"the girl from the other side" is a haunting modern fairy tale that explores loneliness in a world ravaged by fear and prejudice, driven by religion and greed. yet somehow, love has still found a way to blossom even in inhospitable lands.
i've said it before, but i'm completely in love with how nagabe explored his own art style while writing this story. it's just so vivid, so full of contrast and filled with emotions every single page. it really felt like i was reading an old fairy tale story that was passed from generation to generation. i specially loved how the old tale that surrounded the insiders and outsiders was told. it reflects perfectly on how the situation they live in came to be, with how greed and blindness to someone else's feelings can drive someone mad, with a never ending thirst for power.
shiva is the salvation that sensei craved for so long. she's the hopeful part of himself that came to life in order to show him a new hunger for life. she's the personification of the family he lost, but also about the hopeful present he so desperately crave for. his right to choice and freedom was taken away by those he considered allies and protectors, but also by those he was raised to hate. he became what he hated the most, yet his soul still survived, keeping his humanity alive in order for him to survive, day by day. the pain and love he slowly erased from his memory came to life once again when he found a girl, who was abandoned just like him.
shiva is the one that brings hope for the insiders and outsiders because she's made out of kindness and bravery. she, who was left alone twice, still found a way to come back home and fight for the ones she loves.
"the girl on the other side" is filled of hope and teaches us how fear is often injected into us before we even form our own opinions. secrets and truths are hidden from us in order to maintain a greater power, big enough that none of us could touch. but, amidst all this, there is still humanity within us, which will always find ways to reach out to others.
finished reading one of the most raw and heart breaking manga. “talk to my back” by yamada murasaki explores the fantasy of the perfect nuclear family, the oppression and alienation imposed on housewives, and the way in which husbands view their wives as mere accessories.
to me, the way the story is told is very agonizing, which makes the message even more impactful. being an episodic manga, it shows the passage of time for a housewife who finds herself trapped, with nowhere to run or anyone to lean on. it addresses how many women are led to believe that they will only find happiness and purpose in life after marriage, only to find themselves trapped with a man who no longer even sees them as human beings. for many men, their wives exist to satisfy their desires and to be invisible.
one of my favorite parts is how motherhood is explored and how it doesn’t shy away of showing how it is sold to us as absolute purity, often making women feel guilty for finding their voice within their own homes. a woman's individuality is sidelined for the greater good stemming from the illusion of the perfect mother. this is my first experience reading anything by yamada murasaki, but i’m definitely going to explore more of her works. i’m impressed with her storytelling, her paneling and the whole structure of her narrative.
“talk to my back” by yamada murasaki is published in english by drawn & quarterly. i bought the digital version but i know they still have physical as well
kageki shoujo!!, by saiki kumiko
finally caught up to kageki shoujo: a story marked by dedication and loyalty, which is often used as a barrier to hide nightmares such as bulimia, aesthetic pressure, and shattered dreams. it also dives into familiar drama, the idol industry and brings kabuki to the table as well.
i have to say: i was very hooked on kageki since the start. i loved how the story was told and the main characters, love the underdog storytelling being used on sarasa and how she bloomed when she was on stage. this also happened because i always love stories that introduces me to a new form of art that i’ve never heard before, so i was completely intrigued by it and wanted to know more and more (and it being told from the perspective of students and their professors also made it so fun, since we had different generations interpretations of it, and the mains plot not being focused on who’s already at the top, with only flashbacks here and there, made it more interesting in this case).
my main criticism about it is that sometimes it offers way more than it can handle. we have kouka, kabuki, narata’s pass with the idol industry, sarasa’s very confusing bloodline…it’s a lot. sometimes, i feel like there’s way too many threads being left behind that will have to be picked up at a time that might clash with other plot line. the fact that some other characters' stories were explored in greater depth in extra chapters made the dynamic between the main narrative and the smaller plots inserted here and there lighter, since we didn't stray too far from the main line of thought to enter another. i think it does makes sense to drag sarasa’s plot line further since she’s the main character, of course, but at times it gets tiring. the part that i loved the most was when she had to confront her resentment regarding kabuki and how she could never have the chance to participate on it, using her frustration to pump up her acting.
