Chi no Wadachi

Description

From Vertical:
A new suspense drama centering on the theme of a toxic parent. Dive into this latest thriller by master storyteller, Shuzo Oshimi. Seiichi's mother loves him very much, and his days pass with placid regularity. School, friends, and even the attention of his attractive classmate Fukiishi. Until one terrible summer day, that all changes.

Type

Manga

Related Series

N/A

Associated Names

A Trail of Blood

Blood on the Tracks

Krew na szlaku

Les Liens du sang

Tracce di Sangue

Trails of Blood

Кровавый след

درب من الدم

ट्र्याकमा रगत

สายเลือดวิปริต

血の轍

피의 흔적

Groups Scanlating

A Fool and His Money

Jaimini's Box

Little Miss and Good Sir Scanlations

MangaStream

More...

Latest Release(s)

c.153 by Little Miss and Good Sir Scanlations 2 years ago

c.152 by Little Miss and Good Sir Scanlations 2 years ago

c.151 by Little Miss and Good Sir Scanlations 2 years ago

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Status in Country of Origin

17 Volumes (Complete)

Completely Scanlated?

Yes

Anime Start/End Chapter

N/A

User Reviews

N/A

Forum

0 topics, 0 posts

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User Rating

Average: 7.8 / 10.0 (327 votes)

Bayesian Average: 7.67 / 10.0

15%

22%

24%

23%

Last Updated

June 21st, 2025 4:18am PDT - 4 months ago

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Genre

Drama Mature Psychological School Life Seinen Slice of Life
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Categories

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Category Recommendations

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Blue (ICHIGUCHI Keiko)

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Recommendations

Author(s)

Artist(s)

Year

Original Publisher

Shogakukan

Serialized In (magazine)

Big Comic Superior (Shogakukan)

Licensed (in English)

Yes

English Publisher

Vertical (17 Volumes - Complete | print & digital)

Activity Stats (vs. other series)

Weekly Pos #687

(-29)

Monthly Pos #1060

(-444)

3 Month Pos #1950

(-293)

6 Month Pos #2437

(+342)

Year Pos #2129

(+861)

List Stats

On 1335 reading lists

On 631 wish lists

On 429 completed lists

On 59 unfinished lists

On 308 custom lists

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User Comments [ Order by usefulness ]

Contrived

by WorldDemocrat
5 months ago

Rating: N/A

Surprised this one has so many positive reviews. Most twists in the story happen 'because the mangaka says so' and not because they make logical sense. For example, there are multiple times where characters hallucinate they are doing something innocent when in actuality they are physically attacking or hurting another person. How cheap. It's a great way to force characters to do things that are out of character.

So the main character could be getting a glass of water because he's thirsty but if the mangaka a.k.a. god of this fictional world wants to make him more miserable then you'll find out actually he was really murdering his best friend and only thought he was getting a glass of water. Of course, some people really do experience hallucinations, but in this case it seems more like a deus ex machina to make certain characters do things that are not consistent with their character.

For me, I did appreciate some aspects of the story (like the portrayal of child abuse and gaslighting) but I find the lack of coherence and logic difficult to swallow. I dropped this series around the halfway point and will not pick it back up.

... Last updated 5 months ago

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Quite the wild journey

by Sniberus
1 year ago

Rating: 8.0 / 10.0

Felt bad for the dad for having a disfunctional family

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What can I say?

by Kurhah
1 year ago

Rating: 10.0 / 10.0

I have been reading manga for 15 years. I wouldn't believe it if they told me that I would read something like this from now on. It competes with the best of the best.

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not fun, but undeniably compelling

by bakemeat
2 years ago

Rating: 7.3 / 10.0

The most notable thing about Oshimi's approach to storytelling is his use of space. Very, very little actually happens in any given chapter. There may be a chapter titled "The Battle" (note: there isn't, this is just an example to avoid spoilers) and the chapter itself will only get to the point of the combatants meeting before anything breaks out. The actual battle starts in the next chapter, titled something like "Perdition" despite being the battle chapter. That sort of thing. A substantial amount of time is taken to express the breaths between thoughts and the jointed feeling of one's own speech when all that comes out are stutters. The start of a chapter could be someone getting provoked to slap someone else, and the rest of the chapter somehow takes place before the hand even connects with the face. That's why there's 153 chapters of this thing -- matters are stretched out in a way I imagine is intentional to convey the passage of time and counteract the quick speed readers are likely to scan over manga pages with. Even if you marathon this (which I recommend, given how action-packed the chapters aren't), you will find yourself frequently brought to halts to sit and think and dwell, just as Seiichi does. The pacing is at times excruciating, but in a way that I can't fault because it felt entirely with purpose to feed you into the character's mindset.

