Homunculus

Mangaka : Yamamoto Hideo

I really don't know how to explain this manga.

It is a seinen manga with a heavy dose of psychological thriller vibe. Lots of psuedo science and a very bizarre ending.

Plot:

The story starts of with Naoshi who has recently become homeless and shows his interaction with others like him who live in.a park. His own living quarters being a beat up old car which he treasures. Circumstances however conspire to make him accept a doggy deal from a stranger. One where he will receive 90,000 yen fir undergoing trephination.

After the operation however Naoshi ends up developing the ability to see 'homunculi' - a visual representation of a person's psyche - with his left eye.

The premise is circumspect of course, like a bad sci-fi/horror story done to death during the 90s. But moving past that this story has a very odd feel to it leaving the reader with an unsettled feeling long after its end. Questions regarding life, identify and even our own life are bound to come up and add to the confusion.

If we are to describe art as something that evokes a viceral response within you then tis work qualifies, but a masterpiece it is not.

Characters:

The characters are complex and 2demensional at the same time. They have a rich backstory and especially interesting ways they have chosen to interpret tgeir experiences giving rise to their homunculi is interesting, but you never end up feeling for them. 

The 2 most important characters are so unique that there can be no empathy with them. In fact As the manga progresses Naoshis character becomes distinctly inhuman and unrelatable, no..... Towards the end we don't want to relate with him because the implications are just too disturbing if we do.

Art: 

The art is detailed and evocative, if a little rough. Characters rarely look pretty or attractive. Even good looking women are immediately made ugly with the transparent look of greed on their faces. 

I guess that is the strength of the manga, each character with a unique design closer to the average nihonjin than shounen manga showed their protagonist to be but made all the more real by the depiction.of their emotions.

Verdict:

This is not a manga for the faint hearted and once read is likely to split the readers into 2 camps - those who think it is interesting and those who finished are keep going WTF in their minds.

If you are a casual reader you are better off missing this one.