Homunculus

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An individual knows that it is not status that defines who they are, but how they perceive the world around them.

Such is the case for Nakoshi Susumu: former-salaryman turned vagrant. Homeless he may be, but he does not think or act as one normally would. Living life in the comfort of his cheap car, he is ostracized by the homeless men that he interacts with.

An intimidating young man appears before him with an offer — 700,000 yen in return for an experiment involving trepanation, the drilling of a hole in one's skull. While initially reluctant (and for good reason, one might add!), Nakoshi eventually ... undergoes the surgery and receives what is believed to be a supernatural effect of the trepanation: the ability to see Homunculi, the repressed feelings of an individual by closing or covering one of his eyes.

But is it really something supernatural?

Despite its premise, Homunculus still manages to remain firmly rooted in logic. It never truly answers whether Nakoshi's experiences are a supernatural phenomenon or if they are simply a hallucination. While the characters will often use psychology to rationalize these events, several questions are curiously left open for the reader to interpret. And at the end, both conclusions are still equally valid. It is duplicitous but never contradictory.

What Nakoshi sees is often disturbing; at times repulsive. These aberrations may be represented by something as simple as a person with no face or a body of a robot, while in other situations it may be something far more unsightly, such a man with a penis for a head, or Nakoshi seeing his own face on a woman that he is sleeping with. At times it is even worse. For all the manga's phallic and unpleasant imagery, though, none of it is ever used for shock value. It is there to effectively immerse the reader in the mental state of Nakoshi, a feat which Homunculus brilliantly achieves with its abstract and detailed artwork. Perhaps you might need a bucket beside you, though. Just in case.

Homunculus carries an exceptional cast of characters, with Nakoshi in particular being wholly fascinating. We do not know his past or his situation, but as his ability pulls him into invariably bizarre situations, these details slowly begin to piece together in a relevant, harmonious format. And while he does not change completely, he develops. He grows and matures as a person. Nakoshi begins to understand that his running away was meaningless, and rather than adhering to his detached and misogynistic persona, he simply wishes for a person that can love him without the superficiality of appearance and wealth. After all, it is not sex that defines happiness, but something less tangible— something more personal.

And then there is Manabu Ito, the one responsible for the trepanation surgery. An example of the proverbial "Don't judge a book by its cover", he is a man who acts completely contrary to his appearance. With piercings, bleached hair, and a flamboyant outfit, you would normally think that such a person would sooner stab than help you. But that is not the case. His appearance is a facade, much like Nakoshi's, which inevitably brings the two together as accomplices and eventually friends. The dynamic between the two is consistently engaging (and occasionally amusing) with Manabu concurrently receiving his fair share of development over the course of the story. You may even grow to enjoy his presence more than Nakoshi's.

Notably, the side characters are also fleshed out and given unique personalities. Even the homeless men or yakuza that Nakoshi interact with have their own backstory, resulting in a much more authentic feel to the characterization. Clichés do not exist within this manga.

The artwork of Homunculus is meticulously illustrated and oftentimes beautiful. No panel is treated as inconsequential. Subtle symbolism, such as winter leaves blowing across a busy city or Nakoshi assuming the fetal position in his sleep, provide as much depth to the art as there is in the story. You may also find enjoyment in discerning what each Homunculus represents. Though with that said, you can just as easily ignore the symbolism and choose to focus solely on the story instead. This is a manga that is as complex or as simple as you want it to be, but it will reward if you choose to analyze and dig deeper.

There's an unpredictability to the narrative which makes Homunculus such an engaging read. When you think that the series has peaked in absurdity, the next chapter will reveal something even more abstract or revolting. When there is a twist, a more surprising one will soon follow. All the way until the final pages. It is never tiresome and will always compel you to continue reading.

Beyond the surreal presentation is a distinctively macabre story. A number of panels are depicted in a gruesome fashion. For example, there is a scene where a character enters a public bathroom and performs self-trepanation with a drill, knowing that they may die or suffer brain damage in the process. What occurs is a brief moment of madness, with the character displaying a ghastly expression while blood rushes from their forehead. Such moments are not uncommon in Homunculus.

You will certainly be surprised by the ending, too. There is no traditional happy ending to be found here, nor is it an inherently 'bad' ending. It is neither and entirely ambiguous. At best, it will provide you with one of the most intelligent and poignant endings in manga. At worst, it will leave you scratching your head. But it will not be something to be forgotten.

