Wow, Chi is such an intriguing character. Strange from the start, and I loved that about her. The mix of everyday school life with eerie, almost horror-like elements really pulled me in. From collecting weird bugs to her room that room covered in creepy X marks, everything just makes you want to know more. The atmosphere was tense. And the ending felt a bit open-ended… but I won’t say more! Definitely a unique and gripping story.

It’s my first time reading a prequel manga to a film before. I’ve never personally watched Doku Musume since Japanese horror films are a whole other level of scary in my opinion. I did enjoy the manga! The art style was so nice! The plot itself is obviously dark there are some themes in here that won’t be for everyone/can be triggering like SA, bullying and gore just to name a few. I’m intrigued to watch the movie now so hopefully i’ll be brave enough one day!

Note: please check the content warnings if you need them because there are several in this volume.

Toxic Daughter: Chi-chan is a years-prior prequel manga to (or co=collaborated manga for) the film Toxic Daughter (Doku Musume). Even from the outset it's unsettling, and the vibe is 'nothing is what it seems, surely,' especially with Kodai's attitude toward, "Oh, I'll go help out the resident weird girl!"

Chi is a character who's both a product of neglect and also neglected neurodivergence and can't fit in with her classmates even if she DID go to school but lo, Kodai is here to be a "hero" along with his classmate (and our main character) Yua! Except no, it's not easy, and things just get worse and worse for them.

This is one of several Shuzo Oshimi works I've read, and I think there's very few who could compare in capturing the despair of maturation from childhood. Bad things happen, or we get forced into certain situations (see: the content warnings, but also, more just agreeing to go along with things because someone else is popular, etc) because we're trying to find our place in the world as someone growing up. It's hard but it can be pretty realistic in that way. Jumped on this when I had a chance to read it and no regrets.

Thank you to Kodansha as always for the Read Now eARC and to Netgalley for hosting.

Toxic Daughter: Chi-chan by Shuzo Oshimi is a prequel manga to the Japanese film Toxic Daughter (Doku Musume), released in 2024 in collaboration with Shuzo Oshimi with his character design work. For previous fans of Shuzo Oshimi's work, this is perfectly Oshimi no matter how short it is. At one volume in length, this story is steeped in tension that makes you as the reader incapable of escaping it, which is one of my favorite aspects of Oshimi's works. There's an incredible amount of tension and anxiety built in such a short amount of pages that it's claustrophobic and suffocating, and it allows us to sink into the story and stew within it.

What I liked most about Toxic Daughter was the character design for Chi herself. She's a very atypical looking teenage girl, who is ostracized from her classmates and unloved by her neglectful family. Her actual physical design is a lot of fun-- atypical hair with atypical features, and it makes her a character that I felt like I could relate to as an adult who was once an awkward teenager who looked funny and didn't fit in. Chi's actions are shocking, but with the short glimpses we're given into her home life, it's easy to understand her and feel empathy for her despite the horrific things she then acts out.

Overall, Toxic Daughter: Chi-chan is a great example of Shuzo Oshimi's work and his ability to build the intensity of pressure over a small amount of time and pages, and his style shines through brightly in the parallels and opposites between the main character and Chi herself. My only wish is to see this as a full series, because Oshimi has perfectly captured the tone and characters with volume one alone, and his full length series are spectacular.

Thank you NetGalley, Shuzo Oshimi, Kodansha Comics, and Vertical Comics for this early digital copy!

Wow! We first meet Yua, who seems to feel guilty about not being friends with a classmate whom everyone bullies because of her eccentricities. Then there is Koudai, the popular kid in their class, who, for some reason, would like to help Chi reintegrate into the class. I was left wondering why Koudai was so interested in befriending Chi, but I have concluded that it was due to his insecurities and how he sees himself. Be warned, some scenes could be triggering involving SA.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the arc!

Shuzo Oshimi never fails to make you feel unsettled, riled-up, disgusted, and left with your jaw hanging open. I’m at loss for words but this simply crawled up my stomach I felt like going to the bathroom right now. This is too short for me!

