Scums Wish - Décor (クズの本懐 décor) is a short follow up manga to the original Scums Wish dark romance series by Yokoyari Mengyo. The series was released in 2018.
Each chapter follows a different character from the original series years afterward, to give a short glimpse into their life after school and the events of the main story. The first chapter shows us Mugi's childhood friend, 'Moka', who has an idealized princess attraction to Mugi. As an adult she has become a fashion designer, based on her love of loli fashion, but remains single and somewhat bitter about her place in life. Chapter two follows Akane and her life married to Narumi. Even though she promised him she would continue to cheat on him she has found it hard to follow through with those intentions. Creating requirements that need to be reached for someone she will be willing to sleep with outside of her marriage. She has grown used to the eternal optimism and permissiveness of Narumi, potentially content in monogamy. The third and fourth chapters follow Sanae, who has resigned herself to a loveless life with the cousin who wants to be with her. Her thoughts begin to change after she is picked up by a woman in a bar that turns out to be one of her temporary professors. She works to ensure this glimpse of happiness and companionship doesn't get away from her like Hanabi did.
There is a partial chapter after Sanae's that follows two minor characters who were classmates of Hanabi's. The story deals with one of them fighting with her friend over continuous pestering about dating until she gets the confidence to tell her friend that she is asexual. Chapter five shows Mugi as the only one who is truly worse than they were in the end of the original. He is underemployed, unable to keep a steady relationship and unsure if he even has worth in living. He struggles to keep going, relying heavily on the support of the few people left willing to deal with him. The final chapter of course shows where Hanabi is in her life. Her place is one of content but not any level of success or completion. She does not have anyone to hold her but has been able to reconnect with the people that mean the most to her from her adolescence. She seems to be at peace with her life, even if it is the live of a loner.
When I originally read this, it had been a number of months after finishing the original manga, which made it difficult to remember the entire history of the portrayed characters. This short finale doesn't recap what happened in the past, it shows the characters in the future present and focuses on their emotional positions. After watching the series I knew it would be a good chance to revisit this series to get a better perception of its events. Either way, this was a welcome conclusion to a story that requires a good deal of emotional investment. Remembering the characters and their personalities helps to put you in the mindset to recieve these stories. It is rare in most romance or slice of life stories to get a satisfying glimpse of the characters lives after the conclusion of the main story, and this one was done in a way that satisfies.
The artwork is the same as the original so nothing to complain about there. It would have been nice to get this as an OAV for the anime as well, but there is always this version to fall back on. Contentment would be the best way to describe this short series in one world. It feels complete and done. The time with these characters was well spent and you can move beyond them without regret or loneliness. More stories need to be like this.
This manga is currently available on Crunchyroll.
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