Reading Oshimi's "Happiness" is what led me here.

So far, the read has been intense and unpredictable, which is always good in a book (or a movie). I love that the artwork keeps true to ordinary people; it is not grand, over exaggerated, or over dramatic. Oshimi wants the realism of facial and gesture expressions of normalcy to really shine through. He gets moods like "creepy" and "weird" expressed almost immediately through the awkwardness of relationships or silence in the air without having to do much. I really applaud how Oshimi is able to do this.

This manga so far has been pretty good. Although most focused on Seiichi's intense relationship with his mother, Oshimi also focuses on relationships between Seiko and Seiichi & the people around them (family, in-laws, school, extended family, neighbors, etc.). Seiko isn't a typical mother who wants her son to go out into the world; in fact, she is the exact opposite. She clings only when she is emotionally attached or feels threatened, but she is emotionally abusive & manipulative to gain control of people. Seiko is aware of this intent and she really doesn't care about who she hurts, but ironically, she wants everyone to know her pain. On the other hand, Seiichi isn't a typical son. He knows moral ethics but ignores them in order to gain favor by his mother. Emotionally, he is scared and doesn't acknowledge the fact that his mother is damaging his mental condition. At this point in the manga, he shuns a normal-looking lifestyle in favor of his mother who latches on to him but also finds him a nuisance. He doesn't know how to act around her so he unwillingly reverts to a childlike manner of speaking when he's around her, not knowing that this is really out of fear.

A few dislikes: 1.) The scanlations are moving at snail speed. 2.) I don't have favorite characters even though I enjoy the read. 3.) It feels like the manga might be coming to an end after just one more climax.

... Last updated on May 9th, 2020, 8:08am

I usually enjoy the theme that brought up on Oshimi sensei works. Sadly, I usually end up being disappointed by most of his works. Usually they tend to have a strong and interesting start but end up being a disappointment. Aku no Hana for example, I find it uninteresting anymore after long time skip and make me dropped it. This one seems about possessive mother and I am enjoying it so far. I hope there will be no long time skip that could ruin this manga for me.

... Last updated on June 12th, 2018, 4:02pm

I really liked flower's of evil from this guy, but some of his work can be rather dull as well. OSHIMI Shuzo seems to really have a thing for mentally ill women because most of his subject matter has a mentally ill herione. Makes you wonder if his mother, wife, or girlfriend suffered from some form of mental illness. Anyway, it's a Mother this time. I've read 13 chapters and I have to say, the Mother is completely insane. It's even making me feel awkward, and I usually like sicko type stuff. I'll probably read a little bit more, but if I'm not sure if I like this or not. Flowers of evil was great, but now it just seems like he's writing for shock value.

... Last updated on February 28th, 2018, 2:39pm

I don't have many thing to say at the beginning of this series, but I'm sure this's gonna blow. I'm a big fan of Shuzo Oshimi, and obviously he always has creepy ideas, this time was no exception. The main character's mother, just like other women in Oshimi's universe, is super super weird. The characters are abnormal also the art and mystery theme blend perfectly.

... Last updated on August 29th, 2017, 3:22am

This manga kind of has an eerie vibe going on. Like everything that has happen so far seem pretty much normal but you kind of get this sense that there is something strange happening underneath all the normalness. The son and mother definitely have some sort of strange relationship but im not saying that it is or isn't a sexual or incestual relationship but it doesn't seem that way its just very odd I'm thinking that maybe the mother is obsessively overprotective or maybe the mother put her son on a pedestal something like that. The the mystery of their relationship seems pretty interesting. the art is pretty good too.