Boy's Abyss - Ch. 164 - Shadow

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There is an important parallel with Yuko and Reiji in this chapter. Throughout the story it has been shown that they are very alike, in that they have similar influence on people around them, ie they are the abyss for people they meet because of their behaviour, which is often portrayed to be a sort of passive manipulative lure.

So far in the story we have just seen the impact of that and the impacted telling of how the abyss influenced them and while we have been hearing from the abyss themselves (Yuko's past and Reiji's despair) this is the first time where the view of the impacted is revealed to be a veil and that Yuko, like Reiji right now once tried to struggle against the abyss but ultimately fail. Whether that leads to a perspective change for Reiji, who in a sense is starting to see Yuko in himself and is about to give up, to give him an idea on that struggling is possible.

Also this chapter kinda makes me realise the core relationship between Yoku/Reiji and their respective abysstee if you will is one where esemori/chako(during her despair)/sensei/gen needs yuko/reiji to be a goal or something to act for so that they can feel like they have agency and are acting for or towards something. They want Yuko/Reiji to have desires so that they can decide to carry it out and have agency about doing so.

Alot of the healthier moments in the managa has the opposite dynamic, in that it has Yuko/Reiji have agency through actions, either because they desperately want something, or have someone that they want to help or support. Its why Reiji wanted to help Chako and why he wants to help her, its also kinda why Reiji was drawn to Nagi at the start, she has a desire for suicide that she looks for people to help her with, including Reiji. Now the detective is also playing that role a bit in that he needs Reiji to be more honest and not giving up hope and is therefore kinda asking him to do things.
 
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Not gonna lie, I'm so confused I forgot who Reiji's dad is.. if that was ever revealed because I'm lost at this point
NGL, I don't remember which chapter, but the gramma once blurted out that Reiji is the product of incest (r*pe). So Yuko is Reiji's sister-mama. Whether or not that counts as a reveal is up to debate because Yuko herself never said anything.
 
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Next chapter we’re gonna find out all what we just learned was bullshit and how esemori actually didn’t love anyone, it was just his book.
Honestly I won't be surprised if that happens. It's all a clusterfuck at this point.
 
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Honestly I won't be surprised if that happens. It's all a clusterfuck at this point.
It would be possible... if Esemori didn't admit to Nagi he couldn't keep dancing with the demon he created right when he asked Nagi to LIVE without thinking in the consequences and decided to act his age right when his life is burning away and didn't tell Reiji he'll take Yuko with him.

This chapter makes me thinking... how Reiji will react when he finds out Nagi turned back to chase him and it happens it was the person who did that and not the shinigami. It will be an interesting sight. Esemori couldn't bear the fact Yuko wasn't the edgy muse for his stories, but a broken and lonely person who actually loved him that much to the point of getting her hands dirty for a future with him. So, seeing him either have a meltdown, be a passive asshole or get overwhelmed to the point of tears will be an interesting sight for the final stretch.

Now that i think, Shino'oka owes Akira an apology for enabling his delusions instead of demanding him to talk things over with Yuko. It had to take a depressive and proactivity-zero kid who had the patience to hear his story calling his spineless ass out and a dumb and loco teacher making a scene 30 years later to make Esemori get his act together and see reality right when his life is burning away.
 
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The cop is his dad.
Ishibashi's 10 years younger than Yuko lmao (said by the author on her twitter). That means he was a 19yo cram school student or already a community college freshman/detective in formation when he fucked her if that's the case.

Pretty much we'll find out he was also an adult from The Town(tm) who did awful shit or something he can't forgive himself when he was a kid and is helping Reiji bc he's regretful of his past actions and his drive to keep living is his wife (he always shows his engagement ring wherever he goes). Considering he basically skipped protocol after taking Reiji out from his mom's room (he should have gone with child welfare instead of Shino'oka), he's basically getting in trouble with his higher ups to help him.
 
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Ishibashi's 10 years younger than Yuko lmao (said by the author on her twitter). That means he was a 19yo cram school student or already a community college freshman/detective in formation when he fucked her if that's the case.

Pretty much we'll find out he was also an adult from The Town(tm) who did awful shit or something he can't forgive himself when he was a kid and is helping Reiji bc he's regretful of his past actions and his drive to keep living is his wife (he always shows his engagement ring wherever he goes). Considering he basically skipped protocol after taking Reiji out from his mom's room (he should have gone with child welfare instead of Shino'oka), he's basically getting in trouble with his higher ups to help him.
The fact that you took my post seriously proves this manga is garbage.
 
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This chapter just makes me wonder...

Maybe the ones who want to die the most will live the most intensely and the ones who clutch onto life the most are going to get a quite gruesome death.
My bet is Ms. Shiba will die and Aga will live
 

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