Reviewed by Ayako Honda
The title, Shounen Zanzou, literally translates as The Afterimage Of A Boy. As implied by this, the story centers around the afterimages of past. Adrian Clay is a sincere elementary school teacher. However, it is just one of his faces. His another face is "The Blind Man," the serial killer who horrified the city of Los Angels. In the night, Adrian hunts for boy prostitutes, killing them after sleeping with them. He has been haunted by the afterimage of loveless childhood, the experience that he has been abandoned by his mother and killed her.
The compulsive desire for killing ceases when Adrian meets Lawrence. Lawrence accidentally witnesses Adrian's murder scene. However, Adrian could not kill Lawrence. Instead, he starts to love Lawrence, as the boy eases Adrian's scars, erasing the afterimage. They fall in love with each other, experiencing the happiest days in their lives until Lawrence's older brother tries to separate them. Being unable to bear the separation, Adrian kills Lawrence. The police arrests Adrian dearly hugging Lawrence's remain, and the court declares Adrian guilty, sentencing Adrian 140 years of imprisonment. Hearing the sentence, Adrian's desperate scream echoes in the courtroom: "Why can't you send me to Lawrence?"
The finale shows Adrian peacefully sunbathing in the hospital's rooftop. His mind is filled with the after image of Lawrence smiling happily to him. The smile that is branded vividly on his memory. When Lawrence in the happy memory holds out his hand to Adrian from the edge of rooftop, Adrian runs to reach for the hand, saying good-bye to the harsh reality. Adrian and Lawrence finally come together truly.
Pure love dyed by sorrow and pain--Kaori Yukie aims to illustrate this in the manga. Is she successful? In my personal opinion, yes. Adrian's love and purity are nothing but beautiful and agonizing. With Yuki's elaborate drawing that embodies the word, "decadence," Adrian and Lawrence's tragedy fills my heart with setsunasa or hopelessness and sorrow. The only salvation may be that it ends with a happy ending. Now, no one can separate Adrian and Lawrence. May they rest in peace and happiness.