@@TheMickellPickell thank you, my relationship with her now is better, things were just rough growing up but im doing a little better mental health wise today.
I dropped it after the teacher moved on but returned and the mother not dying, at that point I know, it is not about the story of healing and moving on, it is about the author want to keep the status quo and keep the manga going. WE WERE SO CLOSE TO SETTLING THE WHOLE SITUATION and the author want to just keep going.
@@cine-ish agree but in the expense of the plot, I believe the author want to end it but may be the publisher want to continue it, because I read the chapter, it seems like the teacher story is ended but "somehow" she want to be with the MC again out of no where like..... BRUH !!! Similar with the mother, the story ended with her dying and we saw the MC is healing !!! but then later on, it was revealed the mother is still alive and the next few chapter talking about her past, the past misfortune that she experienced, doesnt justify the deeds/acts that she does now.
I don't know if it's true in this case but mangaka sometimes don't have another choice but to go forth even tho they don't want to themselves. Working for a magazine is so hard.
eh idk this author has had other series that were edgy/whatever already. personally i think the author just wants to torture the main character and everyone around him, and it's just misery and more misery, for the sake of it rather than any type of character improvement, from each and every character (the mc, the idol (even though we never got any clear explanation on her character and past), the female childhood friend, the male childhood friend, the brother, the mother, the teacher, mom's ex, etc.). I've written down some edgy stories myself where everyone suffers and this just seems like a published example of that, suffering for the sake of suffering with no real substance
If you've ever had depression or some other kind of mental illness... an inescapable town is the perfect metaphor. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to take my anti-depressants.
It really is an accurate way of articulating personal struggles. I wish more was done with it, but I liked the symbolism immensely. Hope you're doing okay Ratstail.
I have to say, sometimes I genuinely find comfort in just absolute tragedy, misery and depression in media. That sounds fucked up and I probl'y am fucked up. I've been bullied darn near my entire school years, have an over demanding narcissistic mother, live in an economically downtrodden country and have few friends and never had a girlfriend. It can be pretty darn difficult to try to be hopeful or happy when the future looks as bleak as the past, so I've remained in a sort of status quo for all of my adult existence. Boys Abyss sounds like it fits my situation 1:1.
For me Boys' Abyss had the same problem of many other mangas' endings: it felt both slow paced and rushed as it was dragging and dragging and nothing felt resolved
Totally understandable. This was a criticism I saw a lot and considering its weekly release, its stretched can feel a bit overstating. I personally am mixed by its last remaining chapters but I don't think it takes away too much from everything before it. Especially its first 4 volumes which are its peak impo.
The ending always makes or breaks the series NOBODY will remember the first 4 volumes only the last 2 chapters and the biggest problem with this manga was that it was more like a comedy than a serious drama
I will be honest, I was one of the people who dropped the series and forgot about it. I still don't think I will pick it up again even if I wanted to. But your video really helped appreciate the story and author. Although the story had problems, there was a genuine message that the author wanted convey, one that is often looked upon. Some just don't escape the abyss, and only dig themselves deeper. It is a textbook example of a cautionary tale, but the execution does leave a lot left to be desired. I have been through some tough times as well, so I can relate to the feeling. But thankfully, there are things out there that help me escape the abyss from time to time. For example: LETS GOOO, ANOTHER MICKELL PICKELL BANGER BABY 🔥🔥🔥 Genuinely though, thank you for the quality vids. 🙏
Really beautiful comment as always Banana Bob, appreciate you resonating so strongly with not just this video but even the original material. Its cool that despite it being a manga you dropped, you still respected the author and what they attempted to do with it. I'm also glad to hear that you have found the very things that help you escape your own personal abyss. Thanks for being here and for leaving such a powerful comment ♥♥
Same, I dropped the manga and forget it. Because of bad writing problem, but there is a message the author wanted convey. It just that story-wise problem obscured those message.
the "biggest" miss of this manga was that the only catharsis(semi-catharsis actually) happened in your fav scene.its ok if a story has no happy endings but you cant leave the reader full of tention.i hope that the new work of thi mangaka will be way better on that part.
Totally fair. While I do think Gen reporting himself to the police does showcase some level of growth, it really isn't in the same ballpark as Chako's storyline. Each character had baggage but it feels like only one of them got some kind of proper cohesion. I agree whole-heartedly.
@@TheMickellPickell i havent finished the manga and i dont think i will for the reason i mentioned.by "catharsis" i mean any event that will provide somekind of "release",it doesnt have to be chr growth,happy ending...etc.its exactly like you said in your vid,this series doesnt let off the "hardships" for not even a damn panel,noone finds even a moment of solace(?) and even tho i kinda get the "thats life" vibe the mangaka tries to convey i think he losses us when he tries to force that for ALL the characters in the story.idk man,i really had high hopes for this and it became a joke at some point!that said,i really think that the mangakas next work will be really good(i m sure he will learn from all the feedback he got).much love n many thnx for the vid.
I still am not sure why it's so hard for people to understand this still, but a creative and their creation can be good at one thing and bad at others. They can be fantastic at one thing and horrible at another. I think people also underestimate the challenges of telling a multi-year, serialized, monthly or weekly story, having to adapt as you go and not fall into pitfalls along the way. And ultimately, I think it's just depressing how much people enjoy clustering around like house flies to vomit hate all over something that someone poured four years of blood, sweat, and tears into.
It didn't look like a huge amount of hate, but personally I see people gather around to praise art made by someone obviously without a profound message to help others, only wanting their struggle and pain recognised and ending up in an antagonistic relationship with their new audience, and that's what I hate tbh. Because that audience is going to turn on them in the end and all the fame they gain concerns me because it's from a toxic place(people who think suffering artists are more profound).
@@siginotmylastname3969 I haven't really seen cases of that, but I'm not omniscient. What I have seen is artists who try to make something profound, only for the majority of the audience to oversimplify it and drag it down, and then the creator comes to resent their audience for it. T'is what happened with Hideaki Anno and the otaku fans of Evangelion. Suffering artists being more profound... well, there's a reason people see it that way. Truly great art challenges the artist and the person viewing the art. You have to really ask yourself difficult questions and get to the bloody, pulsating heart of the matter. It's not so much that suffering produces great art, but that great artists know how to turn the suffering all human beings experience into something profound.
At the same time, "suffering" as a thematic alone isn't an indicative of an author actually pouring their "blood, sweat and tears" into a story. It depends on if the narrative has a concise structure that justifies itself, it depends if the author is actually meaning to say something about/with it, and if so, what, it depends on a lot of other things. And sometimes the readers just don't agree with the narrative you're presenting, they may think it's too little or too much, it is what it is. Of course, that is not to say that unfair, biased, or dishonest complaints do not exist, or are just entirely a matter of perspective. But there is a distinction between, say, Blood Meridian, and A Little Life (aka: "Euthanasia P*rn")
@ExpertContrarian Not at all the point being made here. Try actually reading the words on your screen and taking the time to digest them instead of reaching the same half-baked conclusion every pleb with no media literacy jumps to and assuming that's OP's intent. This is why 90% of haters in generals are complete morons. They have zero critical thinking skills past "You said you like pancakes? Why do you hate waffles so much 😢?" You're a clown.
Gen, as a child, was not interested in the mother because he wanted to have sex with her, its because he wanted to be her. he snuck into her room to mess with her stuff because he wanted to feel like he was her. the mom mistook interest as being sexual and a way to control him you got it completely backwards, like the mom also never felt like the author was trying to make the reader believe that Gen was a good friend. dont understand how you got that from the text.
So to clarify I am aware that Gen's true motive was to be her because he admired her so fondly. The problem stems from the fact we only find out about that motivation a chapter after the reveal to Reiji so it feels out of left field. The time where he meets up with her from memory is because he is called by her on the phone for telling Reiji the truth about the relationship between her, Gen and Gen's dad. She is there before he is. In the same chapter where he confesses to Reiji about "killing her" he also mentions he tried to have sex with her, only to realise the truth was he wanted to become her. Regarding why I felt the author tried to make Gen out to be a good friend was through the actions he takes. He kills Reiji's father and attempts to do the same to his mother because of the turmoil they caused. He also beats up Yuri because he finds out about her abuse towards him. In hindsight, there were many other actions he takes which completely contradicts his good intentions so I retract that statement in the video, but just wanted to explain my thought process because I enjoy conversations like these.
For me, what made the ending disappointing was that the manga displayed how some people never ‘escaped’ the abyss. And in turn, pulled others into it. And I never made hopes that the main cast would reach a happy ending. But I did want to see the characters all the way to their end point. And that’s almost skipped. Yes there’s bits and pieces, but I enjoyed (not in like a fun way) the story because I wanted to see the characters journey into their demise or relief. Everytime I think there’s hope, gets squandered, but still moments show it is possible. And then we’re left with a vague ending that seems to be happy for a few, but unclear for others. Whether happy or sad end, I wanted to see that journey fully.
I saw the beautiful cover art of this manga once, and were oh so close to getting it. You're getting more and more personal in your videos. Its comforting and you're doing well of walking on the thin ice of not telling too much. Great job, bossman
I appreciate the kind words! I've been trying to cement my own style with these manga video essays so I'm glad that its not too jarring to see every panel animated in the way it is.
The trainwreck that is domestic girlfriend walked so that boys abyss can run. Thought I would start this comment with a joke lol. The best way to put this manga is that while it absolutely fell off, it will speak to certain people that "escaped" their village. As someone who has been around destructive, sick people I unfortunately felt reminded of some people mentally, I won't be able to escape. The story is also pretty amazing until the turning point since we started getting forced plot points, bad writing(its not as terrible as some make it be but there is a lot of problems that arise because of it) as well as the ending was abrupt. Apparently we are getting an epilogue to explain more, so im holding my breath on my personal rating, but I think that its a manga that really mastered being a masterpiece at times but not a masterpiece itself.
For me, the drama peaked with the Yuko flashback arc. In that arc, Akira and Yuko were just living their lives normally which was completely different to what I had been reading so far. The story had the time to show these two being adorable and I grew attached to these two. I genuinely wanted them to have a happy life. This was until the reveal happened and when it did, it really REALLY hit me like a truck. I nearly teared up. I think that's what made the later Nagi Flashback Arc so weak. There was enough time to show Yuko being a normal girl while the opposite is true with Nagi, so when the reveal of Nagi's abuse happened, it didn't really hit me much. Anyways, I think this is the second most viewed video about Boy's Abyss on YT. Congrats!
