Chi no Wadachi
Blood on the Tracks

Edit

What would you like to edit?

SynopsisBackgroundAlternative TitlesPictureChapters/VolumesPublishing DatesRelationsTypeExternal Links  

With the culmination of "Blood On Tracks," I am left in a state of profound speechlessness. This work has elicited from me multiple cathartic chapters. It proves to be a mesmerizing, terror-inducing, disconcerting, and paradigm-shifting work. A narrative that delves deep into the harrowing realms of manipulation and gaslighting, delivering a visceral and emotionally overwhelming experience.

The sheer magnificence of "Chi no Wadachi" lies in its ability to stun and disturb, employing deliberate pacing and intricate facial portraiture that submerge the reader in an inexorable and swift descent into the abyss of horror. The sprawling full-page illustrations leave one breathless, each brushstroke meticulously chosen to encapsulate ... the intended mood within every panel.

One aspect deserving of particular acclaim within "Chi no Wadachi" is its unflinching exploration of the themes of manipulation and abuse. The narrative unapologetically confronts the most shadowed and unsettling facets of these subjects, effectively conveying the profound psychological torment inflicted upon their victims. This work undoubtedly resides within the upper echelons of manga horror, destined to resonate deeply with aficionados whose predilections align with the themes of manipulation and moral decay.

What an ending! While slightly abrupt, engendered my complete and utter satisfaction. The only complaint is that we walked back on character development, not once but many many times. The main character should have found the "light" sooner not spiral back and back again, trusting his mom again, and again.

On my personal rating scale, its a 9/10, although I extend a word of caution against a universal recommendation. This narrative demands an audience of mature individuals, aged eighteen and above, who possess both the intestinal fortitude and intellectual power to digest very hard and dark themes.

Thank you, Oshimi Shuuzou.

Absolutely stunning, and quietly horrifying. The slow pacing and the intricate facial details really make this horror series seep under your skin and fast! Near the 40 chapter mark I was gasping audibly at every chapter's new twist and horrifying revelation.

The full page spreads leave you absolutely breathless. The drawing style is sparse at times and dense at others, which really hit home the mood the artist was going for in each panel.

This is top tier manga horror that I think you'll love if the subjects of manipulation and moral decay are in your wheelhouse.

I recommend reading this alongside your favorite horror movie ... soundtrack, as long as it's not from a chase scene.

Chi no Wadachi is a mixed bag with very high highs that would make it a must read if not for the disappointing lows. This dynamic makes it feel like a rollercoaster that morphs into a golf cart half way through; an exciting, nail-biting thrill ride that then becomes a safe and slow trip to the destination. This sudden change in tone could have worked if executed well, but the scarcity of meaningful progress, poor delivery on its messages, and the way certain key plot points were handled make it feel like a drag, which keep it from being the masterpiece it could have been.

If ... you're interested in my reasoning for these points, then this is where I'll talk in more detail about them.

-------SPOILERS START HERE-------

The strong parts of this manga really can't be overstated. The art is hauntingly and beautiful, and a lot of the story is told through the gorgeous landscapes and the detailed facial expressions. For example: When Seiko almost chokes Seiichi to death when he was a child, she makes this face of disgust and anger that no other character makes. Then later when Seiichi meets his mother for the first time in over a decade as an adult, he spills hot tea on her and makes a VERY similar expression to the one she made all those years ago while he's yelling at her, which is a really subtle way of showing just how deeply she's traumatized him. I also want to applaud how Seiko isn't just scary because of what she does, but because she exhibits a lot of realistic traits in people with insanity coupled with Narcissistic Personality Disorder, even when she's not actually *doing* anything particularly creepy. The fluctuations in her hatred and overprotective nature feel sporadic and unpredictable at first, but as you start to read more and more, the mood swings start to show an eerily sad yet coherent pattern. The pacing of the story was also well handled, in that it's slow in a way that isn't boring, but builds tension for a payoff that's nearly always worth it. Most of what I said in this paragraph is applied to the first half of the story by the way, not so much the second. I'll get into why the second half (AKA the timeskip) fails so miserably after I talk about how the timeskip is built upon a MOUNTAIN of contrivances that lie in the murder of Seiichi's cousin, Shigeru, which is more around the middle of the story. This mid-point is also where I'd say is when the story falls from grace