Toxic Daughter: Chi-chan is a hauntingly beautiful exploration of friendship, memory, and emotional decay. Shuzo Oshimi delivers a story that is as sharp as it is heartbreaking. The artwork is stunning, as expected from Oshimi, but it’s the narrative that truly steals the spotlight.

Told through a fluid, back-and-forth timeline, the story gradually unveils the complex and shifting bond between two girls. The portrayal of Chi is especially powerful; her sorrow and emotional detachment unfold in such a subtle way that it evokes unexpected sympathy, even for a character who might otherwise be difficult to connect with.

It’s a quiet tragedy, and the ending? Absolute perfection. A chef’s kiss to cap off a story that lingers long after the final page.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Kodansha Comics, and Shuzo Oshimi for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinions

Publishing date: 22.04.2025 (DD/MM/YYYY)
Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for the ARC. My opinions are my own.

I love a good horror/creepy manga. This ticked the "creepy" box perfectly. However, I do have gripes.

First off, if you want an eerie read where your flight/fight/fawn instincts jump at you this will do it. It sure did for me multiple times with multiple characters. There is plenty gore and blood and dead ... things. Ticks all the creepy boxes just like I said.

The art is also spectacular. Does it's job well and love how it was executed here. Some characters are truly pretty and those who are meant to be creepy are truly creepy.

Now to my singular gripe, and also slight slight spoiler, but I feel it will do service to those who are affected by triggers like this (like myself). There is one major and graphic S/A scene in this manga. It let me down massively and felt like such an unnecessary scene to actually draw in. Be warned before reading.

Overall, this is a 3 star manga for me. It was creepy, art was good, but my one letdown was major. If the letdown is any hint at what I can expect from the movie this is a prequel to I will not be watching it.

I found Kodai in Toxic Daughter Chi-chan to be a rather unlikeable character, almost a try-hard. It felt like he had his own hidden agenda, a stark contrast to the pure intentions he tried to project. Chi's living situation was truly heartbreaking, and I couldn't help but wish the adults and even the other children in the story had intervened to help her. The fact that this is written as a prologue to a live-action film is incredibly intriguing, and I'm definitely going to explore that further!

Chi-Chan is that good for protecting yua. I'm not really sure what the story wassupposed to be about i know it about Chi and Yua friendship somewhat still
not sure. I do wish there was more to the story about yua and chi friendship.

So the reason I applied for this book is because believe it or not I used to really be into manga and wanted to start getting into it again so when I saw this I jumped at the chance. This could've honestly gone either way and honestly friends, I'm kind of in the middle about it. Firstly, what I loved about the manga is that it gave off that cute/creepy feel that I genuinely adore in a lot of horror manga. It was eerie in the perfect way whilst still maintaining that it seems to start off like a slice of life. The art was cute, the story was well executed, and I did enjoy most of the manga. However, the key word there is most. Unfortunately, this manga does take a twist that I did not expect it to take and there were absolutely no trigger warnings for it at all. Please note, I expected the horror, I expected the gruesomeness and goriness that could have happened. I did not expect what happened to happen and it really threw me for a loop as this is something I tend to avoid in manga if I'm able to. I do like that there's also a movie tie in to this manga however I'm unsure as to whether I'll be watching it or not after the manga's ending. If you want a good horror manga, I would possibly recommend this one, but only if you can read up the trigger warnings and only if you're willing to watch the movie.

Chi-chan is a girl's girl all the way.

While I would definitely preferred this to be a series rather than a surprising film/comic collaboration, I really enjoyed what we got so far in terms of the building tension and themes of perception and power in terms of bullying, neglect, and superficial praise. Oshimi's art is , of course, a hauntingly beautiful gem, and I will say that I am interested in watching the movie continuation whenever it gets its English subtitles.

Toxic Daughter is classic Shuzo Oshimi: haunting, provocative, and psychologically charged. Known for his deeply unsettling explorations of adolescence and identity, Oshimi returns with another disturbing portrait of teenage fragility—this time wrapped in the eerie mystique of a girl who carries death in her hands and darkness in her gaze.