Coincidentally, there was an ongoing series, also made by a female mangaka that ran with Shounen no Abyss that was pretty dark, but the trainwreck had already happened to the cast and the story was about moving forward past trauma and how they maneuver it as broken people; and didn't overstay its welcome: Inu to Kuzu (Dog and Scum), the same author who made Sacchan, Boku ha. It was a doozy that had the amazing re-readability of Boku no Kokoro no Yabai Yatsu (Dangers in my Heart).
whoa what a manga here and I do agree with your points while it's good to show how there are times where we're our own worse enemies of trying to move on we do need some sort of good ending and not just that nothing will change deal with it, please take your time on your next video. we're getting 2 chapters of Made in Abyss on August 30th hell yeah! we may had to wait 6 months but we're getting 2 chapters
Another great video my dude~ Boys Abyss has been on my radar for quite some time and with this you have convinced me to read it. I think that the fact, however sad it may be, that not everyone is able to find a way out of the pits of the abyss by themselves, is an important message to send. That does not mean, that it would justify abusive behaviour or anything of the sort, but it can lead for people to understand the struggles of others. And additionaly, it does not romantacise the idea of getting out of a depression i.e. just because you had this one "beautiful experience". As i have yet to read it, I won't form an opinion on how well the mangaka managed to find a healthy depiction of and actual human despair and decisions and is not just wallowing in arbitrary self pity. Keep at it my man and you will finally find that girlfriend you are looking for. :P
Good video! I'd say, other than the tendency to be held hostage by our past, the manga explore s how toxic people often gravitate towards each other, or how those with depression or low self esteem are manipulated by others. It also explores concepts like generational trauma and cycles of violence and abuse. Those things were interesting, but as the manga kept layering on more twists and tangents with no sign of resolution, it got really frustrating and exhausting to read. I'm also here to declare that the teacher was my favorite character, because of all the horrible people in this story, she at least seems to want help Reiji improve his life and isn't wallowing in her own self pity and loathing. She takes self-determined action, where as all the others characters act on animalistic instinct or are just simply insane.
Really well articulated! :) I think you have summarized my view of the manga pretty dead-on to be honest. Its interesting how the most irredeemable of the characters within this story is the only one really making an effort in the central cast to do something to help our protagonist. I do respect the mangaka for trying to tackle the theme of "can someone truly change and redeem themselves" through the lenses of someone who by all accounts is evil. Its not an easy thing to do (especially when your character has committed one of the cruelest acts imaginable), and its a brave way of writing, and I really respect her for that. While I don't feel it lands considering how often she relapses, I understand the point they were trying to make. You could also argue in a way, by being fully able to turn off her gross-ingrained desire for our protagonist, that would also betray her character writing so it really is a hard topic to navigate.
Man your really onto somthing with hand animated anime anylisis/retrospectives. Mans gonna be famous with that silver tongue you got brother. Great work on getting your emotions out into words. Shits hard to do. 🤘 your hard work is paying off.
BRO IS TO GOOD TO MEEEEEE Jakey, jakey, JAKEY you're far too kind for your own GOOD man! I'm glad to hear that you're digging this new style brother. Its support like yours which as been unyielding for years that encourages me to try out new things like these. Funnily enough these types of videos feel the most at home for me so I'd love to pursue it further and it seems to be more or less working so we will see how far I can take it! I appreciate the supporting words, I'm glad my sentimental and more personal moments don't come across as too preachy because the last thing I would want is to come off as disingenuous in these videos. Appreciate your support as always man, thank you for making me a part of your day as always! Keen to read the new MiA chapter when it drops soon!
I was always kinda lukewarm on this manga, I joined the bandwagon around the 40 chapter mark after my friends on Discord nagged me and called it "the second coming of Goodnight Punpun". I doubted that and honestly if you ever recommend this godforsaken manga never utter those words to someone who actually read Goodnight Punpun. I never really saw the hype, in part because I had heard of the reputation of Minenami Ryo's works to go into edgy self-important tangents and antics and on the other because outside of the artwork the manga didn't impress me much. Let alone be one of the greatest of the greats, I didn't really think it had the potential to be great. The art was magnificent and the story and characters interesting but at best I thought it was going to be pretty good. Until they started putting an emphasis on Chako. See in my opinion Chako is the most interesting and important character of the story and it's true beating heart. She brings a much needed contrast and balance that the story desperately needed to be whole. Especially when she wasn't shown as perfect but just as fallible and messed up as everyone else. Because in spite of it all she seemed to genuinely have a desire to be better, to get out of the town and its cycle of misery. In a sea of people complaining about their lives yet repeating the same cycle over and over again she alone stood as someone who wished to change and was ready to take steps towards, sure it was flawed but it was a path towards a better future. Art before it is art is a craft. And on a pure technical level Chako is important because she brings contrast and balance, a light to the darkness. Allowing the story to explore the spectrum of its themes. Chako was the one shot the story had at being great. And they fumbled it for cheap drama. It's funny that Chako is the highlight of the story for you, because her treatment by the story is why I lost all hope for it. It made me realize that it would never fullfil its potential and would pursue twist melodrama and shock value. There was no contrast anymore only the same cheap melodrama over and over again. And that was at best. We got worse, way worse... Reiji used to have a choice man, stay in town and decay, pursue Nagi and self-annihilation or Chako and the painful process of healing. Instead he slowly morphed into a minor caricature of himself. He was a lost boy with some issues, but then the story claimed he was always a monster an abyss that dragged everyone else in his despair. That was a lie. And the story lied because it ruined Chako and its chance at greatness. If the story had balls Chako would've abandoned Reiji on the station. At least then Reiji made a choice and he chose complacence and decay. That would explain his turn to self-annihilation. But nah, he was always a monster. Because of cheap melodrama.
Calling it "Goodnight Punpun 2" is the WORST thing to do when talking about this manga. It made me had the biggest expectations for this manga. Of course, I had my doubts that it'd be better or let alone as good as Punpun, but I gave ut a try and... the story sucks. I dropped it around the timeskip, and don’t regret it since the story doesn't seem to have anything interesting (and no, i haven't watched the video yey). At the start, I thought it would be similiar to Punpun, where the story would put us trough the hardships of life to, in the end, show us that you can still find peace in the end. But from what I've seen, it all just feels edgy and cheap, not aiming to send a message but to have the main character suffer because then the manga will be "cool" and "super mature". Maybe if I didn't hear people comparing Boys' abyss to Punpun and putting them side by side, I wouldn't be as disappointed as I would be after reading a few chapters
@@randomguy3834 I read it on a whim without hearing anyone say anything about it (good or bad) and my conclusion after the first 50 chapters was "a poor man's Punpun" lol
Sounds like you were just explaining the phrase of "art comforts the disturbed, and disturbs the comfortable." I'll give the Manga a try, but I need to be in a better place while I do. Thank you
Decided to not read Boy's Abyss, despite (or because) of your video which is, beyond the usual utter quality, a treasure box filled with the manga's flaws and highlights, each of them so well and understandably explained. Thank you, Mickell! I mean, as one who, as an eight years old boy, told his mother not wanting to live anymore due to his friends' treatment, I can relate to Reiji a bit. These moments are repeating themselves throughout life for many of us, no matter of belonging to "common" people in an orderly environmental situations or of desperate ones. A life belt may be the verses of Max Ehrmann in "Desiderata: A Poem for a Way of Life": “You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars you have a right to be here." To find a proper ending of a story with this somewhat "static" situation is not easy, even for a skilled mangaka. Every alternative might look weak or made up. So I usually am very forgiving when it comes to a closure of a work like this.
What a beautiful comment Joe, thank you for opening up in the manner that you did. I think that quote is something every person battling horrible mental health needs to hear. I'm glad to see that despite what you went through, you kept going because what a wonderful person you turned out to be by the end of it :) Thanks for watching x
You're not wrong. While there were examples from the Boys Abyss sub-reddit of negative comments, the ones on twitter felt a bit more personal and cruel which is why I used more of them. Twitter really do be the home of toxic comments 💀
I feel like the entire story is an allegory for depression, you feel like things just keep getting worse or stagnating at the very best. Every smile or laugh being either fake or failing to make you happy even for a bit. While it might not be good or satisfying from a story structure perspective it feels real, at least to me. I've had this mental illness for almost 10 years now and things are looking more bleak every passing day.
I definitely feel you are right with this interpretation. The inevitable spiraling and the inability to escape the town is a perfect metaphor for living with depression. I'm glad that you could find some realness to it. It's saddening to hear that things are only look more and more bleak. I hope you can emotionally and mentally heal.
I feel like the feeling of being trapped in these terrible situations is also an authentic feeling. I have a genetic predisposition for depression, and while it does come and go, I can’t escape it. Saying that it’s always possible to grow is a lie. Life sucks, and it will always suck. There are moments that make life worth living, but 90% of the time it’s not. For the past 7 years I’ve felt like I’m drowning, and I surface momentarily only to be pulled under. Nothing changes, nothing gets better. It’s exhausting. I’ve never read this manga, but the idea intrigues me. Showing life at its worst and being honest that it doesn’t get better, and it never will, while also showing that there are moments that make life worth living, is a very profound concept. It would never be popular because it’s exhausting, but acknowledging that it’s okay to not be happy, and that life doesn’t always get better would be something I’d love to read. Today for example is the anniversary of my dad’s passing, and it sucks. There is nothing good about today, and that will never change, but that’s okay. I don’t want it to. Without the shitty and the mundane, all you have left is the happy moments, but now those aren’t special, and everything becomes numb.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, thank yoy for putting our names in your vid, it makes me feel famous ngl, and it looks like your doing great, you choese the righ option, good luck for the further in your life, i hope you have a good youtube life posting these videos. Thank you -Jett -Axston
Aye no worries! Thanks to both of you for supporting what I do! You guys are awesome and are going to do great things in this world. Wishing your family good luck with your futures as well (but yall wont need luck, yall are more than capable on your own!). Stay funky fresh fellas ~Mickell
After reading OnK's finale and the reactions (japanese readers are fucking pissed),i now can properly say we killed Boy's Abyss end for much less. It felt abrupt? Yes, the final arc was rushed and badly executed? yes, but the point of the story wasn't about tragedy for the sake of tragedy... mostly. Story wasn't about wanting to commit suicide, even if it began with such a premise, but about finding reasons to live the right way. And the final volume additional panels helped to understand the context of the finale. Maybe most of us wanted Reiji and Nagi to actually off themselves, but would that solve their issues for real? And that would render the tokyo chapters and those 2 chapters where Reiji was forced to stay with Esemori's ex and find out the truth about Uryuu's death and Yuuko's actual feelings pointless when the point of those chapters were about Reiji realizing no matter how far he could escape from his town if his regrets and sins will keep haunting him and also realize not every adult from his town was a total piece of s%$# It was a black hole of depression, but at least the happy ends those 4 was earned in the end. Besides, the Akira & Yuuko flashbacks and story was pure tragedy cinema. And the "town" Esemori was actually alluding in his flashback and dialogues wasn't actually the physical town itself, but the people surrounding the affected kids.
i actually read it weekly from chapter 50 and it was a journey for sure. even though the story feels lukewarm and badly written but the emotions it made me feel were real so i really love it. you should really read it even though it seems pointless.
Incredible awesome take-away! Regardless of its flaws, it is an experience that will naturally be different for each person. I do think there is something special here, even if its not fully coherent and I don't love every aspect of it.
