Shounen no Abyss
Boy's Abyss

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For anyone reading reviews to see if they should pick up this manga, please for the love of god let me spare you:

Also, since it's happened in the past; before anyone says 'lol why read the manga if u hate it', I clicked on this because it was the most recently updated manga on the website I used to read it, was interested in the description, and read every chapter in like an hour, since there's really not a whole lot of thinking required.

- If you are looking for a 'deep' manga with some kind of underlying metaphor or overarching theme, read something else.
Before anyone ... tries to say that this manga is deep simply because it touches on themes like suicide, rape, depression, etc. please just know that even a middle schooler that is proficient in any language can write a story equal to this one, in terms of how deep those themes go. This manga is not deep, period. The story feels like the author just made a spider web of ideas that they wanted to write about, and pieced them into a book in no particular order, then spent a few hours coming up with some contrived, bullshit way for them to connect somehow. I have read 22 full chapters, and there has been maybe a chapter's worth of development on the main plot. It started off with some late-highschool aged kid living in a shit hole in the boonies, with a group of dudes who harass him, and a family life that's fucked up, and his goal is to leave the town to get away from all that. I don't want to go into explicit detail of what exactly happens, since this is a review, and I don't want to spoil anything on the off chance that someone will read it even after seeing this. With that being said, just go to the page for "Himegoto: Juukyuusai no Seifuku", which is by the same author, and read the description, then amplify the level of depravity that you would expect from it 10-fold, and that's what the actual story entails. This manga is about on that level, except rather than it being a story about sexually confused youth, it's about a bunch of random shit happening, and every character sexually taking advantage of one another (or trying to). The author uses these themes and soft-core hentai scenes to appeal to low-level curiosity, and, unfortunately, any other deeper meaning behind the things that happen can only be implicated by the reader. Good stories that touch on deep themes do not put the responsibility on the reader to fill in the gaps where there is no substance. It is the author's job to deliver on these implications that they intentionally put forth to begin with. (There are also implications of rape, blackmail, drug overdose, prostitution, and NTR, so if you're not into that shit, then definitely don't read.)

- If you are looking for a 'dark' manga that highlights some negative part of the world, or the people in it, read something else.
It's not to say that this manga doesn't touch on dark subjects, because it certainly does, but that's precisely the problem. So far it has only 'touched' on these subjects, alluding to or explicitly mentioning them as some kind of plot development that would be major in any well-written story, only to immediately move on to the next thing. These themes and subjects are used solely to evoke that 'butterfly'/'sinking' feeling in your stomach that you get when something really nightmarish happens to a character you like. And the subjects themselves are probably enough to elicit this type of feeling, but the author doesn't directly do anything for the reader to actually develop a large enough attachment to the characters for this to be possible. You might be thinking "but there's only 22 chapters! they'll go deeper!". If this was a valid point, I might agree, but I would argue back that it's the author's fault for writing these intended emotional kicks to the stomach in the first couple chapters. Even when you ignore the previously mentioned point, I would still disagree. There have been way too many instances in a 22 chapter sample size where the story just breaks from its path and starts a new one completely, only to randomly tie it in later. Also, based on this author's track record of cutting plot in favor of deplorable shit, don't be surprised when that same thing happens here. (also the pacing is just bad in general, everything moves really quickly, but lacks meaningful substance.)

- If you are looking for a romance manga that has hints of the previous two topics, read literally anything other than this.
There is nothing romantic about this story, whatsoever. Anybody who has read up to the latest chapter of this manga and can say with a straight face that this should be classified as romance has a really warped sense of what romance actually is.

- If you are looking for a manga with nice art, and don't give a shit about the story, read away.
The art is the only redeemable aspect of this manga, imo. A lot of the scenery is just filtered real-life pictures, which is common in most slice of life manga series, but there are actually a higher than average number of hand-drawn scenes that look pretty good.

- If you saw the 'smut' tag and wanna see the big sex, there's plenty of doujin authors that are more talented at both writing story, and drawing nipples for you to jack off to.

To sum up, I feel like this manga is really outrageously overrated by a lot of the people who have read it. This manga absolutely has the parts to potentially be something amazing, but honestly, knowing this author, I highly doubt they can piece them together into something amazing, given the erratic mess they've created thus far.

