In the mix of stories that have impacted me so deeply I feel they have instantly affected my perspective on the world Misumisou is kind of a unique one. And because of a very ordinary reason actually. Its short. And so it has made an interesting decision to not analyze its themes and instead focus on portraying them in the most gutwrenching way which I feel results in an almost eyeopening experience. This essay could wind up being longer than the manga as even my notes for it are already 2.1k words long which is a funny thought. Also as a personal note this is the first review Ive prepared for so I hope it to be structural. In this essay Im going to try to break down the themes the characters and what I believe could be why the story was written like this. Ill also touch on the art the motifs and interpretability in it. BEWARE OF SPOILERS FROM HERE ON For starters the themes. There are three primary: neglect pentup feelings and desires and fear of being stuck in a place where no happiness can be found. These themes are the driving force for the actions and choices of the characters. Neglect. Out of the three this one is probably conveyed in the most upfront way. A visual way how its shown is the drawing of characters as dark silhouettes seemingly completely detached from the person perceiving them and unable to be reached. Yoshies family situation is a very clear case of neglect. Her parents seem to have no regard for her and are using her as a tool in their destructive lifestyle. She feels powerless against the two silhouettes sitting in front of the TV light demanding her to get them something other than sparkling wine. And as she doesnt have control over her life at home she finds solace in school as part of a class and to not lose the connection she goes along with everything they do. In the final chapter Harukas grandfather laments not seeing Harukas suffering and leaving her on her own. Getting back to that later... But this situation is an ambiguous example. Haruka had decided to keep everything happening in school secret before already and she wouldve probably been evasive if probed. But grandfather shouldve probably tried to open her up because how could she have been fine. Its possible that he was holding out for her to do so when she wouldve felt like it so thats why its in a gray area I think. Another example although wrong is what Ikegawa feels sensing that Haruka is neglecting his feeling for her This theme encompasses basically every character to some extent but these examples are convenient to talk about here to reserve bigger characters for their own segments. Yoshie is also a very necessary addition into the story in my opinion because the type of abuse she experiences is not uncommon and its portrayed viscerally. Bottling emotions. Its not easy to be open with emotions and let other people in on whats locked in your heart. And I dont think people should feel forced to put themselves out there like that but it is healthy and relieving. And thats what the theme is about. The characters seemingly live in an environment which makes them hide their feelings often with hostility. In turn the actors causing the suppression might not learn about the existence of the emotions because theyre rendered invisible. Its a dangerous and toxic cycle that causes a lot of trauma to people. But the emotions can be bottled up for only so long before theyre released in an explosion. The characters Ill use as an example here is Ikegawa. Although his character was not fully articulated as hes written with some uncomfortable implications. He was obsessed with Haruka feeling something similar to love which had been warped by having to hold it in. He definitely wasnt in a good headspace before either but due to the class collectively hating Haruka he played along and that ended up turning his feelings into a jealous feeling of ownership and entitlement. He wanted to own Haruka. Maybe it couldve been genuine love if the environment was better. With how it was he wouldve become the enemy of the rest of the class if he tried being sincere and open with Haruka. Honestly I could be giving him too much credit with this analysis but I feel thats the concept behind Ikegawas character Its a really deranged mindset that we get to see from him but as to why hes like that this is my interpretation. But anyways this roughly brings me to the next theme. Feeling stuck. This theme is built on the setting the small town of Ootsuma. A barren place with a decreasing population and with little comfort except the beautiful landscape that is infested with Hepatica Nobilis. This serves as a core factor as to why the characters are constantly on edge and is something the characters iterate theres nothing to do. Aiba is the only one who has found an avenue for expressing himself and he seemingly is satisfied with the photos he gets to take although he wants to take pictures of something more beautiful leading him to take photos of Harukas burnt dad... People need something to spend time and energy on because the thirst for fulfillment can also be bottled up. Most everyone in Class 31 appears to feel without dreams or hope. Their time outside of home is spent by finding distorted relief in banding against someone and flaunting pride in being the schools last alumni. its bleak. Their potential has no way to manifest. I think this theme goes hand in hand with neglect. Its not like rural areas are bound to have outcomes like this not at all. There obviously are things to do but people generally