So, Seiichi just so happens to be awake in the middle of the night and goes outside. He then sees Shigeru; his brain-damaged, physically handicapped, cousin who can barely stand, who managed to walk to all the way to Seiichi's house in the snow, delirious, barefoot, wearing a hoodie...Needless to say, it should be impossible for Shigeru to make this trip alive, but he did. And the ONE time Shigeru makes this trip is the ONE time Seiichi's awake at night and goes outside so that Seiichi notices Shigeru without Shigeru having to call out to him... Anyway, Shigeru wants to go to up the mountain, but Seiichi tries carrying him inside the house, but Shigeru breaks free, and leads Seiichi up the mountain. He had enough strength to do that? Huh, I guess the fall that put Shigeru in a coma wasn't really all that bad 🙃
ANYWAY, Seiichi's having a hallucination which was coincidentally triggered by Shigeru talking about Seiichi's mom, and in this hallucination, Seiichi kills his younger self by pushing him off a cliff like his mom did to him all those years ago, but in real life it was Shigeru that was coincidentally lined up with young-Seiichi, and Seiichi ends up pushing Shigeru for real, which then leads to Seiichi getting arrested. Most of these events are straight up impossible, and so many of these factors have astronomically low chances of occurring on their own, let alone all at once. The author clearly had this intense urge to create a scenario where Seiichi would push Shigeru, to the point where he was willing to sacrifice realism and coherency to get it to happen. This is the mountain of contrivances and coincidences that acts as the foundation that the second half of the story is built on...YIKES

As for the second half of the story, Seiichi's development has good ideas, but are ultimately half-assed. He goes from killing his cousin, and attempting to kill his mother in the courtroom, to becoming a depressed, hollow, shell of what he once was. I think this 180 in personality is an interesting idea that has a lot of potential, but one that needs more explanation as to how he got to this point. The only real info available as to how he got there is that he got put into an asylum and then let out, but we never get to learn what actually happened in the asylum, and are instead discouraged from thinking about it too much, because it's never brought up again. This level of blind acceptance was never asked of the reader before Shigeru's death. Anyway, with this version of Seiichi, the plot becomes very slow paced and depressing rather than tense and anxiety inducing, which isn't inherently a bad thing. It's making us really feel what a drag life is for the poor guy, but the conflicting messages scattered throughout the timeskip make it feel more like the author's stalling for time while he comes up with ideas on how to end it. I'll talk about these conflicting messages now

At first, Seiichi's trying to move on; distancing himself from his mom by as much as humanly possible, not knowing where she is or wanting anything to do with her. Then he decides to meet her when given the chance after some hesitation, so it would seem as if it's not so much about moving on, but rather still needing closure before that process can start. After meeting her after all these years, it's clear she's too far gone to have a meaningful conversation with her, but then he hears her talk about her past, and decides to take care of her until she passes, so it would seem he's starting to forgive her, and that the message is about forgiveness...until he has this weird "final confrontation" in his head between his child self and his mom, where they're laughing about not wanting to be related to each other, and he laughs for real when she actually passes away, so it seems she's not forgiven at all. And then there's another timeskip, (albeit an extremely short one given that it's only the very last chapter) to when he's an old man, except he's actually happy this time, as if his mom dying was the only thing holding him back from happiness, and all the trauma and grief he's built up over the years was undone seemingly in an instant. The fatal flaw in all of these developments is that it's harder to feel attachment to these characters and scenarios when they get from point A to point Q without sufficient or reasonable explanation as to how they ended up there.

Ultimately, I would say the manga's lasting messages that seem to be there throughout the entirety, are about time, and loneliness. Nothing lasts forever, and your past can trap you and rob you of your future if you dwell on it. Another aspect is how time doesn't necessarily always "heal all wounds", but rather time always has an affect on wounds. Seiichi was traumatized to the point of insanity by a manipulative, abusive, controlling monstrosity of a mother and a lazy, naive, idiot of a father, then as time went on, the insanity turned into depression and numbness. Had he not taken action witnessed his mom's end, he would have never healed that well, and he wouldn't have reached the point of the final chapter; peace and tranquility. With enough time, change is inevitable, and nothing will ever stay the same forever, for better or worse. As for the loneliness, Seiichi's lived most of his life having someone supervising him or weighing him down due to their own loneliness with the main example being Seiko, until both of his parents died. After their death, he's old and alone, which most would consider sad, but not only is he happy on his lonesome, but it's been foreshadowed that pretty much his entire life, he's just wanted to be alone. This is what he's always wanted, so I find the meaning of the ending to be a profound one, but having only one chapter of this and very little content in it, it is left up to a bit of interpretation, and maybe the ending isn't supposed to be quite as happy I'm making it out to be, and is supposed to be more bittersweet. Either way, I think the author had no idea how to get it to this point reasonably, so there's a whole lot of dragging your feet through the mud of the plot to get to a payoff that doesn't hit as hard as it should considering the weight these themes could have carried if the execution wasn't botched

