Saiteihen no Otoko by Mikoto Yamaguchi

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.
 

God's Child by Kyoudai Nishioka

Me+ Muscle relaxers = Zzz. Which makes it hard to read manga, you kind of have to be awake to do it, after all. I found a really interesting one this time, though I can't say I truly liked it now that all is said and done. 




God's Child by Kyoudai Nishioka

Art and story (c) Kyoudai Nishioka

Genre: Horror, Josei, Mature
Length: One Volume - 11 Chapters



           The art style here is very reminiscent of Victorian woodcuts, and other similar dark and

gothic styles (mostly Edward Gorey, I think). It has a very chilling effect, overall.
Considering that there is hardly dialog in this manga, the art carries most of the weight of the plot and it holds up. The loose and stretched feeling of the body proportions, the fascinatingly pretty hair, the strangely repeating patterns, and the shadowed and skewed backgrounds, all of it really adds to the spooky atmosphere. The eyes convey just as well as the rest of it how strange this story is.
           Take a step inside someone's life, someone who is definitely not normal…
           This basically reads as a FBI profile of a serial killer, or a detached sociopath's rendition of one. Violence and desire all done in the name of simply doing it. As such, only adults should read this manga, and I've reviewed a few adult manga at this point so I'm beginning to wonder if I should put on the content warning for my blog? I try not to share any explicit pictures, or write anything explicit, but we when it comes to

Halloween and I read these spooky and horror mangas I get worried... As far as this particular manga was concerned, even I was a little thrown at the beginning and almost quit, but it was so strange that I went through with it anyway. Just to see what happened with this young man's life. I'm not sure what to rate it, either. It attracts and repells at the same time. What I can say is that as a long time reader of manga, this was interesting in its own, unique way. I didn't like it, per se, but it had a certain charm as well. So, if you would like to try reading a manga full of gore about a sociopath growing up into a cult leader, give it a try but I am warning you now. Its quite haunting.





??/5 If you like horror try it, I guess. It's pretty weird.

Tokyo Zombie by Yusaku Hanakuma

Zombie posts begin with a shortie. And it is a doozy. And here is a helpful tip on zombies, thanks to Monkey D. Luffy:

He makes it seem so easy, doesn't he? Happy Zombie Awareness Month.

[I don't usually review any manga with explicit things because its less accessible for readers, but when it comes to zombie gore its hard to avoid. So this is the warning, this manga, though it is for comedic effect, contains several instances of nudity.]


Tokyo Zombie by Yusaku Hanakuma

Art and story (c) Yusaku Hanakuma

Genre: Adult, Gag, Horror

Length: One Volume – 9 Chapters

           This manga has a careless look to it. The art is boldly simple and sloppy, and as such there is no point in me trying to explain it. That sounds lazy, but one look will show you exactly what you're getting art wise from this manga, so there's really no point in me trying to use words.
           Thanks to the Black Fuji, a huge pile of trash and corpses that everyone uses freely, the zombie apocalypse has begun in Tokyo. Two brothers? Who's favorite pastime is to practice wrestling must now survive the changing world.
           Okay, so, besides the strange art, as you might expect, the story telling is just as strange. Its just as careless as the art, which is a good and bad thing. I means that the funny faces enhances the  jokey parts but it also makes it hard to love. More than anything, this manga is a fighting manga, but the fights really are just guys rolling around and the "action" (if you want to call it that) is impossible

to follow. Its so strange I liked it but I don't think I'll ever want to read it again. You may think you want to see a dude with an afro fight zombies but really, its not as cool as it sounds. There is just peculiar stuff happening constantly. There are literally random panels of the main character's dog doing nothing but sitting still. Just suddenly it cuts to the dog's expressionless face. Don't get me wrong, Tokyo Zombie is amusing but I don't know why it was written or why so many people like it as much as they do. It is on every list of recommended zombie manga ever. Its an experience, that is the best way I can put it and while a veteran of manga such as myself found the style an interesting experiment, I don't see that many people would enjoy reading it again and again. Perhaps it isn't my style, but the humor is true. What else can I say but, pig surfing dude.


2/5 Weird. Zombies. Weird zombies.

I'd be jealous, too if I sucked at pig surfing. I'm super rad at it, tho.