What Homunculus manages to achieve in the end is an experience unlike any other. With its beautiful artwork, subtle interpersonal themes, brilliant characters, and macabre narrative— this is not a manga that should be passed up by anybody with an open mind. It is intelligent, it is entertaining, and most importantly, it is memorable.

While we may not always be satisfied with who we are, Homunculus shows us that it is how we think and feel that ultimately decides our role in life. And things never do remain the same.

I wouldn't call this work "pretentious" because I don't think Hideo Yamamoto is a good enough writer to be called pretentious. I would, however, call it a rambling, messy attempt at philosophising.

The art in Homunculus is fantastic, and the story is intriguing, but the manga loses itself when Yamamoto slows everything to a grinding halt to have two characters repeat lines of nonsensical dialogue to each other in an attempt at driving home some "deep" message. "We get it. We got the message 10 chapters ago. There's no need to repeat yourself." I found myself saying that (in my head) nearly every chapter.

When the manga ... doesn't creep to a slow crawl to bang philosophical meanderings into our skulls, it really shines. The entire first arc where we see Nakoshi first drawn into the world of trepanation is fascinating, as is his initial relationship to Itoh. Nakoshi's gradual descent into insanity is where I found myself wholly invested in Homunculus, and the ending was satisfying, albeit a bit rushed (because the author spent so damn long repeating the same bits of dialogue and philosophical nothings to us over and over again!)

Honestly, I can't say that I recommend this manga. Is it beautifully drawn? Absolutely. Is it a page-turner? For me it was, but only because I was hoping for something that was never really there. You'll like it if you're okay with being spoon-fed nonsense about "seeing the truth," but if you've read your share of literature, you'll see right through Yamamoto's preachy attempts at being deep. Homunculus has an intriguing premise, and it does a lot of things well, but it's a try-hard mess and not much else.

False face, false money, false women, false status, false life.

Susumu Nakoshi is a beanie-wearing homeless man living out of his beat-up car. He hangs out at a park with other homeless people though not being one of them. This man is actually more displaced than the vagrants he surrounds himself with.

The mystery of this man, his real identity and motives is the highlight of this brilliantly disturbing psychological drama. Each chapter peels away like an onion, the more you read the more layers are uncovered about Nakoshi and his place in society, his relationship to other humans and how he ended up ... where he is when the manga begins.

But that's only the outer layers. Deeper inside are some very strange ideas at play. Author Hideo Yamamoto dabbles with trepanation and the concept of homunculus, via a kooky surgeon, Manabu Ito, willing to use Nakoshi as a guinea pig. The idea of homunculi is that they represent the subconscious mind. The question of whether they're 'real' or just subjective delusions hovers in the air all throughout the manga. Things are never simple with Homunculus, and the relationship between Nakoshi and Ito develops and complicates as brilliantly as all the other people depicted in the story.

There is a main narrative of Nakoshi's experiences connected to Ito's operation, the after affects that he has to deal with by himself, and the larger narrative of who Nakoshi really is.

Nakoshi's relationship with Ito is an engaging cat and mouse affair that gets increasingly complex throughout the story. Who the cat and mouse are up for debate. Who is using who, and what for? The relationship is unpredictable and always entertaining. Yamamoto avoids convention all throughout the story and the twists and turns will continually surprise you. It's never for shocks however, the story just flows from one turn to another without letting up so at one point you think you've got a handle on the story and a character; then a few volumes later your entire perception is changed.

The after affects of the operation on Nakoshi's skull are as if he suddenly gained super powers. If so, Nakoshi is surely the most messed up superhero ever. His so-called power is to see people's inner hearts and minds via imagery that would make Picasso vomit. The art is inspired and so disturbing; Yamamoto's ambitions in the manga are admirable. We get many dynamic panels, artistic point of views and designs of human anatomy re-arranged or plain replaced with inanimate objects or beasts.

Nakoshi is seeing the world in a way most of us would rather not. On top of being aware of the distortions of the mind and sufferings of the heart, he has to work for the answers. It’s no use seeing a woman with a zebra for a body; he has to figure out what the symbolism means in order to understand her problem.

Every story has arcs, in shonen the climaxes are battles, in shoujo they're confessions, but in Homunculus the climaxes to scenarios in this manga culminate in surreal imagery with symbolism and allegory all over the place. Its psychological battles of wit and mental fortitude that make the manga so gripping, you never know what the author is going to throw at you next, whether through narrative or stylistically.

