One-shots are one chapter Manga that usually has a rather high page count, 50 or so. Though usually not my go-to I do from time to time read one-shots. My biggest issue with them is the amount of time that is needed to actually give a shit about the characters is never obtained. Much like short stories they are tasked with making the reader get involved emotionally in the fewest pages as possible. Imma be real, most of them fall short. There is a reason why there are a handful of short stories that are held up as literature art while the mass bulk of them are quickly forgettable. However, after reading a one-shot simply titled I Was Wrong, it stuck with me.
I guess I should state that this isn’t a literary masterpiece, or anything close to it. But it was a fun little read. Following main Furuya, he is suddenly confessed to by the cutest girl in school, Sara. Yeah, I am not sure why she has the whitest name ever, but anyway, Sara being the most adorable thing in school made Furuya a pretty happy dude. Until he finds out she is a massive control freak that stalks him, in short, Sara has a bit of a Yandere issue.
Quickly becoming paranoid and cornered, Sara approaches her boyfriend as he stands atop stairs. Scared of her and wanting to be freed from her grasp Furuya panics, pushing his girlfriend down, ultimately ending her life. What is written off as an accident Furuya becomes jubilant that he is no longer under the overbearing girl, but that joy is short-lived.
Being approached by her spirit, Sara simply says she cannot pass over to the other side without being fulfilled about her life. Meaning Furuya is going to have to humor his dead girlfriend a little bit more until she can finally rest.
What follows is a series of events, dates, and other interactions that force the MC to consider why he killed her in the end? Could he have made it all up? The stalking, the threats, the strict rules implemented by this cute girl, could it have all been a misunderstanding he projected on her? I was Wrong in short is a story about guilt, regret, and betrayal, and a good one at that.
Sara’s ability to show sorrow and regret while a ghost adds a real depressing atmosphere as she tries time and time again to show a gleeful demeanor even though it’s clear she isn’t happy with how things went. She talks about how she regrets whatever she did to make Furuya hate her, the love for him was massive, and even though they can no longer touch, simply being by his side was more than enough to bring her joy.
Of course, the whole time this is going on Furuya’s guilt builds and builds as he regrets everything that had happened until it ultimately boils over. I Was Wrong is a dark take and does a fairly good job at painting desperation along with fear and regret. It puts the MC in an impossible situation that has no good outcome, even if he does everything Sara ever wanted, it never guaranteed that she would leave him alone, ultimately getting the outcome she was aiming for anyways.
I liked this story, it was well worth the read, and speaking it is literally one chapter. It’s one of the better one-shots I’ve read and would recommend it to anyone looking for a depressing tale of love and betrayal.
As always, thanks for the read!
Otaku Post 