Sad to hear people hated how this manga went as I only read the beginning. The authors last manga, himegoto juukyuusai no seifuku, was really interesting I really enjoyed it all the way through. It had some really good character studies about gender expression and identity which feels rare in manga. From what I read of Boys Abyss it felt like a rehash of the last manga while kicking the already crazy plot twists past 100% just for shock, but I’d hoped it stand tall on its own in the end. Chako is best girl
Everyone's experience with a piece of media will be different. I think that's what makes art so interesting! Just because many people disliked it, doesn't mean they all regret their time with it. I think despite how strange Boys Abyss is a manga, doesn't mean it doesn't have much to say. I can understand people's criticisms of it, but overall I enjoyed it despite the fact many others didn't. Chako is goated
i relate heavily to the general idea. its realistic to me, for me. does it make for a good read necessarily or is it narratively satisfying? maybe not. but for a lot of people myself included, life has been tragedy after bland tragedy. in the real world there is no mandatory triumph or growth to satisfy onlookers. in real life, sometimes we just fail, fail to grow and fail to cope. over and over until our own stories just arent interesting anymore, nothing to connect to. it hits me pretty hard if u cant tell lol
I think its great that you're able to connect with a piece of media like this. While the series does teeter into territory that's more melodramatic as opposed to raw and honest, for the most part its depiction of self-sabotaging and the cycle of depression are pretty accurate. As mentioned in the video, I personally enjoy the aimless nature of the series at times but I can understand why others wouldn't.
@@TheMickellPickell oh for sure. whats a good manga without melodrama lol and tbh? its not as if even i loved it immensely. but it as a whole i feel like really shows this dark and ugly side to the individual human life that says, "sometimes it doesn't get better. sometimes we fall, die and there is no overcoming" even if maybe not executed the best and that means something. more media, imo, i think could benefit from breaking the mold a bit and at least acknowledge that real human lives are not narratively driven by what are essentially monkeys in clothes that accidentally got too smart for their own good
What an awesome take! If you're interested in media that tells those types of stories, I cannot recommend the manga "Solanin" by Inio Asano enough. That manga perfectly encapsulates what you're talking about and it does so at a masterful level. I aim to also make a video on it at some point so I can assure you its well worth your time. Its a short read, but one that stays with you long after its completion. I can also recommend manwha "The Horizon". I've already made a video on it and it asks those types of questions as well (though its not necessarily the sole focus). Its a little harder to recommend due to its intense themes and brutal imagery but its a story that outright changed the course of my life.
Hey, nice to see another video from you! I don't read a lot of manga because of my vision, but I enjoy learning about these works from your videos, thanks for sharing! I'm doing my best in life right now to be my own hero, or at least I'm trying to learn how to be, so that theme hits home for me right now. I've also found that having a good social/support group is really important when it comes to mental health. Keep up the good work! I've been trying to catch some of your streams recently, I hope to see more in the future! :)
Thank you for letting me be a part of your day Dani and I'm glad to hear that these videos bring some kind of enjoyment for you :') Thanks for always supporting what I do. I'm glad to hear that! Each step, regardless how small, is a step towards the future so I'm glad you are taking them despite how tough they may seem sometimes. I hope you can catch them as well! I'll be sure to do more streams when the new MiA chapter drops both here on TH-cam and Twitch! :)
As someone who was addicted to this story like crack when I first read it in March this year, and has gotten reobsessed after the ending made me contemplate the investment I had in the series, I do really appreciate your thoughts here. I feel like any discourse I see on this series is the small sect of people meat riding it like it's absolutely peak cinema or people shitting on it like crazy. There is honestly quite a bit to like about this series that I think you articulated well and that I love it for, even if there are a healthy amount of flaws that weigh it down
You've encapsulated how I feel about this manga to a tee! Regardless of flaws, I felt there was something to the experience that is Boy's Abyss. I feel that despite it being far from perfect, its still a piece of media that people should experience first before having an intense opinion on based on other people's experience with it. Because everyone will have a different perspective out of it, and that in itself is a very special thing.
That's the problem with marathon-sized melodramas. The stakes can only get so high and if those stakes are consistently being raised with no advancement in overcoming those stakes, it becomes really tiring and repetitive. You're meant to have an "Oh shit!" reaction to new surprises and obstacles, but when they happen each chapter, that visceral reaction doesn't happen anymore because you're conditioned to what the story is consistently trying to pull.
Alright, another gut-wrenching video from Mickell 👍 Gotta say, everything about the character you talked about at the end hit a little too close to home. The part about "being the main character of your own story" is an especially tough pill to swallow, it's something I'm still struggling with. The only way out is through, I suppose. I might have to give this one a read, the mixed to bad reception might've just made me even more curious lmao
The mixed reaction to Boy's Abyss was precisely why I decided to read it in the first place and I mean, you saw the video, I gained a lot from it regardless of my mixed view of it so I 100% understand where you are coming from :) Thanks for watching Sklent! Means a lot
have yet to watch the video past the first couple seconds but I just had to pause. Hearing the Pathologic Broken Heart soundtrack out in the wild gave me whiplash
I can't believe the author just ended like that. Seriously, each time we thought it'd end, it didn't. So the final ch is just utter bs. I honestly wanted to see reiji and his teacher skip town at the end but there would always be an underlying sense of disgust, like the small town he came from would appear as hallucinations.
If anything I'm glad he and the teacher didn't end up together. That entire character dynamic was hard to sit through. While I would have loved to see the characters grow out of the town as a way to symbolise their ability to let go of the past and detach themselves from it, I'm glad at the very least its not an outright horrible ending. Just not a fitting one imho.
Alright, just came back from vacation and this is the first thing I see when going online. And goddamn I forgot how great your videos are. Like, I know your videos are amazing and I should really know what to expect by now but every time I see a new one the editing still just amazes me. Genuinely amazing stuff. Maybe that´s also a sign of how you are still improving to this day, despite the fact that even your earliest manga animations kinda blew me away already. And this is a really interesting one. I haven´t read Boys Abyss yet (I definitely will soon once I find the time) honestly, I´ve never even heard of it before, but from how you describe it it really sounds interesting. Tackling depression from this angle sounds really intriguing and I can see how it could speak to some people very deeply (could definitely see it speaking to me too) but its probably also difficult to make a story like this a satisfying read. That and the issues that you mentioned do sound like they could really drag a story down from "amazing" to "it´s complicated". With handling topics like these especially I think that stories that try to tackle the nuances and more complicated parts of them and try to showcase some seemingly contradicting beliefs or attitudes people do often have in a realistic and nuanced way can easily end up hard to follow, incoherent, confusing, frustrating and unsatisfying. Also I´m sure the way the industry works, fan expectations, and other outside factors could have negatively affected it. Still, regardless of any such flaws, I do look forward to reading it. I way prefer a story that leaves you with both strong positive and negative feelings over one that is just kinda alright and forgettable. As a side note, I do also love the parts of your personal live that you sometimes add to your videos now. These videos are great, seriously. Keep up the amazing work, I´ll always look forward to seeing more from you
genuinely thank you for making this video, this manga confused me so much as it started so good but got worse and worse and it in my opinion ends in such an underwhelming way.
Thanks for watching! :) I can totally understand how you feel. While overall I thought the manga was pretty good, its undeniable its first 4 volumes are its absolute best and it takes as toll as it goes on and on.
102 chapters in, dropped it alittle after the "HeS yOUr DaD!" reveal and then and i totally forgot about this manga. Glad to see it is still an edgy trainwreck to the very end.
This is the first time I'm hearing that this manga ended. I was following this pretty early on, but fell off half way through because, if you hand me something that's weekly/monthly, my ass has a 70% chance to forget one week and then, the next, and then oh well I guess I'm never remembering, so its funny that this is how I learn that. It's interesting seeing the fall out though, I never read the whole thing ofc but I can definitely see where they're coming from, especially with the later stuff you showed off. Definitely didn't have it in my mind that he wanted to be his mother, like, damn. Though, I'm assuming since you didn't show anything bad happening to Chako at the end here after her section, does mean at least, she kinda got a "good" ending here, and you know what, that's a W, we take it, that's all I needed to know. And while I don't know the full context of the ending, I think the way you've portrayed her character arc and about how she kinda takes agency back and is able to, step away from that abyss, and find some way out in an amiable way and connect that back to the whole "being a main character" which ties into her whole thing with writing and the story she was obsessed with like, that feels pretty good just from what I've read too Great video though as always! (Brave of you to drudge back up old let's plays you were doing with BANDCAM at the top)
Its really interesting how a weekly series can have the polar opposite effect on readers. By giving them something each week, it may bombard the reader with too many current reads. I've been in that exact situation with multiple great manga lmao. I'm glad you were able to connect with Chako's ending segment. Its a really nice message in a world as void of happiness like that of Boy's Abyss so it makes me happy knowing i was able to help her deliver it in this video :) LMAO bro it HURT me to watch some of those older videos. My commentary was truly a product of its time...
Gut punch stories that just keep going are my favorite. I enjoyed 177013 not for the boobs but because of how tragic is all is. Also this just sounds like a group of people that are all toxic and bring out the worse in each other. But that they stay the same because that's all they really know at this point. Hell, I've witnesses these type of relationships first hand. People in abusive relationships that know they should just walk away but refuse to. For various reasons they'll always find a reason not to better themselves and just keep in the dark.
I 100% agree with this comment. Unironically, I think Metamorphosis is fantastic. While there are MANY aspects that I could do without (I shouldn't have to go into detail...), it's core message and its intense subject matter are so powerful it sticks with you years after reading it.
I think I started reading boys abyss when there was like around 160-170 chapters out and i got through all of it in about a week or 2 and I loved it. parts of the story I really liked were the moments where u would think things would maybe get a bit better for someone then the author pretty much punches u in the gut by revealing something that leaves the character in worse spot then they were before and a lot of the time it left me annoyed, angry, and sometimes just really sad but that just made me wanna keep reading. the ending really disappointed me bc imo if there were like a few more chapters leading up to it it would've been a bitter sweet end. I realize a lot of what I said was just kinda repeating ur points in the video so even tho theres a lot more id like to say about this story I don't wanna leave a full essay down here so I'll stop yapping. this was a great video.
The comment section is for yapping! Feel free to go all out and say what you wanna say! I do agree that perhaps with a few more chapters the ending could have been cleaner. While I don't hate it, how we get to that point in a singular chapter feels unnatural and inauthentic. I mean, Reiji barely spoke with the lady he now lives with in the mountains and Nagi hadn't met her before. So there is too big a gap there to fill in with our imagination without proper context. Thanks for watching :)
Been curious about this manga for a while considering the reactions I’ve heard towards it. Honestly am more interested in it now having watched this. Great vid mate.
Funnily enough the diverse nature of the audience is what inspired me to get reading in the first place so I totally understand your intrigue from that aspect. Thanks for watching homedawg
I kept reading it. I have no idea what was happening and how things kept getting worse. It's watching a car crash factory each time a chapter comes up about 2/3rds in. Honestly I like it for the weekly experience. I would not recommend it binging it since getting all of those twists each chapter at once is definitely not as "enjoyable" as forgetting about it for a week.
Of course :) There is a big difference between shitting on someone's work and critiquing it. Its something often forgotten here on the internet. This isn't to say that if people don't like the art, they shouldn't voice it. Its instead to acknowledge why they don't like the art and not be a dick about it lol.