need social interaction and activity and so being shunned by their parents the classmates of Class 31 have broken down. As a sidenote some members of Class 31 cite Harukas existence as the catalyst of their behaviour in an impressive display of victimblaming. To say thats what tipped the scales is glaringly wrong when taking into account that Rumi was the victim before Haruka moving in. I see it as a momentary selfrationalization which shows they havent come to terms with how theyve been victimized by their families themselves. Haruka Nozaki. Shes quite unique as a main character. Despite her being the main perspective the audience follows her personality is rather openended. The story gives a general understanding of her and her values like the heartwarming love and care she holds for her family but shes quiet about what she feels at any given moment and we dont see into her mind often either. There are many vague panels which leave her emotions up for interpretation. For an illustration how exactly does Haruka feel about her revenge? Is she really as cold and unfeeling as she seems or do her actions pain her as is also hinted? What keeps her going? In terms of which of the themes Haruka falls under its bottling emotions. She tries to endure the bullying and hides it from her family to not worry them. Its very wholesome that Shouka sees through Haruka and comforts her but its because she used to go through it when they lived in the big city. Harukas strength is admirable but it wasnt sustainable. Haruka is also tied to the motif that is the title of the series Hepatica Nobilis. A flower that braces snow and blooms in spring. Aiba notes the flower is alike Haruka. He thinks putting up with life and abuse is love so for him Hepatica Nobilis is a symbol of love. But half way through the series the blanket of snow grows too thick and the flowers are drowned in it. Mitsuru Aiba. Yeah reading chapter 15 for the first time was a shock. On a reread I spotted multiple sketchy flags surrounding him like how he kept a copy of Haruka/Shouko photo in his room. Its devastating because Aiba did feel like a ray of hope and his presence was comforting for both Haruka and me as a reader. Pinpointing Aibas character under one of the three themes isnt straightforward as his situation is very different from everyone else. He grew into the person he is by being abandoned by his mother after he tried to protect her. From that point on he appears to have a mindset that she needed to be controlled and abused he thinks she didnt know what was good for her. To be honest her mom is on levels of fucked up that are hard to comprehend too and Ive got little clue about defining her without any more context. But that mindset extends to Aibas own target of obsession Haruka. And to protect her and garner her attention hes willing to go to awful lengths. At one point it becomes so delusional he goes out of his way to separate Haruka so she wouldnt have anyone but him left. And he makes an absolutely disgusting comment about being the only one to not abandon her even if her sister dies implying her sister would be abandoning her. Anyway there are tons of interesting panels and details in this manga but in regards to Aiba there are two that I want to bring up. The first is his excuse for taking the picture of Harukas dad and Shouko in the fire which he tries to explain as him admiring the fathers heroic act. I think this reason might contain a bit of truth the contrast of his father and Harukas father couldve evoked something like that. The second thing is the final page of chapter 14 where Aiba steps on a Hepatica Nobilis but looks completely unfazed despite having compared the flower to Haruka. I believe the implication is that hes oblivious to his own actions and that he really doesnt see how he hurts people. Taeko Oguro. The third theme is most prominent in Oguro. She has a dream unlike people around her from what we see at least. But it cant be fulfilled in Ootsuma. She literally does feel stuck and she pleads to be allowed to chase her wish but isnt permitted. This once again results in someone bottling up their emotions ambition and even hatred for the place that holds her down. She starts too view everyone around her as abnormal for being content on the surface even prideful of their alumni status. She even openly denies her dream. The outcome is that she uses everyone to feel in control and leads everyone against Haruka. Her relationship with Haruka is probably the most notable thing about her character. She was immediately interested in Haruka as she came from Tokyo but she quickly becomes disappointed because Haruka doesnt really want to go back unless her family does. She becomes spiteful as she someone whod give everything to go there cant but the one who could isnt even interested. In her eyes it must be a great injustice which well could be argued. Besides all of that though shes jealous of Harukas attention which only inflates her spite. As a side note one interesting detail is how she prefers to hurt Rumis hands. For her hands are important because shed need them for her dream job. Also her way of inflicting selfharm is biting her hands. Rumi Sayama Kyouko Minami. Im bundling them together because theyre similar and Im trying to condense this review. Both are depictions of someone who is completely cornered basically a wild animal that can only turn around and attack the hunter. As for Rumi shes also got the thing with obsession and disillusionment going on. The circumstances