the clash between the two different theaters was also something i really liked, and how sarasa’s past with kabuki is slowly creeping into her movements is extremely interesting. she uses it on her favor even if she has no idea about it, which is nice. it’s not something forced, rather something that’s inside her already.
the friendship plot was sweet and the acting part of it all was very well explored, mixing scenes with the girls wearing uniforms and how they would look if they were on stage. it does brings the love for acting very clearly, specially when they are training for a new play. i’m also glad that the story brought up topics about the pressure of having an extreme slim body to be able to perform (although i do think it was “resolved” rather quickly, i wish they would come back to it), and the way they explored ai’s assault and her trauma. i think there’s a lot of things to be developed still, so i will wait. i admit that vol 15 having 40%ish dedicated to the plot of their next play threw me off a little, since i wanted *them* to tell me the story, but i’ll let it slide.
very excited to what’s to come!!! can’t wait to dive even more deeper into the story! (also not that important but the comments about sarasa’s curly hair annoyed me a little NDKANDJA)
"kageki shoujo!! by saiki kumiko is published in english both physically and digitally by seven seas
i’d like to write about love, by roji
i have a very soft spot for roji-sensei’s works. i like how it’s always very focused on communication and how romantic love works differently for everyone. and ofc “i’d like to write about love” wouldn’t be different from that: a story about two people learning to connect.
it’s very good to know more about keito, since i’ve been very curious about him, however i do think that anyone who would like to read this one needs to read all about my two dads since i believe it talked way more of his internal homophobia there. here we’re more focused on exploring how difficult it is to him to be open and true to people around him, since he’s always extremely afraid to be hurt or left behind. it connects a lot with furukawa’s own problems with not feeling capable of helping people, which makes their communication very good and very nice to explore.
i do wish we had more, in a way. wish the story were longer and we could explore more of the characters and their internal conflicts. i wanted to know a lot more of their families and their traumas. it’s a very fast read that could use some work here and there, since i felt like a lot was left unsaid. however i do like how the story ends up being focused on “two people who love each other and are learning to fall in love”, since it’s a stand alone volume.
in the end, i can’t help it but always have a soft spot for all the characters roji creates, wishing i had more of them. seeing riri again made me so happy, i love this little angel
i’d like to write about love by roji is published in english digitally by animate international
final volume of gene bride, by takano hitomi
last volume of gene bride was most definitely packed. we finally had all the answers we were looking for and a bigger commentary on the debate of women not been seen as humans or even have their rights be consider, which i do appreciate and respect a lot.
while i don’t feel like the ending was rushed, i would also like, even more than anything, for all the information we received in the final volume to be disseminated throughout the four total volumes. it left a taste in my mouth that things resolver way too easily way too fast, when in my opinion the writing shinned way more when it slowly solved all the problems that were brought up with a little more calm and “difficulty”. that being said, i still did like the work as a whole. i liked a lot. i think it’s very good to have a manga that discusses sexual assault and the erasure of women in society very openly, and uses the sci-fi subtext to push that debate even further. the mystery of the school as a whole add a more interesting taste to the narrative, which makes us crave more.
i firmly believe it’s a story that is better when read in one go, which i do plan on rereading. there were a lot of small details that i missed in between a volume or two that would be very helpful for me not to feel so lost. but it can also be a “me thing”, since i’m not the biggest sci-fi expert in the world.
i think that, if we had everything more spread out, we would even have more time to develop more of the characters, give them more time to breath in between actions. some of them did feel very flat to me, or more like they had potential, but wasn’t used to the max. the easier solution in my opinion would be to erase some that didn’t add anything important, so it would give more time to the ones who were really making the plot move forward. reading the author’s words at the end, i feel like i understand her choices a little more and i honestly respect her for creating such an intriguing story that further exposes the absurdity that women have faced in society throughout the centuries.
i will miss gene bride! wish we had more volumes, but if the author is satisfied with what she could deliver with 4 volumes, specially the main theme she wanted to approach, all i can say is that i fully respect that.
gene bride by takano hitomi is published in english both physically and digitally by seven seas
yon, by camille broutin
vol 1 of “yon” by camille broutin was intriguing. it’s a french manga about girls truing to survive a so called “event” that will possibly kill them. the way that the story flows and the art gives the sensation of a continuous silence, which contrast with the girls’ desperation.
i don’t have a very solid opinion of it, since it’s only vol 1. the story is still developing and the characters are still taking shape, but i’m curious enought to want to keep reading it.
