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lezreadalot 's review for:
Happiness, Vol. 1
by Shuzo Oshimi
dark
fast-paced
Loveable characters:
No
2.5 stars. Hm. This was something, I guess. It feels like it was too short to really make much of an impression on me, and the things that DID leave an impression weren't all that good. We're following a lonely, horny teenage boy in high school. He doesn't have many friends and he's bullied relentlessly. After a bloody night-time encounter with a feral girl who attacks him, he begins changing.
All I knew before going into this was that it's some kind of vampire story. We did get the beginnings of that plotline, but mostly, this deals with Makoto and his bullies, his feelings of self-worth, how he handles (or doesn't handle) his changing emotions and behaviour. Storylines about bullying always really affect me. But in this case, it was dampened because I don't really care about Makoto. Lol. Sorry. I wasn't in the mood to read about a horny teenager, and I could have done with 100% less panty shots and leg shots of teen girls. I know, I know, it's just showing where Makoto's mind is at, and for an adolescent boy, it's all pretty normal. But did I want to see it? No. I also got annoyed with him for how he treated his mother, but whatever.
This was very much a book that was all about the setup. While I don't really care about the main character, I'm really interested in our mystery monster girl, and Gosho. The Yuuki storyline seems to be going in a different place than I first expected, so that's cool as well. What I enjoyed most about this was the art style. I love when manga art is realistic and slightly uncanny like this. I especially loved the haziness when Makoto started losing control; an interesting way to present it to the reader.
So while this didn't have the best start, I still think I want to give it a few more volumes, see where the story goes. Hopefully the plot picks up soon. At least I know I'll enjoy the art; it really is great to look at, and it's the perfect style for horror.
All I knew before going into this was that it's some kind of vampire story. We did get the beginnings of that plotline, but mostly, this deals with Makoto and his bullies, his feelings of self-worth, how he handles (or doesn't handle) his changing emotions and behaviour. Storylines about bullying always really affect me. But in this case, it was dampened because I don't really care about Makoto. Lol. Sorry. I wasn't in the mood to read about a horny teenager, and I could have done with 100% less panty shots and leg shots of teen girls. I know, I know, it's just showing where Makoto's mind is at, and for an adolescent boy, it's all pretty normal. But did I want to see it? No. I also got annoyed with him for how he treated his mother, but whatever.
This was very much a book that was all about the setup. While I don't really care about the main character, I'm really interested in our mystery monster girl, and Gosho. The Yuuki storyline seems to be going in a different place than I first expected, so that's cool as well. What I enjoyed most about this was the art style. I love when manga art is realistic and slightly uncanny like this. I especially loved the haziness when Makoto started losing control; an interesting way to present it to the reader.
So while this didn't have the best start, I still think I want to give it a few more volumes, see where the story goes. Hopefully the plot picks up soon. At least I know I'll enjoy the art; it really is great to look at, and it's the perfect style for horror.