of these characters are tragic. When its shown how casually Rumi is bullied despite being one of the Ootsuma people and her perpetual state of hear its terrifying to think what shes been through. Her design often looks monstrous and she was indeed molded into one. Shes been broken through sheer abuse by her classmates. Totally cornered between Oguro and Haruka. Shes at a stage where she thinks its better if she dies liberated than to continue being abused. And the layer of her admiration for Oguro just muddies this into something so indescribably disgusting. Kyouko is in a quite a similar position but perhaps even more tragic. She tried to redo her school life and get a new start for it to end up exactly the same being bullied by her own students. Even an adult isnt invincible the scars shes gotten are nigh irreparable. She falls into the two latter themes. Grandpa. Usually a grandfather character in a story is a relatively straightforward character. That rings true for Misumisou too. At least on the surface. Hes simply a character who supports Haruka. But there is something more to him the fact that he is quite likely aware of Harukas actions. Firstly assuming he actually does believe Haruka and thinks shes attending school if thats the case Im still worried because he shouldnt let her. Haruka absolutely shouldnt be going to school in her situation. But I dont think this is it. Theres a scene where he is looking through Harukas clothes and in a very cryptic panel we see him find what appear to be bloodstains on her jacket. Its hard to believe hes oblivious to what it could indicate. Also at one point Haruka questions him about why he hasnt asked anything and grandpa also very enigmatically states that Haruka can tell him when shes ready to do so. Although the final chapter would suggest that he actually didnt knew anything it might be that his mind isnt clear at that point and that his sentiments arent to be taken as facts. Well he does see an illusion of Haruka after all. But if the possibility that he knew what Haruka was doing is true thats a disconcerting prospect. Its true neglect. Also it would actually parallel one of the parents who was glad about their child being a perpetrator instead of a victim because itd mean there wouldnt be anything to worry about. Okay these are all of the main characters. I dont think I need to bring the minor ones up. Maybe the breakdown isnt as complete and thorough as I imagined but this covers it about anyway. The review is getting lengthy and I still have other subjects to go over. The storys intent. Short stories are fascinating. When a story is so short assuming its not because of being axed or anything it indicates that its written for a more defined purpose maybe even for a goal. The author has something they want to say or share or put out in the open whatever. And so with this in mind what might be the purpose of Misumisou? Well the answer is quite obvious isnt it? In a broad sense its a message about what neglect leads to. But I feel its a very particularly crafted story and it isnt just trying to explore a concept. I feel its actually trying to gut punch the reader to wake up about the topic and make them feel strong feelings towards it. Trying to hammer in how ugly the consequences can be. The grotesque manner of depicting the bullying is like it is for that purpose I think that it is at least. The atmosphere and the interpretability. One of the standout aspects of Misumisou for me is the art particularly the style. Its both unique and fitting. Cutesy round characters that have whiplashing contrast with the carnage and horror. And the backdrops are slim and beautiful although bleak of course. I really like the atmosphere its lonely and isolate but also fresh because of the touch of winter and cold. But the everincreasing amount of snow feels like a representation of things escalating. At the start of the manga its all quiet only light snowfalls but as the revenge story begins it drastically intensifies. But as for what I appreciate the most its the ambiguity. So many panels leave a lot of room to interpretation. Despite having read the story a couple of times and taken notes of it as well as having discussed it there are still many moments where I dont understand the full depth behind an expression or a line of dialogue. The conclusion. I think Misumisou is a very well executed and important manga. It depicts themes that are really prevalent and is a wake up call not a study. The people Ive talked about the manga with usually consider its lack of exploration of the themes an issue but I dont see it that way. Well I get it but I think the way Misumisou does it is also needed. Whats uncanny is that this story doesnt feel that unreal. Thats certainly a thought. Well this review is long. I think Misumisou deserves a lot of effort because its so obscure and Id like for there to be at least something about it on the internet at least in English anyway Im not sure how the situation is in Japanese. Also its a short enough story that a full breakdown is plausible. Also my first serious review was of this but that was a terrible attempt and it was practically just praise without any analysis or substance to speak of. I havent even recommended the manga yet. But then again its not really about that. Im attempting to counter the more negative opinions which Ive seen circling around. Although if you havent read Misumisou then most importantly how did you even scroll all the way down here? But do go and read Misumisou lol