Chi is not your typical outcast. She’s a walking contradiction—silent and intense, strange and magnetic. When she shows up at school clutching a handful of dead bugs, it feels like more than a cry for attention. It’s a warning. Kodai, the school’s golden boy, sees her as a project, a lost cause worth saving. But Oshimi doesn’t deal in saviors or redemption stories. This is a tale about boundaries—and what happens when you cross them in the name of curiosity, pity, or something more dangerous.

Yua, caught between past and present, becomes the emotional linchpin of the story. Her connection to Chi is complicated—tender, guilty, even fearful. As she’s pulled back into Chi’s orbit, it’s not just Chi’s darkness that threatens to consume them all—it’s the rot in the world around them, the quiet cruelty of conformity, and the illusion that anyone is really “normal.”

Oshimi’s art is, as always, stunning—moody, expressive, and loaded with emotional nuance. His use of visual metaphor and panel pacing builds a creeping dread that never quite explodes, but instead seeps in, page by page. The horror in Toxic Daughter is not supernatural. It’s psychological. And that’s what makes it so effective.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for a digital ARC of this manga in exchange for an honest review!

Toxic Daughter: Chi-chan is a horror story that explores the pressure to “fit in” and meet societal expectations and what happens to those we cast out for being different.

While the plot of this manga is interesting and fast-paced, and certainly unsettling, it leaves a bit to be desired in terms of character. This one-shot manga is meant to be a prequel to a film with the same name (which, I should note, I haven’t seen), but if this is meant to be Chi’s backstory, I think the mark has been missed. Her fascination with bugs, the neglect from her parents, and her friendship with Yua all could have been a bit more developed in my opinion. The ending certainly leaves a lasting impression though, and while I did see the twist coming, I appreciate how it subverts the “outsider”/creepy kid trope.

Having read almost all of Shuzo Oshimi’s Blood on the Tracks series, I see a lot of trademarks of his work in Toxic Daughter: Chi-chan. Oshimi’s art style always impresses me with how expressive and haunting it is despite its simplicity; there’s a sort of quiet violence that permeates his work that makes it so fascinating. Also, so much of his horror is rooted in children grappling with horrific and very adult situations. As a society, it is ingrained in us to protect our youth, so what is more uncomfortable than seeing children as the main actors in a story about humanity’s darkest, most depraved tendencies? Oshimi’s focus on childhood trauma and the loss of innocence creates a kind of horror that is deeply disturbing, not by what is actually drawn on the page, but by what it forces us to see in society itself. This is far from perfect, but if you’ve enjoyed Oshimi’s work in the past, or if you’re into the quiter, more psychological kinds of horror, this is definitely worth a try!

TW for sexual assault and rape.

CN. Bullying, Abusive Parents, Neglect, Blood, Eye Injury, Sexual Assault

I received an ARC via NetGalley for an honest review.

I understand that this a a prequel to a horror movie that is supposed to explain the back story of the titular Toxic Daughter, Chi.

I don't know if it's my autism or this manga/ comic, but I didn't get it or enjoy it very much at all.

Chi is an odd child, for reasons not especially explored. She is fixated on bugs, especially dead ones, and lives a life of suffering and neglect. She was abandoned by her only friend because of the bullying and is clearly not cared for by her parents in any way. Honestly, these things hit very close to home for me, but the way they were presented wasn't even that distressing for me, beyond them seemingly being a simple reason for her aberrant and violent behaviour. This read to me as lazy and ignorant.


This is a general synopsis that contains potential spoilers:

The story follows the friend that abandoned Chi and the boy she has a crush on as the boy takes it upon himself to try to help Chi, more out of a neurotic need to please his teacher and parents than any care got Chi as a person. Chi has no regard for the boy who goes out of his way to cover up injuries to himself and others she causes, which leads to him being shamed. He decides to take this out on the friend in some incredibly unpleasant scenes and ends up getting attacked by Chi.

