(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; he doesn’t remember his past at all. The story turns around when he gets confronted by someone from his past, who claims they’ve been hurt by him and that he’s a devil in human flesh.
The story is composed of two parts and an epilogue. I got rapidly invested in the first part which is basically a warm-up for the second act.
First I want to start by saying this is dark stuff. It contains depictions of sexual assault (involving minors), bullying, blackmail, physical violence, and torture. It’s very disturbing.
The ongoing theme is redemption and second chances. It shows us that morality is a complex concept and examines what or who defines “right” & “wrong”. (In my case, I believe it’s society who gets to decide that most of the time).
It also raises various questions about what makes up a person. Is it their appearance, actions, environment, experiences, or is it all of those? What if a person were to lose all memory of who they were and became an empty shell of all their past self? Would you still hold them accountable for their previous crimes and misdeeds? And on what basis would you condemn them if they were genuinely changed?
And most importantly, what counts as punishment, or rather punishment ENOUGH.
How would you exactly go on about getting even with someone (if you had the chance). The answer is that it’s different for everybody. Each person has their way of dealing with trauma.
The subject is complicated but the author does a great job of portraying the turbulent mental state and the struggle that the characters go through. The whole victim/perpetrator dynamic was very emotionally charged. I couldn’t get enough of their interactions because I was genuinely invested. There were so many layers to be uncovered.
The art is unique. It’s generally soft yet it can have a cutting edge when needed.
I especially loved the moments it changed from the usual art style to a somewhat simpler whole-page drawing when it came to special moments. It strangely intensified the atmosphere. I liked the smooth transitions and alluded symbolisms.
So if you are into psychological thrillers, then I suggest you try this one too. It also reminded me a bit of Hone ga Kusaru made.
(Minor spoilers)
Cats save lives. It’s a fact.
Now something I didn’t like.. I know the world is vast and middle schoolers can be mean. It isn’t entirely unplausible, but it still bothered me. Age 13-14 is a little too young for this level of evil. Or maybe not? Even babies are innocently cruel sometimes.
Regarding that ending, I thought it was befitting, to say the least. But it also left me feeling hollow.
It’s also true that sometimes the worst punishment for a criminal is to keep living on under the burden of their guilt. (If they have a conscience that is).