Side note: the last manga I read before this was GTO, and to go from that masterpiece to this was a hilarious contrast.

This manga is an uncomfortable read, in the best possible way. it's early on in serialization, so this review is pretty premature, but the characters are wonderfully debased and they feel free to express the darkest sides of themselves. They feel sympathetic, even though you know they're making the wrong choices. It's cathartic in a way to see these characters be so darkly sexual.

There are multiple ways to see every story, of course, and some may see it as a simple harem fantasy with emo elements. I see it as a scary mixture of sexuality with some of the darkest emotions humans can have. ... in addition, it captures a corruption of adolescent discovery that wallflowers may find relatable. possibly upsettingly so. it's a powerful read so far. and i'm looking forward to reading it week to week.

for now I am really enjoying this manga. one thing that I really enjoy about it are the characters. Each character is different for why they feel certain emotions. Each character feels real, their emotions feel real. In the story it conveys how no matter how much material objects you have or how many girls want to do it with you, you can still feel empty. it conveys how depression isn't just something that can be fixed by your possessions. Overall I feel like the story conveys how each person has different reasons for living, and different reasons for wanting death. The main character tries ... to push people out of his life so he doesn't hurt them when he dies. And Nagi Aoe doesn't particularly care about who dies with or without her. I think these two characters contrast each other really well. I think the some of the sex scenes were forced, unnecessary kind of icky but i am willing to overlook that because i am very invested in the characters.

To be honest this is probably the best manga you'll ever read only for the vibes. For real, no deep thinking, no trying to analyze things and try to find deeper meaning in the characters and their motivations, this is the kind of manga you just let yourself be drifted along with. In case you're worried about the usual, let me tell you, I can't assure you it's well written, but it'd be a lie to say it's badly written. I can't tell you anything makes sense, but it also doesn't NOT make sense. Overall, i think the biggest strength in this manga relies simply ... in how good the author is at making a thriller intriguing enough you will, quite literally, be at the edge of your seat with no time to think about what the cast are even thinking about cuz somebody even crazier is gonna appear next. Yeah, you're gonna learn to be afraid of a two page illustration filled with dialogue once you're a couple chapters in.

And if i must forcibly talk about characters, I'll say it: the only character you kind of learn about and truly want to come to understand, is The Town. Yeah, with capitals. Its name is never truly mentioned, but it goes beyond just a setting, it becomes a full fledged character, alive and breathing down everyone's necks, mysterious beyond compare, to the point the only question you'll find yourself asking after some volumes is "just WHAT is this Town?". A setting becoming a character, an entity, is a classic element in literature but so rare in manga. To truly enjoy this work, I think that's the only character you should have in mind. And again, you don't need to do any sort of mental gymnastics to get it, just let the cast slowly show it to you.

edit as of boy's abyss' ending: IT IS STRAIGHT ASS.
it actually sucks so much. none of the storylines have endings, none of the character's relationships are ever discussed properly, and random character's suddenly make their apparence and become way too important way too late into the manga so the reader can't get attached or care about their character at all. i hate this dumbass manga. the ending felt rushed, and NOTHING truly happened. it could've been so good, but ryo minenami is obsessed with creating the hottest garbage known to man. this manga makes me want to kill myself. i hate everything. original review from ... when it was ongoing is under the cut.

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i'll be honest: this manga is insanely mid, but i cannot get enough of it.

it's not groundbreaking, the character's are all terrible, the story is all over the place and the pacing is incredibly slow.
but, somehow, it's swallowed me whole. this is not a manga i would EVER recommend and it's a struggle to get through the chapters without sighing, getting frustrated or physically hitting the book. i'm surprised it's got enough support to have a physical manga that you can hold and rip to shreds (if you'd like).

i think what makes boy's abyss so addicting is it's lack of good characters. at this point, i'm reading it in hopes that something good will happen. it might also be the fact that ryo minenami, the author, is super innocent and sweet on twitter about his own work. it's calming for my heart and soul. he also draws silly doodles of the characters.

speaking of doodles, the art is REALLY good. even if the story is terrible, the artworks are literal eye candy.

anyway, this has been my little ramble review. tl;dr: whole manga is garbage, but i like to be hopeful it'll get better + art is good.

