A review by roach
No Longer Human by Junji Ito

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

 
I have wished innumerable times to meet with a violent death, but I have never once desired to kill anybody.

I'm actually a bit conflicted on this book.
I was very stoked to read a much longer than usual story illustrated by Junji Ito and also see how his style would suit a story that's a bit more grounded than his usual work. And, of course, his art is amazing as always. Lots of fantastic, horrific panels in here, as expected.
But I have to say, as far as the story itself goes, I sometimes wished I would have read the original novel instead because I felt like I was missing some deeper atmosphere or more thorough exploration of the character. The pacing of the manga also maybe was a bit too brisk for what I'd expect or want from such a conceptually rich story of tragedy.
Still a great read, but maybe I was a bit too hyped going in. 
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