Kick off the summer right (by murdering a man and going on the run)! With the weather warming up, we’re digging into a horror manga centered around female friendships, the complex nature of mother-daughter relationships, and murder. This week, we dig into Last Summer Vacation by Toyo Totan. Ready?
What Is Last Summer Vacation About?
Mizuki is your average high school student facing average high school problems (her dying mother has asked her to kill a man). And what Mama wants, Mama gets. Her only mistake? Getting caught by a strange girl at her school.
My Summer Vacation follows two girls on the run, each facing their own inner demons. And while Mizuki has her own problems (what with the murder), Umino has her own reasons for running away this summer break.
Together, will they be able to find the courage to do what needs to be done? Or will this really be their last summer vacation?
What I Liked…
This is a really unique, dark story. There’s violence, there’s manipulation, and I think the manga does a good job about talking about the horrors of mental health without outright stating that’s what we’re dealing with. So many of these characters have similar pains in their lives, and all have chosen to deal with their hurt in a different way. You’ve got a suicidal nurse, the girl who pretends everything is fine, and the girl who drinks to numb it all out.
I will say, the relationship between Mizuki and Umino is really what makes this such a stand out manga for me. The two girls work as wonderful foils for each other, forcing each one to look at their complicated relationship with their mothers to be able to grow and heal from a deep childhood wound. On the surface, I think it looks as though the two have complete opposite issues (while Mizuki’s mother is attached at her hip, Umino’s mother has abandoned her completely). The story does a fantastic job of peeling away the hurt of these two girls and helping them (and us) realizing that pain can be the thing that unites us.
And What I Didn’t
This was one of the few horror manga I’ve read that I really felt could have been longer. Curious what I mean? I’ll leave a major spoiler for the ending below.
SPOILER: Mizuki and her mother
It’s revealed quite early on that Mizuki has actually disappointed her mother by killing the nurse in the park (the event that spurs on the rest of the manga). In another twist at the end, it’s revealed that actually the mother is just a regular, run of the mill, nurse-raping piece of shit. And while it’s a twist I can get behind, I do have to say that the storyline sort of ends there. After the big reveal, nothing happens to tie the storyline up in a neat bow for me. Mizuki goes to a group home far away, but there is no confrontation with the mother. Instead, her sticking it to her mom seems to be her reclaiming her life, which is fine but a little anticlimactic.
Secondly, I want to note that if you’re looking for a gorey summer read, this is not it. The first volume of the manga is perfectly bloody. The artwork is really creepy with the girls in the woods and the tension set, but the remainder of the book doesn’t really maintain the tension. There’s someone chasing them, but this doesn’t become relevant or scary until it needs to, and there’s no fear for me that one of the girls is going to kill the other. While it starts very bloody, the theme really is not present for the rest of the manga and it turns more into a psychological horror if anything.
Final Thoughts
Overall, this is still a wonderful little manga. The story isn’t too long, so it would make for a perfect sunny afternoon read (if you can stand the trigger warnings). Gore-lovers might want to skip this one, but if you’re looking for a dark story with deep characters, I think this is a great selection.
Got any other horror manga to recommend? Reach out to me on Instagram or even send an email!