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First off, since you're on this manga's page you probably already know what you're getting into. If that isn't the case, I highly advise that if you have not had any experience or prior knowledge of the ero-guro (erotic grotesque) and yaoi genres to NOT READ THIS MANGA.

Yes, it is very, very explicit.

Litchi Hikari Club is an adaptation of a theatrical play of the same name that was performed at the Tokyo Grand Guignol Theatre in 1985.
(For those who do not know, the original Grand Guignol was located in Paris, France, and became infamous for it's horror-themed performances that involved large ... amounts of violence and gore. It was later closed in 1962, due to World War II and the Holocaust making people realize that violence isn't exactly hilarious.)

Plot: 10
Litchi Hikari Club tells the macabre tale of the club of same name, which involves a boy named Zera and his eight followers attempting to create the ultimate Artificial Intelligence. And then everything goes horribly wrong. This may sound a bit average, but it's executed so well that it even breaks away from the genre it's supposed to be. This isn't just porn and gore, there's drama with twisted romance, as well as friendships, betrayals, and a plot that's built off of both ancient and modern philosophy. All in one volume, to boot.

The beginning of the manga took a little bit for me to get into (the German dialogue surely didn't help, aside from creating the creepy mood), but after that the ball dropped and didn't stop rolling until the last page.

Art: 10
If there's one thing that should stand out with Litchi Hikari Club, it's the artwork (which surely you must have noticed by now). To put it simply, it's incredible. Usamaru Furuya's ability as a mangaka is quite remarkable, and any fan of manga artists such as Tajima Sho-U (MPD Psycho, Galerians) and Obata Takeshi (Death Note, Bakuman) will easily be drawn in by his style. While many of Furuya's older works have a rather average to mediocre style outside of his more detailed fine-art inspired panels (take Palepoli for example), he draws the characters of LHC with large amounts of detail, as well as creating backgrounds that define the industrial-dystopian-esque wreck they live in.

And sticking true to it's roots, the gore is drawn equally as well. It's intense, enough to make any fan of horror and the grotesque look away (but then they'll have to look back again, it's so painstakingly drawn to detail.)

Character: 7
For the most part, the manga adaptation of Litchi Hikari Club sticks with the original, aside from what looked like one name that was changed. Although the majority of the characters dress in a similar school uniform, each has their own unique personality quirks that separate them from one another, from Zera's sick and twisted Elagabulus-esque complex to Kaneda's constant thumb nomming.

However, due to the length of the manga, most character development is cut short on the secondary characters and left to the protagonists. This is kind of forgivable in my eyes, since it's still part of the horror genre, which usually leaves out developement and sticks with stock character types, but I would've liked to have known a little more about the less important members of the club.

Enjoyment: 10
Litchi Hikari Club does everything it should do for a series of the ero-guro and yaoi genres, and more. It's shocking, twisted, and leaves such an impact (the final chapter comes to mind instantly) it's near unforgettable. As I've said before though, if you're not interested in a series built on violence and lewdicity, you may want to check out something else.

Overall: 9
Litchi Hikari Club was able to carve itself a bloody niche in my manga-loving heart. It was made with such panache that it could actually give a positive light to the ero-guro and yaoi scenes.
If you need a good scare, a devious plot, or just want to look at some great artwork, Litchi Hikari Club is the manga to pick up. It's a guilty pleasure that's worth the time.