The actual main story is pretty compelling. Yamamoto takes a typical post-modern predicament and distorts it in such a way it feels fresh whereas if he'd just told the story straight without all this hallucinatory craziness it would just be clichéd po-faced stuff.

Homunculus should ideally have hit the seinen manga scene like The Matrix hit cinema. Both are about/products of the post-modern condition and have crazy effects while showing more possibilities of the medium they're in. Whether you like it or not, Homunculus is definitely unlike any other manga out there, with great visuals and substance to boot.

Homunculus has a very interesting synopsis but it turned out to be a big disappointment. It just botched the potential it had. At most, it was just scratching the surface. It tried to make a giant out of something small.

A lot of panels are recycled, we know the MC gets drilled in the head but why do we have to get the same treatment. It was just so messy. The whole time, it felt like the author was forcefully and repetitively drilling my skull with his psychological musings and tried to convince me it was "deep" and "smart". It wasn't, it's just bad writing

It ... actually started good with all the musings, but felt like the author didn't have enough resolution so he just dragged his musings the F out. It dragged and dragged, dragging out revelations but what for? The 2 MCs haranguing each other, trying to show the other one who's more deep and clever, was just so pretentious.

It could've benefited from more depth and complexity but the characters are also the stereotypical conflicted ones, written with all these dark, twisted "quirks" that's supposed to add a layer or make them deep or interesting.

The art was the best thing about this, I only got to finish it because of the art. I got bored by vol 5 when it became somewhat episodic. Honestly, I almost dropped it but i thought it was a short-ish read and I really wanted to review it as a whole. It felt long, most likely because much of the dialogue was again, repetitive.

The whole thing feels trying, trying to reach heights, trying to reach depths. It felt like all those gross scenes were just there to incite awe in how deep it was trying to be. I feel so dumbed down

Story: 10
Gripping. Its filled with such rich contents that you can't shove it aside. It is original and it is well researched. It depicts each character's lives in such realism. It shows how lost we humans are, how much we've lost our true selves. And that out past and present are linked even though we hide them under layers of make-up, they still are there, lingering within the depths of our conscious.

Art: 10
Very very real. Its nice how the author takes different views and angles. How each character has a touch of humane in them. It it also very detailed form the twitch of a ... finger, to the dripping of sweat. And how he shows how Japanese people actually look like. I can differentiate characters =)

Character: 10
So well thought of into and out. They have their story and its filled with humanity. The modern problems of today's generation in identifying oneself. The main character isn't so perfect himself is why the manga is a success because it portrays true human qualities. The minor characters are interesting as well and have their side of their story which is equally intense and mysterious.

Enjoyment: 10
This is a mature manga and it does live up to its rating. The mature contents are somewhat gross yet exciting.

Overall: 10
This manga is very well plotted and the author knows exactly what he's doing and where he's going. The beginning til' the end and the title are connected that it challenges you to even try to predict what happen next. Though its rather slow paced but the detailed expressions and scenes make you lose track of time, it makes you hungry for more. This manga is worth the time if you have the patience.

This manga is not for everyone, but even so I hope anyone reading this review decides to read this manga. An absolutely phenomenal piece of fiction with some of the most thought-provoking conclusions in manga ever.
I'll start off with the best part of Homunculus, the main character.

Nakoshi, what a character. He is lost. He has no notion of who he is. At the outset, Nakoshi regards his left eye to be a mere illusion, as pointed out by his acquaintance Ita. Take note the left eye is his unconscious, his right eye being his initial "truth", his initial reality. However, Nakoshi comes to realize ... that his whole life was a lie. Money, women, status were all just material things and hence gave no value or answer in terms of self-identity. He had the "ideal" life, money, women etc. But what's the point if he doesn't have himself. He turns to his left eye, which shows his homunculi. Mere reflections of himself and his own nature. He's staring right back at himself. His left eye gradually becomes his "reality" and in turn a key to unlocking the "truth": his past. Nakoshi neglected his past to a point where he no longer can recognize himself anymore. Is he no longer human? What does it mean to be human? Nakoshi's car is his womb, him sleeping in a foetal position symbolises that. But his car is parked at one place. Between a hotel and a park full of the homeless. He is in the middle, he is homeless but still tends to hold on to the lie (suit, car). His car is parked as he is going nowhere. No destination. He is stuck in the present (the lie). What's the use of a car if there's nobody to drive it. In other words, where are you going if not to yourself. Where can you go without yourself?
We say Nakoshi's eyes symbolize his unconscious and consciousness. They say the eyes are the window to the soul. So then, without his eyes, who is Nakoshi?

