Chi no Wadachi

Seiichi Osabe is an only child living a mundane life. Just like any middle schooler, he has friends, a crush on a girl, and loving parents. However, Seiichi's mother is extremely overprotective, which causes others to view him as a mama's boy.

Although he does not consider her behavior to be unusual, a certain incident starts to open his eyes to just how dangerous her affection is. As Seiichi tries to break free from her grasp, he learns that his life is not as normal as he thought.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Chi no Wadachi ranked ninth in the 2018 Kono Manga ga Sugoi! for the Male Readers division.

The series was published in English as Blood on the Tracks by Kodansha USA under the Vertical Comics imprint from February 25, 2020 to September 17, 2024.

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Characters

Osabe, Seiko

Main

Osabe, Seiichi

Main

Fukiishi, Yuiko

Supporting

Osabe, Ichirou

Supporting

Mitsuishi, Shigeru

Supporting

Mitsuishi, Kanji

Supporting

Shigeru's Mother

Supporting

Reviews

Mar 8, 2025

Kumoiro_Shizuki

Recommended

Here comes the end of one of the most disturbing, unsettling and oppressive mangas of recent years. And, like its story, this conclusion is as strange as it is enigmatic. But before coming back to it, let's take a moment to understand why Les Liens du Sang stands out as one of the greatest seinens in history.

Drawing: 10
Cutting: 10
Art direction: 10
It's hard to talk about this manga without mentioning its direction, which is one of the most striking I've ever seen. Oshimi's unique, visceral touch doesn't just illustrate a story: it embodies it, twists it, distorts it to the point of making us lose our ... footing. Every stroke seems weighed down to arouse unspeakable discomfort, every glance carries a silent threat, every maternal smile becomes a disquieting mask. Far from classic aesthetic conventions, the drawing doesn't seek to seduce, but to haunt.

I'm well aware that this style may put off some readers, so far removed is it from the traditional canons of manga. But for my part, I'm convinced that Blood Bonds is one of the most masterful artistic directions in the medium. Without a single graphically shocking scene, it manages to provoke a growing sense of unease, a feeling of powerlessness that intensifies with each passing page. The staging, particularly in the final volume, further transcends this suffocating atmosphere, trapping us right up to its conclusion in a spiral from which it becomes impossible to escape.

Story: 10
Development: 10
Characters: 10
Themes: 10
But beyond its aesthetics, it's the story itself that sets this manga apart. It's hard to talk about it without spoiling the experience: Les Liens du Sang isn't told, it's lived. Every page is a gradual descent into psychological horror, a slow poisoning of the mind from which you don't emerge unscathed. Oshimi doesn't just explore dark themes - he dissects them, exposes them raw and unfiltered.

This manga is cruel, unhealthy and oppressive. It is insidiously perverse, with a cold, implacable intelligence. It deals with manipulation, psychological control, latent incest, depression, depersonalization, loss of identity... And it does so with terrifying accuracy, as if the author were directly probing our deepest fears. No matter who you are or where you come from, there's something in Les Liens du Sang that will get to you, that will turn you inside out, that will leave you facing yourself with an indefinable anguish.

I know my words aren't enough to do this work justice. I'm only scratching the surface of the abyss it represents. But if there's one thing I can say for sure, it's that this manga will burn you to a crisp. It's likely to break you, to lock you in its pages like a prisoner in an invisible cage. And if you get caught up in it... be careful. Seiko's hold on you could become much more real than you imagine.

Ps. A small recommendation for the singer Mitski, whose music fits perfectly with the unhealthy atmosphere of the manga.

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Dec 8, 2024

miwakoisnthere

Mixed Feelings

9/10
Chi no wadachi es un manga que nos relata la relación madre e hijo sociópatas. Seiichi de tan solo 13 años es manipulado constantemente por su madre, Seiko, al punto que este se siente inseguro si no esta con ella. El simbolismo de este manga es muy llamativo, algo que nunca se echa en falta a la hora de leer un manga de Shuzo Oshimi, pues estan llenos de simbolismos, metáforas... No es un manga para cualquier persona, la verdad, pues para entender este manga es necesario llevar nuestra lectura hacia dos puntos de vista tan lejanos y cercanos al mismo tiempo.
A mi me ...

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Jan 29, 2024

SLIMESLATTSLATT

Not Recommended

Funny

Preliminary (112/153 eps)

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 ...

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Poll: Chi no Wadachi Chapter 10 Discussion Stark700 - Jul 28, 2017	6 replies	by Jonas-K »» Yesterday, 4:58 PM
Poll: Chi no Wadachi Chapter 6 Discussion Napok - May 12, 2017	37 replies	by Jonas-K »» Yesterday, 4:50 PM
Poll: Chi no Wadachi Chapter 5 Discussion Stark700 - Apr 28, 2017	20 replies	by Jonas-K »» Yesterday, 4:48 PM
Poll: Chi no Wadachi Chapter 153 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Adnash - Sep 7, 2023	84 replies	by waalex11 »» Feb 2, 9:50 PM
Poll: Chi no Wadachi Chapter 150 Discussion GurschachX - Jul 30, 2023	22 replies	by waalex11 »» Feb 2, 9:38 PM

Chi no Wadachi
Blood on the Tracks
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