The Most Disturbing Manga I've Read in Years

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There's no other manga quite like Homunculus, by Hideo Yamamoto. And, considering how life-changingly disturbing it is, maybe that's for the best?
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[@TheTaleFoundry]

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[@axjagfilms]

Is it alright if I could request a review on -Metamorphosis?-

[@Alphatryon]

Will you ever cover murder drones?

[@RemotelySkilled]

I'm already with NordVPN. Advice: Do not accept any other services but the actual VPN. They make you even more traceable.

[@Wolfenzorn]

Any interest in trying out Berserk or Violet Evergarden?

[@KuronoCthulhu]

Nanako is not lobotomized in the story. She clearly consents to the sex and is an active participant. If you want to argue that she died afterwards, as we see the trepanation hole bleeding and never see her again, that's fair, but nothing implied she was lobotomized or couldn't consent. With the teenage girl, as well, you misrepresented several things. First, it was not Nakoshi's idea to take her virginity, it was his crackpot crossdressing "doctor" who came up with the idea because he was attracted to her. Second, it isn't the rape that "helps" the girl, its after Nakoshi exposes her self-harm wounds on her leg that begins her awakening into her own person. She needed that hidden part of her life exposed, as her self-harm was a coping mechanism she kept secret as many teenagers do. Still, incredibly messed up scene. She calls the blood-splatter beautiful because it was her first ever truly selfish and free act, she splatters the blood right after Nakoshi says to her "Now, do whatever you want," when confronted by her Mom peering into the car. I'm not at all saying the whole scene isn't absolutely messed up, but it is clearly more complicated than you represented it to be. I think the author is trying to express a difficult truth about people, that we don't want to hear or admit. Some people only truly gain their own self-identity through a sexual lens - granted usually in a much healthier way than in the story for the girl. Just look at how many people claim their sexual identity in their teenage years and how it helps them form their own self-image and inform their personality going forward. Also, saying that Nakoshi only helps one more person after the girl is wrong. He helps the doctor, Nanako (though truly by that point it was unclear exactly how much was projection and how much was legitimate), and the second Yakuza boss who comes after Nanako. I think you saw Nakoshi do something horrible, but complicated, to the teenage girl and then decided he was a villain, as you said in the video. I don't think he's a black and white villain, though at times reprehensible. He is someone who has completely lost his identity and is struggling to find any authentic version of himself after royally screwing over his self-identity by having cosmetic surgery and repressing his memories of his own youth. Also not recognizing Nanako is not a knock against Nakoshi, as she too had had a large amount of cosmetic plastic surgery to change her face. Overall, I like your content, but you seem to have dumbed this one down quite a bit in a way that is disappointing. If you don't want to go in depth about controversial topics like teenage sexuality, crossdressing and transgenderism (which you didn't mention at all despite the doctor's story being a major focus throughout), self-harm and identity - then you shouldn't have tried to make a video about Homunculus. Don't take this as personal criticism, I do like your work and want to see your channel grow - but please don't become one of those surface level analysis channels that spreads lackluster interpretations of complex stories.

[@greenhydra10]

Your regularly scheduled reminder that protagonist does NOT mean hero.

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

Agreed

[@sashagornostay2188]

Reality check

[@2peoples785]

Yeah he could be a vending machine!

[@whitelight2195]

​@@2peoples785 Oh no you don’t, no one could have such an incongruous and idiotic idea and then think that investing a large amount of money into animating it is a good idea, that would be silly, UNDERSTOOD. As they say "There is no war in Baa sing se" and "There is no vending machine protagonist".

[@2peoples785]

@@whitelight2195 I love this one replay (thanks for making my day)

[@crushingon]

I think one of the most effective, but cruel ways for a writer to convince the readers that a character is a manipulator is to successfully manipulate the audience into rooting for them.

[@catbatrat1760]

Yo, that is SUCH a good way of putting it! :D

[@asmodeusguys4472]

Yeah, look at eren yeager or walter white. People PRAISE these guys for being "right", depsite the fact that the story is basically warning you to NOT root for them.

[@caldw615]

BoJack Horseman had this to a point the show itself even tried to address it.

[@kaylawoodbury2308]

Doflamingo from One Piece

[@druminik]

You're goddamn right

[@cristian-vladutcurca7467]

For me is fairly obvious that the protagonist never had an actual power of seeing someone's soul or insecurity, but as a narcissist he mastered his manipulation and non-verbal language recognition for years so that he could peel apart facades. That's why, in my opinion, he saw men with diverse struggles and women with struggles only related to their sexuality given his awful history. Opinions?

[@Talisguy]

He wants to feel special, so he took his visual hallucinations and projection of his own issues onto other people as a sign that he had Special Protagonist Powers. He wants to build an identity out of other people's trauma because he feels empty inside, but he's so narcissistic that he can only see what he _thinks_ is their trauma, which is what he expects of them, and he makes his judgements very, very quickly.

[@overestimatedforesight]

I think that's dead on. I knew a man like him and, though he had no holes in his head, he were certain he knew how everyone worked - which just so happened to be men were really like him and women were all jealous and emotional vampires.

