This is a perfect psychological thriller.

I’m a huge fan of everything horror, thriller, and psychological. But it’s so easy to get it wrong yet this story did everything right.

Bastard is about a bullied boy whose father is a serial killer. Despite the simplicity of the sentence I just wrote, this story is far more complex. We have a dysfunctional family that consists of a disabled boy, and a rich, manipulative father who has an obsessive desire to kill a specific type of girl. And it just so happens that his next victim is his son’s newest classmate— who is also his son’s first crush.

I severely underestimated this story, so much so that it’s been on my “to be read” list for years, and I even dropped it after the first few chapters at one point. But last night I decided to give it another chance, and lo and behold, I completed it in less than 4 hours.

Not only was the plot addicting, but it was well-written!! When it comes to a thriller story like this, oftentimes the plot falls flat or the story goes astray but everything in Bastard made perfect sense. Plot-wise, this was perfection.

When it came to the characters, I found myself attached to (almost) every single one. This story even succeeded in somehow making me feel sympathy for a bully. Each character had their flaws, motivations, and weaknesses. But it was these aspects of the characters that helped me as a reader form an attachment to them.

Despite the main character being a traumatized, disabled, recluse who doesn’t make the best choices, he maintains his innocence in a strange way that is refreshing to male protagonists in psychological manga. To me, main character likability plays a major role in me enjoying the story. This is why manga like Homunculus and Denjin N didn’t engage me as much.

Overall, there isn’t a single flaw that I can think of off the top of my head, likely because there isn’t any.

Spoilers ahead, tap at your own risk!

If I had to nitpick I’d say:

To sing even further praise,

Literally wish I had read this over the course of a few days instead of a few hours solely because it was just that good. 10/10!