The leaves that start to appear in the manga, later on, are a personification of Nakoshi himself. He is no longer a tree (stubborn, egotistical, unaccepting of who he is) but now is a leaf (free, no place to go). Nakoshi stays in his car, parked in one spot with no destination. He is bound by his subconsciousness, until he makes it conscious. When Nakoshi finally sees his truth, he says "is this Heaven". He has found it, what he was desperately trying to escape, he has now accepted. Yet he is still in his distortion of reality. This is not the Absolute truth as the text speech comes from his right side (the lie). Also in the next panel he says "or hell". It focususes of his left eye (conscious truth) which seems empty. A void of nothingness. This is the Absolute Truth, the objective reality. The truth that Nakoshi's entire life was a lie. Everything he ever did was to impress society and "climb the ladder" when in retrospect he was only going deeper into the abyss of confusion. In the manga he often asks "who am I?". When Nakoshi finally realises this truth he finds true peace:
"Am I in Heaven?"
A moments bliss: pure fulfillment. He has found is truth.
However in the very next panel he questions himself yet again:
"or hell?"
The dynamic between these two panels are phenomenal.
Nakoshi has found his truth that he's been so desperately trying to neglect up till now, however, though it is the truth, it is hellish. The mere thought of knowing your entire life was a lie will mentally break anyone. Even if Nakoshi accepts this truth, what then? What does he have but himself? If his whole life is a lie, he has nothing but himself. Hence in the end all he sees are reflections of himself.

The topic of "truth" is something Homunculus deals with better than any other piece of art, and how it can take infinite forms. There is one Absolute Truth, but its something people can't reach. We do not hold such power to know. We all have our own truth, our own thoughts. Since thoughts are forms (forms being distortions of reality aka self interpretations of the absolute truth). This are MY thoughts of the manga, MY distortions of reality, MY perspective, MY view, hence MY homunculus. You have your own homunculus, your perspective of reality. Of the "truth". This shows that the truth can be subjective and nobody will know the Absolute Truth [the objective]. We are not God, but Humans.
At the very beginning of the manga Nakoshi states "humans are more machines than machines are". Yet later he contradicts himself and says "humans are not machines". We don't do this cycle of life [e.g study, work, get paid, women, settle down, have kids, retire, die. ] for just a means of being machine like, but instead to distract ourselves from our own truth. Our life is created by lies: social influence, money and power don't help us find ourselves but rather pushes us away from our own self. ReIating back to Nakoshi, imagine losing yourself to a point where society dictates your self-image entirely, and you have no individual sense of self. Nothing is more terrifying. And I think themes and subjects like these is what truly makes Homunculus so special. It relates back to us, the reader and our own life.

The ending is so powerful as it all depends on how you percieve it. It reflects the message back onto you. If you think it was a sad ending because Nakoshi lost his ego, then a part of you finds interest in the material world. The reality that Nakoshi is completely neutral at this point. He is centered. It's not happy or sad, because both of these feelings require a FEELER, someone that can feel those emotions. if your consciousness cannot observe those emotions, how can they be good or bad? No. The manga reflects our own humanity onto us and makes us feel negative, human emotions at something that is inherently neutral is simply mindboggling to me.
The way this manga deals with suffering is unbelievable also. It not only affirms our humanity, but it sends us such a powerful message that our suffering is FINITE, it's transient. It's a form. And when we are gone, it won't matter anymore.
With that in mind, now the question remains, whats worse? Going through an incredible amount of mental, physical and emotional pain and suffering your entire life, or simply not existing at all?
This is why this ending is legendary, it makes you reflect on what is worse, and that shows you your perception of reality. On one hand, everything is gone, your ego, your money, women, family, emotions, the ability to feel. This is what Nakoshi chooses, to simply not exist. He exists only within himself. To him, there is now nobody but himself, he is void of emotion, neutral and centered. The other option (the one nakoshi neglected) was to live life but with endless pain and suffering.
You could say Nakoshi is no longer human. But what makes you more human than him? Isn't your life a lie?
Yet despite all this, I still believe in the choice of life. As I said, suffering is finite. It's a part of life and it only affirms our existence. When we die we lose the privelage to suffer, to live. So be a proud sufferer as it only makes us more "human". I say human but one question still remains? What does that word even mean?

