Flowers of Evil Volume 6 Review: Piles on the Angst
Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
Things are finally getting a little out of hand in Kasuga’s life, whose plan to ruin the summer festival with stolen underwear is in complete tatters, thanks to Saeki burning down the hideout where he hid all his mischief-making material. Volume 5 of ‘Flowers of Evil’ by Shuzo Oshimi ended with cops finding Kasuga’s notebook at the site of fire, so volume six begins with the police questioning the school-boy over his role in the blaze.
Kasuga finally faces some real consequences for his reckless behavior – his parents ground him, and his father keeps a strict eye on him to ensure he obeys their rules. Surprisingly, Kasuga is barely rattled by the police questioning him; instead, he becomes obsessively focused on how he’ll make it up to Nakamura. Saeki, too, doesn’t back off from pursuing Kasuga and makes another desperate attempt to convince him that he won’t achieve anything with Nakamura.
Kasuga finally faces some real consequences for his reckless behavior – his parents ground him, and his father keeps a strict eye on him to ensure he obeys their rules. Surprisingly, Kasuga is barely rattled by the police questioning him; instead, he becomes obsessively focused on how he’ll make it up to Nakamura. Saeki, too, doesn’t back off from pursuing Kasuga and makes another desperate attempt to convince him that he won’t achieve anything with Nakamura.
This volume of Flowers of Evil is fast-paced, slightly twisty, and drenched in teen angst and frustration. The already troubling dynamic between Kasuga and Nakamura (where she dominates as the bully and he submits as her passive lackey) takes a darker, more violent turn by the end. What makes many of Nakamura’s actions feel hollow and frustrating is Shuzo Oshimi’s refusal to provide any backstory or clear motivation for her behavior. Then again, that might be the point: Nakamura is simply a restless teen acting out, her cruelty driven not by trauma, but by sheer boredom and the desire to disrupt. But then there is still the Saeki problem, why that smart girl keeps getting caught in their muck is simply inexplicable.
The artwork is a lot more vivid in these chapters, especially since the plot is emotionally charged. For the first time, Nakamura shows a more vulnerable side, though it’s laced with a violent streak. How are things going to end for Kasuga and Nakamura, especially now that his parents know what’s been causing the sudden change in his behavior? Will they be able to disrupt the summer festival and cause further trouble in town? Well, Shuzo Oshimi ends the volume with a wild, unexpected cliffhanger.
Rating: 3 on 5. ‘Flowers of Evil’ is also on Kindle Unlimited.
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