Happiness Vol 8 Review: Flashbacks and Face-Offs
Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
Sudo-san Comes to the Rescue!
Shuzo Oshimi’s Happiness Vol. 7 ended with yet another dark cliffhanger—Sudo sneaking into the premises of Sakurane’s cult to save Shouko from his clutches. Volume 8 immediately begins with violent action, following up on Sudo’s fate as he faces off against the psychotic Sakurane after finding a battered and bruised Shouko in captivity.
Also Read: Happiness Vol 7 Review: Cult Crazies & A Reunion
I didn’t expect Shuzo Oshimi to give readers a flashback to Sakurane, who, by the way, was just as creepy when he was younger and probably needed some sort of medical attention because his brain is wired weird. Anyway, the Sakurane origin story is pretty basic—a sadistic, mean older child who was desperate for attention. We’re also shown how he murdered some innocent kids, a fact that he’d proudly announced to Shouko in Happiness Vol. 5 before slashing her neck. It doesn’t do much to add to Sakurane’s twisted personality, except to cement the fact that he is devil incarnate. I would’ve preferred to see more of the drama unfolding in the present than get insights into his past.
The artwork for the flashback pages changes; instead of the usual bold, dark, black-and-white panels, Shuzo Oshimi shows the past in what looks like light pencil sketches. The slight change in style helps readers understand the sudden change in the timeline in the middle of the volume. Although Sakurane looks visibly younger and the surroundings are clearly different from “Blood of Happiness”—the name of his cult, in case you forgot.
A lot happens in this volume story-wise, making it an engrossing edition that gets over in a blink, with three distinct sections—the first follows Sudo’s mission to save Shouko, the second focuses on Sakurane’s past, and the last few pages shift back to the present, where we see the consequences of Sudo’s daringly impulsive intervention. The intruder causes a stir at the cult, and well, nothing good can possibly happen in a vampiric cult, can it? Volume 8 ends with panic, chaos, tension, and fans are left hanging with yet another intriguing cliffhanger.
Rating: 3.5 on 5.
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