This is my first review, so bear with me.

I've only read a quite few mangas before, and this manga is actually one of the few mangas that struck me real hard. The story starts off quite gloomy— and that itself has got me hooked in quite easily.

A story about a boy finding himself in chains and having no control of his life, the manga itself takes in many dark themes; depression, suicide, hopelessness. Add a sexual touch to it and good lord does it bite my feelings hard. The characters, you feel solace for them, even though whatever they did may not be justifiable from ... every perspective offered. I can literally feel the stress of whatever the main character has gone through, while still feeling the disarray of the characters surrounding him.
I relate to some of them quite strongly.

The art is also charming and pleasant. It emits tragedy, the void that the main character feels throughout the story.

This manga makes me feel empty, and I love it. It's as if I had stepped in the main character's shoes, the hollowness I feel is very much similar to his.

Sorry for the jumble of words, I tried my best to put my thought into this. Anyways, I definitely recommend this as it's not a typical romantic manga (perhaps because I've been reading rom-com, haha), and is easily one of the most exquisite mangas I've found.

So, it's finally over.

Being made by the same author as Hatsukoi Zombie, I was very interested in this manga since the first chapter came out. Not only is the art style very different from the mangaka's previous title, but so is the entire genre. To the author's credit, transitioning from a shounen romcom to a psychological seinen is, I imagine, not an easy task.

I never truly enjoyed it after chapter 100, but at that point, I just wanted to know how it would end. The teacher was probably the sanest insane person in the entire story. Aside from the quality of the art, she was ... the only reason I kept going. Nobody else really made sense to me, it was drama all over the place, everything seemed random. The title tries way too hard to present itself as being "dark," while overall it's just a complete mess of bad character writing.

It was a "fun" mess nonetheless, despite its flaws very unique also.

Shonen no Abyss has a good a premise and potential to be a deep story that covers dark themes. With some great artwork, it really really had the potential to be good. Sadly, the execution is not the best.
As the story goes on things get wayyyy too convoluted for it to be interesting. Being hit with plot twist after plot twist, some which are completely unnecessary. There are no safe grounds in the story, promises are made then broken a few chapters later.
And finally, no progression, the story has followed this same loop multiple times... main character is sad, main character and other character ... have sex, other character breaks down (or plottwist), false promise, and then repeat.
The MC lacks a discernable personality, he changes to the benefit of the plot, he lacks consistency. At times he is a complete pushover but when the plot requires it he isn't. He wants to kill himself, but when the plot calls for it, he does not.
The teacher is insufferable. Anytime she drops any wisdom about how adults are I can't help but roll my eyes. Which may be the author's intention and if that is so bravo. However can't help but feel these lines about how adults function were not written to be criticized, but rather written to be "deep" but instead it just comes off as really juvenile.
The other characters however have interesting personalities.

To conclude, do I recommend you to read this manga? No, it sucks, unless you like reading trashy manga. If you want to read something dark and kinda deep, read Killing Stalking.

The ratings of this manga are proof of how easily edgy and pretentious writers can gaslight the audience into thinking they're actually good. In fact, this mediocre at best manga is not much better than the frown uppon generic romcom/harem manga and anime. The concept appears to have a glimpse of potential, and the first chapters, while not a masterpiece, are strong enough. We soon come to learn that this couldn't be further from the truth, with characters that serve as no more than molds for fatality, and who are either extremely one note and archetypical or plain non existent. The pacing is extremely ... fast and distasteful, creating the impression of being in front of the work of an edgelord who wants to write oyasumi punpun, while not understanding in the tiniest bit why it is good, and instead making it an endless shitpiling over this empty "characters". They either don't evolve in any way (Reiji or his mother), or drastically become a completely different (still one note) character.

Edgy as fuck, don't read

As a actual story with good plot and moments. Meh. But when taken not seriously at all. THIS MANGA IS HILARIOUS 10/10 I laughed out loud like 5 times in 2 chapters. Now you might be saying wow. Your a horrible person. Well when taken seriously this manga feels like it wants to be dark and horrible and stuff, but in the end it kinda just feels like the author wanted a bunch of horrible things to happen to the characters and they would all go insane. There isn't really any rhyme or reason for it to happening. Now when taking not seriously. The degree ... at which something this bad had to happen to this many characters in such a convenient way and short amount of time makes this a comedy masterpiece. They ways that the characters respond to these unfortunate events are also hilariously wrong and amazing. 10/10

Missed opportunity for greatness. But good none the less.

