Happiness Vol.2
Shuzo Oshimi (w,a)
Kodansha

Liz says: Happiness is a vampire story: Okazaki, a bullied schoolboy, gets bitten in a dark alleyway and develops supernatural powers and an uncontrollable thirst for blood. His transformation precipitates a shift in the balance of power between him and his tormentors, ultimately drawing him into their social circle and entangling him in their conflict with a vicious street gang. As his desire to feed grows ever more urgent, he must also face the reality that other vampires are lurking nearby, not all of whom are willing to welcome him into the fold. As vampire stories go, it’s a fairly traditional premise. What sets it apart is the execution: the realness of its teenage characters, and the way it taps into your senses (during the sequences in which the bloodlust overtakes Okazaki, we take a dizzying, seasick dive into his perspective, senseless to all but the smell of bodies and the thud of throbbing veins). An unsettling, effective horror manga, off to a strong start.