Is It My Fault That I Got Bullied?

The story progression was captivating, the characters were interesting and the psychological side of things was done absolutely fantastic. There were some parts in the story that seemed a bit rushed or story plots that haven't been resolved, but all in all it was really a uncomfortably enjoyable manga. I usually don't write reviews and only came here to update my library, give a score, and be on my merry way. That's when one of the "Not Recommended" reviews stood out to me and I had the desire to give my two cents about the story or rather bullying itself. The author has perfectly captured the ripplesthat bullying can cause even decades later - be they physical or most of the times mental scars. In extreme cases - like portrayed in this story - one may simply call it what it can evolve into: PTSD. Let me tell you, PTSD is no joke at all. And that's what the story was essentially about: a vendetta of one such victim taking back control of all the trauma they've experienced. I've just read the whole thing in one go because the story had a deeper connection to my own life than I would've wanted to. Bullying isn't only done by the perpetrators, but by all witnesses that either do nothing or even join in - and even that part was stunningly captured by the author. The story never had the desire to have some kind of critique of society about bullying - that point is absolutely moot. Everybody KNOWS that bullying is bad and shouldn't be done, but by pampering or spouting ideals nobody has ever come far in this topic. It has to make one uncomfortable for one to have the need to change something. So, I absolutely don't agree with that review. It was the manga's goal to make the reader uncomfortable and maybe even reflect on one's own life and behavior. Or to show victims that they are not alone in what they have experienced or still are experiencing. It's also not such a complex subject, is it? Don't be a bad or evil person. Don't bully people. It has more effects on the bullied than you could ever imagine. It is essentially what every bullied wishes upon their bullies: karma.

Honestly, it was okay. I wanted it to be more of a deep take on trauma than it was but in the end it came up shallow. I don't have any particular grievances to state regarding it, but just don't go into it expecting too much. It concludes well enough and there is a story there, it just isn't all that special. That's not to say you won't like it, you very well might. I think it's something I would have liked when I was younger, if I was looking for something a bit more "edgy" and not something that delves heavily into deep topics.

Story: This manga follows a teacher encountering his childhood bully's daughter's bullying problem, 20 years later. This is a revenge story with some good suspense and good art. Some things like "Sensei smiles when he's lying" add to the story a lot, where the aurthor can convey that he's lying without saying directly what he's lying about or what he's thinking. What makes this manga particularly satisfying is that unlike Raul Evans where he enacts revenge, Aizawa-san simply shows people what the bad actors are like and lets society do the rest. It makes it very hard to say that they didn't deserve it beacusewhat happens to them is an obvious direct result of their own actions. Aizawa plays the investigator and not the vigilante and we the audience simply watch as their dirty laundry is revealed. Certain parts that make this really engaging is trying to figure out whether or not Aizawa is helping the bullies to get revenge on Shiori. Characters: Shiori is sort of a Mary Sue. She doesn't seem to have any bad personality traits, and barely any personality at all. She serves more like a camera through which the audience can view the story, which is fine in my opinion. I would've liked to see more of a characterization of her. Aizawa does have a very strong character and very clear motivations and goals which unfold as the story unfolds. It would've been nice if he was a bit more eccentric, but he plays his role well. In a romcom, these would be dealbreakers for our protagonist and deuteragonist, but the story is really about Mystery, Suspense, and Revenge, and these character types lend themselves to the story really well. Aside from them, Mr. Suzuki has a very fun personality and it's nice to see a narcissist depicted in a way that doesn't just stop at their ego. The story shows how he views Suzuki as an extension of himself. How he magnifies how justified he is, but considers the reasons Shiori got bullied to be petty. His mindset on full display is extremely believable. Honestly, in terms of character, Mr. Suzuki's view of the world and Aizawa's view of the world are what really make the character for the story. Everyone else is just sort of meh. they could be changed a lot with roughly the same story. Art is fine. Characters were all unique looking and few enough that it was easy to keep up with who is who, which is a major complaint I have with other manga with very diverse casts. Overall 10/10. It does what it came to do very well and there was no point where I thought "If the author did X, the manga would've been much better"