I just...don't get it. It's zero to a hundred with sexual assault out of nowhere.

This wasn't for me.

Beautifully illustrated with an eerie vibe throughout, thanks to the unpredictable Chi-chan. At first I thought someone really should take those scissors away, but I was glad she had them by the end!

thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the e-arc!!

this was so dark, but i think in a way this does talk about the different sides people take in society when something bad happens, twisting it into a horror version of it. Kodai represents the small percentage who wants to stand up for those who are weak and unlucky, and the way he frames things in his mind is so twisted that whatever he does is enacting 'justice' in a way and i thought he was probably the most interesting character, though at his core he truly is the most selfish. (what he did to Yua is unforgivable)

Chi and Yua's friendship is probably the most interesting seeing as they are childhood friends befors Yua left her behind to avoid being bullied. the blind trust that they still have in each other when it matters speaks volumes to how 'sandbox love' shapes someone for years to come.

all in all a super creepy and dark oneshot that makes me actually want to catch the film to see what happens to Chi next!

Toxic Daughter Chi-chan is the manga prequel to Poison Girl (Doku Musume), a film inspired by a chilling 2011 anonymous message board story. While the movie follows a family haunted by a scissor-wielding urban legend (Chi-chan), this oneshot asks a more disturbing question:

How does society create its own monsters?

The Girl with the Scissors:

Chi is a lonely girl who struggles with fitting in. She carries a pair of large scissors and wears distressed clothing. Her macabre fascination with dead insects made her a target for bullies—so much that even her only friend, Yua, also abandoned her. Years later, Yua (the protagonist of this prequel) and Koudai decide to “reintegrate” Chi into school life, and the two attempt to reconnect with Chi.

But good intentions can pave the road to hell.

Overall thoughts:

What begins as an awkward reunion quickly descends into something far more sinister.

What unfolds in this story isn’t just about reconnecting—it’s also about power, guilt, and the lies we tell ourselves to feel better. A pretty smile. A helpful gesture. The urge to “do the right thing” without ever being asked. These seemingly kind acts can mask something more manipulative—and dangerous.

Who is the real danger lurking here? The girl society labeled as creepy and unstable, or the society that failed her in the first place, and then ostracized her?

The manga’s clinical, clean art style contrasts with its disturbing narrative. There is much more than meets the eye. Chi’s scissors aren’t just a weapon—they’re metaphors, as she cuts through society’s ugly truths.

This psychological horror tale explores how Chi reflects the darkness hidden in the people around her. She may be simple-minded and cruel, but she has one thing the world in this story lacks: honesty.

It’s meant to make you uncomfortable. The story deliberately withholds key information, and then later slowly unveils it. The plot keeps you engaged, guessing at every beat, unsure of who to trust—or what anyone truly wants.

Who is this story for?

Toxic Daughter: Chi-chan is for fans of psychological horror stories that’s more about what isn’t said. You’ll need to read between the lines and sit with the discomfort the manga wields as a storytelling weapon.

Just keep in mind: this oneshot is one half of the story. The other part is revealed in Poison Girl, the Japanese film adaptation. So if you’re okay with following up with the movie, you’ll get the full picture. Otherwise, enjoy this story as an introspective oneshot!

See you in the next one!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha for the e-arc!

It’s been years since Chi, a mysterious outcast and borderline dropout, and her childhood friend Yua last spoke. One day, Chi shows up to school with a handful of dead bugs and starts a commotion that gives Yua’s classmate, golden boy Kodai, an idea: he’s going to bring Chi back into the fold, and he needs Yua’s help to do it. But good intentions can lead to bad places, and the darkness in Chi may be more dangerous than they ever imagined.
I am used to Oshimi's art style and cryptic storytelling, and this did not disappoint. I think that this being a collaboration with a director adds a bit of cinematic feel to the story. I did think the pacing could have been better for how long it is, but overall it wasn't a bad one-shot.

The lacing was off, the story was not there and I was just missing so much from it. Thus could have been good