Humanity obsesses with glorifying the falshood and the LIES (material life). Money wealth etc etc is all just a lie. Empty. Nothing. We lie as sometimes the truth can be the most painful thing of all. We lie to give us emotional protection. We lie to hide ourselves from our own reality. The truth of who we are. If everything is a lie? Where is the truth? What makes me a person? What drives me forward each day. I won't have the answer to that as the only person who can is yourself. The answer lies within you. Who are you but not yourself. Where can you go without yourself. Never forget who you are. Be who you want to be. Nothing else can be more "human".

So now ask yourself,
For YOU...
"What does it mean to be human?".

Homunculus - strong 10/10

This manga was interesting and entertaining. It intrigued me from the start and introduced some great concepts.

Unfortunately, starting from the Nanako arc, it went downhill. Towards the end, everything grows rushed and ends flat. All the terrific character development is abandoned as Manabu, one of the main characters, is reduced to a minor character.

While the manga introduced multiple fascinating concepts, it failed to fully utilize them and ultimately failed to be meaningful. Instead, the author throws a bunch of twisted "wtf" moments and overplays it in an attempt to be meaningful. Could fool those who are newer to this genre, but (sadly) it ... couldn't fool me.

This is the first manga I've seen that I can consider perfect.
The story is so smart and so well explained that it hooks you so fast, the next thing you'll notice is that you've reached the end of the volume! xD
The characters are mysterious and VERY interesting.
The art is simply the best I've seen.
Enjoyment- do I need to repeat myself?... MAXIMUM PLEASURE!!!
Overall- I hunger for more and more volumes

Okay what the hell were the last few chapters.I really am confused to what happened to mr.Nakoshi ,but overall an amazing story with great art,deep characters and a must read for anyone that is interested in the human psyche.
Let's start with the story.Our MC is an ex-millionaire that lost his job,money and prestige.He is now living in his old car,near a park that's inhabited by homeless people.One day he gets an offer by a goth stranger that offers him money for a trepanation.Trepanation is an act of opening a hole in the skull,and it should help the brain get more blood.With that,theoretically you should get ... a "sixth" sense.Nakoshi agrees to that and the operation is a succes.After some time he starts to see changes in his everyday life..
Story 10/10
Art was great,but because it looked so damn real I had trouble reading some parts,I almost threw up at some scenes.You'll know what I mean when you start reading ^~^
Art 9/10
One of the most amazing character development and breakdowns I've seen in any manga.The struggles,passions,happiness and sadness were demonstrated perfectly.Dialogue was superb and better than in most criticall acclaimed shows on tv.
Character ,an easy 10/10 .
To be honest it was hard to read for me,because some parts really hit me hard.But nevertheless a great story and a must read.So depending on someones taste I'd rate the enjoyment between 7-10
Enjoyment 8/10
Overall it's a 9/10.If you're looking for a not so long manga,that's completed and similar to the works of Oyasumi punpun ,definetely read this masterpiece.

*Spoilers*
After 15 minutes of writing i realised i probably shouln't spend the whole day here so I'll try to not say too much unnecessary stuff. What i like the most about this series and, well, the main theme of the series, is Nakoshi's journey to insanity. I really liked the way the author made it so that we were, unknowingly, experiencing the whole story until the last pages (right before the 1 year time skip) through the mc's perspective, making it so that it always felt like Nakoshi was nothing but a man who managed to get some kind of superpowers, but other than that ... he was just a normal person, all his actions seeming justifiable, and it was Manabu who was the problematic one, not understanding Susumu's actions. And well, even though Nakoshi's "sixth sense" was real, in the end that was the very thing that made him go insane, blinding his mind with the homunculi, and even if he did understand other people more than a normal person would, his mind couldn't handle it: he got to a point where his human mind was not prepared to get to. And, when seeing Nanako not having the same power as him (because, obviously, even before the surgery she was still just a normal person) he clinged to his idea of her, thinking she did have the same powers and the trepanation would bring them back.
It was right after she died that the author made us realize what it was actually going on: Nakoshi, a person who went totally insane killed a woman because he thought she would start "seeing him again". There was no coming back for him, and well, pretty much after the first trepanation he was gradually losing it, making it faster as the multiple surgeries came in. And that's what I meant when I said we've been experiencing everything through the mc's perspective: the final seemed very sudden and dark, when in reality it was only then that the story got a truly objective perspective, when Nakoshi, who had been living in his own world for one year already, got arrested.
The art was trully outstanding in my opinion. I don't think there's much else I can say about this.
The story was, as the rating says, very good, but i don't think it really makes the series stand out much.
Overall, even though i enjoyed it a lot, I still felt like there could've been more, and I kind of feel that at some points the author was putting more effort in the art alone.
Under normal circumstances i would probably give the series an 8 but, as i already said, the character's evolution was outstanding, enough for me to make it a 9

