manga tries to tackle the redeemability of such a person when they have lost their memories of these crimes and a story of penance with the guilt and weight of them.

The manga was interesting enough to finish reading online but after finishing it I cant say id recommend it. I feel like the story never really ...

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May 2, 2024

Katkenkay

Recommended

“From now on, until the end of your life your past is going to constantly take revenge on you.”

I’m going to preface this review with a warning: This manga has the most disturbing things that CAN does indeed happen, and more often then you think. Crimes like rape, bullying, sexual assault, and murder are all seen in this manga.

This manga is about a person named Yusuke, a high schooler who is sometimes called a devil, yet cannot remember due to amnesia. When confronted about his past by several old classmates, he finds out he was a heinous person in middle school. During their confrontations he ...

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Nov 30, 2021

UtkarshKamath

Recommended

Preliminary (66/154 chp)

This would be my first review of any anime ,manga or anything on MAL and the reason i am writing a review even when i thought i would never right one, this hell of a dark,confusing,messed up series forced me to do so.(Do not even think of reading it if you are weak hearted or get's disturbed easily)
One more thing this review is only based on the 66 chapters of the series that i have read and where i see it going from here so might chante it later.

So, Story-0(absolute zero)
Well lets get one thing straight out of the way the story is not what ...

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Oct 29, 2022

Sir_Froggy

Recommended

'Back When You Called Us Devils' is a story of a person, or to some a devil, called 'Yusuke, Saitou' who has committed a lot of horrible crimes in middle school. Some of the worst types of crimes you can think of. He, however, has lost his memories. The focus of the first part of this story is on him trying to recover said memories. Along the way he encounters the people he's hurt in his past and you see how he deals with these situations.

The question 'will he revert to his 'devil'-like self?' hangs in the back of your mind when reading, adding an ...

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Sep 19, 2022

blueraimo

Recommended

I decided to review this manga because I liked the concept and the story. And reading it made me feel certain things.

(No spoilers, I’m just writing about my thoughts).

I’m always down for a good thriller, and this one just had the right balance of darkness, unpleasantness, hope, melancholy, and psychological rot. I might have liked it slightly more than necessary.
It ponders philosophical questions and explores the consequences of our actions.

The story is about a guy named Yuusuke, it starts with him in high school, he’s initially introduced as a typical teenager who’s friendly and outgoing, living a normal life, except for one thing; ...

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Jul 16, 2025

DanteArigieri

Recommended

This manga is a fucking masterpiece. We accompany Yusuke Saito, a boy in high-school that goes by the nickname of "Devil" for the deeds he comitted against other people at the school. Thing is, he doesn't remember. He had amnesia, and wasn't able to recall what happened by himself. Still, even being now, another person, he is forced to confront the weight of descovering who he really is, his now past identity and the weight of the past. That information hazard that would rot and destroy him inside out upon discovery.
This is a story about guilt. About reflection. About redemption. Vengeance. The weight of the ... past. About Crime and Punishment.

Characters: 9/10

The characters are incredible. They feel real and the are numerous. The way they interact with the main character is interesting and when the reader keep discovering the intricacies of Yusuke Saito's relationships (how people really see him, how much they trust him, how much they like him or not and etc.) it turns out to be a fucking blast. The last chapters are really a punch to the face, when you discover what you didn't really had certainty about before in the manga. How people really see him. What the people he walks with and he keeps close (in certain ways) think about him. Why did I give 9/10 then? Sincerely, even though we discover the intricacies of their relationships, the characters, except by the protagonists, doens't really change. Not like that's a bad thing, but it would be cool to see them changing throughout the years. Also, we don't really get insight into why they think what they think, all of the reasons why one character would have so much polarizing opinions about him. That's not really developed (but in no means it makes the story bad). At least I didn't understand, maybe some other people with more knowledge of pyschoanalysis or smth could tell more about it.

Story: 10/10

We get some time skips. There are 2 major time periods. The first one lasts 1/3 of the story, and the second one covers the rest, except by the last 15 chapters. Since the beginning, I found the story to be very compelling and interesting (even though I figured there were many many people that didn't really like the beginning), along with the characters. The story tackles many dark themes and the question of "can someone so hedious be forgiven?". It shows how people react to the knowledge of one's past. What people want to do to him. What they wish he would do.
When the first time period was close to finishing I had doubts about some characters' actions and thought they didn't really made sense, and I started to think that maybe the story was going to become flawed, bad. It didn't.
The second time period is even better than the first. The story quality derives from this part. The first one was just to show the pillars of the story. The second time period is about manipulation, investigation, fight, guilt, redemption. All I said in the beginning. Here is where it starts to really get good.
Do you think the characters are the only one being manipulated? No. You, the reader, will be left havings doubts about your judgement for many chapters to come. The writer inserts the reader as a direct witness of the most important events.
The MC finds opponents, enemies, he finds guilt and he finds punishment.
And the end. The end comes like a punch to the face. The last 15 chapters were pure existencialism. Pessimism. The meaning of things. Even some of those being barely touched upon, it really makes a thoughful part of the manga.

