Flowers of Evil, Volume 5

I’m still feeling like I’m on a roller coaster and it is pure loop de loops beginning to end endless chaos.

Flowers of Evil is a manga that, when I started it, I found it interesting, but I didn't fully grasp what all the fuss was about. Still, I stuck with it, and reading volume five made me realize why this manga is as well received as it is.First, this is not a starting point, or a jumping on point. Every even from the earlier volumes leads right up to here, and the tension that has slowly been building, and the darkness that has been building inside the characters all reaches an emotionally explosive crescendo. The most disturbed and dangerous character reveals themselves, and everything is sent into a tail spin by the end of the book.Flowers of Evil has never been a pretty story. The language is course, the art simple. The strength of this series lies within it's storytelling and it's characters. The main cast is limited to only three characters, with a few side characters playing minor roles. Each character is a mystery in the beginning, a shell of a person. By volume five Oshimi begins to fill in these three people, and what is revealed is far from pretty. This particular volume is probably the most shocking, and includes one of the most intense sex scenes I have ever seen in a manga. It is not intense because of graphic content, as there is almost no nudity, but because of the shear emotion that the art is able to convey. The focus is not on the act itself, but on the character's faces. Oshimi manages to capture of level of desperation and need that I had never seen in his art before. The art itself is greatly improved since the first volume, with the characters bodies feeling more natural, and proportionate. The settings are simple, but create the perfect, almost suffocating small town.A common theme in the manga is that the characters are "shedding their skin", and in this volume we see one character expose themselves, both physically and emotionally. These characters are not just disturbed, but in a way, they are dangerous in their desperation, and one character in particular proves just how dangerous they truly are.The Flowers of Evil is a truly great manga series. The storytelling is slow and deliberate, taking it's time to properly develop it's core cast. The art, while simple, is effective, and perfectly conveys the plainness of world that these characters inhabit. The series is not for kids, obviously, but don't let the teen characters fool you. This is a story told, not through the lens of youth, but almost as a memory, looking back at the confusion and terror that adolescence can cause.

This manga series "Aku no Hana" by Shūzō Oshimi could start its own genre with just how unique it is. It stands out. If you like dark/disturbing/psychological series, I would recommend giving this a try. Vertical does an exceptional translation and includes integration of English sound effects into the scenery, it is seamless.

Read them. They are really interesting, sure it can get a little ridiculous, but if you get into the story it can be fun.

a book for cool people

good

Another good one

So to begin with I purchased this series with rightstuf but recommend you buy it here as well :) support the series it is amazing. It thrills me to see comments of everyone who agrees this volume in particular goes all out and ignites into a burning ball of angst, passion, and despair by the end! Holy crap please support this series the first 5 volumes have been fantastic so far!!

This has got to be one of the greatest volumes in the series. The character interactions have gone beyond interesting and the ending of the volume reaches a huge climax (no pun intended). I can't wait until the next volume. Why would anyone who loves this manga not purchase it? It's brilliant!

The story continues!

nice comic