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dantastic's review
4.0
Toshiko Tomura is many things: actress, designer, writer, wife, chameleon, and murderer!
Osamu Tezuka is known as the Godfather of Manga but this is only the third work of his I've read. I'm solidly a fan now.
The Book of Human Insects is about a sociopath named Toshiko Tomura, although even her name is stolen. Hers is a life of theft, both of identity and of work, I guess you'd say. She stole a manuscript and passed it off as her own, as well as other similar works. The story is about the men pulled into her orbit and destroyed. That's all I'll give away from the plot.
After Astro Boy and Dororo, I didn't think Tezuka's cutesy style would work for this but it worked very well, He uses a lot of hatching and textures in his background, which makes his cartoony figures stand out even more.
This was a very captivating book. As Toshiko went from victim to victim, I was appalled but just kept turning pages. It was a gripping read and kind of a train wreck for all parties concerned. It reminded me of any number of psychosexual thrillers in books or on the screen that came later.
The Book of Human Insects is a noir thriller in a somewhat cutesy wrapper. Four out of five wrecked lives.
Osamu Tezuka is known as the Godfather of Manga but this is only the third work of his I've read. I'm solidly a fan now.
The Book of Human Insects is about a sociopath named Toshiko Tomura, although even her name is stolen. Hers is a life of theft, both of identity and of work, I guess you'd say. She stole a manuscript and passed it off as her own, as well as other similar works. The story is about the men pulled into her orbit and destroyed. That's all I'll give away from the plot.
After Astro Boy and Dororo, I didn't think Tezuka's cutesy style would work for this but it worked very well, He uses a lot of hatching and textures in his background, which makes his cartoony figures stand out even more.
This was a very captivating book. As Toshiko went from victim to victim, I was appalled but just kept turning pages. It was a gripping read and kind of a train wreck for all parties concerned. It reminded me of any number of psychosexual thrillers in books or on the screen that came later.
The Book of Human Insects is a noir thriller in a somewhat cutesy wrapper. Four out of five wrecked lives.
acaskoftroutwine's review
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I found this book at my local library while browsing and picked it up because I'm generally a fan of Osamu Tezuka.
The Book of Human Insects is one of Tezuka's more adult works, being more along the lines of a crime thriller than some of his more famous works. The book follows Toshiko Tomura as she moves through society, adapting to different places of power by feeding off the talents and abilities of others, leaving them either dead or their lives in shambles.
Tezuka portrays Japan as a place of contradictions, the country is in the middle of the post-war economic miracle, but political terrorism is on the rise, Japan's relationship with it's neighbors in a complicated spot, and at any level of society people are willing and able to screw someone else over just because they have the power to. It's an incredibly cynical work, one that gives us a central figure, Toshiko Tomura, who is perfectly able to navigate it.
I believe there's also a deeper question being asked, about whether morality even matters in such a self-style 'modern' society. While there are sympathetic figures, such as the deuteragonist Ryotaro Mizuno who had his career destroyed by Tomura in the past, most of the cast of the book are unsympathetic and self-motivated. In many ways the characters get worse the higher up the food chain they are, and it's these characters that Tomura spends most of her time interacting with and taking advantage of, usually after they try and take advantage of her. If these people are the ones that modern society is seemingly built for, can we use traditional morality to judge Tomura? Especially when we see how this society usually treats women with the character of Shijimi, a woman who was taken advantage of by her boss, and dies painfully due to health complications caused by multiple forced abortions.
Tezuka's art is, as usual, absolutely beautiful, with his characters being incredibly expressive and distinctive and his backgrounds being well detailed.
5 out of 10
The Book of Human Insects is one of Tezuka's more adult works, being more along the lines of a crime thriller than some of his more famous works. The book follows Toshiko Tomura as she moves through society, adapting to different places of power by feeding off the talents and abilities of others, leaving them either dead or their lives in shambles.
Tezuka portrays Japan as a place of contradictions, the country is in the middle of the post-war economic miracle, but political terrorism is on the rise, Japan's relationship with it's neighbors in a complicated spot, and at any level of society people are willing and able to screw someone else over just because they have the power to. It's an incredibly cynical work, one that gives us a central figure, Toshiko Tomura, who is perfectly able to navigate it.
I believe there's also a deeper question being asked, about whether morality even matters in such a self-style 'modern' society. While there are sympathetic figures, such as the deuteragonist Ryotaro Mizuno who had his career destroyed by Tomura in the past, most of the cast of the book are unsympathetic and self-motivated. In many ways the characters get worse the higher up the food chain they are, and it's these characters that Tomura spends most of her time interacting with and taking advantage of, usually after they try and take advantage of her. If these people are the ones that modern society is seemingly built for, can we use traditional morality to judge Tomura? Especially when we see how this society usually treats women with the character of Shijimi, a woman who was taken advantage of by her boss, and dies painfully due to health complications caused by multiple forced abortions.
Tezuka's art is, as usual, absolutely beautiful, with his characters being incredibly expressive and distinctive and his backgrounds being well detailed.
5 out of 10
jennyleighx33's review
4.0
I was a bit unsure of it at first, but as the story kept progressing I kept thinking of "Tomie" and "Helter Skelter" and how this manga likely influenced the hell out of them. (3.5/5)
song's review
4.0
damn published in 1970? by now the story is not new, but it and the artwork still hold up today... I find this book most interesting in its historical context (e.g. the main character as a metaphor for post-war industrializing japan), rather than as gender/feminist commentary, but i am intrigued by and want to check out tezuka's explorations of gender in other works
lairn's review
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
obnorthrup's review against another edition
3.0
Fast-paced and engaging, but it leans on a lot of tropes.
aloejuiceevee's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
sebsloth's review
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Truly thought provoking and gripping. A classic from the god father of manga. I dislike that this printing has flipped the original Japanese.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Rape, Toxic relationship, Abortion, and Murder
Minor: Suicide
nattalonzo's review
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25