i mean i dont rlly get why everyone's so mad abt the drugs being depicted unrealistically, sometimes u do get fucked up like that

I don't think her killing her GF was all that much of a stretch given the rest of the manga.

It’s not the killing per se, but how abrupt the killing felt when they immediately jump to the prison scene. Seeing her panicking over her dead girlfriend would have been awesome story wise.
Again my problem is not that the killing is over the top, it’s how the flow went.

Yeah I misread ya, my bad.

I mean, you can't realistically kill yourself by eating cherry blossom petals, so should the suicide tag even be there? The point might just be that she's trying to do it, but failing.
With sakura trees, the chemicals that convert into cyanide in the body are found in much higher amounts in the seeds, leaves, and bark. Now, you would still have to eat a lot of them very quickly, and in the case of seeds and bark, chew them extremely thoroughly. You would not be able to kill yourself before you began suffering from effects of mild poisoning, which would prevent you from eating enough to reach lethal levels.

Also, you can really tell who in this comment section does or has done drugs/smokes weed. The author made up a fake drug as a thematic device, and ya'll are acting like she personally narced you. There are really bad drugs out there that have horrible effects on the body. Would you have the same response if they were shooting heroin?

last edited at Jul 8, 2026 7:29PM

Too many people saying "drugs depicted unrealistically". Kids, there's a reason that EVERY psychoactive med has a "stop treatment of you develop any self-harm idea" warning - and is that EVERY psychoactive substance, be it meds or drugs, has a non-zero chance of triggering depressive or obsessive ideas if you have the wrong genetics. Even more hilarious - some don't cause that result themselves but can act as known triggers for transtorns that DO have that effect, too. Getting that result from ANY drug is NOT unrealistic - just (fortunately) unlikely from most.
(Yes, that includes weed. Had to take an ex GF to (and fortunately from) the ward after a suicide attempt because of specifically weed. She was one of the unlucky ones. Any "b-but weed doesn't cause that" uninformed comment will be meet with derision.)

also, SpencerSDH, the sakura venom is also treated here as a plot device for an obvious toxic relationship. Which is a Stormtrooper moment here, not for you, but for many who miss the plot harder than if they wore white plastic armor. Some kids here may complain about having taken drugs and not sen that very effects, but oh boy have I seen how toxic relationships are depicted here perfectly. I wish you guys to NEVER have experienced those first-hands, folks. Sincerely.
And THAT is what this oneshot is about. Not the drugs.

I shall not answer any answer to this post.

last edited at Jul 8, 2026 9:20PM

Cataton posted:
I get that the end makes it look like "drugs turned Sakura into a murderer" but I think the actual implication is that the built up resentment from sacrificing herself to try and keep Tsukushi happy (which is how a lot of BPD relationships end up) is what made her go harder than normal. The drug just removed that inhibition she would have otherwise had.

I was going to say that as I thought about it, while I think the manga was trying to depict the sex scenes in a way that implies a dissociative state, I was confused why the breath play stuff never came up before that one scene. I think this makes sense and is probably the best explanation for what's going on here, that Sakura really was becoming that resentful that her life was no longer her own any more

This felt like it could have been interesting but seriously fell flat. The choking during sex seemed really abrupt (although on a reread I noticed that Tsukushi does have finger marks on her neck during the sex panels, so it is foreshadowed but definitely could have had better setup).

Honestly, I expected Tsukushi to overdose (purposefully or accidentally) and Sakura to go into a self-loathing spiral, blaming herself for not stopping Tsukushi that first day (although, as many people have noted, there wasn't a particularly happy end in sight no matter how everything went) and for it to end there, with Sakura on a mental precipice. Then again, I happen to like it when tragic oneshots end on an uncertain note,

All in all, an interesting premise with lackluster execution imo.

last edited at Jul 8, 2026 10:24PM

truly japanese idea of what dating a girl on pcp is like

Drug sex

SpencerSDH posted:

I mean, you can't realistically kill yourself by eating cherry blossom petals, so should the suicide tag even be there? The point might just be that she's trying to do it, but failing.
With sakura trees, the chemicals that convert into cyanide in the body are found in much higher amounts in the seeds, leaves, and bark. Now, you would still have to eat a lot of them very quickly, and in the case of seeds and bark, chew them extremely thoroughly. You would not be able to kill yourself before you began suffering from effects of mild poisoning, which would prevent you from eating enough to reach lethal levels.

She specifically says "leaves", not petals.

Also, if you read the Suicide tag's description, you'll see it also applies to attempts.

Also, you can really tell who in this comment section does or has done drugs/smokes weed. The author made up a fake drug as a thematic device, and ya'll are acting like she personally narced you. There are really bad drugs out there that have horrible effects on the body. Would you have the same response if they were shooting heroin?

They were eating pills with little hearts on them, so it was probably MDMA or similar.

I don't understand why people are so hung up on the suicide tag when Tsukushi has expressed suicidal thoughts throughout the whole story. It doesn't matter if Sakura tries to kill herself in the end, the tag still applies. Also I agree with the commenter that the thing about sakura leaves being poisonous is just a parallel to her being "poisonous".

you can really tell who in this comment section does or has done drugs/smokes weed

No, you can't, actually.

lol doing drugs is not like this AT ALL. japanese people are so funny with how dramatic they are.

lol doing drugs is not like this AT ALL. japanese people are so funny with how dramatic they are.

So what. It's like one of the biggest taboos in east asia, or maybe asia in general

lol doing drugs is not like this AT ALL. japanese people are so funny with how dramatic they are.

So what. It's like one of the biggest taboos in east asia, or maybe asia in general

Being a taboo doesn't make an unrealistic dramatization less silly

lol doing drugs is not like this AT ALL. japanese people are so funny with how dramatic they are.

another Japan Thing in the thread lol

people are really hung up on the drug depiction

Why do people keep being lowkey racist in this thread

can we please stop

Why do people keep being lowkey racist in this thread

can we please stop

People don’t understand how silly they sound when they talk about “japanese people are” using anime and manga as example lmao

I was confused why the breath play stuff never came up before that one scene.

That was implied in the bottom panel of page 7, look at the marks on Tsukushi's neck. You gotta go pretty hard to leave marks like that.

Overall it seems a bit like Suzuo really wanted to make a manga for the anthology, but it ended up feeling a bit forced.

man taking a stand in a town hall meeting.jpeg

drugs ARE bad and I support this message

Oh gosh ... Damn :( I really thought they could've gotten a good ending.
Also, I'm pretty sure this wasn't meant to be a drug PSA. The drugs aren't the central thing here

people are really hung up on the drug depiction

"the mangaka, due to cultural differences, didnt depict drugs how i wanted, therefore the entire argument about drugs being bad and that you shouldnt do them is invalidated. checkmate, my addiction to harmful substances is justified!" type energy

some guy on page 1 said that "this is some serious war on drugs propaganda bullshit" and i had to do a double take

why the fuck are you indirectly accusing people of being drug addicts

jesus christ this thread is a shitzone

I was confused why the breath play stuff never came up before that one scene.

That was implied in the bottom panel of page 7, look at the marks on Tsukushi's neck. You gotta go pretty hard to leave marks like that.

Overall it seems a bit like Suzuo really wanted to make a manga for the anthology, but it ended up feeling a bit forced.

Dang on the one hand that's pretty subtle but on the other hand, you're right -- one of the reasons I won't go for breath play is it gets dangerous well before it can leave a mark

Gonna watch the new Ghost in the Shell to hopefully get the taste of shit out of my mouth.

tell me if it's any good