“yon” by camille broutin is published in english by europe comics
illumination, by yamashita tomoko
no matter how many works i read, i will never cease to be impacted and get chills from the way yamashita tomoko tells her stories, all immersed in understanding how relationships and emotions collide. she’s a mastermind in dissecting the mundane and exploring its pain.
her short stories always leaves me breathless. “roses, thorns and shattering clang” was my favorite by far and in my opinion reflects a lot with her most recent works, which shows how much she’s been diving deeper into exploring humanity (crazy to think it’s from 2008).
and one that made me go “oh, this is so her” was most definitely “about that person”, a story about how we never know the impact we cause in other people’s life and what will be left of us when we’re gone.
the anthology “illumination” by yamashita tomoko is another one of sensei’s gems.
thoughts and small review on tokyo babylon // spoilers
not even the kindest of hearts can survive the trick of destiny: clamp once again shows how they excel with the creation of magic and a huge universes.
one thing that i absolute adore abou clamp's writing is how they are able to create this whole new world from start to finish and make all the stories inside of it plausible and connected. the sensation of getting in contact with everything they ever created and recognizing characters and stories are one of the most beautiful things about reading their work, specially when you read one after another. it took me a while to read tokyo babylon after i read some of their other works from the same universe, but the feeling was there nonetheless.
TB was a surprise. i am very used to clamp's playful writing that adds very political themes to their magic, but i wasn't expecting to find so many in a story from 1990. it discusses from consequences of abuse, be it sexual or familiar; the growing housing crisis that affected (and still do) whole tokyo, leading people to their extreme; xenophobia, when they talk about how immigrants aren't seen as real people since they can't speak the language; and so many other political debates. this was the best surprise to me, for sure.
another thing i usually really like about clamp's work is how they value individuality and emphasize how each person's pain cannot be compared to or felt by another, since it belongs only to the person who feels it. of course, there is empathy and ways of associating, but never denying or belittling someone else's pain, since we are not in their shoes to feel it. the siblings dynamic was beautiful. it's heartwarming to see how much love and respect the twins have for each other and how they will do anything to save the sibling they love so dearly, even dying in their place. hokuto's final moments brought tears to my eyes, specially when i saw her body on seishirou's arms.
now, to the elephant in the room: i don't think the romantic feelings between subaru and seishiro is very clear to me yet. let me explain.
i know that the narrative shifts on X and the development of their relationship begins to change, but in my opinion, the plot surrounding both, up to now, was based on grooming and manipulation. seishirou was playing emotional games with subaru with the intention of fulfilling his wish and only that, just to challenge himself and his nature. he even manipulated and played with hokuto, making her an ally, which was one of the reason that lead her to her death, since bearing the thought that she was the one to bring seishiro and subaru closer was way too much for her to handle. she died carrying an immense guilt. i also don't think subaru understand exactly if he loves seishirou's romantically yet, and the moment when he stops to try to understand it and say "i do love him", he was under the influence of all his spell, as if he was lead to believe that
what he felt was romantic because of all the little games seishiro played with him, pushing his fake feelings into him. subaru's love is completely tied and mixed with his guilt, since he considers himself to be the reason why seishirou is blind in one eye. it's not that subaru didn't care about seishiro: no, he did. he considered him to be someone very important to him, i just don't think it was romantic. and this gets a little clear to me when he lets himself to be killed, not even reacting or fighting back, which i do believe one of the reasons why is because he so full of guilt and compassion for this man that he believe he loved romantically and was the reason why his whole life changed.
i also want to say that despite what it might have sound, i do like seishirou and i think he's an amazing character, very well constructed, bringing a lot of clamp's skills with writing complex characters that navigates through very grayish areas. the more he revealed to be hiding things, the more i wanted to know more about him.
i'm very excited to start X now, because i feel i'll have a lot more answers. not only about subaru and seishiro's relationship, but also more about hokuto's death, their whole family dynamic, sakurazuka's clam and so much more.
thank you for reading up to here!! it will be a pleasure to discuss it with you if you feel like it 💛 don't forget to support the authors!!!