-------SPOILERS END HERE-------

This is why I give Chi no Wadachi a 5/10. If not for its weakness tying it down so much, it could have been a 9 or a 10, but its weaknesses without the strengths present turn it into a 3 or a 4. The suspension of disbelief required for certain parts as well as how the story drags its feet make it hard for me to judge whether or not this ride as a whole was worth seeing to the end, and if it'll be worth it to people who're thinking of picking it up. Personally speaking, I'm happy I decided to read and finish it. I can say from a bigger picture, I enjoyed it, but I was also far more let down with Chi no Wadachi than most of the media I've consumed.

Remembering suspense movies, Chi no Wadachi is an experience that makes you chew your nails through the next chapter. The story begins with a slow pace, making you wonder what's really going to happen, until the psychotic mother makes her first move, from there you'll clutter once in the story of the shy teenager with an insane mother, worry about what she can do with the other characters who get envolved with the protagonist and feel bad for his own life.

The art follows the pattern of the author, which fits very well with the genre. From the same creator of Aku in Hana and ... Happiness, if you like dark stories involving suffering and suspense, this manga is for you.

This manga I'd recommend to anyone who likes more of a psychological, morbid approach. It's art on it's own self as it makes you feel the suspense and the insecurity of the main character with the pacing and the the thought out scenes.

Story: 8/10 The story itself is interesting and fairly original for a manga. It centers around an insecure boy and a psychotic mother who causes... hmm.. a lot of harm in a lot of different ways. To the boy and the family in general

Art 9/10 the art is pleasing to look at. Not the classic style yet very neat and to the point. ... The artists knows how to scene things and what moments to focus on to make the reader feel suspense and the lead characters inner turmoil

10/10 The characters and their portrayal are what makes this enjoyable. The way you can see Sei's suffering and reactions and totally emphasize with him. The way the psychotic mother is portrayed and all the deranged things she says...

I can say that my enjoyment of this is a 10/10. It's nice to see something original as this.

Literally, physically painful for me to read in many places. Having known people who have experienced abuse (and having known people who are abusers), it felt very real. After a harrowing night when I soldiered my way through the entire thing in one sitting a friend asked what the point of it was - who knows if he meant the point of subjecting myself to it or the point of the series. I think what the author is trying to do is render the experience of abuse and the life that grows from it in visceral detail. It isn't a caricature. When it leans into ... the abstract, it feels relatable rather than mind-bending, how a person sees the world when they've been through something as difficult as this.

Like I said, though, it's not for the faint of heart. While I'm very sensitive to stories of child abuse because of my work and my personal background, I've never actually experienced it myself. If you have, or if someone very close to you has, this might be overwhelming. I also don't know what the impact might be on someone who has experienced abuse and can comfortably read the series. Would it feel like old hat? Would it grant insight, or would it only dredge up the past? I don't say these things as a criticism. If only for its educational or empathetic potential, the series seems (to me, who again, hasn't experienced abuse like this first hand) like a worthy contribution to the world.

The closest parallel to me feels like PERFECT BLUE, a movie very close to my heart. PERFECT BLUE is a lot shorter and very different just by the format of a movie itself, so it's a very different experience, but if you feel like you got something meaningful from it, you would probably appreciate CHI NO WADACHI/BLOOD ON THE TRACKS. I say appreciate, not like - I struggle to imagine the person that would say they liked this.

This manga is a lot to take in. It's confusing, it's convoluted, and sometimes it feels like it was running in circles, and maybe I'm just too stupid for it.

Story
Premise: 7/10
Main character's mother is abusive and controlling, which leads to her (and/or the son) to lose control. It's simple, until it's not.

