Blood on the Tracks (manga)

is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Shūzō Oshimi. It was serialized in Shogakukan's manga magazine Big Comic Superior from February 2017 to September 2023, with its chapters collected into 17 volumes. The story follows a middle school student, Seiichi Osabe, and his relationship with his overprotective mother, who after a certain event, begins to show a darker and horrifying side towards her son.

The series is licensed in English in North America by Vertical, who started releasing the volumes in print in February 2020; it is also digitally published by Kodansha USA since August of the same year.

By May 2023, Blood on the Tracks had over 2.3 million copies in circulation.

Synopsis

Seiichi Osabe is a shy middle school student who lives an ordinary life under the care of his mother, Seiko. While others perceive Seiko as overprotective, Seiichi is entirely comfortable with her profound devotion and does not question her behavior. During a family hiking trip with his parents and paternal relatives, an event occurs that irrevocably shatters his peaceful existence. His cousin, Shigeru, playfully shoves Seiichi near a cliff edge, prompting Seiko to instantly intervene and pull him to safety. The family dismisses her actions as excessive and laughs at her response. Later, Seiichi and Shigeru venture to a higher, more precarious cliff edge. As Shigeru stands near the edge, Seiko, who has been following them, approaches her nephew and deliberately pushes him from the cliff. She then turns and offers her son a brief, tranquil smile. In the aftermath, Shigeru is left in a comatose state, and Seiichi remains the sole witness to his mother's true nature. This incident forces him to recognize the terrifying and dangerous reality of his mother's affection. His daily life is transformed into a continuous horror, as he must navigate an existence dominated by the disturbing and possessive protection of the person who claims to love him most.

Characters

Seiichi is a shy middle school student living with his mother, Seiko, whose devotion is viewed by others as overprotective. His perception of her love is shattered during a family trip, when she pushes his cousin from a cliff after a prior, minor incident. The cousin is left in a comatose state, and Seiichi is the sole witness. He subsequently discovers the dangerous reality of his mother's affection, and his daily life becomes a horror defined by her increasingly manipulative and possessive control.

Seiichi's mother, Seiko, suffers from psychiatric disorders that manifest in an obsessive and possessive relationship with her son, extending far beyond typical overprotectiveness. Her singular focus is his possession, driven by a profound fear that he will be taken from her. This fixation has previously led her to extreme violence, including a past attempt on his life by throwing him from a hill slope. To maintain control, Seiko expertly conceals her true nature and systematically manipulates Seiichi's memories, ensuring his dependence and distorting his understanding of their shared past.

Yuiko is a classmate of Seiichi who lives with her alcoholic and abusive father, their relationship strained since her mother abandoned them. She and Seiichi develop a romantic relationship. Through this bond, Yuiko becomes the first person to cause Seiichi to question his mother's behavior and the manipulative nature of his relationship with her.

Ichirō is Seiichi's father and Seiko's husband, a salaryman who works diligently to maintain family stability following the cliff incident. He possesses a caring and calm demeanor. Despite his love for his family, he remains largely unaware of the severity of their domestic situation. This persists even after Seiko confesses to Shigeru's parents that she pushed their son, and when Seiko later suggests divorce, Ichirō does not demonstrate a willingness to pursue it.

Shigeru is Seiichi's cousin, known for his blunt and teasing nature, often mocking Seiichi about his relationship with his mother. During a family hiking trip, Seiko pushes him off a cliff. He survives the fall but is left in a comatose state. Through subsequent rehabilitation and the care of his mother, Shigeru eventually regains partial consciousness. Upon recognizing his aunt Seiko, he is immediately overcome with terror.

Publication

Written and illustrated by Shūzō Oshimi, Blood on the Tracks was serialized in Shogakukan's manga magazine Big Comic Superior from February 24, 2017, to September 8, 2023. According to Oshimi, the Bob Dylan album of the same name inspired the title for the series, but was not a major influence on the story. Shogakukan collected its chapters in 17 volumes, released from September 8, 2017, to September 28, 2023.

In July 2019, Vertical announced that they have licensed the manga for an English language release in North America. The first volume was published on February 25, 2020. In July 2020, Kodansha USA announced the digital release of the manga, which started in August of the same year.

Volumes

Reception

By May 2020, the manga had over 1 million copies in circulation; over 1.5 million copies in circulation by June 2021; over 2 million copies in circulation by September 2022; and over 2.3 million copies in circulation by May 2023.

The series ranked ninth on Kono Manga ga Sugoi!s top 20 manga for male readers 2018. It was nominated for a Harvey Award in the Best Manga category in 2022. The series was nominated for the 68th Shogakukan Manga Award in the general category in 2022. It won the 50th Angoulême International Comics Festival's Prize for a Series in 2023. The series ranked sixteenth on the 2023 "Book of the Year" list by Da Vinci magazine. The series has been nominated for the 28th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize in 2024. It has been nominated for the Japan Society and Anime NYC's first American Manga Awards in the Best Continuing Manga Series category in 2024.

Ian Wolf of Anime UK News commended the series' narrative and Oshimi's art, noting its "detailed and sometimes disturbing close-ups" and "great views of the wilderness". He suggested the title might better suit a reference to Pink Floyd's The Wall, given its themes of maternal conflict. Wolf concluded, "Blood on the Tracks has been thrilling reading so far, and it will be interesting to see where Oshimi takes the story."

References

Further reading

External links