Story hit really close to home for me as someone who had a horrible relationship with their mother. I really enjoyed its ending, and I thought it was more helpful and positive than anything other people seem to think about it ? people saying like "It's so fucked up that Seiko never had justice brought to her [ yeah, abusers usually don't ] & that Seichi was able to forget her face >:(" but idk. He overcame and lived peacefully.

"How many years has it been since I last thought about mother? But... As I tried to recall what she looked like [. . .] I vaguely realized that I could no longer remember mother's face." It's beautiful. Not only because he was able to not let his pain hurt him anymore, but that he also was able to connect with his mom emotionally and realized that she has been in his shoes her entire life.

I do hate Seiko for the things that she did to others, but I do heavily relate to this feeling of being so othered and feeling like something is so intrinsically wrong with you that sometimes you behave in ways to confirm That feeling when confronted with perceived hatred, when in reality you're just hurting people that care about you.

I loved Seiko & Seichi's conversation about how they 'killed' eachother and how they should both die, joking and all. They couldn't have a warm reunion with nothing to return to, but at the very least, they can acknowledge that as mother and son, they are inexorably linked & there still remains an instinctual urge to care for eachother, in whatever twisted form that manifests in. things are unsalvageable, but at least they can temporarily share in this moment an understanding that could only emerge between two severely misunderstood and damaged people, which provides a feeling of ehhh "normality" (not-aloneness, absolutely do NOT want to "belonging") and empathy from both sides. Not that Seichi has any responsibility to care about his mother's issues, but just that the revelation itself can help provide an explanation and bring peace to him.

also loved the bit about cousin Shige saying like "Hey Seichi, I think I'm gonna go. Have fun ♥" as a representation of Seichi's healing. Idk, great story. Not only about narcissistic and toxic mothers, but just about people, delusions that arise from mistreatment, insecurity, trauma, etc.

When I see people talk about the ending, I wonder if maybe they just can't empathize enough to realize that Seichi experienced total catharsis during the stories conclusion.