Chi no Wadachi
Blood on the Tracks

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Blood on the Tracks is a very intense detailing of a type of mother-son relationship that I think doesn't get discussed at all. Seiko, the mother of the main character Seiichi, is so overwhelmingly smothering to her son it creates a plethora of problems for both him and his relationship with her. Their relationship is confusing, terrifying, and fascinating all at once.

Oshimi Shuzo is also incredible at portraying what his characters are feeling without verbalizing their thoughts often. It's truly an incredible ability he has coupled with a beautiful art style to accompany it. Getting the amount of depth he does with his iconic hatching ... style of shading is a really unique experience to have in modern manga.

The highlights of the story are its incredible depiction of tension between characters, and the exploration of how trauma affects different individuals. The focus is mainly on Seiichi and his POV, so we see how he struggles interacting with just about every person in his life: classmates, love interests, family members, and even his own mother and father. It's not just this stress induced stutter that makes this possible, honestly it's barely even acknowledged by other characters. He's just been stuck in his shell his entire life and was told to act a certain way so instead of taking agency over himself he projects how others want him to act back to them so that he can be liked/loved. The trauma bonding that happens throughout is also very believable aside from the dreamlike sequences.

However, the tension in the story does die down in the second half. Instead, we focus on Seiichi's life after the climax of the first half of the story. We get an in-depth look into his daily life and how he deals with his personal traumas. Seiichi's quest for closure is short and poignant as the story ends in a way that feels very appropriate for these characters.

This story isn't inspirational, or trying to teach the reader a lesson. It's a hard story about relationships, love, and unrealized potential, and finding content in your own individual experience. There are other stories that have done this, and better, but the charm of Oshimi Shuzo's writing/art style makes this an enjoyable read even if it's not a happy one.

It's heavy. It really is. It can become exhausting to read at times, especially (in my opinion) from chapter ~80 to ~120.
Still, it's a great piece of work. It tells a realistic story about family trauma, and finally breaking the circle. I wouldn't read it if I was too young, I would say 16/17+, it depends on your emotional maturity and empathy.

The plot seemed to go in a specific direction, almost predictable, but the more you read the more you realize that it's not that simple.

Also, don't disgregard what's happening as "brainwashing". Think about what it's like being a child, and the ... fact that children believe that parents can do no wrong, because their whole world literally revolves around them.

Chapters and volumes here are irrelevant, but i think i stopped when the kid grew up to a beta male.
I really hate these kind of "Psychological" type manga, because no one really understands the genre, maybe i am one of those, but this is boring, lame slop. To the point that you can predict that these chracters will never become dynamic in any way. Just look at the mom, static as hell.
First of all, its seems as though this manga falls in the category, "just because i have trauma means anything i do can be justified". "You want to kill someone? Oh but ... you have had trauma, well then its ok". Btw The police is absent, should've seen it coming.
This feels just like a longer chapter of the first 50 or so, there is absolutely no need for the story to continue other than being pure shock value. I guess i fell also in that trap. Similarity in "Watamote", there is 0 reason for this manga to reach 153 chapters. Presumably there is even going to be a epilogue of the mc.
And i really don't understand how every single "Psycho" manga, tries too hard. Someone just has to die, trauma, or some other bs youve seen done 100 times in other manga. At the point where you just dont understand no longer why certain characters to these actions, and you are not to blame, you never get told.

Style is similar to other "Psycho" manga, punpun, aku no hana, i am hero. Looks like same author. Over use of black, bad balance in pages. Author tries to do systematic pages, but it fails. "if in doubt, black it out"

Please add an "unrealistic" theme to this manga.

I think actually others will enjoy this series, we got the big boob heroine, the Psycho "i can fix her", the "Traumatized" mc that does not want to change. Even if i did not enjoy it based on the upper text. Just another slop Psycho manga
Ii will not be recommending chi no wadachi.