Is Flowers Of Evil Manga Worth Reading?

Question

Heard the psychological seinen manga Aku no Hana gets intense, but fans debate if its uncomfortable realism or just unpleasant. Not sure about the pacing.

S'hlangule Owen Homeni · Answer

This is a very unique read. While “Flowers of Evil” creates an uncomfortable, raw atmosphere and portrays the adolescent phase of deep obsession in an unflattering light, it’s definitely worth a read. However, if you’re looking for something completely different in terms of tension (not so much based on emotion but on schemes) then “Black Rose: Revenge Of The Callous Heiress” would be a great choice. The protagonist is calculating and methodical in her quest for revenge against those who she feels have wronged her in the past. It’s a very different read but it’s very cathartic in its own way.

Yaretzi · Answer

'Flowers of Evil' by Baudelaire is another trainwreck that you cannot help but look at. Very flawed characters that you abhor and also feel sorry for. It is a short book, but quite powerful. It is suitable for people who prefer to read thought-provoking literature rather than escapist ones.

Blake · Answer

I can only recall a few manga having stayed with me for so long after I had finished reading them. ‘Flowers of Evil’ by Akinari Omo is one such manga. This is not your typical action-packed storyline about superheroes. ‘Flowers of Evil’ delves into the dark, complex feelings that arise during adolescence, and observer can be equally affected by the said feelings and experiences. Also, the inexperienced and slightly awkward protagonist, Takao, is very endearing and understandably misguided by his guilt and feelings of wanting something more and the pressure put upon him by society. The sketch-like artwork of the manga adds to the dark, foreboding atmosphere of the manga and conveys the above points perfectly. Although ‘Flowers of Evil’ is an amazing read for those fans of psychological dramas of the dark kind, it is quite slow at times and also dark and bleak. However, readers, who prefer atmospheric stories centered around characters, may appreciate ‘Flowers of Evil’ in the same way that I have.

I found the way this manga portrayed secrets to be incredibly realistic. Most of the time, you wouldn’t even realize you were on edge until your heart was racing. It wasn’t a fun read by any stretch of the imagination. Deliberately paced to ensure that you were never happy, the “reward” at the end of the series was somewhat divisive. But, for people who enjoy mood and character over plot, it is definitely worth a read. Just beware that this series leaves a feeling of a storm cloud that you can’t shake off long after you finish reading it.

Wyatt · Answer

This book is a really intense, real look at the desperation of a teenage boy and so it feels kind of private or even like you’re reading his diary. Takao’s descent into madness is kind of uncomfortably real and I think that’s also why Nakamura is such an amazing and complex character. The story doesn’t make anything look nice and it’s all very clumsy and human. The fact that it’s black and white makes the feelings of claustrophobia even worse, because you really feel like you’re right there with him. I binge read this in one sitting and then immediately wanted to discuss it with someone else.

Tessa · Answer

This is one of those highly polarizing novels that I read after hearing very mixed reviews. It has an incredible amount of psychological depth to it, but the novel itself can drag at times. One of the only things that kept me interested was the huge amount of unpredictability. Just when you think the novel is going to go in one certain direction, it suddenly swerves in a completely opposite one. I was left with many confused feelings after finishing the novel, but that in itself was a good thing because it gave me so much to reflect on later. This isn’t a comfort novel, but it is definitely worth reading.

Ruby · Answer

This manga was another really good read of mine, ‘Flowers of Evil’ isn’t exactly a story of good vs. evil. Instead it follows a group of children making really bad decisions and living with the consequences of said actions. It’s a pretty unique read in terms of art, at first it can be kind of off-putting but it really grows on you and it’s really a visual representation of the characters’ declining mental states. It’s a slow burn but it’s really worth it, the payoff is really haunting. Another really good read of mine for people who like to be challenged emotionally.

Brau Nuñez · Answer

Nakamura alone makes this series worth reading. Nakamura is not your typical, tragic antagonist with a back story meant to be pitied by the reader. She is purely, intelligent id, bored to tears, and finds entertainment in tormenting Kasuga. She is so casual and precise in her manipulation of him that it is quite chilling to read. Ultimately, this is a story that explores how Nakamura observes and experiments with the weak spots of humanity by means of Kasuga.

Kasuga is an annoying character, but he’s realistic in his frustrations. Kasuga is a boy who believes he’s some sort of deep, literary character because he reads Baudelaire. He is, however, a very trapped person, and is forced by society into behaving in ways that he’s not happy with. Their relationship is at the heart of this manga and is the most interesting part to read. The plot is basically a means to an end to put these two deeply flawed people in increasingly awful situations. If you’re looking for a character to root for in this, you won’t find it. Instead, you’ll read through the whole thing with a sense of morbid fascination at these two deeply damaged people.

yamilixa echevarria · Answer

The plot unfolds at a slow pace, intended to have readers experience the same amount of anxiety as the protagonist. We feel every second of Kasuga’s pain and anxiety as he is tormented by his blackmailing, going through days of dread, in a circle of blackmailing. However, if the reader doesn’t feel connected to the main character’s anxious state, then the slow plot will feel dull and uninteresting.