I followed this manga a while back. I was in this arc of reading sort of edgy material (Tokyo ghoul) (Berserk) and wanted more. Then I stumbled across this manga where it was dark edgy and truthful while also dealing with a lot of mental problems but not being action focused but more drama. I caught up to it on chapter 173 and slowly waited for the chapters to come out. I hadn't even realised but the manga had come to an abrupt end.

From the start I loved the themes and how the story played out. ... Every bit of it was unique for and something I had never seen before. The characters the mystery and the strong emotional feelings that were present during some major parts. It was ready to set up some major action and create a beautiful finale but, that didn't happen. It was short and didn't fill in any of the gaps that were left untouched. It felt rushed and kind of missed its whole big plot. Up until that point it was perfect just to let it drop and rush the ending. Even though I have given it a 9/10 here it may be closer to an 8 though its a mixed feeling.

This show cuts deep and you should definitely read it for the journey. Although the ending was lacklustre and a wasted opportunity it leaves room for the imagination and if not anything it does wrap everything up well and fix the main struggles characters face in the manga.

Depression is a horrific thing. One that many of the most prior and coming generations will experience in large. Always apart of the human condition, it's something that bites so fiercely with nary a way to really bite back. Shounen no Abyss is a manga that aims to summarise and encapture that darkness that so much of the youth struggles through these days. It is not alone in it's attempt, so much media comes from pain and so much media tries to understand it, despite how impossible it may be to capture a feeling shared by so many but unique in it's vices to everyone ... it affects. Much manga, anime and other media in the past have tried their hand at recreating it and only the most elite amongst them have ever belonged to that club of higher media. Our manga in question is by no means a member of that club, although it may just have a toe in the door.

Shounen no Abyss is a Coming of Age, Psychological Drama Manga by Minenami Ryou, most famous for Himegoto: Juukyuusai no Seifuku, a drama of similar genre but wildly different thematics. In Abyss, Ryou attempts his darkest story to date with our protagonist Reiji Kurose and his suicidal tendencies suffering from an overbearing life, dysfunctional family and uncertain future. If you have read other Manga of this genre then this tiny synopsis will probably familiarlize you due to an abundance in the medium that have also tackled the strife of youth indifference, most famously Oyasumi Punpun. Shounen no Abyss makes genuine waves to stand on the same wavelength of the classic by giving very legitimate structure and reason to the nature of the manga and Reiji Kurose's issues. There is legitimate thematic weight to not only Kurose but the abundance of supporting characters, each with their own unique pain and reasons to their own problems.

However, sadly this Manga seems to suffer from it's affiliation with Young Jump and thusly it's purpose as a Seinen. Now, my speculation here is not to be taken for verbatim. However, there is little else that could explain the bizarre sexualization and characterization inside the series. Minenami Ryou has dabbled in ecchi in the past but to place nudity within Shounen no Abyss to the point where it dabbles on the line of ecchi/fan-service is a bizarre choice to say the least. Now, sex and romance (or lack thereof) is most certainly apart of Coming of Age and a massive causation of depression worldwide and of course most importantly, within Japan. Though, in no good mind can I find the reason for the female characters to be one minute rendering their soul apart in double page spreads of pure outbursts of sorrow, anguish and rage to the next issue be throwing themselves on our main character as if he was lathered in aphrodisiac. In order to justify these rapid moodswings and sudden appearances of intense thirst, Minenami Ryou has to apply rather tired character archetypes in order to placate the Young Jump crowd and editorial staff. Particuarly of note is the disillussionment of the teacher character, one that as previously noted, has a legitimate reason to be involved with Reiji Kurose and has a genuine feeling of sadness about them but is then degraded to having a far too familiar trope seemingly forced onto them in order to remain prominent in the series and satisfy some weird neccessity that far too much Seinen seems determined to have.

