Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
The cliffhanger with which Shuzo Oshimi ended “Happiness” Volume 9 was such a frustrating plot twist! Makoto Okazaki swoops into the ‘Blood of Happiness’ cult premises, then bites the creepy psychotic villain Sakurane, leaving readers in suspense over whether Sakurane will become a vampire or die a brutal death. Contrary to the title, “Happiness” has been a sad gore-fest in most volumes, so readers know the story can swing either way.
“Happiness” Volume 10 opens with a grisly panel of Okazaki digging his vampire fangs into Sakurane’s neck, while several bloodied cult members watch like zombies. I’ve been meaning to mention it a bunch of times, but I like how Shuzo Oshimi often draws the sky in various scenes like it’s from Vincent van Gogh‘s famous painting “Starry Night.” While van Gogh intended to capture the “sunrise in all its glory,” his oil-on-canvas painting exuding the dreamy, surreal beauty he intended to portray, in Oshimi’s black-and-white horror manga, the multiple spiral strokes make the sky look nightmarish, disturbing, and often in sync with the story’s violent scenes.
This volume marks the finale for the manga series, and I was definitely happy that Shuzo Oshimi gives conclusive endings to the primary protagonists of the tale. Be it Sakurane, Saku, Yuki, Okazaki, or Shojo, we get to know what happens to each of them. The elusive “happiness” that everybody was looking for is achieved in the climax by a few of them, even though it meant different things for different characters—like Sakurane’s happiness lies in becoming an immortal vampire who slaughters children for food.
The final chapters of “Happiness” open with graphic violence and deaths and then move on to a surprising time-jump that focuses on how the primary players have been living their lives. Even though some of the events are ordinary and mundane, there’s always an unsettling tension pervading the pages, making you wonder who’ll die next.
However, the climax brims with a bitter-sweet ode to human emotions, connections, and aspirations. Shuzo Oshimi gives readers a pretty satisfactory end, bringing Okazaki’s journey full circle. All those who survive the violent twists get to move on with their lives. It’s an emotional ending, and not as bleak as I thought it would be!
Rating: 4 on 5.
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