Painful to read. He lies, he runs away, he betrays, he pays for it all, people die. Spirits haunt him. Despicable people haunt him. Torturous existence. A glimpse of hope - a bucket of suffering. He gives up - it doesn't work. He finds love - it withers. He achieves solace - he loses it. Hurt. Bitterness. Unbearable addiction. Loss. Betrayal. Hopelesness. ( )

so i found i like the very beginning and the last third of this very much
but that center section was meh
everything after chapter 15 was just... so good
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great story and great art ;0 ( )

Hands down, this book has to be the weirdest book I've read in a long time and also my favorite read so far this year. It follows a man named Yozo Oba from boyhood and into the first decades of adulthood. From childhood, he finds it difficult and stressful to interact with others. His father, a politician, has high expectations of his family, as does society. He also suffers sexual abuse by two of his household's staff members. To cope with the latter issue and to get out of being respected (thus freeing himself of expectations?), Yozo plays the role of the clown. A series of unnecessary tragedies follow this set up.

I usually wouldn't read an adaptation of something I haven't read. In this case, it was the only Junji Ito book I could get from the library immediately. And having never heard of the original, I felt it was unlikely I would read it any time soon. This made me want to read the original, so I'm glad I strayed from my usual course this time.

From what I can tell, this isn't a straight adaptation. For example, this manga version opens with someone (presumably Osamu Dazai, the author of the original) committing suicide the way he did in real life when he finished the novel. The novel has been seen as the author's suicide note, so that kind of deviation added something to the story that I think paid respects to the author as well. ( )

This reimagining of No Longer Human is beautiful, haunting, and desperately anguished as only Junji Ito can do. In terms of concept, execution and quality, this deserves no less than 5 stars. I personally give it 4 because the end is more hopeless than I can bare.

The original story is a lot more firmly planted in reality, and Junji Ito took that story and added much magic and ghostly horror to it. The attention to detail is not only enchanting, but touching; Particularly so in the way the characters resemble real people in Osamu Dazai's life.

As horrifying and miserable as the end to this graphic novel is, there isn't a thing I would change about it. It all fits in the story that Junji Ito set out to tell. ( )

4.25

I have long had Osamu Dazai's "No Longer Human" on my list of books to read. When I saw that Dazai's autobiographical story was adapted by Junji Ito, I knew I had to have it, and immediately placed it on my Christmas Wishlist.

The story of Yozo Oba is one of masochism, of contempt, of strength found in solitude, of acquiescence to those that wish to use or abuse him, and of his own unprincipled actions. The story is even more lamentable and haunted when placed side by side with the masterful art of Ito. Great examples of this are the carefully placed color panel, as well as his depiction of the purging of Yozo Oba's ten misfortunes.

While I appreciated the art, the story was often very difficult to read. Oba is both a pitiable character as well as a frustrating one, and the subject matter is incredibly dark. The best way to describe it is like attempting to wade through sadness molasses.

I do not recommend this book to anyone suffering from depression. ( )