Museum

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Museum - One of the Best Mystery Manga I’ve Ever Read!

Stories about serial killers in fiction are often portrayed graphically, especially when the murders follow a more artistic pattern. Museum: The Serial Killer is Laughing in the Rain is one such example and seems like something that would appeal to all kinds of readers, especially those who enjoy this kind of approach.

At the beginning of Museum, we are introduced to a strange murder in which a woman is killed by starving dogs. In the vomit of one of the dogs, a note is found stating that her sentence was to become dog food, revealing to ... the police that this was likely a meticulously planned death.

One of the police officers involved in the investigation is Hisashi Sawamura, who was one of the first to point out something unusual in the case — some kind of “vigilantism.” As more murders occur, the situation becomes increasingly alarming, but the tension reaches its peak when Sawamura discovers that, due to the connection between the murders, his wife and son are in danger.

During the first volume, we are presented with the initial stages of the investigation, while the murders occur at a rapid pace —heightening the story’s sense of urgency and leaving you eager to know what happens next.

In Museum, the sense of realism is striking, and this becomes evident as more bizarre cases unfold. Meanwhile, Sawamura desperately tries to solve the crimes and uncover the identity of the perpetrator. This realism is reflected in scenes like when one of the victims is caught masturbating or when a murder victim’s body is discovered because a couple stumbled upon it while looking for a hidden spot to have sex. These situations are written in a mundane manner — a method the author uses to heighten the overall impact while adding realism to the work.

Museum successfully creates an atmosphere of suspense. Once Sawamura realizes that his family’s lives are at stake, his desperation becomes palpable, driving him to increasingly irrational actions. From the very beginning, it’s clear that he is not a detached or cold officer, as he is reprimanded early in the investigation for jumping to conclusions. However, when things become personal, his rationality almost entirely vanishes.

This portrayal of Sawamura’s personality aligns well with the fact that his wife left him due to his excessive focus on work. Flashbacks that torment his mind and a conversation with a friend of his wife during the investigation make it clear that his obsession with his profession caused a breakdown in his family life. This becomes even more evident when we consider that the killer frequently uses family ties as a basis for choosing the punishments for each victim, effectively establishing the parallels that the story seeks to highlight.

The concept of punishment in the story is particularly compelling, as it demonstrates that the killer has clear motivations. As we delve deeper into the volumes, the villain’s ideology becomes increasingly apparent.

At first glance, the villain might come across as just another poorly developed psychopath, failing to inspire the confidence needed to follow the rest of the story. However, the concept presented is intriguing, despite not being entirely original — the idea of murders as works of art. The well-crafted examples succeed in convincing the reader of this artistic perspective, making it feel plausible.

Visually, the manga does an excellent job of portraying a more realistic tone, focusing on raw facial and bodily expressions during discussions and conversations. This realism contrasts effectively with the absurdity of the murders, making them feel believable. At the same time, the author incorporates an eerie element by depicting the killer in a frog mask, establishing a sense of strangeness amidst it all. In the second volume, we also learn why the killer wears a specific type of outfit and the frog mask, while Sawamura takes increasingly risky actions, both personally and professionally.

Scenes focusing on the killer’s appearance generate the necessary level of fear and unease, which is further emphasized in the depiction of the gory murders. In fact, the portrayal of the victims’ bodies strongly conveys the idea that they were killed by a deranged murderer.

The story looks like Se7en in a way and is packed with intrigue, mysteries and mind games, as Sawamura must resist and fight if he truly wants to save his family. The trauma stemming from Sawamura’s choices is ever-present, from the beginning to the very end, showing that we must truly live life one day at a time and that yesterday will (definitely) not be the same as today.

Museum is a well-written thriller that follows a fairly simple tale template of a detective who becomes involved with crimes involving people close to him and is forced to turn to a vigilante justice to defend them. Its pretty fast paced and keeps you on the edge which most thrillers fail to do. The manga it is drawn pretty well  and excels to portray the torture scenes in it.  Museum is a very common narrative among detective stories, However, there is a element that is; a frenzied development until the series is concluded. It is probably one of the best thriller or mystery mangas I have ... read and I recommend everyone to give it a shot.

BTW i read this in May 2021

I definitely wanted to enjoy this much more than what I did. When it comes to a good thriller, you should be kept at the edge of your seat wanting to know what happens next. Where Musuem 21 excels is its ability to make you NEED to turn the page. The strong points are the murders, but unfortunately, the weakest points are the actual investigations and characters.

The best way I can describe the main character is a Mary Stu detective who with minimal effort reaches into his butthole to come to a conclusion. He's meant to be a genius detective as far as the manga ... is concerned, but he stretches the suspension of disbelief to the point where it's aggravating rather than impressive. I had to actually knock off several points because of how infuriating it is to have a character who essentially takes out the detective work from an otherwise interesting detective mystery thriller and spoon feeds you the answers.

The art is also mediocre for the most part, but I'll give credit where it's due. The paneling and perspectives at times were noteworthy. The serial killer was also interesting and the killings always looked incredible and chilling. The creativity behind the murders was the major reason I stuck out the story till the end.

The other characters were pretty one-dimensional and flat, barely worth mention. This wouldn't be so bad, but in a manga where the mysteries aren't even being solved in a satisfying way, it became another bland factor that soured the manga for me. For the most part, I ignored the characters and the eye-rolling "detective-work" for the majority of the manga because of how thrilling everything else was. But for me, that becomes hard to do towards the end where the climax is coming soon and all you can think of is "are you freaking serious?"

TLDR; an almost excellent thriller that suffers from laughable spoonfed mysteries but excels at depicting terrifying murders and an interesting villain