The Flowers of Evil Vol 9

PhysicalpaperbackApr 22, 2014$10.95

ISBN-139781939130280ISBN-10193913028X

Recognized as one of the most engaging series in the world of shonen manga (stories with male protagonists), Flowers of Evil shuns the genre's otherworldly conventions to tell down-to-earth stories of the trials of young people as they stumble into love and sometimes back out again. This new-style romance comedy of rural teens centers on the lonely, bookish Takao's search for his own identity, under the influence of Charles Baudelaire's poetry classic Les fleurs du mal (The Flowers of Evil). Bound by emotion and circumstance to the beautiful Nanako, the girl he desires, and the scheming Nakamura, the girl whose torments put him on the path to adulthood, Takao is also challenged to settle his differences with his parents. Flowers of Evil creator Shuzo Oshimi was recognized as one of the most gifted of the young generation of manga artists, and in 2001 received the Tetsuya Chiba award.

DigitalDec 8, 2015$7.99

ISBN-139781682331576

PhysicalpaperbackJun 26, 2018$22.95

ISBN-139781945054730ISBN-101945054735

After the climactic incident during the festival, we are sent to a completely new locale, 3 years later. Takao and Nakamura have been forcibly separated. Takao is now living with his parents in the suburbs of the big city, and they mostly act like a normal, happy family. Takao is in a new school, and a typical middling student. And while he’s as awkward as ever, he’s made some friends. Even more intriguingly—Takao may have found a girl to open up to. As with Nakamura, this girl can see there’s more to Takao than meets the eye. But this time, she’s the one who reintroduces him to literature...

PhysicalpaperbackOct 23, 2018$17.95

ISBN-139781945054747ISBN-101945054743

After his grandfather falls ill, Kasuga goes with his parents back to Gunma—his first trip back to his hometown ever since the incident with Nakamura—and Kasuga must confront the friends and family he hurt in the past. A former classmate gives him a tip regarding Nakamura’s current whereabouts, but will he have the courage to track her down and ask her the question that has haunted him since that day? In this final installment, time passes and people grow, change and heal, and we get a glimpse into the first fateful encounter between Nakamura and Kasuga, from her point of view…