Naraku no Hanazono

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One of the great things about Yuri is the concept of a love triangle. This physically impossible structure in most manga creates so much strife in Yuri manga. That said, this is one of the best manga I've read recently. The themes are extremely heavy as the topic being discussed are parental sexual abuse and parental neglect. But overall, all of the characters are written extremely well, and the relationships between the characters are extremely sensible. There was a lot of text, but luckily it wasn't exposition. One particular event in the ending doesn't really make sense to me. It implies that two people coordinated ... something which is expressed to us to be a whim of one participant which she did against the wishes of the other. Their very next decision also made no sense whatsoever, but I can ignore the plothole because it made for two very emotional scenes. Everything else about the series was perfect. Honestly, narrative perfection is bare minimum in a series. This goes above and beyond to present an enthralling narrative which gives full character arcs to everyone involved. Every character is expressive and fun. This not being the romance genre also makes the drama really fun, because ordinarily it's impossible for 3 people to be in a triangle such that not one person involved likes the person who likes them.

In terms of the subject matter, it's extremely disturbing, perhaps because it's extremely realistic. It features 3 young girls trying to come to grips with brutal sexual abuse and the way that the story plays out, it's like taking gut punch after gut punch as the author slowly shows you the depravity of the world that they live in. As you read this, you might get the inclination that our protagonist and tritagonist are both awful people once you start to learn more about them, but the author shows you that they're *just kids* going through some of the worst experiences you could have in elementary school. Overall, it was an easy 10/10 fun read. It's always nice when a manga leaves me speechless.

I bawled my eyes out and cried. It's not much of a yuri manga, don't expect much romance, but it is extremely dark. Get ready to get your heart torn with emotion. One of the scenes early in the manga had my jaw dropping. If you know you know... At its core, it's a story about friendship, loneliness, and adolescence. It depicts the troubles that come along with making friends in a real and genuine manner. Characters are well written too. The author made me see all the main characters in several different ways as the story progressed. At one point, I think this character ... is annoying, but the next thing I know, I feel bad for her. Or how I'm left wondering what this character's motives are? My only issue with it is the slight tonal shift near the end (Not the ending, ending is fine). It's not what I expected to happen and doesn't fit in that well. I felt some dissonance considering how serious the content matter is. Other than that, this manga is highly underrated and a worthwhile read. Up there with the other yuri greats.

To start, I have mixed feelings recommending this...it is an amazing manga (I did give it a 10) but the subject matter is NOT something everyone should put into their heads....it's as disturbing as a story can get. DO NOT READ if you think the dog part of Full Metal Alchemist is the most disturbing thing you've ever seen....this isn't for your innocent mind. With that said....

In the Gardens of Gehenna hits you in the forehead with a sledgehammer made of true, disturbing horror. Yes, disturbing, not spooky movie scary, not slasher in the woods...this is child slaves in Africa kind of disturbing. ... This makes you feel filthy in your heart and mind....yet, it has a permeating silver lining, a small chunk of happiness. There really isn't much out there like this manga.

So, who do I recommend this story to? Did you read Kitanai Kimi ga Ichiban Kawaii (I Love Your Cruddy) and want more trauma like it (do know, Gardens makes I Love Your Cruddy look like a Saturday morning kids cartoon)? Are you truly able to stomach the worst things humanity has to offer with a shrug? OR do you just like abusing your mind? THAT is who should read this. There is no innocence to be found here. There is no immediate happiness beyond shallow situational peace....just the horror of knowing what's going on and the ever shrinking hope that things will end better. So, if you're screwed up like me, read this, it's superb...if you had to stop even once and ask yourself, "Am I too normie for this manga?" yes, you are and find something else to read.