As for the other aspects of the manga, the art retains the familiarlity of the rest of Minenami Ryou's work, not exceptional but acceptable, except for some occurrences where there are mild flexes that show impressive talent. It can also be said that the character designs are unique to the point of everyone being instantly identifiable whilst still maintaining utter believability. Not easy by any means. The pacing of the manga is generally quite good and leads to an overall easy read (darkly humorous considering the subject matter isn't meant to be digestable), this could be consumed in one afternoon quite comfortably and the little plot hooks laid towards the end of chapters are firm enough to drag "just one more issue" out of you.

Overall, Shounen no Abyss seems to definitely have the wherewithal to achieve more and be better than the sum of it's parts. However, it's holding back and falling into safe zones that means it will please the small crowd it gains and probably fall into obscurity in a few years or under the radar to be later discussed as a "hidden gem". Ironically a theme of the manga is causing yourself pain to endlessly please those who don't really care for you, settling for mediocrity as it's best for those that have expectations. Shounen no Abyss will never escape the abyss of other endless average to good Seinen Drama if it does not forget that it doesn't need to be like any of the rest. It just needs to be itself.

For those seeking guidance on whether to embark on the journey of reading "Boy Abyss," I implore you to heed my warning and spare yourself the disappointment and frustration that awaits.

Firstly, if you are in search of a manga with profound depth, metaphor, and an overarching theme, I must emphasize that "Boy Abyss" is not the answer. Despite tackling weighty subjects such as suicide, rape, and depression, the manga falls drastically short of exploring them in a meaningful and thought-provoking manner. To claim that this manga possesses depth merely due to its inclusion of these themes would be a gross misrepresentation. In truth, "Boy Abyss" ... feels like a tapestry of ideas haphazardly woven together without rhyme or reason. It appears as though the author jotted down a laundry list of concepts they wished to address, only to later struggle to connect them in a contrived and unsatisfying manner. Even after delving into 84 full chapters, the main plot remains woefully underdeveloped. The initial premise, centered around a high school-aged protagonist yearning to escape the oppressive circumstances of their life, quickly devolves into a chaotic whirlwind of random occurrences. "Boy Abyss" presents a collection of disconnected events where characters continuously exploit and manipulate one another, with the author relying on soft-core sex and shocking themes to pique low-level curiosity. Unfortunately, any potential deeper meaning remains elusive, as readers are left to decipher implicit implications that lack substance. In a well-crafted narrative, it is the author's responsibility to deliver on these implications, rather than placing the burden on the reader to fill in the gaps. Regrettably, "Boy Abyss" fails to meet this standard.

If you crave a "dark" manga that fearlessly confronts the grim aspects of the world and its inhabitants, I urge you to look elsewhere. While "Boy Abyss" briefly touches upon dark subjects, it does so fleetingly, utilizing them as plot devices for momentary shock value rather than delving into their depths. The author tantalizes readers with allusions and explicit mentions of these subjects, teasing their potential impact on a well-written story, only to abruptly shift focus to the next fleeting moment. Although the themes themselves possess the potential to evoke unease and discomfort, the author fails to establish a significant emotional attachment to the characters, rendering these fleeting moments devoid of genuine impact. One might argue that with time, the story will delve deeper into these themes, but even within the span of 84 chapters, "Boy Abyss" exhibits an unfortunate pattern of veering off course and abruptly introducing new storylines only to haphazardly tie them back later. Furthermore, considering the author's penchant for sacrificing plot in favor of deplorable content, it comes as no surprise when similar detours plague this manga. The overall pacing suffers greatly, with an unnerving speed that lacks meaningful substance.

For those seeking a romance manga with elements of the aforementioned themes, I implore you to look beyond "Boy Abyss." There is an absence of any romantic qualities within this story. Any reader claiming otherwise, having endured the latest chapters, possesses a distorted perception of what romance truly entails.

The only redeeming aspect of "Boy Abyss" lies within its artistry. The visuals exhibit commendable skill, with a mix of hand-drawn scenes that captivate the eye and filtered real-life pictures commonly found in slice-of-life manga series. If aesthetics alone can satiate your desire for an enjoyable reading experience, then this manga may hold some

appeal.

In conclusion, I must assert that "Boy Abyss" has received unjustified acclaim from many of its readers. While the manga possesses the potential to be something extraordinary, the erratic mess presented thus far, coupled with the author's track record, diminishes hope for a cohesive and remarkable narrative. Spare yourself the disappointment and explore alternative works that genuinely deliver on the depth, darkness, and romance that "Boy Abyss" fails to provide.