Honestly boys abyss so far has peaked with volume 1 imo(and I have only read the volume releases so idk any other chapters) and honestly even tho it’s meh after I can’t stop reading it. The art, the covers(cause they really good), the feeling when you read it, and the ig claustrophobic atmosphere around it. I’m also rooting for the bully(can’t think of his name) cause I feel like he bout to do something insanely awesome at some point. I did like the teacher until she ratted out what’s her name(I don’t remember character names well 😂)
I found it one day without knowing anything about it, got a few chapters in and became scarred and depressed I regret it so much I wish I had never picked it up
i know this is completely off topic. But I really love how you anime these manga panels. Have you ever thought of animating fight scenes in shonen manga? Im sure you could make it look SUPER badass
Really kind of you to say! Thanks so much :) I have thought about that very prospect and in my time animating manga I have always wanted to bring fights I love to life. Maybe one day, but can't promise anything (Chainsaw Man as well as particular moments from Soul Eater and Berserk immediately come to mind).
I’ve read the whole manga in like two days (just finished it) and I don’t know what to feel. I couldn’t put it down but I read it so fast I need to process it all now
(After 5 minutes of vid) This guy is doing great job of presenting his review. And I can already feel all my bad thoughts and attitudes stirring to life. So, not today thank you. (Let's see if he's got something happier. Ooohh! A Yuri review)
Aye thanks so much for saying that! Its really kind of you :) The My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness video is a very interpersonal vid that does cover some pretty deep topics. If you want something a little light-hearted, my newest video on another Yuri series might be a little easier of a digest. Thanks for watching!
... "hey, let's commit __________" wow.. I think I will stick to my good ol' faves, thank you. I had enough tragedy with X/1999 as it is. It also hits home with me too, so... yeah, no, not for me at all. I generally go to manga for a good escape from the pains of the world (except maybe with Fruits Basket, but that is different to me), so I really am not the target audience for this manga. I understand very well that reality sometimes doesn't have a happy ending, so I commend a manga for showing that, but still, not up my alley. Now, if you will excuse me, I want to get to the end of my volume of Nana & Kaoru, that will cheer me up.
Yeah this series was a Mess indeed I was recommended by my friend where it had small chapters a somewhat a lot I can't exactly remember like 17 or something in that ballpark of 30+ but I'm certain it was 20 below or below 28 chapters. After that I forgot about the series and honestly I think that was the greatest timing ever because the moment I forgotten about it and remembered out of no where it was now like 100+ or to be specific a 140+ something. I remember stopping at the part where the Teacher was buying Reiji, and because I forgot what chapter was it I let my friend read it together with me and Yes we Suffered together reading Boy's Abyss. So after catching up he suggested that we just read the series separately and so from there we just did that. I caught up and just stuck through it despite knowing that it isn't getting better. Honestly, the Best Worst Girl sensei was keeping me interested in this sea of despair despite her being the most unhinge character of them all lelz. Like to be fair there was something special here but honestly I don't know whether it's an author issue or an Publisher issue because as some people said the story felt like it should've either ended early. The problems could've been solved earlier with one moment with the two birds one stone then poof nope it got worst. I'm a masochist and for the most part almost for all cases I just go through with it despite it being sucky and guarantee I won't like it. Well for the most part something like that in a way, doesn't apply to all but you kinda get the point. Although to give context I'm okay with open ended stories but if it doesn't fit the story then sorry it's just a bad one, and this is one of those cases you could say as one describes it, it both felt rushed and at the same time drag. And yes I'm one of those people where if the ending is trash or isn't great then it ruins the stories if you want one example from me and I know it's a very bad take but you can see my perspective in a way. I don't like AoT or Quintessential Quintuplets ending if you want me to explain why for AoT there's already a lot of people answering that, for QQ legit the author fumbled the way how it ends especially on who won and legit I wouldn't have mind who freaking won but dang.... Well again, there's a video about that too. So yeah sorry for the lengthy reply for the most part some of the comments here already kinda convey my thoughts on the series on how it fumbled and how it could've been great. I've heard that there's gonna be a extension to said ending at that point it might be redeemed but knowing where it might go hypothetically nahh... even with that I don't think it can be somewhat redeemed. Although who knows I'm just a bad man with bad takes so maybe this is one of them but honestly all I can say in the end is "it could've been better" indeed.
It really is a rollercoaster of emotions. I've seen many comments here referring to it as "a car crash you can't look away from" and its honestly really accurate to this franchise. Lots of aspects of it feel gross and excessive but there is some value in that.
@@TheMickellPickell yup we are gluttons for punishment when it's entertaining . The first time i started to read it I was "ok why this. ok this is mess up!!!..why Renji??....Noooo why Yuko!!.. NOOO ochako!!!"
That's a very normal response to it. Its not a manga everyone will enjoy, even when its being comedically unhinged. It takes a very particular mindset and person I feel.
I hate it, but cant stop myself on reading it from occassion. It feels like tragedy for the sake of shock value it gets draining after a while. Im only still reading it to see reiji's mom die.
i remember staying up until 4am to read this but when i got up to the part where it’s revealed that the teacher was still in the town, i just dropped it and never picked it up again
You starting the channel to find a girlfriend is the most relatable thing I've heard from any youtuber ever. P.S I still don't have one, I'll probl'y die alone. Maybe I should ready boys abyss, sounds right up my miserable depressed dark alley.
Hearing the description of the ending reminds me of Komi no Koisuru Satsujinki (Killer in Love). That ending was the definition of anticlimactic and unsatisfying.
Nah. I disagree to people that disagree thus manga is based.just Because yes (I like the manga because I dum dum my brain and read it that way while monkey mode I like the way it thrown my emotions left and right curiosity pulls me)
16:33. I have these specific thoughts way to often. I want personal connection but i'm afraid to of being hurt/ridiculed and people kind of tire me. Yet i'm also to afraid to make the change despite this mentality pushing me away from family members and friends i do have sometimes.
Started reading it and after a few weeks I noticed that the author makes everything shitty just so the story can go on, even tho it should've ended a ton o chapters before. Dropped it hard man, holy shit
Haven't read this one and don't plant to after seeing this video tbh, but it reminded me of Jigoku Shoujo / Hell Girl for some reason. Maybe it's the irredeemable characters.
While I don't want my video to necessarily put people off the experience as my thoughts are my own and everyone's view of art is unique to the individual...but if you dislike characters that are beyond help, then you may not like this manga period.
True but there is still something to be gained in playing it. You feel a sense of accomplishment the more you overcome the trials in front of you. While your central character doesn't speak you can see their growth in what they could manage at the start of the game vs what they are capable of by the end. Whilst in the case for Boy's Abyss, the characters don't really grow all that much. It doesn't feel as "earned" if that makes sense.
Personally I loved it I thought it as a story about generational trauma and problems becoming a giant ball knocking down others with it big or small and this ball being the main character honestly I have alot too say about this manga I post about it on tiktok sometimes but I will never be able too fully explain how I feel about it maybe I just have a caveman brain though
I think the fact you were so moved and are unable to fully articulate what about this manga makes you tick is a really cool thing :) Its proof that you connected to the art so that's great!
![BERSERK 4K - HAWK OF THE MILLENIUM EMPIRE ARC - CHAPTER 16 [192] (207)](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/nO3FJF7KAN0/mqdefault.jpg)
As the third child guy with mommy issues that intro hit me crazy 😔😔
We are here for you ♥
@@Angel-ip7pw Animeman of Temu $0.69 what a deal
@@TheMickellPickell thank you, my relationship with her now is better, things were just rough growing up but im doing a little better mental health wise today.
At least you weren't called Axadent.
Ew
I dropped it after the teacher moved on but returned and the mother not dying, at that point I know, it is not about the story of healing and moving on, it is about the author want to keep the status quo and keep the manga going. WE WERE SO CLOSE TO SETTLING THE WHOLE SITUATION and the author want to just keep going.
Bro the author just wants to drain more money if possible from it
@@cine-ish agree but in the expense of the plot, I believe the author want to end it but may be the publisher want to continue it, because I read the chapter, it seems like the teacher story is ended but "somehow" she want to be with the MC again out of no where like..... BRUH !!! Similar with the mother, the story ended with her dying and we saw the MC is healing !!! but then later on, it was revealed the mother is still alive and the next few chapter talking about her past, the past misfortune that she experienced, doesnt justify the deeds/acts that she does now.
I don't know if it's true in this case but mangaka sometimes don't have another choice but to go forth even tho they don't want to themselves. Working for a magazine is so hard.
I stopped at the same point but didn't really thought about why, you just put into word the feelings I didn't know I had
eh idk this author has had other series that were edgy/whatever already. personally i think the author just wants to torture the main character and everyone around him, and it's just misery and more misery, for the sake of it rather than any type of character improvement, from each and every character (the mc, the idol (even though we never got any clear explanation on her character and past), the female childhood friend, the male childhood friend, the brother, the mother, the teacher, mom's ex, etc.). I've written down some edgy stories myself where everyone suffers and this just seems like a published example of that, suffering for the sake of suffering with no real substance
If you've ever had depression or some other kind of mental illness... an inescapable town is the perfect metaphor. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to take my anti-depressants.
It really is an accurate way of articulating personal struggles. I wish more was done with it, but I liked the symbolism immensely.
Hope you're doing okay Ratstail.
I loved reading this manga during my most traumatic year. I felt the deep sorrow and the black pits. I look back enjoying what I read.
I have to say, sometimes I genuinely find comfort in just absolute tragedy, misery and depression in media. That sounds fucked up and I probl'y am fucked up. I've been bullied darn near my entire school years, have an over demanding narcissistic mother, live in an economically downtrodden country and have few friends and never had a girlfriend.
It can be pretty darn difficult to try to be hopeful or happy when the future looks as bleak as the past, so I've remained in a sort of status quo for all of my adult existence. Boys Abyss sounds like it fits my situation 1:1.
@@ridleyroid9060 same bro I just think it's because it validates your pain or somthing that's why I'm probably addicted to these negative Mangas
Not the way out...
For me Boys' Abyss had the same problem of many other mangas' endings: it felt both slow paced and rushed as it was dragging and dragging and nothing felt resolved
Totally understandable. This was a criticism I saw a lot and considering its weekly release, its stretched can feel a bit overstating. I personally am mixed by its last remaining chapters but I don't think it takes away too much from everything before it. Especially its first 4 volumes which are its peak impo.
The ending always makes or breaks the series NOBODY will remember the first 4 volumes only the last 2 chapters and the biggest problem with this manga was that it was more like a comedy than a serious drama
almost couldn't believe you animated all the panels yourself until you mentioned it in the video, insanely impressive and super cool vid!
Appreciate the kind words :) Means heaps! I have always loved animating manga so I'll use any excuse lol
I will be honest, I was one of the people who dropped the series and forgot about it. I still don't think I will pick it up again even if I wanted to. But your video really helped appreciate the story and author.
Although the story had problems, there was a genuine message that the author wanted convey, one that is often looked upon. Some just don't escape the abyss, and only dig themselves deeper. It is a textbook example of a cautionary tale, but the execution does leave a lot left to be desired.
I have been through some tough times as well, so I can relate to the feeling. But thankfully, there are things out there that help me escape the abyss from time to time.
For example: LETS GOOO, ANOTHER MICKELL PICKELL BANGER BABY 🔥🔥🔥
Genuinely though, thank you for the quality vids. 🙏
Really beautiful comment as always Banana Bob, appreciate you resonating so strongly with not just this video but even the original material. Its cool that despite it being a manga you dropped, you still respected the author and what they attempted to do with it. I'm also glad to hear that you have found the very things that help you escape your own personal abyss.
Thanks for being here and for leaving such a powerful comment ♥♥
Same, I dropped the manga and forget it. Because of bad writing problem, but there is a message the author wanted convey. It just that story-wise problem obscured those message.
the "biggest" miss of this manga was that the only catharsis(semi-catharsis actually) happened in your fav scene.its ok if a story has no happy endings but you cant leave the reader full of tention.i hope that the new work of thi mangaka will be way better on that part.
Totally fair. While I do think Gen reporting himself to the police does showcase some level of growth, it really isn't in the same ballpark as Chako's storyline. Each character had baggage but it feels like only one of them got some kind of proper cohesion. I agree whole-heartedly.
@@TheMickellPickell i havent finished the manga and i dont think i will for the reason i mentioned.by "catharsis" i mean any event that will provide somekind of "release",it doesnt have to be chr growth,happy ending...etc.its exactly like you said in your vid,this series doesnt let off the "hardships" for not even a damn panel,noone finds even a moment of solace(?) and even tho i kinda get the "thats life" vibe the mangaka tries to convey i think he losses us when he tries to force that for ALL the characters in the story.idk man,i really had high hopes for this and it became a joke at some point!that said,i really think that the mangakas next work will be really good(i m sure he will learn from all the feedback he got).much love n many thnx for the vid.
I still am not sure why it's so hard for people to understand this still, but a creative and their creation can be good at one thing and bad at others. They can be fantastic at one thing and horrible at another. I think people also underestimate the challenges of telling a multi-year, serialized, monthly or weekly story, having to adapt as you go and not fall into pitfalls along the way. And ultimately, I think it's just depressing how much people enjoy clustering around like house flies to vomit hate all over something that someone poured four years of blood, sweat, and tears into.
It didn't look like a huge amount of hate, but personally I see people gather around to praise art made by someone obviously without a profound message to help others, only wanting their struggle and pain recognised and ending up in an antagonistic relationship with their new audience, and that's what I hate tbh. Because that audience is going to turn on them in the end and all the fame they gain concerns me because it's from a toxic place(people who think suffering artists are more profound).
@@siginotmylastname3969 I haven't really seen cases of that, but I'm not omniscient. What I have seen is artists who try to make something profound, only for the majority of the audience to oversimplify it and drag it down, and then the creator comes to resent their audience for it. T'is what happened with Hideaki Anno and the otaku fans of Evangelion.
Suffering artists being more profound... well, there's a reason people see it that way. Truly great art challenges the artist and the person viewing the art. You have to really ask yourself difficult questions and get to the bloody, pulsating heart of the matter. It's not so much that suffering produces great art, but that great artists know how to turn the suffering all human beings experience into something profound.
At the same time, "suffering" as a thematic alone isn't an indicative of an author actually pouring their "blood, sweat and tears" into a story. It depends on if the narrative has a concise structure that justifies itself, it depends if the author is actually meaning to say something about/with it, and if so, what, it depends on a lot of other things.
And sometimes the readers just don't agree with the narrative you're presenting, they may think it's too little or too much, it is what it is.
Of course, that is not to say that unfair, biased, or dishonest complaints do not exist, or are just entirely a matter of perspective. But there is a distinction between, say, Blood Meridian, and A Little Life (aka: "Euthanasia P*rn")
“People worked hard so you can’t criticize it!” 😂
@ExpertContrarian Not at all the point being made here. Try actually reading the words on your screen and taking the time to digest them instead of reaching the same half-baked conclusion every pleb with no media literacy jumps to and assuming that's OP's intent.
This is why 90% of haters in generals are complete morons. They have zero critical thinking skills past "You said you like pancakes? Why do you hate waffles so much 😢?"
You're a clown.
Gen, as a child, was not interested in the mother because he wanted to have sex with her, its because he wanted to be her.
he snuck into her room to mess with her stuff because he wanted to feel like he was her.
the mom mistook interest as being sexual and a way to control him
you got it completely backwards, like the mom
also never felt like the author was trying to make the reader believe that Gen was a good friend. dont understand how you got that from the text.
So to clarify I am aware that Gen's true motive was to be her because he admired her so fondly. The problem stems from the fact we only find out about that motivation a chapter after the reveal to Reiji so it feels out of left field.
The time where he meets up with her from memory is because he is called by her on the phone for telling Reiji the truth about the relationship between her, Gen and Gen's dad. She is there before he is. In the same chapter where he confesses to Reiji about "killing her" he also mentions he tried to have sex with her, only to realise the truth was he wanted to become her.
Regarding why I felt the author tried to make Gen out to be a good friend was through the actions he takes. He kills Reiji's father and attempts to do the same to his mother because of the turmoil they caused. He also beats up Yuri because he finds out about her abuse towards him.
In hindsight, there were many other actions he takes which completely contradicts his good intentions so I retract that statement in the video, but just wanted to explain my thought process because I enjoy conversations like these.
@@TheMickellPickell Discount Anime Man, Walmart Joey from Trash Taste.
For me, what made the ending disappointing was that the manga displayed how some people never ‘escaped’ the abyss. And in turn, pulled others into it.
And I never made hopes that the main cast would reach a happy ending. But I did want to see the characters all the way to their end point.
And that’s almost skipped. Yes there’s bits and pieces, but I enjoyed (not in like a fun way) the story because I wanted to see the characters journey into their demise or relief.
Everytime I think there’s hope, gets squandered, but still moments show it is possible.
And then we’re left with a vague ending that seems to be happy for a few, but unclear for others.
Whether happy or sad end, I wanted to see that journey fully.
I saw the beautiful cover art of this manga once, and were oh so close to getting it.
You're getting more and more personal in your videos. Its comforting and you're doing well of walking on the thin ice of not telling too much.
Great job, bossman
I appreciate you grass-boy. Thank you for your work
I just want to say that my god, the editing is fantastic on this video. I'm glad this dumpster fire of a manga helped me find your channel.
I appreciate the kind words! I've been trying to cement my own style with these manga video essays so I'm glad that its not too jarring to see every panel animated in the way it is.
The trainwreck that is domestic girlfriend walked so that boys abyss can run. Thought I would start this comment with a joke lol.
The best way to put this manga is that while it absolutely fell off, it will speak to certain people that "escaped" their village. As someone who has been around destructive, sick people I unfortunately felt reminded of some people mentally, I won't be able to escape. The story is also pretty amazing until the turning point since we started getting forced plot points, bad writing(its not as terrible as some make it be but there is a lot of problems that arise because of it) as well as the ending was abrupt. Apparently we are getting an epilogue to explain more, so im holding my breath on my personal rating, but I think that its a manga that really mastered being a masterpiece at times but not a masterpiece itself.
For me, the drama peaked with the Yuko flashback arc. In that arc, Akira and Yuko were just living their lives normally which was completely different to what I had been reading so far. The story had the time to show these two being adorable and I grew attached to these two. I genuinely wanted them to have a happy life. This was until the reveal happened and when it did, it really REALLY hit me like a truck. I nearly teared up. I think that's what made the later Nagi Flashback Arc so weak. There was enough time to show Yuko being a normal girl while the opposite is true with Nagi, so when the reveal of Nagi's abuse happened, it didn't really hit me much.
Anyways, I think this is the second most viewed video about Boy's Abyss on YT. Congrats!
I’m sorry but I still can’t hear “Abyss” the same way. TwT
because of things made in it?
@@secondlayer7898yeah
I thought this would be a mia video 😭
Oh lord
My man looks (edit: and sounds) like TheAnimeMan and makes the kind of video Joey refuses to make nowadays. GOAT! this takes me back...
Being compared to Joey is a massive W
i actually thought it was joey for the first few sec i was so confused (i havent watched him in ages)
Coincidentally, there was an ongoing series, also made by a female mangaka that ran with Shounen no Abyss that was pretty dark, but the trainwreck had already happened to the cast and the story was about moving forward past trauma and how they maneuver it as broken people; and didn't overstay its welcome: Inu to Kuzu (Dog and Scum), the same author who made Sacchan, Boku ha. It was a doozy that had the amazing re-readability of Boku no Kokoro no Yabai Yatsu (Dangers in my Heart).
May have to give it a shot myself when I have some more free time :)
whoa what a manga here and I do agree with your points while it's good to show how there are times where we're our own worse enemies of trying to move on we do need some sort of good ending and not just that nothing will change deal with it, please take your time on your next video.
we're getting 2 chapters of Made in Abyss on August 30th hell yeah! we may had to wait 6 months but we're getting 2 chapters
Keen to see what Akihito has been cooking all this time! Really hope it is 2 chapters and that its not a mistranslation 🙏
@@TheMickellPickell yeah there's a twitter page saying it's 2 chapters but you're right it could all be a mistranslation
Another great video my dude~
Boys Abyss has been on my radar for quite some time and with this you have convinced me to read it.
I think that the fact, however sad it may be, that not everyone is able to find a way out of the pits of the abyss by themselves, is an important message to send.
That does not mean, that it would justify abusive behaviour or anything of the sort, but it can lead for people to understand the struggles of others.
And additionaly, it does not romantacise the idea of getting out of a depression i.e. just because you had this one "beautiful experience".
As i have yet to read it, I won't form an opinion on how well the mangaka managed to find a healthy depiction of and actual human despair and decisions and is not just wallowing in arbitrary self pity.
Keep at it my man and you will finally find that girlfriend you are looking for. :P
Thanks so much for watching as always man! You're too good to me
Good video! I'd say, other than the tendency to be held hostage by our past, the manga explore s how toxic people often gravitate towards each other, or how those with depression or low self esteem are manipulated by others. It also explores concepts like generational trauma and cycles of violence and abuse. Those things were interesting, but as the manga kept layering on more twists and tangents with no sign of resolution, it got really frustrating and exhausting to read.
I'm also here to declare that the teacher was my favorite character, because of all the horrible people in this story, she at least seems to want help Reiji improve his life and isn't wallowing in her own self pity and loathing. She takes self-determined action, where as all the others characters act on animalistic instinct or are just simply insane.
Really well articulated! :) I think you have summarized my view of the manga pretty dead-on to be honest.
Its interesting how the most irredeemable of the characters within this story is the only one really making an effort in the central cast to do something to help our protagonist. I do respect the mangaka for trying to tackle the theme of "can someone truly change and redeem themselves" through the lenses of someone who by all accounts is evil. Its not an easy thing to do (especially when your character has committed one of the cruelest acts imaginable), and its a brave way of writing, and I really respect her for that. While I don't feel it lands considering how often she relapses, I understand the point they were trying to make. You could also argue in a way, by being fully able to turn off her gross-ingrained desire for our protagonist, that would also betray her character writing so it really is a hard topic to navigate.
