Shuzo Oshimi

Okay, I found myself unexpectedly riveted by the amped-up psychosexual teen angst in this study of outsiders, bullies and perversion. The writer seems to be constantly writing himself into a corner only to surprise me with weird twists and turns. I don't know how he can maintain this bizarre tightrope act, but I'm eager to see him try.

I know I'm angry at this series for its betrayal. The first half of it is an intense psychological thriller with volumes that earned four-star ratings from me and left me eager to read the next volume ASAP, but then the author writes himself into a corner and uses hallucinations, dream sequences and a time jump to turn the whole thing into a maudlin and depressing study in being whiny, pathetic losers. Bait and switch. This may be one of the biggest letdowns I've ever experienced in all my show more years of reading. show less

Shino Oshima has just started high school. She has a bad stutter, especially in anxiety-inducing situations or with words that begin with vowels (like, for example, her surname, Oshima). Unfortunately, starting high school means introducing herself in class, and she gets made fun of when she turns into an anxious, stuttering mess.

Shino eventually befriends a girl named Kayo. Kayo plays guitar, but when she tries to sing and sounds terrible, Shino accidentally laughs...and learns that her show more new friend has previously been made fun of for being tone deaf. The two of them form a band, with Shino realizing that she is able to sing without stuttering, and try to practice getting out of their comfort zone by performing on the street. This, however, leads to another shake-up in their budding friendship.

Shino's stuttering moments were almost physically painful to read. In the author's afterword, Oshimi mentioned that the manga was based on some of his own experiences growing up with a stutter, and you could feel it in every horrible panel in which Shino, flushed and sweating with anxiety, tried desperately to force words out.

The finale, at the cultural festival, was kind of predictable, but I loved what Kayo did for Shino (and snort-laughed at Kikuchi's mask with a big X on it - the guy did his best to show his support while keeping his mouth shut for once).

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.) show less

This second omnibus of the teenage psychosexual drama remains as compulsively readable as the first. These little Holden Caulfields are intent on being perverts in a small town they see as tame and pointless, but their actions become more sadistic and self-destructive as they realize the world beyond the mountains around them is just more of the same.

The overheated drama and cliffhanger ending will have you reaching for the next volume immediately.