Soooooo I read Utsutsu-kowashi a long time ago and I thought I’d wait until there were more chapters until I continue. Turns out, there are only 3 before it was discontinued for unknown reasons.
“I’m the same as you.”
Utsutsu-kowashi follows the story of Kosaka Mizuho as she gets entangled in mysterious murders in St. Lucia Academy. The school suspected Sonozaki Shion, the mafia daughter of the Sonozaki family, and so Shion decides to investigate further into the cases, befriending Mizuho in the process.
Shion is one of my top favorite Higurashi character because of how well she was written in Meakashi, and I’m glad to see more Shion content. (Although I don’t really like her in this art style.) However, despite how promising the first three chapters were, they were just left at that. Three chapters is all there is to Utsutsukowashi.
To be honest, I didn’t really like the supporting cast in Utsutsu. There’s the stereotypical handsome woman, a stereotypical pair of twins, and a stereotypical ojou-san class rep. If they had more time, they might be fleshed out more. Mizuho is promising, though. She’s the typical quiet girl protagonist, but there’s more to her, and the story sets it up like she’s some kind of last boss. Sheesh, I would love to see that.
So why do websites like baka or MAL list that this arc has 5 chapters? It’s because the other two are extra chapters for Onisarashi, not Utsutsukowashi.
Chapter 4 is just a gag chapter about things that the author of Onisarashi (En Kito, same author that this Utsutsu) could not include in the two-volume manga. Chapter 5 is the ‘epilogue’ (or true ending, you could say) to Onisarashi. A few years after the events of Onisarashi, Akasaka had a chance encounter with Toudou Akira. (male lead of Onisarashi that got stabbed by female lead) Akira told Akasaka of what happened to him and Natsume after the incident.
Natsume was adopted by one of her relatives, but was chained and locked in a room because she could go berserk and kill people again at any moment. Akira could not bear to see that, so he took her out and married her, in order to have legal custody over her or something. Akira sent Natsume to a psychiatrist, where she got treatment. They’re currently trying to work out Natsume’s symptoms, but all seems well and they live happily.
My favorite thing about this chapter is that: somebody from Higurashi finally goes to a proper effing mental institute. Like, seriously, this is probably the first time someone (aside from maybe Satoshi) gets proper treatment for Hinamizawa syndrome, not get their brains dissected by Takano. That’s so good to see.
All in all, it was a pretty interesting volume. I have mixed feelings about this manga but at least I don’t have to be stuck wondering forever if there’s a chapter 4.
bonutzuu 