Tomorrow is finally Halloween, and I have a few one shots lined up for extra spook. Happy Candy!
Saiteihen no Otoko (Scumbag Loser) by Mikoto Yamaguchi
Genre: Adult, Horror, Supernatural
Length: 3 Volumes - 14 Chapters and one Extra
The art is pretty stark, no softening tones at all, and that really adds to the harshness of the story. Facial expressions quickly turn from innocuous to frightening at the change of a panel. That being said, it's also a little wonky at times with profile views being a little off and the like. The clothes and the body shapes are a little strange, too. The clothing in particular often looked too tight, I don't know if that was to accentuate the awkward and contradictory ways people acted through out the story but it just looked like people bought clothes one size too small all the time. Even when it's supposed to be a hot girl, the ill fitting clothes are distracting and ugly. It's adequate.
Murai Masahiko is obsessed with not being the worst "scumbag loser" in his class, in fact, just being second to last is fine with him, but when the guy worse off than he is gets a girlfriend Murai finds himself in a precarious situation. So he blurts out that he has one, too, showing pictures of an old classmate that moved away. In a strange coincidence, she transfers into their class as soon as he says it. Walking his "girlfriend" home, though he confronts her because his childhood neighbor Mizusawa Haruka actually died five years ago!
This manga is about gross people, and I am not joking. The "hero" of this story has a scent fetish which allows him to notice things others don't but also leads to him sniffing things in a perverted manner. It almost was too much for me at the beginning, but there is a mystery in the story that kept me from quitting, and although my affection for this story never rose, I still found it an interesting read and I'll tell you why. Although it may not seem like it in the beginning, there is an intense scrutiny of social norms and the meaning of a parent's so called "unconditional love" in this manga, as well as what it means to be different from others. Having flawed people trying to remain so instead of throwing away their ugliness is something not often seen in any kind of entertainment, outside of children's programs telling kids they are special, and I did find that to be a unique and empathetic situation. Meanwhile, in the horror section of the story, there is a growing cult of people who become perfect overnight and keep luring others into their embrace. Seeing the two types of people interact was compelling. Still there are many times things were uncomfortable, to say the least, and other times there was too much dialog, so it's hard to like overall. It's sufficiently spooky until the end where you're suddenly hit with an emotional, blood splattered wrap-up. The ending isn't even that fulfilling, either, so it's a bit of a blindside when the tone changes and things aren't really explained. Saiteihen no Otoko is just conflicting that way. The gross characters are really off putting but the actual plot is very engrossing, so I say give it a shot but I won't blame you if you can't make it past the underwear sniffing main character.
3/5 The good is nearly out shadowed by the nasty.
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