For anyone reading this and expect a linear, neat, and beautiful story - please don't

Shounen no abyss is true to its name - the abyss; the bottomless point of a person can experience and a deep character journey; a depression of all people, the abyss of the character, the chaotic and sad sequence throughout the arc, and the heartbreak and the falling dreams along the way. Please don't read this if your condition is not stable since it involves a pretty sensitive topic and some of the suicidal thoughts of the character may relate to some of the people.

Shounen no abyss is a masterpiece on ... its own level, its complex drama, and conflict throughout the series lead to no conclusion at all - and that's why we love it. It seems like there is no end to this conflict. It will take you to places; it will create an atmosphere that very little manga can imitate; it will take you towards an emotional journey of each of the characters.

Shounen no abyss is a deep manga and very sensitive - so, please be stable and calm your nerves before you embark on a journey to nowhere

Shounen no Abyss has made me laugh out loud so many times just in the first 5 chapters alone, seeming like a parody of overly dramatic romantic dramas with its ridiculous coincidences and all of its characters on the edge of madness. Except, there is perhaps one small caveat to this. It's not actually a satire. Everything is played straight and the author expects you to take the manga seriously. And I love it even more because of this.

Almost every chapter is a blast, but any Sensei-centered chapter is a real treat to go through. Just following her going from slightly crazy yandere to full ... on madness is a true joy and she makes the manga for me. Some of my favorite moments from this manga are scenes with her in the spotlight, being this manic person who endlessly pursues Reiji wanting to save him from this crazy town (which she does have a point).

The way the MC gets jerked around like some damsel does bring to mind the Otome genre, and it Shounen no Abyss does feel like a (poorly-written) otome game, just genderswapped. Most of the hallmarks are here, a self-insert needing to be saved by stronger, often older love interests, psychological and physical abuse, but with the MC always still attracted to these horrible horrible people at the end of the day. And while I loathe these cliches whenever I see em in Otome, here they are kind of refreshing in a way and do add to the comedy aspect.

They say the best comedies come from serious works fumbling about and failing to be serious, as opposed to an actual satire or parody, and Shounen no Abyss accomplishes this and then some. As of this writing unfortunately things seem to be slowing down and going back to normalcy, but I do hope to be proven wrong and I do hope the author has more insanity lurking behind future chapters. For this alone, this otherwise flawed manga has became a gem for me.

Or at the very least I can still look forward to more Sensei.

7/10

This manga is like watching a plane crash. You know you are witnessing a terrible thing yet you can't look away. It's hit every dark topic with the worst outcomes. I should look away but it's just so interesting.

Overall, the manga is definitely unique. Rarely a manga plays around with so many elements of dark/depressing topics to this level. It's a mess of emotions for sure, corrupting. (Be prepared for dark themes, so if it's not your cup of tea, beware.)

At times the story got confusing/too complicated in the sense that it felt like the dark topics were used as "quirkiness", especially at the ... beginning. It was introducing plot line after plot line and not exactly making a connection that the reader could understand immediately while being overwhelmed with highly emotional feelings. Only after rereading or reading multiple chapters ahead does the plot sort of make sense to the point of "ohhhh". To be honest the separate paths are becoming connected later on quite well.

There are many characters, and every character is stuck with their own conflicts and motives that slowly gets revealed. Yet there's always something missing that you learn later on that changes your opinion. It's a mess of a situation to the point where you as the reader don't know what is correct anymore. As the current situation plays out, the past is also slowly revealed to the reader, giving more information on how things happened the way they did, and the true feelings behind everything.

The art is in general high quality (plus). It's also able to draw out additional feelings of emptiness and is able to add to the emotions going on.

