Happiness

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Another manga finished by Oshimi Shuuzō!!

He is definitely one of my favorite authors, always with different works and all great. I love how he can turn reading into something very enjoyable with the 3-panel layout per page... You float through an extremely captivating, mysterious, and interesting story, and the layout makes this even easier.

It's no wonder that I finish most of his works on the same day I start reading them. And this one, even though I didn't finish it in a day, I read very quickly...

I always feel sad when I finish a manga by this author because I know I'm getting closer and ... closer to finishing reading all of his works.

Happiness is probably his most well-known work (but not my favorite), and I can understand why. The mysterious setting of vampires and the main character's quest to adapt to his new life and find happiness in it really grabs the reader's attention.

However, I would say that this is one of his first works where, for me, the main character loses total focus to the second main character haha. Gosho is simply fantastic, and she serves to connect all the past and present events within the story in a magnificent way.

I won't deny that I was extremely nervous about the plot twist that happened in the middle of the story (those who read it will know what I'm talking about)... This kind of plot twist is very common in Oshimi-sensei's works and is always elaborated fantastically.

Happiness, unlike the author's other mangas, doesn't cling too much to puberty issues and goes for a more mysterious and eerie side (just like Chi no Wadachi), but I thought he managed to work this story very consistently. It's much more "simple" and straightforward but very well done.

The ending is also very good... another one for the author's recipe book of endings...

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Pt/Br

Mais um manga finalizado de Oshimi Shuuzō!!

Ele definitivamente é um dos meus autores favoritos, sempre com obras diferentes e todas ótimas. Eu adoro a forma como ele consegue transformar a leitura em algo muito gostoso de aproveitar com a quadrinização de 3 quadros por página... Você flutua por uma história extremamente cativante, misteriosa e interessante, e a quadrinização facilita esse trabalho ainda mais.

Não é atoa que a maioria de suas obras eu termino no mesmo dia que começo a ler. E essa, mesmo não tendo terminado em um dia, eu li muito rápido...

Fico triste sempre que acabo um manga desse autor pois sei que estou cada vez mais próximo de terminar de ler todas as obras dele.

Happiness é provavelmente seu trabalho mais conhecido (mas não o meu preferido), e consigo entender o motivo. A ambientação misteriosa de vampiros e a busca do personagem principal a se acostumar com sua nova vida e encontrar felicidade nela chama muito a atenção do leitor

Porém digo que essa é uma das primeiras obras dele onde para mim o personagem principal perde o foco total para o segundo personagem principal hehe. A Gosho é simplesmente fantástica e ela serve para interligar todos os acontecimentos do passado e presente dentro da história de forma magnífica.

Não vou negar que fiquei extremamente nervoso com o plot twist que teve no meio da história (quem leu vai saber do que estou falando)... Esse tipo de plot twist é muito comum nas obras do Oshimi-sensei e é sempre elaborado de forma fantástica.

Happiness, diferente dos outros mangas do autor, não se agarra muito as questões de puberdade, e vai para um lado mais misterioso e tenebroso (Assim como Chi no Wadachi), mas achei que ele conseguiu trabalhar essa história de forma muito consistente. Ela é bem mais "simples" e direta mas é muito bem feita.

O final é muito bom também... mais um para o livro de receitas dos finais do autor..

So far I read 4 manga from this author. Flowers of evil, Inside Mari, Welcome back Alice and Happiness, being the last one the only one that I didn’t find special in any way.

The usual eeriness that the author depicts is here masked by the inherently horrific theme and physical violence. I see no psychological horror or reflection on the human being. That alone doesn’t make the manga bad in any way, it just doesn’t deliver the same as the other manga I read from the same author.

What I think makes it more of a bad than a good product is the abrupt change in ... the story a little further than the middle point. Up to half the story it is interesting, engaging, the characters are advancing in their daily life, the horror fantasy elements advance too… everything alright. Not the greatest, but interesting enough to keep reading. But then the focus shifts and the events and characters are not really that interesting, especially compared to the first half.

Another problem I have with this manga is that I’m not sure what the message is, if there is any, or what the audience is supposed to get from this. As a fantasy story, it’s not really that interesting, and as a social commentary it feels very bland.

The art here doesn’t shine either. It’s not bad, and it has the same style as the other manga I read, but I didn’t find a single panel particularly interesting. Anyway, the art wasn’t the problem for me at all.

In my opinion, adding actual supernatural elements weakened the ability of the author to find horror and creepiness in realistic characters and settings and the final delivery is a not so interesting vampire story that doesn’t go anywhere and almost nothing is said.

This manga had so much potential. The beginning immediately draws you in, but from the midpoint onward, it steadily declines to the point of frustration.

The initial chapters are incredibly compelling, focusing on the main character’s transition from a human to a vampire. The portrayal of his personal struggles and gradual transformation was the heart of the story. The interactions among the main cast were equally captivating, and the romance subplot added depth and emotional resonance.

However, a sudden time skip derails the entire narrative. The story shifts focus to an office romance between the main character’s love interest and a new character, sidelining the protagonist entirely. ... Every chapter centered on this subplot was infuriating to read. It’s hard to put into words how each new installment made me want to abandon the manga, but I held on, hoping it would eventually return to the main character. Unfortunately, that never happened, as this subplot drags on for 70% of the manga.

This manga is the epitome of “what was the point of all this?” By the end, it feels like the entire journey was meaningless. It’s as if the author tried to make the story deeper than it actually was, lost their way, and ultimately disrespected the audience with a convoluted mess. It truly feels like they decided halfway through to write a completely different story, leaving fans of the original premise disappointed and betrayed.

Overall, I cannot recommend this manga to anyone. Unless you’re looking for frustration and disappointment, it’s best to steer clear.