I like gothic romances, but they kinda bum me out because they tend to revolve around the abuser in a hopeless, cyclical fashion. Which, to be fair, is realistic about the experience, but not completely. Victims are still capable of escape and hope.

I like "non-romantic" romances, but it's extremely rare to find one, since media is oversaturated with glorifying romantic binaries and keeping everything at the status quo of "romance is the highest connection, platonic/familial is second"

I see this as a gothic "non-romance" ...

It's an interesting variation & subversion of the Yandere archetype. Obviously, all "dere" types pertain to romance, and the harem genre is overwhelmingly common in anime. It's nice whenever something interesting is added or changed, to deviate from the linear structure of anime romance.

This yandere, Sato Matsuzaka, tries to fall in love by sleeping with many men. (This isn't shown, it's just the presetting) But when she finds "true love" it is through adopting (kidnapping) a lost child, Shio Kobe (while Sato murdered someone, though in defense). Questionable morals aside, this was mutual parent-child love. This makes sense for both characters, since they were both abused by traumatized mothers who inflicted that abuse onto others.

Yes, Sato is presumably like this because of early childhood trauma.

Her mother is not really a "yandere" but is even more fucked up, and connects to that theme. Her mother is a gothic romance character and an abuse survivor. She believes that true love is inconsiderate and selfish, so she pushes herself onto others and coerces them into abusing her, because that's the only way she feels "truly loved" She's a martyr-dere.

Shio Kobe's mom is the inverse: She inflicts the abuse outwardly as mimicry for what was inflicted upon her. She's also unreliable between her personality states- her anchor (or "jar") is broken, because she feels she cannot save her children from the situation.

Despite the tragedy of this... Sato is really a more suitable mother for Shio, since Sato feels pretty capable of controlling her situation, and Shio is what keeps her anchored. When Sato is weak, Shio helps her. They become a team together. And that's what mutual love is. Shio's mother did not allow this, due to her broken (jar) state. She no longer could let Shio in, and lost hope in everything and everyone.

I really like how Sato's mom is romantic, but Sato herself is seemingly aromantic! It makes sense to be disinterested in the cultural idea of romance if your mother revealed the dark, selfish side of it to you so early on in life. Sato found mother-child love for an innocent selfless child much more fulfilling... Not to mention how poetic it is that the way she feels loved, after such a horrible childhood, is to give a better childhood to another person. It's really beautiful.

Of course, there's some mediocre elements here. It's not amazing, and it's not for everyone- obviously.
There is a particular style of entertainment and messaging that is nihilistic, horror/tragic, and comedy. Often oddly at the same time. But it's kind of fitting.

I like that there's not many good characters, and the good characters aren't played as favorites. Despite being a bit cartoonish/dramatic, it does message about how just being a good person or a victim with a savior complex doesn't mean you automatically win.

Because this is an anti-hero gothic story. Revenge-obsessed perfect-victim heros don't have plot armor here.

I like the ending. I even cried. It's sweet. And bittersweet. Because, yes, Sato did kind of groom Shio to be unable to connect to her estranged remaining family. That's up to the viewer's literacy to notice. It's sweet regardless, judging from what we know about the characters. (Me personally, since this is fiction: I hope Shio grows into an exceptional yandere... Continuing the legend of Sato, but even stronger)