EDIT: i want to make something clear since I did had this discussion with some people (which i'm not complaining, i looooove discussing). i'm not here to deny the canon confirmation that seishirou and subaru are in love with each other and are a canon couple. i know about it and I'm sure X will give me a way better clarity over the topic. it's just my interpretation on tokyo babylon, which doesn't mean I'm denying canon. don't worry!!
i fought a lot with myself and decided to bring only 25 stories (+ extras) that stood out to me in some way. again, extremely happy to have encountered so many beautiful stories
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★
disclaimers:
*this has NO order
*this list is exclusive to mangas i *started* in 2025 only (as in jan 1 to dec 17)
*most of this manga are ongoing. this won’t interfere in the list. my opinion on each is equivalent to the last chapter published to date (17/12)
*please, remember to always check for possible tw before reading any of these. don't read anything blindly
*you can easily find a more detailed review on my profile, just check the tag #duckreview or my twitter page
*a lot of these were published officially in english so please don't forget to support the author by buying the official releases.
★ &, by okazaki mari
mari okazaki's writing is so realistic that it's difficult for me to explain the whole story in just a few words. a story about codependency, about how patriarchy dominates various areas of our lives, and the suffocation of so many questions surrounding a very scary future.
★ gene bride, by takano hitomi
takano hitomi makes clear what she wants to achieve with this manga: to raise awareness about the constant fear, pressure and harassment that women are subjected to, all this with a dose of mystery involving a bizarre school and "special" humans.
★ spacewalking with you by doronoda inuhiko
a story that feels like a hug. it tells the story of the birth of an unexpected friendship between two boys and the moments they share together as they get to know each other.
★ my dear detective, by ito natsumi
a fun and light story that doesn’t fear bringing up topics like queerness, the rampant sexism women faced in 1930 and the challenges that comes for those who decide to fight for what they believe.
★ ohana holoholo, by torino shino
a very human story about how hard it is to give someone a second chance, the never ending fear of accepting your own queerness, the never ending grief of being away from the one you love and the community you build around you for a brighter future.
★ shonen note: boy soprano, by kamatani yuuki
a beautiful story that talks about unavoidable changes and how music connects people, but also talks about finding your own self in the world, how we do have to face challenges to find our own happiness.
★ melon no aji, by etsuko
how depression spreads to every corner of our daily lives, and how easy it is to pretend even with so much struggle.
★ koi yori aoku, by fukaumi kon
sometimes, fate brings people together in a sweet way. two girls bump into each other on a train, only realizing when they get home that they swapped books... and now, what kind of relationship might this moment create?
★ the girl from the other side, by nagabe
a modern and moving fairy tale that explores how love can still find a way to flourish even in inhospitable lands, despite the loneliness in a world devastated by fear and prejudice.
★ don't call it mystery, by tamura yumi
a detective story where the main character never chose to be one. knowing very well how to use suspense to its advantage, the manga has fun with the clues it scatters throughout the chapters, inviting the reader to join in the search for answers.
★ captivated by you, by wayama yama
a collection of short stories that shows how brilliant wayama yama is when the subject is comedy. it explores the daily lives of teenagers in a lighthearted, fun, and heartwarming way.
★ kono koi wo hoshi ni wa negawanai, by shinoa
what if pain and love are intertwined? what if the relationship you had with someone for so long can’t exists if it stays the same? what does it mean to understand love, to be loved and to seek love?
★ let's go karaoke!, by wayama yama
the kind of story that i feel only someone like wayama would come up with. impossible not to laugh with so many bizarre encounters and absurd scenarios, specially with so many amazingly written dialogues.