OYASUMI PUN PUN, has nothing to do with this manga but if you've read it you might notice some similarities between these. Both have lots of surrealism and extremely depressing circumstances, and both seem like an outlook into literal insanity. Both follow a single main character and his story, and both end like shit lol but more on that later

It's psycho-horror thats what it is, especially in the later chapters. Never before have you watched someone go crazy in such a natural way. This is the epitome of a unique manga, which may seem stupid to say after i start with a series of parallels ... but they are just that, parallels. They are still two different manga, as Homunculus will provide plenty of evidence for throughout its pages. Homunculus is about a man named Nakoshi who sleeps in his car in a parking lot between a hotel and a park. Each day he wakes up, tunes his car a bit, and eats with his homeless aquaintences. He seemingly has no money whatsoever and has no motive for being where he is, as well as a nonexistant history. One day he is stalked and approached by an almost inhuman looking punk man who proposes to him a process in which he will drill a hole in his head and pay him afterwards, for the purpose of testing the existance of ESP. After that things go crazy quite literally.

Nakoshi gains an ability to see "things" about people in the form of bizarre hallucinations. These "things" are seemingly random caricatures of the person he is looking at, but he starts to realize that they may represent something about the person. Throughout the story he gets more and more obsessed with his ability and its uses for no clear reason. The reader of the manga takes a very 2nd person perspective in this. You will hear the thoughts of Nakoshi but they will slowly stop making any sense, giving you a very detached perspective that works perfectly with the atmosphere and the plot. This is a story that is bizarro to the core and there is nothing quite like it.

The art is good. Some of the faces look weird but I can't help but think this is the point. Nothing really stands out which is of no problem because the content is what is of note here.

This manga has from what I've seen, polarized its readerbase. Some people outright hated it because of how random and crazy things are later on. The ending in particular makes no sense, which I love. It's just something you should read and have your own impression on whether or not that includes an interpretation of events. In fact at one point in the middle I dropped it because I was bored. But in the end I picked it back up and was so glad I did because its just so fucking weird. It's like theres some sense behind it but its so buried and vague that you will be debating if it even exists rather than what its content is (which is great!)
It's Good! You should read it. This review may seem half assed thats why I shouldn't right three at once but at the very least I have brought it to your attention and hopefully this one in particular will not leave it.

A wonderful insight to the realities of modern people's issues and traumas with a supernatural twist, including perspectives from the bottom of society to the top.

The art is top notch, facial expressions and details are a high point of this manga, with most characters having immensely detailed and believeable faces and emotions. The way their inner demons are manifested as supernatural forms are incredibly interesting and creative.

Characterisation is amazing, tackling modern topics that are very serious including a doctor's son repressing his desire to be a woman was very beautifully put from my perspective. Each character has a lot of growth even those ... that are relatively minor.

The story is riveting with lots of questions being asked and answered with every story beat revolving around the charismatic main characters mysterious past and those he interacts with. There were a few arcs that fell a little short, however. For example, some people could interpret one girls trauma being "solved" by being raped, which is poor taste. But these characters are complex, and their exact motives are unclear so it's hard to tell for me personally where the author was going with that story in particular. However, all of the other parts of the manga hit the mark pretty much across the board.

All in all, a very interesting perspective into modern societal/familial traumas and issues all wrapped in a bizarre supernatual film.

What does it mean to be a 'human'? Who am I? Questions like these have troubled protagonist Nakoshi-san throughout his life. He isn't a salaryman, he isn't a homeless guy, but he lives in between those two worlds, in his car. Next to the expensive hotel and the park where the homeless people live.

He is destined to try and answer these questions once more, when he accepts the offer of a weird medicine student to be a guinnea pig in the experiment of trepanation. A little hole is made in his skull, in order to test if a sixth sense really exists. Through this ... act of trepanation, Nakoshi-san is able to see Homunculi. LIttle 'monsters' which reflect the psychology of others. But what are they specifically and what can they tell Nakoshi about hisself?

