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silverwolfcc 's review for:
No Longer Human
by Junji Ito
challenging
dark
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Beautifully horrific, Junji Ito pairs perfectly with Osamu Dazai in the heartbreaking rendition of drug addicts abused by society of pre-WW2 Japan, from sexual assaults, to rampant affairs, incest and violence, the damage of a repressive society extols its costs on all rungs of the ladder, and not even money and family can escape the pain and heartbreak.
Definitely not a light read, and where normally manga makes it a little gentler for a challenging topic; Junji Ito's visionary darkness at depicting horror actually just serves to embolden the deepest worst parts of humanity so many would wish to bury and leave dead in the far past. Despite being "No Longer Human," the more the suicides rack up and the more monstrous he gets, the more sympathetically abundantly human it becomes transcending era, country, caste, and all other divisions by which humanity tries to distinguish itself. In the end, it's not hard at all to imagine making the same decisions under the same excruciating circumstances.
Definitely not a light read, and where normally manga makes it a little gentler for a challenging topic; Junji Ito's visionary darkness at depicting horror actually just serves to embolden the deepest worst parts of humanity so many would wish to bury and leave dead in the far past. Despite being "No Longer Human," the more the suicides rack up and the more monstrous he gets, the more sympathetically abundantly human it becomes transcending era, country, caste, and all other divisions by which humanity tries to distinguish itself. In the end, it's not hard at all to imagine making the same decisions under the same excruciating circumstances.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug use, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship