Title: Toxic Daughter: Chi-chanAuthor: Shuzo Oshimi
Series: Toxic Daughter: Chi-chan #1
First Published: April 22, 2025
Publisher: Kodansha
Pages: 224
Genre: Horror, Seinen, Thriller
Format: eARC, Paperback
Source: Gift, NetGalley
Rating:
Synopsis:
You can’t hide your darkness from Chi
It’s been years since Chi, a mysterious outcast and borderline dropout, and her childhood friend Yua last spoke. One day, Chi shows up to school with a handful of dead bugs and starts a commotion that gives Yua’s classmate, golden boy Kodai, an idea: he’s going to bring Chi back into the fold, and he needs Yua’s help to do it. But good intentions can lead to bad places, and the darkness in Chi may be more dangerous than they ever imagined.
Get the Book: AmazonReview
Toxic Daughter: Chi-chan is a psychological horror manga that serves as a tie-in to a film, Toxic Daughter (2024). This manga was a bit of a weird one that I had to read twice before I could sort out my thoughts. There is a lot good about this manga, and the good parts are great, but there is one big negative.
On the one hand, Oshimi’s brand of dark coming of age storytelling is a major highlight of the story. Several events near the end of the story were quietly horrifying, and that horror was palpable. I was blown away by Oshimi’s ability to depict such monstrousness in just a few panels without being gratuitous.
On the other hand the titular Chi-chan was an underwhelming and uninteresting character. While I could appreciate the role that she plays in Yua’s narrative, Chi overall felt like a wacky slasher-type movie character and these dual narratives felt disjointed. Perhaps I’d need to watch the film for Chi’s character to appreciate her character more. Despite being a tie-in meant to drum up excitement for a movie, I don’t feel that compelled to continue her story.
Despite my criticisms, I enjoyed the manga overall and purchased a copy to re-read after reading a digital ARC, if that says anything.
Quote
“Don’t hold it against her, okay? I’m sure… It wasn’t on purpose. She must’ve just panicked, right?”
Content Warnings
View Spoiler »About the Author
About Shuzo Oshimi
Shuzo Oshimi is a Japanese manga artist who publishes works primarily for Kodansha. He made his debut with Superfly in Kodansha’s Monthly Shōnen Magazine. He is best known for his manga Drifting Net Cafe, The Flowers of Evil and Happiness. His works have been adapted into many different media including television drama, anime, and live-action film. In 2001, he won the Tetsuya Chiba Award.
Discover more from Radical Dreamer
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