If you don’t connect with the main character and his torture then you might think the story is dragging on and not enough is happening but it is his psychological torture and his secret that makes up the plot so there is no real ‘action’ outside of his thoughts. The slowness of the story is part of its artistic style and it may appeal to some but not to others. It’s a big risk and it might just fail in its execution but for Oshimi, it’s just part of his writing style and that’s all there is to it.

Eliiza Mejia · Answer

I knew going into this that it would be uncomfortable at times, but it really delivers on that. The main way it has the reader feeling complicit in a high school student's gross thoughts is by having us read them while turning the page to see what nasty things happen to them next. This is a clever trick that the story employs well to explore the thoughts of a nasty little girl. Nakamura is the bully of the story, and she is a force to be reckoned with as she penetrates the social façade of each of her classmates.

It’s set in a pretty mundane school, which is part of the horror. No spooky ghosts or demons here. The worst part of human nature is that it’s possible for another human to leave you feeling totally known and despised. The end of the book is really quiet and really ambiguous. It was kind of a cop-out for some people, but I think it was the only way it could have ended after all that had happened. It’s a short series of books, so it isn’t like a huge commitment to read the first volume. If you aren’t hooked (or healthily disturbed) by then, then the series isn’t for you.

Leslie Dean · Answer

Horri Ninmu no Kyûnen Musume is largely a mood piece; a plot devised to sustain ten volumes of an unrelenting sense of dread, locked within a claustrophobic space of the narrator’s making. While it is ultimately a story, its framework allows for the exploration of its unique mood, often becoming a hypnotic and anxiety-ridden experience in itself – following cycles, repeating conversations, intense and oppressive silence again and again.

I actually read Abedaioam when I was in the midst of an extremely stressful period of my life, and to my surprise, it sort of became cathartic for me as well. In that sense, it became a way to give my own vague anxiety a extreme and graphic narrative. What was relatable about Abedaioam’s psychological turmoil and how he expressed it was that it made me feel less isolated in my own plight. And yes, this is how horror typically works – but it’s worth reading if you’re in a state to be able to digest the sort of darkness that this is. It’s not a ‘happy’ story, but it can be a very validating one for people who are struggling with similar anxieties – it externalizes the internal and all that.

Montaño Moises · Answer

Oh wow, I just finished reading that last week. I think it had some of the most rapid emotional whiplash I've ever seen in a comic. At times I had to look away from the page because it was so cringeworthy, but at others I found myself to be rather sympathetic to the main character's plight. This comic isn't about heroes or villains, it's about two very broken people and how they get off on each other's misery. Nakamura in particular is one of the most terrifying characters I've ever read because she is so convincingly manipulative and empty.

The black and white illustrations without screentone just add to the story feeling like a documentary of a social disaster unfolding one page at a time. I would highly recommend this manga but you have to be in the right mindset first. It’s NOT a relaxing read, it’s a brutal and harsh look at some of the worst parts of adolescence and it can be very uncomfortable to read at times. The ending did work for me though. It was bleakly hopeful but that was earned and not some cheap plot device.

Leopoldo Ayala Cruz · Answer

For those unfamiliar, this manga is essentially the same as a stressful arthouse horror movie. Most people wouldn’t want to watch such a movie to have a fun night of entertainment. Rather, it’s to challenge and/or disturb the viewer. Naturally, such a work would have a limited amount of readers. In comparison to action-packed shonen or soothing slice-of-life manga, this will be a rather stressful shock to most readers. This work originates from a completely different tradition of manga than typical shonen or mainstream manga. In other words, it’s a work similar to literary fiction or psychological thrillers.

However, it is important to note that there are certain expectations that should be set before reading this book. As opposed to action-packed shonen or even a normal slice-of-life manga, Horus Prima is full of long silences of awkwardness and abject horror. In reading this book, one must have certain expectations managed. In other words, there are no flashy fights or cute fan service. And also, there is no hero who wins in the end. If someone is interested in reading a highly unique and disturbing work of art, then this is the book for them. However, if someone thinks that this book will be some form of “work” or even “misery” then they should simply not read it. Life is too short to read something that one hates. This manga is sure to be hated by many readers, and that is perfectly okay.

Juvelyn Vasquez · Answer

It’s amazing and I don’t want to read it again. This is my way of summarizing the book because it’s an incredibly effective horror story that is now living rent-free in my head. The images are haunting – Kasuga running through empty streets at night, Nakamura’s expressionless face, the claustrophobic classrooms. It does what it sets out to do and that’s to make the reader feel all of Kasuga’s paranoia and shame.

It’s so emotionally draining, though, that I have no desire to go back to it. One read was enough to experience the novel and unpleasant journey that the protagonist experienced throughout the story. My reading of this novel has helped to change my view of the manga as a medium and what manga can do. While there are many stories that consist of heroic battles and so on, this is not a manga of that nature. It’s a very slow, intimate and individualistic story of collapse. It’s worth reading once for the experience. In the same way that some people watch famous disturbing films in order to feel the shock and emotion of them and then feel changed by them after, this is a manga that is worth reading.

Is Flowers Of Evil Manga Worth Reading?

13 Answers

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