★ my girl, by yumeka sumomo
a wonderful story about fatherhood, grief, loneliness and what it means to raise a human being. and, of course, without forgetting to explore what it means to be such a young girl who’s trying to hold everything together.
★ 10dance, by inoue satou
intense, sensual, painful, cruel and beautiful love that grows thanks to dance. two proud men unite with a common goal, unaware that a treacherous love awaits them.
★ tamaki to amane, by yoshinaga fumi
a collection of short stories that covers human relationships in different times in history. times do change, but love and friendship keep on breaking any barriers.
★ fatale game, by battan
a mysterious editor ensnares a writer on the verge of a breakdown. her words are captivating, her gestures addictive, and her somber air difficult to resist.
★ lullaby of the dawn, by yuno ichika
a debate about what defines one as human, how people are chained to the church and how cruel one can be in the name of power.
★ pink candy kiss, by uozumi ami
a story that touches on the complex feelings between two women, the fear of giving love a chance, and how someone feels the need to deny their own sexuality.
★ grass, by kim keum-suk
powerful and heartbreaking graphic novel that tells the story of a woman who survived the terror of being a comfort woman during the japanese occupation in korea
★ umibe no stove: ooshiro kogani tanpenshuu, by ooshiro kogani
an anthology made to explore human relationships and life itself, while questioning a lot of things we usually consider it to be “normal”.
★ count tachibana, by hwalgi
a story about how one’s right to life is completely disregarded if it means interfering with another's certainty of success.
★ i want to love you till your dying day, by aono nachi
death as being the only thing you ever knew. grief as a feeling you’re learning to feel. a war that you’re chained to fight. when does it all ends?
★ this monster wants to eat me, by naekawa sai
your own life and destiny are at the hands of a monster who you can’t help but feel drawn to. in the end, is she here to save you or to fulfill her own desires?
★ a witch's life in mongol, by tomato soup
a very political story that follows the growth of a girl who had to find a way to survive and seek revenge for her people
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★
extras:
★ cling once, blink twice. & je t'aime, café noir, by yamashita tomoko
yamashita being the amazing writer she is and exploring human relations in two very distinguished ways
★ bokura ni wa bokura no kotoba ga aru, by eiri
a story that i have read little of (that’s why it’s on the extras, i need to explore it more), but already won me over. two boys building a new bold by finding new ways of communicating
★ our dining table: seconds, please!, by mita ori
this one is here because i was confused if i could consider this to be an independent work or it’s very tied to our dining table, which i read long, long ago. still, i love it and made me love the characters even more
★ kaze machi no futari, by kashiwai
a beautiful story about the friendship between a lonely painter and a young girl that suddenly barges into his life
★ odoriba ni skirt ga naru, by utatane yuu
two girls fighting against what has been imposed on them and discovering love through dance.
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★
i'm always here to talk about any of them, if you'd like 💛 thank you for being here with me for one more year!!
yamashita tomoko-sensei isn’t an author that shies away from topics like grief, those who questions what people understand as human nature and what one is capable of doing when faced with the unexpected. and that is explored even more on her latest three one shots
“sugar girl” discusses more about human naivety and how one can be easily manipulated. the “good person” mask that often disguise what they have hidden insane, be it fear of not belonging or the nasty proud of hiding your darker side. what one doesn’t have can be easily obtained if one finds the best manipulation tactic, often disguised as compassion.
everyone craves love and acceptance, and yet everyone uses the same needs to get what they want. could be a woman from another planet with a dark, looming presence, as if she’s going to attack when you least expect, or someone that doesn’t dare say a word after being hit. you have to be smart enough to walk away
“the grim reaper” dives a little deeper on how we often take life for granted. not only ours, but other’s as well. we seek for the one that isn’t here by our sides anymore because we weren’t able to show our true intentions or love when they were once by our side. to wait for a trip, to ignore the one who sleeps by your side, to seek for the death when it’s way too late.
the mysterious and curious undertones are still there. who is that man and where does he comes from? what does he knows about death that we don’t? and what happened to the one who’s still alive, but could be dead for long? why is it that loneliness only appears when we can’t save what’s been lost far too long?