Execution: 5.5/10
The first 60 or so chapters are extremely well written. The characters have depth, and you can understand their motives for the most part. But later on is where the constant back and forth starts of "did she do it? did she not do it?" and it's just frustrating, it makes you question ... everything you know to the point of making you lose your mind.

Art: 9/10
This is the only redeeming quality for me. The art is incredible, easily recognizable and it sticks in your mind long after you read the story.

Am I just too dumb for this? I don't think I'll ever finish this series because of how infuriating it gets after a certain point.

JESUS

I have read a LOT of horror manga. You name it, I've probably read it. I've read a lot of gory manga, too. I've read thrillers and mysteries. Basically, I've read every kind of manga that is designed to make you uncomfortable, tense, and scared.

But when it comes to pure dread, no other manga has come anywhere close. Blood on the Tracks is an examination of the relationship between a 13 year old boy and his overbearing mother. It does not use gore or the supernatural. It is entirely mundane - the sort of story that could happen to anybody. And it most definitely has. ...

It's a quick read. The individual chapters tend to be light on dialogue, with the layouts preferring to focus on the oversized portraits. This helps the story move along, allowing you to skim through some of the pages, giving you a feeling of taking in the action almost in real time. And you will - you'll turn the pages as fast as you can, because you have to know what happens next. At the same time, you'll dread what you might see.

The art is done is a gorgeous photo-realist style, with none of the stylized facial features usually seen in manga. This makes it so much harder to read. There is a unique discomfort that comes with looking at a full-page depiction of a life-like character's deranged face, staring directly at you. The art does sometimes branch into more abstract or stylized techniques (usually to depict a character's mind, or the intensity of a scene), and the minimal use makes it more impactful when it occurs.

I can't describe the story too much, without spoiling things. But the general feeling you get is like waiting for the other shoe to drop. You know some horrible thing is going to happen. You don't know when, you don't know who it's going to happen to. But you know it's coming. The dread is overwhelming. There was a scene where a woman, in the distance, got off her bike and started running. That's it. And the context of the story was so terrifying, that I actually started saying, out loud, "Oh god, no, no, no, no, no..."

10/10

Here's my take after reading the 16 chapters of Shuuzou Oshimi's Chi no Wadachi (A Trail of Blood).

The story centers around the mother Seiko Osabe's uncanny "Over Protectiveness" towards her son Seiichi Osabe which leads to Seiko slowly being broken and unhinged in the process.

This manga will swallow your perception of motherly love, make you experience conflicting emotions, and will shock you in the most unsettling ways.

The characterization of the characters and setup of the story is well established at the beginning of the story which makes getting from chapter 1 to the latest chapter surprisingly easy.

The art compliments the ambiance of the story, ... it is not the best, but it is perfect for what it is intended for which I like the most.

With that said, I would give Chi no Wadachi 9 Seiko Meat Buns out of 10.

Why do we read books, mangas, or watch anime ? Entertainment is a vast subject, it doesn't have an unique definition, and it can be done through many different activities.

Regarding Chi no Wadachi, or Blood on the tracks, I believe this manga fits really well its entertaining purpose : you'll be on the edge of your seat when reading it, wanting to discover more and more of the story as you'll progress through the chapters.

It's an interesting take on parenthood, abusive relationships, how can it affect children, to some extent this manga also questions the idea of existence, individuality. Now after reading this ... last sentence, don't be affraid, don't expect unusually long dialogues or monologues about philosophical topics, as a matter of fact, this manga doesn't even have much text, it focuses a lot on facial expressions, and the drawings fit perfectly the gloomy mood of this story.

I really want to highlight the drawings' beauty because they deserve the praise, and if we think about it, that's what every manga should be about : narrating a captivating story involving complex characters whom are depicted with beautiful pencil strokes.

That's about it, I rate it a 10/10, obviously it's subjective and I don't want to imply that this is a flawless story; every manga has its shortcomings; but I think that its qualities are big enough to "forgive" them.

TL;DR : If you are looking for a psychological story set in a slice of life premise, Chi no Wadachi will fulfill your desires ( and might even haunt you a few days when you'll read it... )

Keep in mind that reader discretion is advised, this isn't a gore manga, but it belongs to the same category as Oyasumi Punpun, don't read this if you want to read a feel good story with happy vibes.

