Pietà

[MangaDex]

 

[Purplelibraryguy]

An austere masterpiece.

 

[GruntZone360]

(9) Nice slice of life feel (just a few small points that I can't overlook to give it a (10) like the whole

Spoiler

evolution bit)

Overall an exciting read

 

[CatrACAB]

@GruntZone360 Eh, the evolution bit wasn't that outlandish imo. My source is just remembering what I heard on some podcast or radio broadcast, but this story is sort of referencing the same thing as that broadcast. Susceptibility to drug addiction is in part caused by having what could be described as a more evolved brain. In a normal environment, the different brain structure would be beneficial to the drug addict, encouraging positive social interaction. But, drugs like heroin hijack your brain, taking advantage of the susceptibility to the neurotransmitters typically used to encourage social behavior.

 

[mirewitch]

This was interesting, but really dark. Like, depression, attempted suicide, self injury, intense gaslighting, garbage parents, and a whole bunch of other mental health stuff. The story is empathetic about it, and has a happy ending, but if you're someone who struggles with really intense subjects you may not wanna read it. Also the author sometimes frames the mental health stuff in a new-age kind of way. That's the "evolution" stuff that other commenters are talking about. I dunno if it made sense in 1998 when it was written, but by modern standards it is quite strange. However, its a very minor aspect to an otherwise medically realistic story, and doesn't hurt the overall manga.

 

[amyber]

It's quite a solemn story with a lot of charm. Nothing incredibly heart-racing happens, all there is are displays of the deepest part of your soul and psyche. I quite enjoyed the romance, it fit the overall tone of the work and didn't seem out of place, as I hope since it is one of the central points of Pieta. Definitely heavy but I found it nice to read. The mental-health topics are sort of strange but considering the time I think it's a fair interpretation of it. I'm very fond of this manga, more people should try it out. I didn't know if the author intended this but it really did make me re-evaluate how I think of myself and love, quite interesting indeed.
It exhibits the same feeling at waiting out in the rain for someone, times flies by and little droplets peck at your umbrella. It's lonely but eventually they'll come, arriving through the foggy mist. I love that kind of writing.

If anyone is looking for somber but bittersweet hope neatly packed into a story, I recommend this one-hundred percent.