it discuss the way people aren’t afraid of death until they are finally facing it. it discuss how easy it is to be consumed by grief and the idea that loneliness was there far too long. is knowing that you have the power over someone’s life, be it controlling it, ignoring it or reaping it.
the last one, “blink once, cling twice” debates how difficult it is to finally listen to your desires and act on it. talks about how easily it is to just pretend that the looming desire isn’t surrounding you, wishing that something way bigger than yourself could act in your place and spare you from the headache of assuming your own needs.
blink once and you’ll see what you want personified in front of you. but to blink a second time you need to take a step forward. if you’re so afraid of what can happen to you, why not sit and listen to what life has been trying to tell you instead of running away just because you can?
it’s easier to burry one’s need to the ground and let it be engulfed by what one was never able to act one than killing what has been already dead far too long.
yamashita tomoko is a mastermind of creating stories that leaves you wondering about your own understanding of what’s best for you. if you blink twice, would you be able to see your path without whatever is blocking it?
you can find all three of her one shots and one full manga on mangaplaza. please support sensei if you can, the prices are usually very cheap and accessible
the second volume of all about my two dads dives a little deeper into how it is for a queer family to raise a child in a society that will do all they can to invalidate their hard work. why is it so wrong for a child to be raised by two people that love each other?
i might be bias in my review since i do love this work deeply, but i truly believe roji is doing an amazing job writing about how hard it is for same sex parents to raise a child the best they can. after all, it's not only adults who will judge them or even try to pain their parenthood as being wrong, but children can also cause hard even without knowing the height of their words, they are just echoing what they hear from people they consider an exemple or a safe space.
vol 2 also debates how even queer people can be damaged and tainted by this narrative. you grow up your whole life hearing about how much of a sinner you are, that bringing and raising a child into this world you live is wrong. the blame you carry your whole life starts to become unbearable, and you deny your own happiness thanks to it.
but what does it mean to raise a child in a perfect, out of harm way? does one parent really knows, from the start, the right things to say and right things to do? why is it heavier when a queer parent makes a mistake compared to a straight couple?
all about my two dads talks about never ending love and how important it is to respect your child as a person themselves, not as someone who's an external part of yourself. we're all humans that are learning to survive day by day, and we're doing our best to transmit what we've learned our whole life to the next generation.
hiro and his friends really is the heros of this story. they are ready to challenge what all of these characters understood of family and break the mold they were forced to be for years. sometimes, a child does really knows more than a scarred adult.
also, one thing i want to include and that needs to be talked about is these two amazing moms 💛 nanami and riri are such amazing kids, raised with so much love and respect
this is one of my favorite manga!! if you haven't read it yet, I definitely encourage you to 💛. the oficial english translation is published by animate international digitally. thank you for reading!!
i can easily say that "umibe no stove" was one of my favorite reads this year. it's an anthology with stories that explores human relationships and life itself.
each short story impacted me in different ways, but two of them deserves to be highlighter here:
first one was story number 4: yuki wo idaku (embrace/hug the snow): the story follows two women that got stuck far from home due to a snowstorm. having nowhere to go, they decided to stick to each other and go to a public bath. there, wakaba opens up about her pregnancy and how that is affecting her, both mentally and physically. she finally feels comfortable with this new friend to open up about how her body never feels like belonging to her, as if it existed only for other people. as a woman, i couldn’t agree more with everything she felt.
ever since we’re little, we’re teach about how our body is a weapon. whatever happens to us, is our fault for living our lives freely with this body of ours. we’re reached that we only exist to give life to someone else and that we need to constantly modify it to fit to societal standards. the body you have will never be enough and, at the same time, it will always be a lot. it’s painful to be seen only as a body and not as a soul. it’s draining to be reduced to skin and bones and a tight mouth that won’t spill any selfish needs.
so, it was hard for me not to get emotional when kouko put on perspective how each woman have a beautiful, unique body. old, young, bodies that will change as life goes by, bodies that lived thousands of years. what we represent isn’t what others want from us, but the power that this sturdy body give us to keep on going, on and on and on again.