Art: 7/10

The art is really interesting. Unique. The artwork reflect the themes and the "darkness" (how edgy of me for saying that shi) of the plot. Even though it has those merits, it also lack in some of the basics. It's not a question of style, but of consistency. Sometimes the proportions, perspective and shading feels off, and it's perceptible. Not enough to make the manga bad or to break the feeling of the scenes, but sometimes it's just very off and it annoys me a little. But when the art is good, it is really good. But sadly, nothing in the level of Rainbow or Alive type shit.

Enjoyment: 10/10

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Dec 3, 2025

swampwitch2007

Not Recommended

Preliminary (90/154 chp)

i dont like how much of this is torture porn. if the characters didnt have the situational awareness of first graders and the mc wasnt irredeemable garbage i could see this being worth my time. but its not. its trying to be oyasumi punpun and it is BAD at it. it is tasteless but worse than that it is BORING. the only good chapter is chapter 1. after 89 more i just became so fucking bored idc about whatever big set up there is. and the art is highkey bad i laughed pretty hard at it at many points.
cannot recommend this to anyone for any ...

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May 15, 2025

yorokobisenpai

Recommended

What makes a “good” person good, and a “bad” person bad?
Good people do bad things, and bad people do good things, so where is the line? Why do we consider someone good when they do bad things to someone we’ve already deemed bad? Can people truly change? And who gets to decide what, or who, is unforgivable? These are just a few of the questions I found myself asking after reading this.

The manga is complex and chaotic, and it may challenge your moral compass. It tackles something I think is very important, something that's much easier to examine in others than to confront within ourselves. ... There are a lot of moral and ethical dilemmas here, and I believe judging the manga based on whether you agree with how those dilemmas are portrayed is unfair. It's like disliking a book simply because a character doesn’t align with your beliefs or morals. When reading this, you have to set that aside and really dissect the complexities and messages being presented.

The art is good, fitting for the story being told. The mangaka captures internal aspects of the characters very well, whether light or dark, even when those feelings are masked. For example, at times, you get the sense a character is wearing a smile they don’t mean, just like you might notice in someone you know. There are moments where the art becomes palpable, where it communicates emotion so visually and effectively. I really commend that.

The story’s flaw, in my opinion, is that it tries to do too much. Some moments are overcomplicated. A twist might land well at first, but then get buried under layers that weren’t necessary. Sometimes simplicity is best but because of this, certain moments lose their punch. The mangaka wants to play with and tease readers, which can be done brilliantly, but here, it doesn’t always land, and it can feel drawn out or anti-climactic. This can deter readers but if you can push through, you'll find a journey worth taking. There's something poignant here that makes you question not only your morals, but yourself.

I think some of the side characters were poorly utilised and moments where perhaps they could have added more depth and been incorporated more were not there. It's fair to say because of how little they were used, there comes a point where the story could have done without them entirely. They offered very little which is a shame as they seem like precious pieces at the start only to morph into very little.

You can follow a character who has done something extremely atrocious, but it is not for us, the readers, to justify, forgive, sympathize, or even empathize. You may feel conflicted if you do but this manga doesn't need that from us. It’s our role to bear witness, to observe, reflect, and take from it what we take, whether we understand it, relate to it, or not.

In life, when we witness abhorrent behavior, it’s not our place to decide whether someone is forgivable. That right belongs to the victim. The same principle applies here. You're exposed not just to crime, but to the internal conflict of someone who committed it. It’s heavy, especially when you consider these things were done by someone very young, who now lives with the burden, shame, guilt, and self-hatred. That lingering question: How could I do that? Why did I do that?

It's rare to follow someone who has done something terrible but is remorseful. Villains exist, but how many do we follow closely as they try to undo the harm they’ve done? This manga gives us that insight, we are lurkers in the shadows. It's easy to dehumanize someone who harms others, but we rarely ask why. Instead, we justify why we’re allowed to harm them. And while the story may leave you conflicted about who to support, or if anyone is even worth supporting, it never forces you to choose. It doesn’t ask for your agreement. It simply walks you through the journey and leaves you with questions only you can answer.

I’m not a fan of how the manga ends, but I understand it. It did what it needed to do. It encapsulates the message of the story, which is open to interpretation. Whatever you take from it is what you take.

I liked the story more often than not. I was able to understand characters who are very different from myself and that’s because of the journey I took with them. The protagonist may or may not be good or bad. That’s up to you. I don’t think a label is necessary. The story is more complex than that. It’s about the journey, the questions that arise along the way, and the person they become through it all.

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Kimi ga Bokura wo Akuma to Yonda Koro
Back When You Called Us Devils
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Kimi ga Bokura wo Akuma to Yonda Koro
Back When You Called Us Devils
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