Welcome Back, Alice

Welcome Back, Alice is the latest work by Shuzo Oshimi, the author of Blood on the Tracks, Happiness, and The Flowers of Evil. Childhood friends Yohei, Kei, and Yui are reunited in high school. But what seemed like a straightforward love triangle between the three of them takes an unexpected turn when Kei shows up looking and dressed like a girl. In this story of adolescent awakening, perversion, and love, Oshimi sets out to explore the boundaries of gender, sexuality, and identity.

Want to practice with me…to see what it’s like with a girl? High school has only just begun, but Yohei’s thoughts—and his impulses—are already a jumbled mess. His long-time crush Yui seems to be showing some interest in him, and he’s walking on air. But somehow, when he’s by himself, it’s not Yui but his other childhood friend Kei that occupies his mind. Kei, who left their hometown and came back after a few years looking like a girl… He said he’s done being a guy, but what does that mean? And what does he want when he shows up at Yohei’s home and tells him that they should practice together so “things” go well with Yui? Shuzo Oshimi, the author of Blood on the Tracks, Happiness, and The Flowers of Evil, brings to you a page-turning continuation of his latest coming-of-age series.

Promise you’ll only look at me. Yo can’t believe his luck—high school’s only just started, and he’s dating Mitani, the girl of his dreams. She tells him to stay away from their other childhood friend, Kei, and that should be easy. Kei might look pretty with his long hair and slender features, but in Yo’s eyes, he’s still a guy. And yet, when things finally get intimate between Yo and Mitani, he realizes something isn’t right...

What is Kei to you? Yo doesn’t exactly get what love or dating is. After all, things ended up in a disaster with Mitani, his ex-girlfriend. And for some reason, he feels much more comfortable when he’s with Kei. Sure, Kei may look like a girl, but there’s something more to him than just his appearance that allures Yo. And when Kei makes a move on Yo, Yo doesn’t stop him. In fact, he might even enjoy it…

Together...I feel like we can find our true selves Yo doesn’t know what he’s doing anymore. Nothing feels right. His relationship with Mitani has distorted into something far from what he had wanted it to be—his body can’t resist the pleasure, but he feels filthy and dead inside. Only when he’s with Kei can he recover a part of himself, but even that bond is on the verge of breaking... The newest installment of Shuzo Oshimi’s psychological coming-of-age series is here!

I want to get out of this hell Yo didn’t expect high school life to be a whirlpool of lust and regret. He feels trampled on by Mitani, the girl he has had a crush on for as long as he can remember. He also can’t forgive himself for upsetting Kei, the one person who seems to fully understand him. And when Yo realizes how much he has hurt the people around him, anguish and panic lead him to do something that shocks not only Kei and Mitani, but his entire class.

Yohei, Kei, and Yui want to be loved for who they are. Yet somehow they keep making the wrong choices, hurting not just the people around them, but also themselves. And when Yohei ends up in the hospital, it becomes a wake-up call for all three of them.