the second story is right before that: number 5: umi no soko kara (from the seafloor):
the story covers a writer that stopped writing long ago. one night, while having dinner with her writer friends, she realizes how far behind she is and blames herself for being able to live on without writing.
i myself have a very difficult relationship with writing. i never, ever imagined my life without it, but a lot of times, the pain of living without it is more bearable than the pain of writing. it’s hard to believe in yourself when everyone around you is moving way too fast. it’s hard to sit down and let your words flow when you feel like you have nothing to say. and it’s even harder to know that it is possible to live without wiring, something i could never imagine before.
sometimes, it’s hard for me to start building this pyramid up, only focusing on the base, on a place i can see myself being safe. other days, i can stop adding blocks after blocks until i reach the top. my everyday life is consuming and tiring, but it also allow me to have time to breath and write. my body sinks more and more deep into the ocean, but i still find ways to swim.
the ones that swim with me aren’t there to race me, but to be by my side. one day at the time, one word per page. day after day, i will fall more in love with writing.
i'll always be grateful for being able to read amazing stories 💛
"umibe no stove: ooshiro kogani tanpenshuu" by ooshiro kogani isn't available in english, but i sure hope it will be one day
ok, i caught up with aono-kun and i feel like talking about it for a bit (it felt like i haven't written an analysis/review in so long)
THIS POST IS FILLED WITH AONO-KUN SPOILERS!!!!!!!!
there's a lot of things that i really like about the story, specially the way it was structured — the way they chose to talk about aono's past and relationship with his mother way later on the manga or how they didn't show her face, as in a way to show how aono himself was blocking his memories of her so deeply. but one thing not related to the plot that i would like to talk about is the art! normally, when we're talking about horror/supernatural stories, we do tend to see works with a more gruesome artwork. in aono-kun, i almost felt like the art followed the children's innocence. don't get me wrong, there were a lot of times that i was creeped out by their expressions, but the art itself isn't a "common" one for horror mangas — and, in my opinion, that gives aono-kun the sentiment the story wanted to achieve. it's simple, but with a lot of layers. there's the innocence of the children, but also the horror of all the rituals.
now, about the plot itself. i think the story is, at the end of the day, about traumas, abuse and the consequences of it. even the rituals are form of violence and used as a way to control someone (as in: sota being back and controlling the kids around him). it doesn't let go of the gravity of what an abusive childhood can do to someone, on the contrary: it explores it so well and with so much care. that can also be seen on the use of a lot of sexual scenes or when the sex is used to show any type of control of any situation (even with yuri trying to grab aono’s attention with it, the way there is a "child" to be born in consequence of it all).
about aono’s mom: she’s a child. she says so herself. having to deal with grief and her motherhood put so much pressure on her shoulders that she protected herself by acting childish and impulsive. she didn’t want people to scream at her, people to scold her, people to even be mad at her: exactly like a child, exactly like teppei. even using one brother against the other is a way of showing control in a more “childish” way. not that adults don’t do that (they always do), but it reflects a little on how children often goes “you’re not my friend anymore” to show a way of superiority.
i still want to understand why yuri was the chosen one and how she is connected to all of this. like i do have a feeling that it was already explained, not in a clear way, but i want to know if their mothers working together at some point meant anything to the whole connection. what about her family? what about the abuse she suffered? where they all part of the ritual? was her brother’s death related to it in someway? i'm also curious to know if yuri will give birth to his mother or to him or to herself or to something weird. i also want to know why the kids see him as a dinosaur (and that brings back the dino child that yuri held at some point). also i am inclined to think that aono killed her and killed himself after a while because of guilt (and all the other 8147927482748 reasons thanks to the rituals).
well, this is literally me word vomiting lmfao so i'm very sorry if none of this makes sense. i just really needed to put it out everything i wanted to say to really digest the story i just read. will be happy to talk about it and have a discussion on it. thank you for reading <333
(I wrote this in one go on my anilist and thought it would be nice to post it here as well, since I can discuss it with more people and talk about it with you guys as well :))) thank you!!)