Homunculus start subtle and mystic, but slowly all the mysteries are revealed. This is the strength of the manga. Everything that doesn't seem to fall in place, is explained later. The protagonist is a complicated character and by looking at others he learns to look himself. He learns how to look through the web of lies, which surround so many others - and himself too. This is the beauty of this manga. The Homunculi 'monsters' are symbols of psychologic disorders. These symbols are a strong way to show the problems with which people fight. Sometimes the series tend to get really weird, untill a few chapters later we realise what was going on, and why people acted in such a way.

The story was in one word 'fascinating'. I am going to study psychology next year and with my current knowledge I can already tell that the mangaka of Homunculus did a pretty neat job. The characters are so realistic and their friendships and life goals are often touching. It isn't a 'warm' story, the problems of people are the centre of the story, but it is a very interesting story.

The manga contains philosphy, psychology, love, friendship and perfect art. I would recommend this manga to everybody, it makes you think about yourself and the world around you. It is entertaining, the art is beautiful, and it has a certain epic atmosphere, which I have only experienced once before while reading Death Note.

This is a strange story, it puts my critical ability to the test, I love it and hate it at the same time. This manga comes from a great mind I believe, but it doesn't mean it's great, neither bad, the answer depends on you, I suggest you give the first 3 volumes a shot, they encapsulated the really core.

It's a story about the main protagonist, a voyage for the seeking of the truth, the heart, the self, all are synonyms in this manga. It dealt with physical pleasure, love, what it is to be human, beauty and ugliness, the search of oneself. Theses themes ... can be handled in an awkward way, but I give credits for to the mangaka for trying something different.
The mc is well written, he is a douchebag while being an altruist, he is a narcissistic and a demon, and also a meddler who doesn't have bad intentions.
Sub-characters are interesting, each of them have a serious mental disillusion or a hidden matters they don't understand. I did not like all the solutions the mc offers, because they seemed off sometimes, and sub chars are acting like children or in a way a normal human wouldn't even think (especially the last one).

One of the great qualities of the manga is the art, assuredly great, mind blowing, the faces and particularly the eyes conveys more than words could say. They are drawn for you to experience dread, anger, sadness, and all the bad stuffs. I lowkey freaked out seeing what was going on in a certain chapter. To elaborate more on that, this manga is also disgusting, leaking blood and fluid everywhere, dealing with sex a good amount of time, toxic emotions are reflected in the eyes of the mc, in his shadow, in his silhouette, in his accent... It's not a bad disgust, it's one few artists excel. I liked it, and hated it at the same time.

On enjoyment : really good, as a story, it keeps the reader hooked on, sometimes it dwells on passage that shouldn't be that long. Sometimes it tries too hard to be interesting, and lose the reader, but those flaws are just part of what Homunculus is, and they don't put the reader in outer space for too long.

This manga bothers me. The story is very unique, deep, and very memorable. But not in a good, happy way. It still haunts me after a year since I read it, and the reason is its honest portrayal of human nature, good or bad. Mostly bad, though. The main character strikes me as a very superficial individual, not to mention narcissistic. While the idea of trepanation itself is disturbing, the ending is simply painful to watch. I am not saying this is not interesting, it is definitely interesting, but I cannot give it a high rating because of the dark and tragic storyline.

Homunculus had me seat-strapped for whatever way it journeyed till four straight volumes. The panels felt methodical and grounded — bubble-lessly scanning perspectives, picking eye movements, twitches, winces, squints, smug grins and an array of facial expressions that gave weight to any dialogue that followed. But then the trick got old: repetitive dialogues, repetitive expressions, and going way off into the "deep shit" (rather dipshit) territory where characters sit around wide-eyed at their own musings. So. Much. Percussive. Yammering. Not to mention it had a disorientating amount of weird moments that didn't click with the themes in right ways. Ending did though.

Hot mess. It would ... have benefited from a shorter and tighter narrative.

Great manga, highly recommended for people who enjoys psychological and theoretical ideas. The manga explores society and theorizes about the limits of the human brain. While it may be a bit slow at times it will still keep you on the edge of your seat.

Homunculus is a manga that believes it has more to say than it actually does.