Man your really onto somthing with hand animated anime anylisis/retrospectives. Mans gonna be famous with that silver tongue you got brother. Great work on getting your emotions out into words. Shits hard to do. 🤘 your hard work is paying off.
BRO IS TO GOOD TO MEEEEEE
Jakey, jakey, JAKEY you're far too kind for your own GOOD man! I'm glad to hear that you're digging this new style brother. Its support like yours which as been unyielding for years that encourages me to try out new things like these.
Funnily enough these types of videos feel the most at home for me so I'd love to pursue it further and it seems to be more or less working so we will see how far I can take it! I appreciate the supporting words, I'm glad my sentimental and more personal moments don't come across as too preachy because the last thing I would want is to come off as disingenuous in these videos.
Appreciate your support as always man, thank you for making me a part of your day as always! Keen to read the new MiA chapter when it drops soon!
I was always kinda lukewarm on this manga, I joined the bandwagon around the 40 chapter mark after my friends on Discord nagged me and called it "the second coming of Goodnight Punpun". I doubted that and honestly if you ever recommend this godforsaken manga never utter those words to someone who actually read Goodnight Punpun. I never really saw the hype, in part because I had heard of the reputation of Minenami Ryo's works to go into edgy self-important tangents and antics and on the other because outside of the artwork the manga didn't impress me much. Let alone be one of the greatest of the greats, I didn't really think it had the potential to be great. The art was magnificent and the story and characters interesting but at best I thought it was going to be pretty good. Until they started putting an emphasis on Chako. See in my opinion Chako is the most interesting and important character of the story and it's true beating heart. She brings a much needed contrast and balance that the story desperately needed to be whole. Especially when she wasn't shown as perfect but just as fallible and messed up as everyone else. Because in spite of it all she seemed to genuinely have a desire to be better, to get out of the town and its cycle of misery. In a sea of people complaining about their lives yet repeating the same cycle over and over again she alone stood as someone who wished to change and was ready to take steps towards, sure it was flawed but it was a path towards a better future. Art before it is art is a craft. And on a pure technical level Chako is important because she brings contrast and balance, a light to the darkness. Allowing the story to explore the spectrum of its themes. Chako was the one shot the story had at being great. And they fumbled it for cheap drama. It's funny that Chako is the highlight of the story for you, because her treatment by the story is why I lost all hope for it. It made me realize that it would never fullfil its potential and would pursue twist melodrama and shock value. There was no contrast anymore only the same cheap melodrama over and over again. And that was at best. We got worse, way worse... Reiji used to have a choice man, stay in town and decay, pursue Nagi and self-annihilation or Chako and the painful process of healing. Instead he slowly morphed into a minor caricature of himself. He was a lost boy with some issues, but then the story claimed he was always a monster an abyss that dragged everyone else in his despair. That was a lie. And the story lied because it ruined Chako and its chance at greatness. If the story had balls Chako would've abandoned Reiji on the station. At least then Reiji made a choice and he chose complacence and decay. That would explain his turn to self-annihilation. But nah, he was always a monster. Because of cheap melodrama.
Calling it "Goodnight Punpun 2" is the WORST thing to do when talking about this manga. It made me had the biggest expectations for this manga. Of course, I had my doubts that it'd be better or let alone as good as Punpun, but I gave ut a try and... the story sucks. I dropped it around the timeskip, and don’t regret it since the story doesn't seem to have anything interesting (and no, i haven't watched the video yey). At the start, I thought it would be similiar to Punpun, where the story would put us trough the hardships of life to, in the end, show us that you can still find peace in the end. But from what I've seen, it all just feels edgy and cheap, not aiming to send a message but to have the main character suffer because then the manga will be "cool" and "super mature".
Maybe if I didn't hear people comparing Boys' abyss to Punpun and putting them side by side, I wouldn't be as disappointed as I would be after reading a few chapters
@@randomguy3834 I read it on a whim without hearing anyone say anything about it (good or bad) and my conclusion after the first 50 chapters was "a poor man's Punpun" lol
@@JohnDoe-pc3ukOk thats just disrespectful to poor men lmao. Their standards arent that messed up lets be real.
21:10 bro your edits are so good you made it look like the scene was in 3d
I'm glad to hear that! Thanks for watching so far through the video!
Sounds like you were just explaining the phrase of "art comforts the disturbed, and disturbs the comfortable." I'll give the Manga a try, but I need to be in a better place while I do.
Thank you
Interesting interpretation! I can see those elements in this video looking back on it.
Thanks for watching!
Decided to not read Boy's Abyss, despite (or because) of your video which is, beyond the usual utter quality, a treasure box filled with the manga's flaws and highlights, each of them so well and understandably explained. Thank you, Mickell!
I mean, as one who, as an eight years old boy, told his mother not wanting to live anymore due to his friends' treatment, I can relate to Reiji a bit. These moments are repeating themselves throughout life for many of us, no matter of belonging to "common" people in an orderly environmental situations or of desperate ones.
A life belt may be the verses of Max Ehrmann in "Desiderata: A Poem for a Way of Life":
“You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars you have a right to be here."
To find a proper ending of a story with this somewhat "static" situation is not easy, even for a skilled mangaka. Every alternative might look weak or made up. So I usually am very forgiving when it comes to a closure of a work like this.
What a beautiful comment Joe, thank you for opening up in the manner that you did. I think that quote is something every person battling horrible mental health needs to hear. I'm glad to see that despite what you went through, you kept going because what a wonderful person you turned out to be by the end of it :)
Thanks for watching x
Omg finally someone talking about this manga. The writing had me feeling stupid or crazy and thankfully you made me feel like it wasn't just me
7:53 tbf that’s like the response to even big Shonen series ending like mha and jjk , twitter is just like that
You're not wrong. While there were examples from the Boys Abyss sub-reddit of negative comments, the ones on twitter felt a bit more personal and cruel which is why I used more of them.
Twitter really do be the home of toxic comments 💀
Your videos are so well made. I hope that if you’re not already doing this full time, that you’ll be able to eventually.
I appreciate the kind words! Incredibly kind of you to say :) Here's hoping maybe one day!
I feel like the entire story is an allegory for depression, you feel like things just keep getting worse or stagnating at the very best. Every smile or laugh being either fake or failing to make you happy even for a bit. While it might not be good or satisfying from a story structure perspective it feels real, at least to me. I've had this mental illness for almost 10 years now and things are looking more bleak every passing day.
I definitely feel you are right with this interpretation. The inevitable spiraling and the inability to escape the town is a perfect metaphor for living with depression. I'm glad that you could find some realness to it. It's saddening to hear that things are only look more and more bleak. I hope you can emotionally and mentally heal.
Any day that Mickell uploads is a GREAT day 🎉
NO U
I feel like the feeling of being trapped in these terrible situations is also an authentic feeling. I have a genetic predisposition for depression, and while it does come and go, I can’t escape it. Saying that it’s always possible to grow is a lie. Life sucks, and it will always suck. There are moments that make life worth living, but 90% of the time it’s not. For the past 7 years I’ve felt like I’m drowning, and I surface momentarily only to be pulled under. Nothing changes, nothing gets better. It’s exhausting. I’ve never read this manga, but the idea intrigues me. Showing life at its worst and being honest that it doesn’t get better, and it never will, while also showing that there are moments that make life worth living, is a very profound concept. It would never be popular because it’s exhausting, but acknowledging that it’s okay to not be happy, and that life doesn’t always get better would be something I’d love to read. Today for example is the anniversary of my dad’s passing, and it sucks. There is nothing good about today, and that will never change, but that’s okay. I don’t want it to. Without the shitty and the mundane, all you have left is the happy moments, but now those aren’t special, and everything becomes numb.
100k IM SO PROUD OF U MICKELL UR CONTENT IS TOP TIER
THANK YOU! YOURE TOOOOO KIND
THANK YOU SO MUCH, thank yoy for putting our names in your vid, it makes me feel famous ngl, and it looks like your doing great, you choese the righ option, good luck for the further in your life, i hope you have a good youtube life posting these videos.
Thank you
-Jett
-Axston
Aye no worries! Thanks to both of you for supporting what I do! You guys are awesome and are going to do great things in this world. Wishing your family good luck with your futures as well (but yall wont need luck, yall are more than capable on your own!).
Stay funky fresh fellas
~Mickell
After reading OnK's finale and the reactions (japanese readers are fucking pissed),i now can properly say we killed Boy's Abyss end for much less.
It felt abrupt? Yes, the final arc was rushed and badly executed? yes, but the point of the story wasn't about tragedy for the sake of tragedy... mostly.
Story wasn't about wanting to commit suicide, even if it began with such a premise, but about finding reasons to live the right way. And the final volume additional panels helped to understand the context of the finale.
Maybe most of us wanted Reiji and Nagi to actually off themselves, but would that solve their issues for real? And that would render the tokyo chapters and those 2 chapters where Reiji was forced to stay with Esemori's ex and find out the truth about Uryuu's death and Yuuko's actual feelings pointless when the point of those chapters were about Reiji realizing no matter how far he could escape from his town if his regrets and sins will keep haunting him and also realize not every adult from his town was a total piece of s%$#
It was a black hole of depression, but at least the happy ends those 4 was earned in the end. Besides, the Akira & Yuuko flashbacks and story was pure tragedy cinema. And the "town" Esemori was actually alluding in his flashback and dialogues wasn't actually the physical town itself, but the people surrounding the affected kids.
i actually read it weekly from chapter 50 and it was a journey for sure. even though the story feels lukewarm and badly written but the emotions it made me feel were real so i really love it. you should really read it even though it seems pointless.
Incredible awesome take-away! Regardless of its flaws, it is an experience that will naturally be different for each person. I do think there is something special here, even if its not fully coherent and I don't love every aspect of it.
Sad to hear people hated how this manga went as I only read the beginning. The authors last manga, himegoto juukyuusai no seifuku, was really interesting I really enjoyed it all the way through. It had some really good character studies about gender expression and identity which feels rare in manga. From what I read of Boys Abyss it felt like a rehash of the last manga while kicking the already crazy plot twists past 100% just for shock, but I’d hoped it stand tall on its own in the end. Chako is best girl
Everyone's experience with a piece of media will be different. I think that's what makes art so interesting! Just because many people disliked it, doesn't mean they all regret their time with it.
I think despite how strange Boys Abyss is a manga, doesn't mean it doesn't have much to say. I can understand people's criticisms of it, but overall I enjoyed it despite the fact many others didn't.
Chako is goated
If Mickell says you can't fix her you can't
Thank you for the donno Sekret!
@@TheMickellPickell 🫵🏼😂 let me try something, btw im gonna try it
i relate heavily to the general idea. its realistic to me, for me. does it make for a good read necessarily or is it narratively satisfying? maybe not. but for a lot of people myself included, life has been tragedy after bland tragedy. in the real world there is no mandatory triumph or growth to satisfy onlookers. in real life, sometimes we just fail, fail to grow and fail to cope. over and over until our own stories just arent interesting anymore, nothing to connect to. it hits me pretty hard if u cant tell lol
I think its great that you're able to connect with a piece of media like this. While the series does teeter into territory that's more melodramatic as opposed to raw and honest, for the most part its depiction of self-sabotaging and the cycle of depression are pretty accurate. As mentioned in the video, I personally enjoy the aimless nature of the series at times but I can understand why others wouldn't.
