Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
Liliko is a beautiful and perfect supermodel, but something's not quite right. That thing is the fact that she only looks like that because she had extensive full-body plastic surgery to look like that, and it has plenty of side effects and requires frequent refreshing. As a result, Liliko isn't doing very well mentally.
This book was quite disturbing, a very interesting read - adults only! My only gripe was that sometimes the art isn't clear and it makes it hard to tell what is happening.
This book was quite disturbing, a very interesting read - adults only! My only gripe was that sometimes the art isn't clear and it makes it hard to tell what is happening.
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Helter-Skelter is a very interesting manga that has a lot to say. Ririko, desperate to become beautiful, submits herself to several expensive full-body surgeries--all paid for by some mysterious woman who exploits her for all she's worth, but keeps her as an 'investment'. Ririko, of course, becomes a famous model, but starts to realize that it's going to end sooner than she feared as her new body starts falling apart.
Ririko starts to desperately pursue anything she can to hang on to her fame as she dies away--vendettas with younger models, meaningless sex ("I just want to use my body and destroy the bodies of others", she says), drugs...whatever she can get her hands on.
The manga itself is deliberately drawn in a very hurried style that, like Ririko, is extremely rough and disjointed most of the time, but alluring in others.
Reading in translation, the quality of the English is better than most done by other publishers, though (being a professional in this kind of thing) I could spot some needlessly awkward phrases and minor mis-steps in the translation, but probably not anything that someone who isn't paid to nit-pick like I am would notice.
Certainly different from a lot of the manga out there, for sure...this one isn't pretty, but it's a compelling look at the price of fame and just how fickle fame in Japan is in particular.
Ririko starts to desperately pursue anything she can to hang on to her fame as she dies away--vendettas with younger models, meaningless sex ("I just want to use my body and destroy the bodies of others", she says), drugs...whatever she can get her hands on.
The manga itself is deliberately drawn in a very hurried style that, like Ririko, is extremely rough and disjointed most of the time, but alluring in others.
Reading in translation, the quality of the English is better than most done by other publishers, though (being a professional in this kind of thing) I could spot some needlessly awkward phrases and minor mis-steps in the translation, but probably not anything that someone who isn't paid to nit-pick like I am would notice.
Certainly different from a lot of the manga out there, for sure...this one isn't pretty, but it's a compelling look at the price of fame and just how fickle fame in Japan is in particular.
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
Basically the "beauty" industry's abuse of women as a manga
MC lashes out wickedly to try to feel even remotely in control of her life, but her behavior renders her anything other than a sympathetic character (despite her circumstances).
Got this recommended off a list of Top 10 single-volume manga, yet it ends on a To Be Continued, so idk who wrote that article I was reading, but s/he was off.
Thematically, I totally got what the author was getting at; frankly, I think the message itself is worthwhile. It's sad how close to real life this is regarding what our visual-perfection-based culture afflicts women with: self-doubt, self-destruction, self-hatred, etc.
Despite this, while I totally agree with the literary vision of the author, I have to say I can't recommend this simply because of its gratuitous raunchiness. I understand that it was really necessary to portray the MC for how 'at the end of her rope' she truly was, but this same tale could be told without the excessive perversion.
That's the last time I trust a Top 10 list's recommendation at face value!
Positive note: art style was pretty atypical for a manga, but I liked it!
MC lashes out wickedly to try to feel even remotely in control of her life, but her behavior renders her anything other than a sympathetic character (despite her circumstances).
Got this recommended off a list of Top 10 single-volume manga, yet it ends on a To Be Continued, so idk who wrote that article I was reading, but s/he was off.
Thematically, I totally got what the author was getting at; frankly, I think the message itself is worthwhile. It's sad how close to real life this is regarding what our visual-perfection-based culture afflicts women with: self-doubt, self-destruction, self-hatred, etc.
Despite this, while I totally agree with the literary vision of the author, I have to say I can't recommend this simply because of its gratuitous raunchiness. I understand that it was really necessary to portray the MC for how 'at the end of her rope' she truly was, but this same tale could be told without the excessive perversion.
That's the last time I trust a Top 10 list's recommendation at face value!
Positive note: art style was pretty atypical for a manga, but I liked it!
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes