A manga by Tohru Uchimizu

In the previous chapter of Tohru Uchimizu’s The Love and Creed of Sae Maki (aka SAE-ISM), the protagonists, Misao and Kokai, devised a seemingly foolproof plan to liberate Misao from the clutches of her domineering “best friend,” Sae Maki. Sae Maki, undoubtedly one of the most popular girls in school, is admired by many and desired by others. However, she has formed a strong attachment to Misao and only Misao. Misao had previously been bullied when she was new to the school, and Sae Maki’s intervention was the only thing that saved her. This act of kindness, however, came with a great cost, as those who become close to Sae Maki tend to mysteriously disappear. Their strategy, involving implicating Sae Maki in an attack on a gang member to draw his allies out for revenge, was not only aimed to seek justice for past wrongs but also to protect others from falling victim to Sae Maki’s manipulative ways.

The narrative has taken a chilling turn when Sae Maki revealed her formidable prowess in martial arts by single-handedly subduing an entire street gang with unnerving ease. Assisted by a mysterious accomplice disguised as a mascot, Sae Maki swiftly dismantled months of effort, leaving Misao exposed to the looming threat of retribution. The question arose – would Misao suffer the same grim fate as many of Sae Maki‘s previous companions? The storyline in this chapter skillfully portrays the internal struggles faced by Misao as she grapples with conflicting feelings of gratitude towards Sae Maki and the terror of attempting to break free from her suffocating influence. By the end she fears the worst – perhaps Sae Maki owns her life in pretty much every way after this?

“Misao is trapped by her friend Sae, who controls Misao as she pleases. Feeling that her life is in danger, Misao and Kokai, a young man who vows to save her, strategize ways to release Misao from Sae’s control.”

This chapter delves into the intriguing shift of the narrative from a simple story about an obsessive individual to a mystery tale. The enigmatic character of Sae Maki raises thought-provoking questions that add depth to the story. Her peculiar behaviors, such as falling asleep at exactly midnight, reminiscent of a well-programmed automaton, contribute to the growing sense of mystery surrounding her. This gradual accumulation of peculiar observations and unexplained events have been “snow-balling” for a while and I am at a loss as to what the solutions could be. Hopefully, the author keeps the suspense up and things don’t become silly, but at least for now I’m still hooked.

I’ve mentioned this in previous reviews, but it deserves a repeat. This book was released in a manner that may be unfamiliar to many manga readers. It is published directly to the US market via digital sales on Amazon by Akita Publishing Co.,Ltd.. This format is similar to comics like Creature (also by them) and _Lockdown Zone Level X, which I have been reviewing sporadically. There are several small publishing houses that release manga in this way, and so far, I am quite fond of it. By purchasing a few chapters at a time, it helps me save space because I don’t have a lot of room to store manga paperbacks all the time. Additionally, it’s easier for me to decide if I will like something or not with a few chapters at a lower price.

This is a great alternative to succumbing to pirate “scan-lation” companies that generally are not that good at what they do and steal money from the creators. I am always saying that if the content is available in this region for a reasonable price, I’d rather get it legitimately versus stealing it.

Overall, This is an interesting start to this second arc of the story. While some things have been answered the majority of this chapter just layers more mysteries onto Sae Maki, and I am on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happens. I fear that Misao might be heading to a psychotic break if she is left in this predicament, and I’m not sure that Kokai is really helping her all that much. Everything points back to her when something happens, and as Sae Maki has stated, she is being used by everyone around her. This is a really cool and underrated manga that seems to have flown under the radar that everyone should check out!

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