[@mojrimibnharb4584]

My exact thought!

[@mareczek00713]

Nah, he did see Yakuza's issue, cutting off pinkies is way too specific to be accidental even considering it's more common about Yakuza since as a boss he has no boss to potentially apologize like that to. IMO the thing is that this power is personal to both people in seen-seeing dynamic - he seen Yakuza boss as a child in armor of a toy as expression of insecurity because he himself was a childish man unable to bear responsibility and escaping his pregnant GF and only the sickle to the pinky was inherently that man's specific, with the girl true issue being constantly collapsing and reshaping, afraid to show her true self while body made of sand was expression of vulnerable and easily broken ego he shared with her, similar with egg head - that homeless man was encapsulated whole as a safe heaven while protagonist face was of his making, a sign of abandoning his previous life to embrace success and wealth, just as now egg to face was a sign of new transformation to insane fixer of humans. It's like seeing color, all of us see it sligtly differently because of slight variations to eye shape and different eye colors seeing it slightly differently, it's just that in the end he became so self-absorbed his ego overwritten all he could see completely.

[@somedudeok1451]

I don't think narcisissts are necessarily good at understanding people or seeing past their presentation. In fact, I think it's the opposite. They see in people whatever suits their own mood or interest. That is why they try to control and manipulate you into exactly the role they chose for you. They can rarely see past their own delusions projected onto other people.

[@babungo6090]

In the intro, before you even said what manga you had read, I was thinking to myself "he probably read a gore-filled psychological horror manga. Surely he wouldn't be talking about-" and then you said "homunculus" and my heart stopped.

[@tristanfarmer9031]

Not everyone is a good person. The point of view of a terrible person won't always make sense. They usually think they are justified.

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

Tr😢

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

True

[@Talisguy]

Not everyone who goes into a career based around helping people is doing so for good reasons. You need to be able to recognise your own biases and bracket them off before trying to help other people, or you risk doing more harm than good.

[@mojrimibnharb4584]

Everyone believes themselves to be the good guy.

[@Ezkanohra]

This guy has read too much epic fantasy lol

[@dylanclark9903]

Projection. It’s about projection. And about how we have to address our own shadow or else inflict it on reality.

[@acacacacacacaccaca7666]

i think the homeless guy who stops him from staring down explains it perfectly, the reason why he couldnt see his face had nothing to do with his face, he spent his whole life looking down, at firs he looked at his feet then he looked down at women as he ejaculated on their faces and he looked down at everyone from the hotel window, even after going homeless he looked down at the other homeless people refusing to set up a tent or telling them how he ended up like that and he brought them alcohol as a way to look down at them, his only meaningful relationship was with a girl he knew for 3 months. He never was a person, there was never anything inside of him because he only ever looked down thats why looking at himself in that old picture did nothing he just saw the same empty person he always was

[@SurrealKeenan]

I've read this story and I wonder if the point was that he didn't get any supernatural ability. What if he was already observant and just lost a connection between his subconscious and his conscious. When he sees a person, he projects what he assumes to be their insecurities onto them. He sees the short man and assumes that he must have a height complex. He sees a boring guy and assumes he must be a shallow, 2 dimensional person. He sees random women and, being subconsciously sexist, focuses on their sexuality

[@trubadorn8573]

thats something to consider fur sure! in that case "the magic" within this horror is just the worst case of magical thinking imaginable..one of a sick and twisted mind. your findings help to uncover a pattern which suits perfectly a pestilent narcissist. their modus operanti is very much about abusing the weakpoints of other people while projecting their delusions on them

[@InsomniaticVampire]

The homunculus were never really portrayals of his victims but his own twisted way of viewing them

[@Sarah97359]

I think if this story really had been about some guy who went around "fixing" people's traumas somehow, it'd make this story very shallow and disappointing. Trauma isn't something a random encounter with some dude can "fix," and only someone at the height of arrogance, narcissism, presumptuousness, and lack of empathy could believe themselves capable of "fixing" other people, as this manga clearly shows.

[@Wolfenzorn]

Ah, so when I empathize with people and their struggles and would try helping them get out of that dark place of theirs I am being narcissistic, pressumptuous and arrogant. Because kindness and charity just totally don't exist in this world and we all are actually inherently selfish and derranged individuals that would never and should never help each other out, even if we got the knowledge, experience and the will to do exactly that. Thanks for those truly wise and eye opening words of yours. I will be sure to remember and spread them whenever I see someone in need 👍

[@dali3839]

​​@@Wolfenzorn Bro, What you are describing is HELPING people not "fixing" them. Both are very diferent and you should know that. Thinking you can FIX people IS narcissistic, HELPING people is not, being empathetic and sympathetic is not narcissistic either. Why do you confuse both AND get offended by your OWN thoughts.