@@TheMickellPickell oh for sure. whats a good manga without melodrama lol and tbh? its not as if even i loved it immensely. but it as a whole i feel like really shows this dark and ugly side to the individual human life that says, "sometimes it doesn't get better. sometimes we fall, die and there is no overcoming" even if maybe not executed the best and that means something. more media, imo, i think could benefit from breaking the mold a bit and at least acknowledge that real human lives are not narratively driven by what are essentially monkeys in clothes that accidentally got too smart for their own good
What an awesome take! If you're interested in media that tells those types of stories, I cannot recommend the manga "Solanin" by Inio Asano enough. That manga perfectly encapsulates what you're talking about and it does so at a masterful level. I aim to also make a video on it at some point so I can assure you its well worth your time. Its a short read, but one that stays with you long after its completion.
I can also recommend manwha "The Horizon". I've already made a video on it and it asks those types of questions as well (though its not necessarily the sole focus). Its a little harder to recommend due to its intense themes and brutal imagery but its a story that outright changed the course of my life.
Hey, nice to see another video from you! I don't read a lot of manga because of my vision, but I enjoy learning about these works from your videos, thanks for sharing! I'm doing my best in life right now to be my own hero, or at least I'm trying to learn how to be, so that theme hits home for me right now. I've also found that having a good social/support group is really important when it comes to mental health. Keep up the good work!
I've been trying to catch some of your streams recently, I hope to see more in the future! :)
Thank you for letting me be a part of your day Dani and I'm glad to hear that these videos bring some kind of enjoyment for you :') Thanks for always supporting what I do.
I'm glad to hear that! Each step, regardless how small, is a step towards the future so I'm glad you are taking them despite how tough they may seem sometimes.
I hope you can catch them as well! I'll be sure to do more streams when the new MiA chapter drops both here on TH-cam and Twitch! :)
As someone who was addicted to this story like crack when I first read it in March this year, and has gotten reobsessed after the ending made me contemplate the investment I had in the series, I do really appreciate your thoughts here. I feel like any discourse I see on this series is the small sect of people meat riding it like it's absolutely peak cinema or people shitting on it like crazy. There is honestly quite a bit to like about this series that I think you articulated well and that I love it for, even if there are a healthy amount of flaws that weigh it down
You've encapsulated how I feel about this manga to a tee! Regardless of flaws, I felt there was something to the experience that is Boy's Abyss. I feel that despite it being far from perfect, its still a piece of media that people should experience first before having an intense opinion on based on other people's experience with it. Because everyone will have a different perspective out of it, and that in itself is a very special thing.
In the beginning it was captivating, and was shocking in how explicit it themes were. But it just kept going on and on.
That's the problem with marathon-sized melodramas. The stakes can only get so high and if those stakes are consistently being raised with no advancement in overcoming those stakes, it becomes really tiring and repetitive. You're meant to have an "Oh shit!" reaction to new surprises and obstacles, but when they happen each chapter, that visceral reaction doesn't happen anymore because you're conditioned to what the story is consistently trying to pull.
i got caught so off guard by the f&h music at 1:44
Then you ain't ready for 3:36 then
Alright, another gut-wrenching video from Mickell 👍 Gotta say, everything about the character you talked about at the end hit a little too close to home. The part about "being the main character of your own story" is an especially tough pill to swallow, it's something I'm still struggling with. The only way out is through, I suppose. I might have to give this one a read, the mixed to bad reception might've just made me even more curious lmao
The mixed reaction to Boy's Abyss was precisely why I decided to read it in the first place and I mean, you saw the video, I gained a lot from it regardless of my mixed view of it so I 100% understand where you are coming from :)
Thanks for watching Sklent! Means a lot
have yet to watch the video past the first couple seconds but I just had to pause. Hearing the Pathologic Broken Heart soundtrack out in the wild gave me whiplash
Makes me so happy seeing so many pathologic comments. It makes my temptation to make a video on it so much stronger 🙏
I can't believe the author just ended like that. Seriously, each time we thought it'd end, it didn't. So the final ch is just utter bs. I honestly wanted to see reiji and his teacher skip town at the end but there would always be an underlying sense of disgust, like the small town he came from would appear as hallucinations.
If anything I'm glad he and the teacher didn't end up together. That entire character dynamic was hard to sit through. While I would have loved to see the characters grow out of the town as a way to symbolise their ability to let go of the past and detach themselves from it, I'm glad at the very least its not an outright horrible ending. Just not a fitting one imho.
@@TheMickellPickell yeah, I can agree with that.
It ended the way it did because Nozoe died before he could complete the story.
@darkfortress9966 the author died?
@@berniekatzroy yeah, (Akira Nozoe aka Esemori) the one in the manga.
Following Yuri sensei's journey throughout this manga made it all worth it.
Alright, just came back from vacation and this is the first thing I see when going online. And goddamn I forgot how great your videos are. Like, I know your videos are amazing and I should really know what to expect by now but every time I see a new one the editing still just amazes me. Genuinely amazing stuff. Maybe that´s also a sign of how you are still improving to this day, despite the fact that even your earliest manga animations kinda blew me away already.
And this is a really interesting one. I haven´t read Boys Abyss yet (I definitely will soon once I find the time) honestly, I´ve never even heard of it before, but from how you describe it it really sounds interesting. Tackling depression from this angle sounds really intriguing and I can see how it could speak to some people very deeply (could definitely see it speaking to me too) but its probably also difficult to make a story like this a satisfying read. That and the issues that you mentioned do sound like they could really drag a story down from "amazing" to "it´s complicated". With handling topics like these especially I think that stories that try to tackle the nuances and more complicated parts of them and try to showcase some seemingly contradicting beliefs or attitudes people do often have in a realistic and nuanced way can easily end up hard to follow, incoherent, confusing, frustrating and unsatisfying. Also I´m sure the way the industry works, fan expectations, and other outside factors could have negatively affected it.
Still, regardless of any such flaws, I do look forward to reading it. I way prefer a story that leaves you with both strong positive and negative feelings over one that is just kinda alright and forgettable. As a side note, I do also love the parts of your personal live that you sometimes add to your videos now. These videos are great, seriously. Keep up the amazing work, I´ll always look forward to seeing more from you
You're too kind as always homie! Thanks so much for the supportive words! I really appreciate your consistent support over the years
genuinely thank you for making this video, this manga confused me so much as it started so good but got worse and worse and it in my opinion ends in such an underwhelming way.
Thanks for watching! :)
I can totally understand how you feel. While overall I thought the manga was pretty good, its undeniable its first 4 volumes are its absolute best and it takes as toll as it goes on and on.
Thanks for making such a relatable video, feels like im not alone in this
Glad to hear :) Thanks for watching Emily!
102 chapters in, dropped it alittle after the "HeS yOUr DaD!" reveal and then and i totally forgot about this manga. Glad to see it is still an edgy trainwreck to the very end.
The sad within the whole story reminds me of a series of unfortunate events. but darker.
Interesting comparison! Have yet to read those books but from what I've been told about them, I can see where you'd make those connections.
this is such a nice video, thank you very much for it and for putting me on
My pleasure! Thanks for watching 😊
This is the first time I'm hearing that this manga ended. I was following this pretty early on, but fell off half way through because, if you hand me something that's weekly/monthly, my ass has a 70% chance to forget one week and then, the next, and then oh well I guess I'm never remembering, so its funny that this is how I learn that. It's interesting seeing the fall out though, I never read the whole thing ofc but I can definitely see where they're coming from, especially with the later stuff you showed off. Definitely didn't have it in my mind that he wanted to be his mother, like, damn.
Though, I'm assuming since you didn't show anything bad happening to Chako at the end here after her section, does mean at least, she kinda got a "good" ending here, and you know what, that's a W, we take it, that's all I needed to know. And while I don't know the full context of the ending, I think the way you've portrayed her character arc and about how she kinda takes agency back and is able to, step away from that abyss, and find some way out in an amiable way and connect that back to the whole "being a main character" which ties into her whole thing with writing and the story she was obsessed with like, that feels pretty good just from what I've read too
Great video though as always! (Brave of you to drudge back up old let's plays you were doing with BANDCAM at the top)
Its really interesting how a weekly series can have the polar opposite effect on readers. By giving them something each week, it may bombard the reader with too many current reads. I've been in that exact situation with multiple great manga lmao.
I'm glad you were able to connect with Chako's ending segment. Its a really nice message in a world as void of happiness like that of Boy's Abyss so it makes me happy knowing i was able to help her deliver it in this video :)
LMAO bro it HURT me to watch some of those older videos. My commentary was truly a product of its time...
Gut punch stories that just keep going are my favorite. I enjoyed 177013 not for the boobs but because of how tragic is all is.
Also this just sounds like a group of people that are all toxic and bring out the worse in each other. But that they stay the same because that's all they really know at this point. Hell, I've witnesses these type of relationships first hand. People in abusive relationships that know they should just walk away but refuse to. For various reasons they'll always find a reason not to better themselves and just keep in the dark.
I 100% agree with this comment. Unironically, I think Metamorphosis is fantastic. While there are MANY aspects that I could do without (I shouldn't have to go into detail...), it's core message and its intense subject matter are so powerful it sticks with you years after reading it.
Thank you for the great video! Those animation were fantastic and beautiful to look at😊
Thank you for making my video a part of your day! I appreciate the kind words and your time :)
your animations are really nice. love 'em
Thanks so much! Glad you like them :)
I think I started reading boys abyss when there was like around 160-170 chapters out and i got through all of it in about a week or 2 and I loved it. parts of the story I really liked were the moments where u would think things would maybe get a bit better for someone then the author pretty much punches u in the gut by revealing something that leaves the character in worse spot then they were before and a lot of the time it left me annoyed, angry, and sometimes just really sad but that just made me wanna keep reading. the ending really disappointed me bc imo if there were like a few more chapters leading up to it it would've been a bitter sweet end. I realize a lot of what I said was just kinda repeating ur points in the video so even tho theres a lot more id like to say about this story I don't wanna leave a full essay down here so I'll stop yapping. this was a great video.
The comment section is for yapping! Feel free to go all out and say what you wanna say!
I do agree that perhaps with a few more chapters the ending could have been cleaner. While I don't hate it, how we get to that point in a singular chapter feels unnatural and inauthentic. I mean, Reiji barely spoke with the lady he now lives with in the mountains and Nagi hadn't met her before. So there is too big a gap there to fill in with our imagination without proper context.
Thanks for watching :)
Been curious about this manga for a while considering the reactions I’ve heard towards it. Honestly am more interested in it now having watched this. Great vid mate.
Funnily enough the diverse nature of the audience is what inspired me to get reading in the first place so I totally understand your intrigue from that aspect. Thanks for watching homedawg
I kept reading it.
I have no idea what was happening and how things kept getting worse. It's watching a car crash factory each time a chapter comes up about 2/3rds in.
Honestly I like it for the weekly experience. I would not recommend it binging it since getting all of those twists each chapter at once is definitely not as "enjoyable" as forgetting about it for a week.
