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. If we are not ready for this pressure, we begin to be crushed under the roles, that is, personas, imposed on us. Chi no Wadachi doesn't explicitly address such concepts through text but rather through its illustrations.
Oshimi's artwork in Chi no Wadachi surpasses even his work in Aku no Hana and Happiness. He effectively portrays the pressure of trauma, the tension on characters, and inner depression through his drawings. You can feel everything just by looking at the illustrations, even without any accompanying text. Whether fading of drawings when memories are narrated or the expression of disturbing emotions during moments of depression, the lines follow no particular pattern... It's the illustrations that impacted me the most in this manga.
The characters are intriguingly written, particularly Seiko, who draws you into the story with curiosity. In terms of character development, it's satisfying and reflects the seriousness of the situation. Oshimi also mentions the purpose of writing the manga within the series itself.
Overall, I wouldn't call it an easy read, but it's a fluent series. Some events in the series were quite harsh, making it a manga that evokes a wide range of emotions while reading.