I feel like gaslighting as a concept is a difficult action to convey through any medium that can be re-read or re-watched, because you can always just review the reality of what occurred. Despite suffering from that exact problem (we, as the audience, witness and can go back to confirm what actually happened), Oshimi's depiction of the gradual and painful rewriting of traumatic memories feels credible.

Another point is that while this manga is not a beacon of unsubtlety, it does NOT take time to provide egregious explanations for why people feel certain ways or do certain things. Sometimes someone will look somewhere and you have to read their expression. This is somewhat of a low bar to clear in manga, but after reading Juujika no Rokunin, I'm desperate for a story that shows rather than tells lol. The distorted, warped reality that Seiichi attempts to navigate is grey, blurry, and inconstant. Is his mom evil? Are his actions justified? That's your job to figure out!

It's not a fun time and, tbh, I don't think it's a masterpiece either, but it's an emotionally compelling saga with noticeably calculated pacing that makes the pages fly by fast.

... Last updated 2 years ago

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It's nor for me but i admit it's brilliant

by Macabreriz
2 years ago

Rating: N/A

Despite being able to relate with the story I just can't tell if the way the ending being good or not, the first few chapter start from hitting me in the right spot to the several chapter before the ending being so slow. Probably because i always try to read it everytime new chapter come out but it always fell short. I recommend reading it now and just read it in one go so it doesn't felt like too slow.

It kinda remind me of revenge porn genre but this manga is clearly not one of those, this manga is giving me mixed feeling. Do i like it? I guess so hmm.. its something i would remember for sure.

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Middle of the Road for Oshimi, Genius for Nearly Everyone Else

by big_red01027
2 years ago

Rating: 10.0 / 10.0

It's hard to know what to make of this one. Spending just over half a decade with this manga was an investment, one I think was worthwhile, even if I might quibble with the ending.

The ending is a bit abrupt despite being slow-paced. A mere 24 pages to end what could be one of Oshimi's best works, or perhaps the passage of time will clarify that it's really just middle of the road.

Of course, given that it's Oshimi we're talking about, "middle of the road" still equates to a masterpiece in the hands of all but a couple mangaka past or present.

I highly recommend Chi no Wadachi. Are there caveats? Well, I would start with the fact that Oshimi's work is not for everyone; he does not possess the sort of general appeal that would fit in Shounen Jump, for example. Also, there are certain themes present in this manga that could be quite off-putting for certain readers.

That said, I think those that choose to read this will find it as rewarding as I did, and those who already have esteem for Oshimi and his work even more so. He has been incredibly prolific and incredibly consistent in his oeuvre, and I eagerly await what he does next.

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I wouldn't read this if you're close to the issues presented

by tigerstar186
2 years ago

Rating: N/A

It's pretty triggering and not cathartic. I quit after a few volumes. The narrative seems interesting from an outsider's perspective but I think it has some unhealthy ideas presented for people with similar circumstances.

... Last updated 2 years ago

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Pure fucking KINO

by re45
3 years ago

Rating: 10.0 / 10.0

This is Oshimi's magnum opus. Just the sheer emotion and psychological distress on display by the main character's journey through life put this manga many cuts above any of its contemporaries. I frequently compare this to Shounen no Abyss (Boy's Abyss) due to many overlapping themes - most critically, the central antagonists both being extremely controlling mentally ill mothers - and putting it simply, Chi no Wadachi outperforms the latter in almost every regard.

When Seiko is on screen, she physically causes dread in the reader. The sheer terror she inflicts upon Seiichi is shown in full by the very artistic nature of Oshimi's drawings, and the way we feel Seiichi's life going through momentous change, hits even harder with more recent chapters.

Is it any wonder why the likes of Tatsuki Fujimoto puts Oshimi on a pedestal?

... Last updated 3 years ago

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Wait until it's completed

by villasan
4 years ago

Rating: 7.0 / 10.0

Currently on chapter 101.
I'm gonna be honest with you, at first it was an interesting read, but just has got more confusing and messed up than ever.
At some point, a bizarre plot twist is gonna take over the whole manga, making it more interesting but confusing.
But then, right after that climax, script is gonna slow down with a lot of cryptic, pseudo-artistic, semi-abstract story telling with lots of dreaming, hallucinations and that kind of stuff, bringing no answers to the audience whatsoever.
So yeah, at this point it could easily turn out as a masterpiece or a complete disaster. No one knows...

... Last updated 4 years ago

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Realistic portrayal of abuse

by julia36
5 years ago

Rating: 10.0 / 10.0

The scariest part is how so many kids out there are in abusive relationships like the one in this series.

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