Shuuzou Oshimi's mastery at delving into the perversion of the human psyche is something that should be studied in a classroom. I think there's an art to writing about making something uncomfortable and unsettling without making it unapproachable, and within both of my reads (Happiness and Aku no Hana), he has exceeded my expectations yet again with a story surrounding a middle school boy and what it means to chase your deepest desires. The first few volumes following this "love triangle," for lack of a better word, are by far the most unsettling. Our protagonist is blackmailed after being caught in a perverted act, and is then threatened to do even worse things or risk being exposed. That ends up pushing our narrative for most of the story. I remember my first thoughts for 5 volumes were "WHAT THE FUCK? THIS FREAKY ASS BITCH!!"
But with strong writing and compelling themes, it all comes across as very natural and eerie. With themes such as Nakamura's mental health struggles and escapism, how she's constantly talking about getting away from this town and "normal people," Kasuga's coming-of-age and learning what he wants to become, and the influences that led him down a dark path, or even Saeki's obsessions leading her down the dark path, and ultimately leading to her chasing Kasuga into the Flower of Evil.
I hated this manga early, and looking back, I think that was the point of the read. Emotional dissonance leading to strong catharsis is the name of the game for Shuuzou Oshimi, and I wish I had noticed it sooner, because this just felt dark and dreary for shock value. But this train wreck had to end eventually.
The rest of this review will be spoiler territory; read at your own risk.
Spoiler, click to viewclick to hide
Coming to the end of the first half of the manga myself, and I'm sure readers alike, were very anxious. Our infamous panty snatcher, Kasuga, has not set in motion his final grand act. Something so disturbing that once he accomplishes this goal, he can never turn back, and will have to leave with Nakamura forever! Kasuga has now finally fully fallen into the Flower of Evil. But after his deal with the devil ended, Nakamura and Kasuga were forced to move away from each other. Both families chose to move away from the town out of sheer embarrassment. Which leads to our second phase. A phase of acceptance and moving away from the past that once defined us. Learning how to move forward after something so traumatizing, and how to rebuild what you've broken. If anyone dropped this because this manga is too weird, I understand. But this payoff is some of the best writing I will never forget.
After absolutely hating this manga, I found myself unable to put it down in the entire second half. Watching Kasuga mature and seeing Nakamura get the help she needed as both of them finally start growing up was peak catharsis, made possible only by amazing storytelling, narrative, art, and, yes, even the characters.
I primarily wrote this as a review because I adore the writing and narratives, but after revisiting certain scenes in the manga, I realized how brilliant many of the choices are. I'm excited to read even more of Shuuzou Oshimi's work. And I hope that he will teach me more about writing from this day forward.