It's not bad, by any means, but it insists upon itself (thanks, Peter) so much it really does feel like the author thought he had more to say, when all he does in most occasions is scratch the surface of what could be done with the premise. There is a feeling permeating the manga; a feeling that keeps you reading because it looks like, at any turn, things are going to get a bit stranger, its themes a bit deeper. Spoiler: they never really do, and while the ride is by ... no means bad, by the end you feel a bit disappointed the destination isn't all it was building up to be.

And don't get me wrong; when this manga wants to get insightful, it does. The second half of the manga is the best part because, after a myriad of cyclical repetitiveness, the main characters sit down and truly get to know each other through a very tense, bizarre sequence with a lot of interesting twists and turns. Of course, the almost rhythmically repetitive pacing is still there, and you will get the feeling that several conversations are carbon copies of each other, but at least the manga is daring to explore its main characters in a more interesting way than it did in its first half. It never reaches the philosophical catharsis it keeps promising, and its themes are on-the-nose almost to the point of condescension, but the way the characters are written, as well as the panel composition, kept me reading until the end.

The art is beautifully bizarre and the imagery it manages to evoke is top-notch. Yamamoto knows how to twist a normal human face into something that feels uncomfortable, even alien, with just a few changes. Visually, it is a very interesting manga, its art only brought down by the sometimes recycled feel of some panels, an inevitable victim of the cyclical writing mentioned above.

Overall, while I recommend it as an intruiging and artistically refreshing manga, I would warn against expecting anything particularly deep to come of its reading. It teases the reader with high-concept ideas that it never really builds upon while it keeps repeating the same 'we live in a society' style of messages we've seen a million times.

Admittedly, I considered dropping this manga around the second arc. Despite the amazing art, I thought it was just slow and the main character didn't really catch my attention.

I decided to just keep reading, and I'm honestly glad I did. For those who enjoy darker or more psychological stories like Freesia, you will like this. The main character becomes more and more interesting as the story progresses as you learn more about his past and him as a person. And no spoilers, but man is this guy an asshole. Not only did I come to love how much of a shithead this guy is, ... but I came to really like some of the side/supporting characters like the doctor. His personal issues reflected in his homunculus in relation to his past and his issues were really well done. If you were like me and found the first main two homunculi okay, wait until you discover more about the doctor.

The story, art, and characters are all uniquely fantastic, though I do have to put my enjoyment as 7 because of the dragging start. Some may find the pace good at the start, but I just personally started to lose interest.

If you like dark manga this is for you. If you like fun psychological textbook words, you will have a field day. If you like fantastic art you should read it, its short. Its worth your time, and has a pretty great ending in my opinion.

somewhat spoiler review

I found Homunculus to be one of the best manga I have read in a while. When art mediums decide to use concepts from psychiatry and psychology, I have a very high bar. This manga went over that bar 9/10.

Specifically, the author is able to bring concepts of both psychoanalytic and general psychopathology into the forefront of chapters.

The author's usage of psychoanalytic terminology like unconscious, conscious, repression, self, and the integration of the unconscious and consciousness matches contemporary psychoanalytic theory. Bringing common psychopathological problems and presentations in the manga made me absolutely fall in love with it.


There is an arc, ... so to speak, which focuses on a character who right away based on her presentation has a borderline personality disorder. Before a bunch of plot stuff happened, I already came up with the hypothesis.


She doesn't have a self but only fits molds and once the mold goes away there is nothing (take away all of the labels.. and who are you). The feeling of not being able to express your emotions, help-seeking and help-rejecting, self-mutilation, history of psychological abuse, manipulation, and wanting to become "one" or "whole" are all core aspects of BPD. The manga clearly shows it (literally) and how many times even treating these individuals you do feel a sense of getting swallowed, and the mangaka does a great job demonstrating that. They have done their research into psychopathology and it made me fall in love with it. They even correctly labeled their hematoma and matched it with its general presentation.

It's hard to show what is someone who has BPD is like and this was a great rendition. If you are a student of psychology or psychiatry, read this manga especially.


The themes of identity, self are prevalent throughout the manga. It may be hard for some readers to understand the ending, as it is up in the air. Although it is absolutely amazing manga some of the best I have read in a while.

This isn't just your general Seinen manga with a sixth sense, it's a dive into man's psyche. To see how broken every single person is and how man truly is the cruelest animal (in regarding to the ending).


Story solid 9/10. Can be confusing at times, but not too bad.
Art 8/10 solid great detail on the constructions of minds
Characters: Love them!
Enjoyment: 10/10 Can't love it enough
Overall: 9/10 as no manga is perfect :)