Barairo no Kaibutsu
Rose Colored Monster

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In hindsight "The Rose Colored Monster" is a very communicative title for this collection of short stories, for it describes perfectly what this is about: the monster of desire with its rose colored object of desire; and though I call them short stories, a considerable part of this manga feels more like an attempt at creating poetry with illustrations.

I wouldn't doubt to say that "Barairo no Kaibutsu" doesn't contain any real story on it and neither any real character. On this manga, most situations are a variation of the others and any character would be easily replaced by any other. The main purpose here -it ... seems- is to portray the lenghts to which desire takes people, it's a comic about extremes and for this reason the actors of these vignettes take either the role of an active subject or an object of desire to be used. People here are mutilated, raped, beaten, killed, terrorized, gored, manipulated and cheated on. But there's a twist that keeps this manga from becoming a simple work of exploitation, several times we are shown a reversal of roles: whom at first appeared as a victim of the more powerful, turns out to be quite the abuser in their own respect; the object becomes the subject. Maruo has also the skill to create subtle moments of tenderness -although in his own idiosyncratic manner- such as in "Putrid Night", "I'm your toilet" and "Sewer Boy" and an unexpectedly adequate sense of humor.

As an eroguro work, the visual aspect of the manga is probably the most important one. Being a collection of Maruo's earliest works, it lacks the ornate style of his later, more ambitious manga and the poetry that often accompanies those collections is also missing to a large extent. Yet it's not a lackluster manga in terms of illustrations; his heavy inks and delicate lines are there, reminiscent of the Ukiyo-e style woodblock printings he so much adores and his composition is as great as always (it's only become better with time). The clarity of the illustrations and neatly arrannged panels here contrast strongly with the energetic, confusing, non-sensical stories of actors and personalities who don't seem to think about their actions a lot, and if they do, they do it to better accoplish their perverse intentions.

Is there a ruler to "rate" a work such as this? I think that I could only say "this is good" if the answer to the question "do I want to own this?" is positive. The Rose Colored Monster is pure eyecandy: it juxtaposes the elegant ornate style of fin du siécle mansions with acts of depravity too good to described and too bad to mention, its panels are barely soiled by dialogue and are filled with the most precious of objects: roses, detailed garments, old fashioned forniture, vases and paintings, beautiful and disgusting people. "The Rose Colored Monster" wants you to be an accomplice in its debauchery. And, just like the characters of these stories when they are confronted with the limits of their experiences, you only have two options: to look away in disgust and run from these freaks or let yourself be seduced by their literal and moral filth, to become an initiate. I would own this manga and keep saved in the same way that we hide our most intimate letters.