Ai to Noroi

Aiko Yamada endures a harrowing existence defined by severe domestic abuse and religious fanaticism. Her mother subjects her to physical violence while her father perpetrates sexual assault, creating an unbearable home environment compounded by a family blinded by extremist devotion. Beyond this private torment, Aiko bears the heavy burden of being born in 1982, marking her as part of the stigmatized Sakakibara Generation. Through no fault of her own, she is viewed by society as inherently predisposed to violence, adding systemic prejudice to her personal suffering. Set against the turbulent backdrop of 1990s Japan, the narrative unfolds as the nation reels from the shocking Boy A case, intensifying public fear and reinforcing harmful stereotypes about Aiko’s birth cohort. As societal anxiety mounts and her domestic nightmare continues unabated, Aiko grows increasingly desperate for escape from a world that seems determined to condemn her. The story examines whether she will be crushed under the weight of these external expectations and familial trauma, or if she can resist the destructive fate that both her household and society have prescribed for her.