This was a very thrilling read. To start the art in this is amazing, most of it is pretty simple at times but when its at its highest effort its really something else. A lot of the story is conveyed through the art and through the characters expressions and this does a very good job at conveying them. The art style will change depending on the mental state of the main character and it makes for some amazing visuals throughout. The story in this was very good, starts off with a punch to the gut right away and things only get more uncomfortable and harrowing ... as it goes on. While I did feel the later third of the manga was not as good as what came before it, I do think it was executed well and was a fitting ending.

It is really a masterpiece in terms of plot and visuals, it is one of the few manga I have read in my life, and I never thought that I would experience all the emotions so intensely in a manga, the only manga I cried in my life, ...




and the saddest one is Yuiko. In the scene where Fukiishi and Seiichi Osabe met each other in the tomb or temple, Seiichi Osabe did not speak to Yuiko Fukiishi even though he recognized Yuiko Fukiishi, and in the last episodes, Yuiko Fukiishi's memories of middle school were very emotional, I was actually surprised by Oshimi, Shuuzou happiness and aku no hana manga ended well, but at the end of this manga I expected yuiko fukiishi and seiichi osabe to be together, in short, you are reading a masterpiece.

Chi no Wadachi is a psychological horror manga that follows the story of Seiichi Osabe, a middle school boy who is being manipulated by his overprotective mother. The story is slow-paced and suspenseful, and it does a great job of building up the tension and dread. The characters are well-developed and believable, and the art is dark and atmospheric.

One of the things that I really appreciated about Chi no Wadachi is the way it explores the themes of manipulation and abuse. The story does not shy away from the dark and uncomfortable aspects of these topics, and it does a good job of showing the ... psychological toll that they can take on their victims.

However, I would not recommend this manga to others. The story deals with some very dark and disturbing themes, such as child abuse, manipulation, and violence. It is not for the faint of heart, and it may be triggering for some readers.

I also found the ending of the story to be unsatisfying. It felt like the story was building up to something big, but it never really delivered.

Overall, Chi no Wadachi is a well-made manga, but it is not for everyone. If you are sensitive to dark and disturbing themes, then I would avoid this manga.

Chi no Wadachi is one of the most successful psychological-thriller manga that I've read. Based on my own experiences, I made an analysis of its content. Given that the analysis might be too extensive for a comment, so I wrote a basic review and you can find the analysis on my profile.
Chi no Wadachi tackles a trauma rooted in the Oedipus complex. It touches the conflicts between the subconscious and the conscious during the formation of this complex, and the concepts of persona and shadow. Through the concepts of persona and shadow, we actually see how dominant a role society has over the individual. ... If we are not ready for this pressure, we begin to be crushed under the roles, that is, personas, imposed on us. Chi no Wadachi doesn't explicitly address such concepts through text but rather through its illustrations.
Oshimi's artwork in Chi no Wadachi surpasses even his work in Aku no Hana and Happiness. He effectively portrays the pressure of trauma, the tension on characters, and inner depression through his drawings. You can feel everything just by looking at the illustrations, even without any accompanying text. Whether fading of drawings when memories are narrated or the expression of disturbing emotions during moments of depression, the lines follow no particular pattern... It's the illustrations that impacted me the most in this manga.
The characters are intriguingly written, particularly Seiko, who draws you into the story with curiosity. In terms of character development, it's satisfying and reflects the seriousness of the situation. Oshimi also mentions the purpose of writing the manga within the series itself.
Overall, I wouldn't call it an easy read, but it's a fluent series. Some events in the series were quite harsh, making it a manga that evokes a wide range of emotions while reading.

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.

Everything we do and everything we say in and of itself is false. We may think that everything is fine and dandy but deep down there's always going to be another side to the story. In this manga, we have that lesson taught to us in the most psychologically understandable way possible.

We live in a world where everyone's crazy. From the mother of Seiichi's cousin who thinks too highly of herself right to the teenage girl (Fuukishi) who thinks too highly of someone else. In some ways, having too much of something can be crazy.

For Seiichi as well, the craziness accumulated from the mother's ill ... behavior in front of him. So, nobody is safe in this story, not even us as audiences. I know some of us will end up thinking too much about the manga and start becoming crazy trying to figure out a way to put the pieces of the manga together in our minds.

