Homunculus

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.

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.

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 wrote, re-wrote, and re-wrote some more before deciding on a final draft of this review. The reason why is because Homunculus is a tough manga to put into words. However, after much thought, I think I can sufficiently describe my thoughts on this manga.

Homunculus is a manga that is exhausting, but can also be enjoyable to read.

Homunculus seems simple to understand on the surface: a story about a man who can see people’s inner being manifested into a physical state. An inner being that reflects their feelings, thoughts, fears, past, and etc. As such a manga that uses a lot of psychology and back and forth between what’s true, what’s not, and etc, Homunculus utilizes a lot of imagery and symbolism. And I really do mean a lot of imagery and symbolism as virtually every page has it in some form.

Which is why I describe the manga as exhausting to read.

There’s really very little time to digest and think the situation over before the author tries to subject readers to new imagery/symbolism or to revoke old thoughts/misconceptions to form ‘more correct’ ones within the context of the plotline.

At times, the intense imagery/symbolism feels almost oppressive because nothing becomes straightforward anymore. All actions taken by the characters and all scenery shown become symbols themselves. As if the author is trying to force understanding in a very extreme way.

Some would view this as meaning the manga is ‘deep’. I can certainly see that way, but from my view, it’s also a clumsy way to be deep. A manga that tries very hard to be deep and meaningful is alright, but when you have to rack your brain virtually every page because seemingly everything you see appear to be a subtle point by the author to say something, it turns the effort of reading into a great one and, counterintuitively, the author’s point is more likely to be lost.

So would I count the overuse of such plot devices a flaw? Yes, I would. However, as I said, this doesn’t mean Homunculus is a bad manga and it can be enjoyable to read.

The premise combined with the author’s method of art and depiction can make the manga suspenseful and engaging. Sometimes, you want to know what the symbolism means because it seems so strange and interesting. Sometimes, you want to know how the characters will resolve the issues they’ve encountered.

So the actual plotline and the characters (as repulsive as some of them may be) do a decent job at driving reader interest and moving the plot at a good rate.

Overall, I would recommend Homunculus as a read, but I do it hesitantly. This kind of manga really is an acquired taste.

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.

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 :)

Homunculussssssssssssssss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What-what? 600 people favorited this one? Are you freaking serious? Damn, Ya'll are crazy motherfudgers. I picked this manga up out of curiosity thinking like what's up with that manga cover, and I haven't read the synopsis that time. Yeah, I know stupid me, and I remember It was really terrible year for me, aanddd that's a different story. Anyways, so here I go flipping through the pages, and boom he drilled his freaking skull. I'm like whaaaaaaaat! To tell you the truth there's lots of stuff in this manga that I do not understand what's going on, Its like me having a brain seizure because I'm trying too hard to comprehend where the story goes. Of course, there's lots of weird shockingly icky moments and that made me keep on reading till the end.

Definitely will not re-read Homunculus, not trying to say it's terrible, it's just me telling myself how about give yourself a slap in the face and get some manga which you can actually understand and enjoy.

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.

I dare to say few things about this series. There isn't much you can say without spoiling this masterpiece. The story is so amazing, the art is truly eye candy, the story direction is so intriguing. I started this manga on a whim and I don't regret it at all. The ending is a perfect fit to the overall story, although some may get confused. I was par and par with this story, enjoying and understanding it through and through. The story really gives a lot to think and chew on. I love how I was kept guessing as to whether the story would stay linear and loved the misdirect ions. Homunculus is definitely a story to read and love. I very much recommend any lover of deep stories and interesting plots to read this midlife crisis of an adventure!