I'm normally a rom-com/slice of life/wholesome manga reader so this is not my specialty. I was entranced by one of the earlier scenes I saw when browsing manga scenes on social media, and that thrill really made me continue reading. I overall enjoyed it since it was so different and especially when I understood what was going on. However, this manga covers a lot of dark topics (so if you don't want that don't read this manga) and can feel forced setting up dark themes.

i will put a 7 only because of the entirety of the story, if I had to be completely honest the ending was shit, the last half a chapter was worst than bleach in my eyes . (score 3 or 2 )
The story was quite simular to Pun Pun but if a teenager wrote it.
The last arc was scattered and incomplete leaving me with a lot of question marks.
It started really good problems arised at around chapter 160 in my honest opinion.
If only it lasted another 4 chapters to to define and outline like 2 things it would had been a solid 8 .
I could ... maybe suggest it till a certain point of the story but u could drop it a couple of arcs before.
Overall ima kms🌈

It's good, but it could be MUCH better. There is no breathing space in the manga, there's no dynamic. It's always dark and it gets darker and darker and sadder and more depressing, and it gets to a point where everything starts to sound just too forced and repetitive. Its not realistic.

By way of comparison, Berserk (which is an extremely dark story) does this sort of thing much better. It's dark and it just gets heavier, but there are moments when you laugh, there are moments of comic relief, there are moments when the characters are happy, there are reflective moments, even if only for ... a short moment. And when the dark atmosphere comes back, you are impacted by it again, which is not the case here.

All the characters are mentally fucked up and have a sad past, there is no gray area, it's just black and white like that. Which ends up breaking my suspension of disbelief a lot.

Overall 8/10 Characters carry through having believable motives. Story itself is predictable, but certainly isnt bad. Art is really strong. I believe if you have come from or currently live in a small town you will understand these characters much more than most people. Overall id highly recommend this if you're itching to see some good old tragedy with a little meaning. and mental illness and personality disorders used to a believable degree (which is an impossibly rare thing in manga)

7/10 story
To sum it up. Its about a boy who is constantly abused and taken advantage, someone who is entirely trapped. A boy who slowly ... becomes a man after meeting someone so unbelievably out of his reach that to him she is a deity, a saviour in a sense. someone who entirely changes the trajectory of his entire existence. A story about finding a sense of self, a will to live.

Ive seen a few reviews on here that its 'fake deep', that the author 'only put in s/a for the shock value and never delve deeper into it', points i understand to some degree. To delve into the second point a little; most people who have been s/a'ed just dont make it their outward personality. This is as deep as i will be able to get without stepping into spoiler territory. I personally believe that the author has done a great job using s/a relatively tastefully as a plot device and as a character motivator. i do not think that it was misused or even overused.

Characters 9/10
i really enjoyed the characters in this manga. they feel complex even when there a few things that get hand fisted into their arcs. Just like real life; everyone suffers from their own problems, everyone's problems are just as complex and real as your own. every single one of these characters feel like its makes total sense into what they do. and alot of it isn't just put out on the front porch for all to see after the first viewing. you find out slowly what each and everyone of them go through in what i thought was a really good look these topics.

It subtly delves into mental illnesses like i haven't seen in awhile. "subtly" meaning that the author doesnt just outright say it. From what I've seen on here, a good amount of people just took this manga at face value and really just 'hate read' it. So there were a good amount of people saying that the characters were one dimensional, a statement i just don't agree with. If you do read this, put on the good old fashioned 'i took half a semester psych class my first year of college' cap on and i think youll enjoy the characters as much as i have.

Art 9
One thing that is often overlooked in manga these days is visual story tell. this manga does a great job at showing character dynamics through its panels alone. In some chapters you really dont need to even looks at the words, through the art alone you are given most of the context. I would write more but i think ive gotten most of my points across.

If any of what ive spewed out has made any sense to you. i think you should give it a shot. at the very least its 100+ chapters with a story you admittedly can just turn your brain off to read and take everything at face value.

This manga is exceptionally good in the way it portrays the world in a negative and pessimistic way.

The art simply matches the story and tone to an amazing extent. The mystery behind character origins and intentions normally would ruin a manga, but this seemingly fuels the story intensely, invoking strong emotions and confusion.

The first few chapters run at light speed, with vicious feelings whipped in it, but everything starts to slow down and you get a look and how this story ended up here.

What this manga truly aces is the manipulation, all these characters come in and you seem to hold a firm opinion ... on them, but when they explain their motives you begin to doubt them, even wondering if they are truthful or lying.

TLDR: Good art, godlike story, dark tone of the world and mystery galore.