Overall, we who take the time to read something as hectic as this understand something... We are all suffering from something/by someone. Equally, we also don't suffer - some of us take pride in the insufferable lifestyles which make our bodies and minds yearn for suffering, much like being suffocated by happiness.

Art Style and Facial expressions steal the manga!!

Warning: Spoilers!

The story is about a young boy named Seiichi Osabe, whose mother seems to be lovely from the outside and a bit weird. She is overprotective of his son but has some issues, some gravely terrible issues of her own.

Her son’s life is soon turned for the worse when her mother does something unimaginable.

The manga highlighted a very grave issue of child abuse and Shūzō Oshimi portrayed it all so exquisitely.

... Osabe’s mother seemed to be shady since the start of the first chapter. The way how she smiled at him … was really creepy.

The creepy and suspicious smile of the mother was impactful only because of the thrilling art style by the mangaka who must have poured countless hours into making them with pure precision. What a hardworking man he must be! I just can’t forget the art style of this mangaka.

But the best thing that struck me throughout the story was the facial expressions of the characters and how they talked more than when they spoke with their mouths. A lot of things were spoken when the characters simply looked at each other or just stood rooted at a spot.

Psychology is always a complex subject to deal with in the real world as well as the entertainment world. No wonder when executed correctly, they can do wonders.

A Trail Of Blood could easily be one of the best as this just keeps getting better and better as each chapter continues to arrive in the market.

The fact that nobody but the mother, who is the closest person in the life of her child, bothers him and abuses him to the extent that he doesn’t have control over himself, is just disturbing to even think of.

Blood on the Tracks manga was highly thrilling to read and one can surely ponder over its ridiculously good art style.

it was fine. not nearly as scary as super eyepatch wolf made it out to be and some parts are goofy in ways that the author probably did not intend. maybe psychological horror just isn't for me. also, this manga goes on for way, way longer than it should. the prospect of a scary, sociopathic mother is only going to stay scary for so long.

art is good; the artist has a firm grasp on human expression and utilizes them well, though some expressions are silly when they were meant to be serious. the characters are believable to an extent. the boy annoys me which is ... just a me-issue but I guess he's realistic enough (if I had to judge because I never knew people like that). the story drags and dithers; I get the faint feeling that the author did not really invest in much detailed planning.

overall, it was fine until the sleepwalking-dream-sequence when it felt like it lost the plot. I don't remember what chapter that was but that's when I quit.

One of the best works made by Oshimi Shuuzou ,its drawing is dirty in details but clean in the facial expressions and the fact of bothering the reader is great. As for the argument I must point out that it is built on the psychological relationship between the protagonist Seiichi and his mother seiko. His mother is the center of the conflicts in the life of seichi to the point of turning him into an outcast and socially repressed person.
If I had to recommend this manga, I would have to advise you to read the previous works done by Oshimi Shuuzou in order understand the ... way how he is telling us the stories through unstable personal relationships in the characters lives .

Overall rating: 6.5/10 ⭐
Chi no Wadachi, or Blood on the Tracks, is a story that's honestly left me perplexed. When it came out, it was a solid 8/10 manga which I read regularly given how intriguing each chapter ended up being. However, over time I feel the story lost meaning and the pacing was not good enough especially considering the stellar start it had.

Story: 4.5/10
While the initial premise, and execution of the first 50-60 chapters was excellent, I felt the mangaka couldn't keep up the same consistency with the story-telling which made me eventually lose interest from chapter 100 or so. Having known (or not) ... what had happened initially, only for a swerve at around chapter 100, which doesn't give you definite answers left me desiring more closure. It wasn't that the swerve was bad, but I felt KNOWING who does the deed was important. It might be owing to me being a bit too dense for this manga, but I feel we didnt have a definitive answer which bothered me.

Pacing and execution: 5/10
There were times I loved the pacing and times where it was just way too fast. The execution and resolution of the story also left me desiring a lot more.

Art: 9.5/10
The BIGGEST positive of Chi no Wadachi is the art. The portraits, stills of characters with grotesque expressions, landscape was beautifully captured in the manga and I HAVE to give Shūzō Oshimi props for his amazing art style.

While I had high hopes for this manga, the execution of the story was poor, which resulted in me only catching up with the final 1/3rd of the manga more than 6 months after it ended. But I loved the art and inital premise and story so much, that it'll still have a place on my profile as one of my favourite manga.