Totally understandable. If you can find enjoyment in the weekly car-crash, that's awesome lmao
This manga is like if a 12 year old tried to write something "sad" and "deep"
honestly yeah. the author didn’t know where to go
As a manga artist with a long ongoing series, and as a passionate fan of stories, thank you for 19:08
Of course :) There is a big difference between shitting on someone's work and critiquing it.
Its something often forgotten here on the internet.
This isn't to say that if people don't like the art, they shouldn't voice it. Its instead to acknowledge why they don't like the art and not be a dick about it lol.
Honestly boys abyss so far has peaked with volume 1 imo(and I have only read the volume releases so idk any other chapters) and honestly even tho it’s meh after I can’t stop reading it. The art, the covers(cause they really good), the feeling when you read it, and the ig claustrophobic atmosphere around it. I’m also rooting for the bully(can’t think of his name) cause I feel like he bout to do something insanely awesome at some point. I did like the teacher until she ratted out what’s her name(I don’t remember character names well 😂)
I found it one day without knowing anything about it, got a few chapters in and became scarred and depressed
I regret it so much
I wish I had never picked it up
i remember i was reading this manga a few years ago. I dont know why i stopped but i will finish it and then come back to this video.
Curious what your thoughts will be!
i know this is completely off topic. But I really love how you anime these manga panels. Have you ever thought of animating fight scenes in shonen manga? Im sure you could make it look SUPER badass
Really kind of you to say! Thanks so much :)
I have thought about that very prospect and in my time animating manga I have always wanted to bring fights I love to life. Maybe one day, but can't promise anything (Chainsaw Man as well as particular moments from Soul Eater and Berserk immediately come to mind).
I’ve read the whole manga in like two days (just finished it) and I don’t know what to feel. I couldn’t put it down but I read it so fast I need to process it all now
I binged the whole series in 2 days and barely got any sleep!
(After 5 minutes of vid)
This guy is doing great job of presenting his review. And I can already feel all my bad thoughts and attitudes stirring to life. So, not today thank you.
(Let's see if he's got something happier. Ooohh! A Yuri review)
Aye thanks so much for saying that! Its really kind of you :) The My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness video is a very interpersonal vid that does cover some pretty deep topics. If you want something a little light-hearted, my newest video on another Yuri series might be a little easier of a digest.
Thanks for watching!
thank you recomendation gods, I will give this a read. let my sacrifice of a comment be sufficient to please you oh algorithmic lords
I appreciate the support! Thanks for watching and commenting! :')
pathologic 2 ost spotted. im now obligated to instantly like the video.
ITS SO GOOD SEEING SOME PATHOLOGIC LOVE IN THE COMMENT SECTION 🙏 It’s soundtrack is genuinely masterful
@@TheMickellPickell couldnt agree more! great video man
...
"hey, let's commit __________"
wow..
I think I will stick to my good ol' faves, thank you. I had enough tragedy with X/1999 as it is. It also hits home with me too, so... yeah, no, not for me at all. I generally go to manga for a good escape from the pains of the world (except maybe with Fruits Basket, but that is different to me), so I really am not the target audience for this manga. I understand very well that reality sometimes doesn't have a happy ending, so I commend a manga for showing that, but still, not up my alley. Now, if you will excuse me, I want to get to the end of my volume of Nana & Kaoru, that will cheer me up.
To each of their own. Downer Media isn't for everyone so its understandable why you wouldn't want to indulge in it.
Yeah this series was a Mess indeed I was recommended by my friend where it had small chapters a somewhat a lot I can't exactly remember like 17 or something in that ballpark of 30+ but I'm certain it was 20 below or below 28 chapters.
After that I forgot about the series and honestly I think that was the greatest timing ever because the moment I forgotten about it and remembered out of no where it was now like 100+ or to be specific a 140+ something. I remember stopping at the part where the Teacher was buying Reiji, and because I forgot what chapter was it I let my friend read it together with me and Yes we Suffered together reading Boy's Abyss. So after catching up he suggested that we just read the series separately and so from there we just did that. I caught up and just stuck through it despite knowing that it isn't getting better.
Honestly, the Best Worst Girl sensei was keeping me interested in this sea of despair despite her being the most unhinge character of them all lelz. Like to be fair there was something special here but honestly I don't know whether it's an author issue or an Publisher issue because as some people said the story felt like it should've either ended early. The problems could've been solved earlier with one moment with the two birds one stone then poof nope it got worst.
I'm a masochist and for the most part almost for all cases I just go through with it despite it being sucky and guarantee I won't like it. Well for the most part something like that in a way, doesn't apply to all but you kinda get the point. Although to give context I'm okay with open ended stories but if it doesn't fit the story then sorry it's just a bad one, and this is one of those cases you could say as one describes it, it both felt rushed and at the same time drag. And yes I'm one of those people where if the ending is trash or isn't great then it ruins the stories if you want one example from me and I know it's a very bad take but you can see my perspective in a way. I don't like AoT or Quintessential Quintuplets ending if you want me to explain why for AoT there's already a lot of people answering that, for QQ legit the author fumbled the way how it ends especially on who won and legit I wouldn't have mind who freaking won but dang.... Well again, there's a video about that too. So yeah sorry for the lengthy reply for the most part some of the comments here already kinda convey my thoughts on the series on how it fumbled and how it could've been great. I've heard that there's gonna be a extension to said ending at that point it might be redeemed but knowing where it might go hypothetically nahh... even with that I don't think it can be somewhat redeemed.
Although who knows I'm just a bad man with bad takes so maybe this is one of them but honestly all I can say in the end is "it could've been better" indeed.
This was one twisted manga so much pain,anger,horrible parents and suic*de . Mickell you are correct you cant put it down .
It really is a rollercoaster of emotions. I've seen many comments here referring to it as "a car crash you can't look away from" and its honestly really accurate to this franchise. Lots of aspects of it feel gross and excessive but there is some value in that.
@@TheMickellPickell yup we are gluttons for punishment when it's entertaining . The first time i started to read it I was "ok why this. ok this is mess up!!!..why Renji??....Noooo why Yuko!!.. NOOO ochako!!!"
I started watching this video but had to stop because I decided I wasn't quite ready to relive this story. I'll return when I am.
I appreciate you dropping a comment regardless~ :)
@@TheMickellPickell no problem! I know it helps the algorithm :)
I tried reading it but it just didnt click with me
That's a very normal response to it. Its not a manga everyone will enjoy, even when its being comedically unhinged. It takes a very particular mindset and person I feel.
I hate it, but cant stop myself on reading it from occassion. It feels like tragedy for the sake of shock value it gets draining after a while. Im only still reading it to see reiji's mom die.
I can understand that. When the stakes are consistently pushed, it becomes more tiresome than it does exciting.
""I want to die, I want to die" - I'm so sick of this fucking book" - the best girl in this shitass manga
i remember staying up until 4am to read this but when i got up to the part where it’s revealed that the teacher was still in the town, i just dropped it and never picked it up again
This feels like a subtle version of Blue Spring
You starting the channel to find a girlfriend is the most relatable thing I've heard from any youtuber ever.
P.S
I still don't have one, I'll probl'y die alone. Maybe I should ready boys abyss, sounds right up my miserable depressed dark alley.
Lmao glad to hear its somewhat relatable.
Aye you hang in there homie, I'm sure there is someone out there for you as well 🙏
Background Pathologic music? Hell yeah
Underrated soundtrack honestly! Obsessed with the OST to an unhealthy degree
Great video, looking for your new videos, and I probably read the manga, seems interesting.
Thanks for watching! I appreciate the kind words :)
Hearing the description of the ending reminds me of Komi no Koisuru Satsujinki (Killer in Love). That ending was the definition of anticlimactic and unsatisfying.
Off topic ☝️🧐 but I'd love to see you play/dissect, " We Harvest Shadows " on full release.
Honestly the way you described that is life
True. Spiraling and relapsing is a natural part of depression.
is background music from the pathologic2 ost???????
I love seeing some pathologic 2 love here in the comments
5:41 *Me with altered reality perspective* "Nha mate, i can fix her."
💀 bruh
Nah. I disagree to people that disagree thus manga is based.just Because yes
(I like the manga because I dum dum my brain and read it that way while monkey mode I like the way it thrown my emotions left and right curiosity pulls me)
Sometimes we all need a monkey-moment and if this manga enables that in you, hell yeah thats awesome
👎
I haven’t finished it I’m at like chapter 71 so I’m not gonna watch this video just yet but I will say this manga is pure depression and suffering
A manga where the characters are drowning in the misery they aren't strong enough to get past? Sign me upppp they are just like me frfr
Enjoy this wickedly weird and pessimistic time
NEW MADE IN ABYSS CHAPTER ANIMATED WHEN?! 🙏
Please look at the "Posts" section on this channel for more details.
16:33. I have these specific thoughts way to often. I want personal connection but i'm afraid to of being hurt/ridiculed and people kind of tire me. Yet i'm also to afraid to make the change despite this mentality pushing me away from family members and friends i do have sometimes.
I feel you on that level. Its hard out here but all we can do is try to push forward :)
I just binge read the entire thing from 3am to 9am..
it hurts, in a good way
thanks youtube algorithim for reccomending this to me
I’m glad you decided to give the manga a read for yourself and formulated your own view of it in the end.
Thanks for watching! 😊
when I've got 30 mins I'm definitely checking this out :) looks interesting
Appreciate you dekcywecky
Started reading it and after a few weeks I noticed that the author makes everything shitty just so the story can go on, even tho it should've ended a ton o chapters before. Dropped it hard man, holy shit
To each their own. At least you gave it a shot and formed your own opinion. That's more than what most people do these days lol
Haven't read this one and don't plant to after seeing this video tbh, but it reminded me of Jigoku Shoujo / Hell Girl for some reason. Maybe it's the irredeemable characters.
While I don't want my video to necessarily put people off the experience as my thoughts are my own and everyone's view of art is unique to the individual...but if you dislike characters that are beyond help, then you may not like this manga period.
Yeah, but cannon ending of fear and humger involves only despair: there's no happiness, no resolution to be found. Only death and misfortune.
True but there is still something to be gained in playing it. You feel a sense of accomplishment the more you overcome the trials in front of you. While your central character doesn't speak you can see their growth in what they could manage at the start of the game vs what they are capable of by the end.
Whilst in the case for Boy's Abyss, the characters don't really grow all that much. It doesn't feel as "earned" if that makes sense.
Keep up the good work!
Thank you!
Oh god
These two older boys are very hard for me to read and finish. So I guess whatever this manga is it’s on the list!
Punpun and Blood On The Tracks really are brilliant. Boys Abyss feels like the Teemu equivalent (not horrible but still not pristine)
Personally I loved it I thought it as a story about generational trauma and problems becoming a giant ball knocking down others with it big or small and this ball being the main character honestly I have alot too say about this manga I post about it on tiktok sometimes but I will never be able too fully explain how I feel about it maybe I just have a caveman brain though
I think the fact you were so moved and are unable to fully articulate what about this manga makes you tick is a really cool thing :) Its proof that you connected to the art so that's great!