Freesia is a story in alternative Japan where due to the overcrowded jails, the government has decided it would be a great idea to lessen sentences for convicted criminals in order for the victims of their crimes to be given an opportunity to legally kill them out of revenge. Since most victims aren't willing to place their own life in danger this has created a rather dubious industry around vengeance killings where these victims will act as their proxy for the sake of "justice".
From the very beginning this kind of premise seems original and Matsumuto Jiro goes out of his way to explain in detail without resorting to too much exposition how this deviation from the normal timeline has affected society. If this "what if scenario" was only used as a means to set up cool gun fights I would've been disappointed but the author takes into consideration the psychologies of every one of his characters, and those character studies is what sticks with me the most after reading this series.
The story's main character is a newly hired proxy enforcer and the fact that he's newly hired is a great way to have his co workers explain things to him without it breaking immersion. Another great point about the series is how the author likes to focus on the mental states of not only the main character but his co workers and the people they kill as well. There are chapters where we witness the lead up to a person receiving a notification that they are the target for a revenge killing and it is at times cathartic when you've seen them be nothing but shitty people and other times heart breaking when you realize how they've reformed themselves only to have their lives cut just short of redemption. This works mainly because the author just shows you these people's lives without having to explicitly tell the reader this is a shitty person or this person is a nice guy. He just trusts your intelligence to decide that for yourself and there is much room for open interpretation as to whether or not the target in question ever deserved a second chance.
There is also a sense of time and progression throughout the narrative. All of the characters working in the office go through various changes as a direct consequence of working there. I enjoyed the symbolism of decayed buildings showing up in the backgrounds sometimes where they shouldn't be to indicate the deteriorating mindset of some of these people. No one seems to be unaffected by this sense of time. Characters lose their faith in the system, or their relationships, or their loved ones. Even the nature of the industry changes and there is even a visual progression for some of these characters as they look noticeably different from the beginning of the series in comparison to how they are at the end. I feel there are consequences to any action taken in the story, either by the characters themselves or the government as a whole that feels more real than being strung along by a bland cliche backstory that defines each character. Actually, many characters will die before having explained why they act the way they do which leads the readers to make that insight
for themselves.
In terms of the artwork the mangaka goes for a very gritty look if I'm being generous and ugly if I'm being blunt. Do not use the beautifully smooth looking cover as a metric of how the characters look or else you will be disappointed. That said I think the artwork ends up creating a grimy pulpy atmosphere that fits not only the setting but the narrative as a whole. Killing isn't a beautiful thing, and the fact that looks as gross as it does is actually rather great. Also, characters who are seemingly further beyond any redemption seem to be drawn in harsher lines than others and I thought that was pretty clever.
Gun fights are also drawn to be chaotic but often times are a battle of wit to between hunter and prey to see who can cleverly out maneuver their opponent in a closed environment. Many panels are dedicated to shooters moving into position which leads to great amount of tension. If it was just a hail of constant bullets I feel it would get old fast. The fact that this often time leads to people hiding in dumpsters, or sewers or under dead bodies means it would be weird if it was drawn in a much prettier style as well. This also works for the many out there facial expressions that clearly convey character emotions where a more subdued visual aesthetic would have to have their characters verbally say how they're feeling.
In Freesia there is a level of enjoyment derived from reading what the speech bubbles say and what the character's faces say. The dialogue is also heavily characterized and much thought is given to the speech patterns of each character so as to differentiate them even further from one another. Even small random conversations seem more interesting not from what's being said but by who is saying it.
Freesia goes out of it's way to ask whether or not true reformation is possible and where do we draw the line between vengeance and justice. Is there any subjectivity to crimes and who exactly has the right to pass judgement on criminals. You will most likely come out more nihilistic on the way out from reading this series but at least in my opinion it doesn't leave a stone un-turned in creating this crazy what if scenario. It is later revealed that Freesia means "Prospect for a new future" in the language of flowers (I looked it up on Google but and it means innocence but whatever...". ) I found this to be really poignant and adds a level of tragic irony to the fates of these characters who are often robbed of any future throughout the story.
It's a rather enjoyable manga and I'd highly encourage reading this one if you are a fan of psychological thrillers, crime dramas, or atmospheric works of fictions.
