Kusakabe-san
Miss Kusakabe

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As expected from Oshimi Shuuzo, Kusakabe-san offers a look inside the dysfunctional relationship between a disturbed man and woman.

Our introduction to Kusakuba is a strong one; laid out in front of the nameless protagonist's apartment with proclaiming she had just been raped with a carefree grin on her face. This is probably one of the more subtle bouts of insanity displayed in an Oshimi manga. The two waste no time in starting a sexual relationship before they actually begin dating. It's also implied Kusakabe has an eating disorder due to her alternating between not eating and then binging followed by purging.

Kusakabe is a complete enigma. ... We don't know why she does what she does or what her backstory is. It's probably better than way. There's no reason to explain her insanity because her worldview only makes sense to her. The protagonist isn't much better as he feels worthless without her and doesn't besides yell when Kusakabe brags about how many men fucked/raped her and how it was better than the sex they had. These two are hot messes who probably only have each other to confide in.

The short length of this one-shot is its biggest hindrance as there isn't much room for character development to make the pairing feel alive. We only know the bare bones of who they are and can only speculate what in life led to where they are. If nothing else, this manga shows that even two losers in life can find true love.

Time just passes.

I came to this story because I am a fan of Oshimi and I decided to read all her works, Kusakabe is a girl with a disorder, it would be very interesting know what led her to have that behavior while the man does'nt think about her past or Her future. Maybe he loves her in a genuine way or maybe he just fills that inner loneliness that is reflected in his eyes.

People are consumed by our demons, each one has an addiction or a punishment in their own way. We only feel "happy" in our area, for Kusakabe his area was that ... man.

It is a short but shocking story, if you have a few free minutes of your day give it a try.

The concept itself is interesting. A certain type of codependency between the two main leads and the toxicity is an interesting topic to tackle. However, this would probably be more interesting if it wasn't just a one-shot. To see the endless cycle of abuse, manipulation, and longing for two people would be an interesting psychological horror experience. I know what I described is similar to his other works like Aku no Hana or Chi wo Wadachi, but I think it would be interesting to make something like that but with two adults. And this one would be a good contender for that. The dynamic would ... be like Miss Kusakabe exploiting the man's loneliness and desperation yet having this control over him clears the void that she has.

I'm not condoning these acts, but it is fiction, and they would depict a truth that people need to be aware of. But if someone would make a story like this or recommend me an anime or manga like this one, I would be thrilled.

Review written in Portuguese and English
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#Portuguese
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A obra é um pouco complexa para um one-shot. Acredito que cada um terá sua própria interpretação do one-shot, e espero que seja uma interpretação sem muita moralidade, já que há muitos pontos de insanidade mental presentes. (E, neste caso, apenas uma pessoa "fudida" da cabeça pode entender um pouco outra pessoa "fudida" da cabeça).

Dito isso, na minha opinião, de alguma forma, os dois preenchem o vazio um do outro, mesmo que momentaneamente. Por isso, há um contraste que parece ser um relacionamento. Um usa o outro sem se questionar muito, o que torna o relacionamento deles disfuncional. A insanidade ... do mundo dela só é entendida dentro da mente dela, e ele parece não se importar muito com isso. De alguma forma, isso faz com que ela considere que é "ok" viver assim do jeito que vive. Desde o fato dela querer tratar ele da mesma maneira que os outros no mundo tratam ela, por não saber como lidar com o sentimento de ser acolhida pelo outro (mesmo que ele tenha feito isso de uma forma bem subentendida).

Não é uma relação perfeita, onde tem um "buda" e uma pessoa "fudida" da cabeça que é salva, mas traz alguns pontos de reflexão sobre como é se apaixonar sendo duas pessoas "fodidas" da cabeça que não sabem lidar um com o outro e só deixam as coisas acontecerem até se arrependerem.

O que mais me incomoda é a falta de comunicação e de interesse um pelo outro, o que me faz questionar se é amor ou paixão. Talvez seja apenas um preenchimento do vazio da vida um do outro, onde podem ter um lugar para voltar ou ficar.
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#English
"The work is a bit complex for a one-shot. I believe everyone will have their own interpretation of the one-shot, and I hope it's an interpretation without much morality since there are many points of mental insanity present. (And in this case, only a "fucked up" person can understand a little bit of another "fucked up" person's mind).

That being said, in my opinion, somehow, they both fill each other's void, even if momentarily. Therefore, there is a contrast that seems to be a relationship. One uses the other without questioning much, which makes their relationship dysfunctional. Her world's insanity is only understood within her mind, and he doesn't seem to care much about it. Somehow, this makes her consider that it's "ok" to live the way she lives. From the fact that she wants to treat him the same way others in the world treat her, because she doesn't know how to deal with the feeling of being welcomed by another (even if he did it in a very understated way).

It's not a perfect relationship where there's a "Buddha" and a fucked-up person who is saved, but it brings some points of reflection on what it's like to fall in love being two fucked-up people who don't know how to deal with each other and just let things happen until they regret it.

What bothers me the most is the lack of communication and interest in each other, which makes me question if it's love or passion. Maybe it's just a filling of each other's life void, where they can have a place to come back or stay."