Welp. That was a very Dowman Sayman manga.

so was Kureha a fragment of Ouka or was she actually Ouka in disguise?

I wondered why this didn't show up on my feed, but maybe it was for the best.

It was... something, I guess.

Were we supposed to learn something in all that? I'm assuming the message was to just be entertained, and I guess I was, yet the ending was simultaneously everything I expected and also not.

Also reminded me of some weird mix the endings of Spec Ops The Line, SSS Gridman, American McGee's Alice, and Bunny Girl Senpai. All of those. At the same time.

Eeyup.

This was really interesting. I'm always partial toward happy endings, but I try not to let my personal wishes for the outcome affect my opinion on the actual outcome. So, I will say it was pretty good. Had my eager to see what happens next from start to finish. Still wish it was a happy ending though.

I remember reading the first chapter of this a while back. It was really intriguing, so I'm glad it turned out to be a full series. Was it originally a one-shot, or was the rest of the series just ignored by translators for a long time?

I had guessed who the real Ouka was around halfway through. Regardless, it was a good twist. The series was excellently plotted and Sayman took the concept about as far as it could go without dragging it out. I actually feel like this was the most complete and coherent series I've read from them. It makes me all the more frustrated that so little of their work is published in English.

Getting personal, I also tend to use maladaptive daydreaming to cope with suicidal ideation (well, also out of sheer boredom). And, like Ouka's dreamscape, those fantasies aren't always filled with pretty, happy scenarios. The series takes a character who's willing to go to absolutely any length to be with the one she loves, and shows how that ideal can become extremely twisted and violent. Though the ending comes across as cynical at first, I think the overall point is how dangerous and pointless it is to retreat further and further into fantasies.

On a side note, it's a shot in the dark, but I'm guessing the CD/TG person is a representation of how Ouka views her actual body. She might be trans, or she might just feel insecure in her femininity.

Edit: Not sure how it didn't occur to me right away, but the final twist is basically the same as that of the movie I'm Thinking of Ending Things.

last edited at Sep 25, 2020 7:09AM

This was a recommendation from a friend and I’m so glad I read it. This was an intriguing story and honestly reminds me a lot of Madoka!

This is very interesting!

My goodness is Dowman Sayman amazing!
Still unsure if I understood anything or if I am okay with what I think I understood... But this was a pretty dope ride.

Damm, i loved it, so short and simple, but so weird lol. The ending was pretty awesome too! The kind of ending I expected from this kind of story lol. Im glad it was short tbh, otherwise i'd get emotionally invested in the yuri potential and i'd hate the ending haha

last edited at Feb 28, 2022 7:19AM

I reread only the last chapter (not at all remembering what happened in the other ones) and I still don't see a comment that defines the plot/ending well. Just to clarify, does the ending imply that Kareha will once again fall into a deep coma because of Chihaya shooting her at the end?

That was what the fuck indeed, it was a great read though

This is delightfully Ikuharaesque. Real big shame about the portrayal of the trans lady.

It's kind of weird too considering there's a more positive portrayal of a trans girl in one of Dowman Sayman's other manga, Nickelodeon.

Could be a deliberate stylistic choice to present her ans gender non-conforming or fluid to make her stand out a bit more in the case, especially since her looks are never really used as the pun of a joke.