[@Wolfenzorn]

​​@@dali3839 No idea what you mean with "my thoughts offending me" but the former is what their comment insinuates. Tales Foundry says in the video that he thought this Manga would be about a man using the powers given to him to help people overcome deeply internalized traumas (described as "fixing traumas" by this person) only to get the exact opposite experience. Then here is this person, addressing that part of the video saying that the story would've been "shallow and disappointing" had we gotten exactly that while then proceeding to call the idea of helping other people something that basically only a deranged person (narcissistic, pressumptious, lacking empathy) could believe in. If that wasn't the intended take away from the comment then I'll apologize for my mocking tone but it is really hard not to draw that kind of conclusion the way said comment currently stands

[@mrszmatan2727]

​@@WolfenzornYes you got offended by your own faulty interpretation. So in a way your own thoughts. Anyway, back to the topic. Thinking you can just come in someone's life and fix all their psychological problems is as delusional as believing that someone can do same for you, which some people actually believe in. You can always help people if you know how, that's why therapy and counseling can work if they are done properly. None of the characters in a story asked to be helped. Neither the help provided was appropriate.

[@Wolfenzorn]

​​@@mrszmatan2727 I already explained my "faulty interpretation" to that other respondant and I see no reason to repeat myself. Though if you read that comment of mine and therefor know were my response to the main comment came from, then I would like to know how exactly you wanna know wether my interpretation was actually faulty or not. Did you write the og comment? If not, then why are you speaking on this persons behalf when they should be more than able to clear up any misunderstandings that may have arisen themselves?

[@Majik-7121]

I’ve read so many disturbing manga and still I get a really bad pain in my stomach when I read them

[@Majik-7121]

No it’s not a Illness it’s a mental thing my brain makes me feel like my stomach is in pain but it isn’t

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

​@@Majik-7121 that makes sense

[@AjenjoAnejo]

It sounds like you need to not eat taco bell before reading manga.

[@Majik-7121]

@@AjenjoAnejo i don’t even eat Taco Bell

[@voidlets3359]

U good?

[@antagonisticalex401]

REALLY recommend PTSD Radio! Its on par with Junji Ito and Homunculus imo. Although it is unique in its own right.

[@osmiumGE]

PTSD Radio is so ahead of the other ones you mentioned it's unbelievably good

[@gananfisherman1926]

True PTSD Radio is similar to those two and I do hope if he interested on reading the manga😙

[@antagonisticalex401]

@@osmiumGE Personally Both Homunculus and Radio are GOATED in my opinion. But yeah youre right. PTSD Radio is PEAK. HORROR. Anyone who disagrees is wrong.

[@antagonisticalex401]

@@gananfisherman1926 I sure hope he is. That manga was what made me interested in haircare as a younger teen lmao.

[@charlieprexta5052]

I read a lot of homonculus, that’s REALLY good, been years since I heard that

[@Lady_Chalk]

Oh I never finished reading that one. I think the "homunculus" that the doctor who performed the surgery on the main character was the most interesting. Also, I was certain that the main character actually had a lot of money, he was just tired of living that life.

[@KryyssTV]

The title stems not from the literal meaning of the word but rather the Sensory Homunculus diagram showing how we'd look based upon how much different parts of our body send information about our surroundings to our brain. You've probably seen this image dozens of times, the man with huge hands and face. The story is a twist on that concept, how we'd look based upon our psyche. A Psycho Homunculus if you will.

[@Talisguy]

I haven't read the manga, but going by what I've seen in your video: Nakoshi wants to help people to fill the hole in himself. He doesn't know who he is, he lacks a coherent sense of identity of his own, so he makes other people's trauma his identity. Essentially, _he_ decided that the visual hallucinations he's experiencing are representations of people's inner trauma, and not just...y'know. Hallucinations from brain damage sustained in the surgery. He took a phenomenon that had several different possible interpretations, including an obvious one that doesn't require the existence of the paranormal but is both boring and a bit of a bummer to think about, and he picked the one that made him The Main Character. His changing reflection shows this: each person he has "saved" becomes a part of his personality to fill the complete emptiness he feels inside. In addition to the possibility that he's just hallucinating and occasionally making lucky guesses about people's childhood traumas, he's very likely projecting his own feelings onto people to form their homunculi (the girl with the vibrating pelvis and the girl with the locked pelvis seem to imply that he's quick to label one a slut and the other "frigid," for instance.) Also...this might be a reach, but a protagonist still being considered a "hero" by the story after doing some pretty despicable things is not uncommon in fiction. His a self-image as a hero and a saviour that he's building because there's nothing else to him - or at least, nothing else that he wants to acknowledge - wouldn't necessarily be shaken by some of the horrible things he does. I won't name specific examples, but I'm sure most people can think of a work of fiction, particularly an older work of fiction, where the "hero" does something horrifying and it's just brushed aside because the author doesn't see it as a problem.

[@crios8307]

I'm fairly certain you are wrong, because that isn't the main theme. It's more of a forth wall projection, and while Nakoshi isn't constantly villanized, the ending is... Well, fitting for what he did. I sincerely urge you to read Homunculus if you have a strong stomach (I know that after the TW I wouldn't recommend it lightly) because I personally think that even Tale Foundry omitted important details that deepen the nuances of dark greys of Nakoshi's character that at least would contextualise the whole manga. "Hero" isn't the word I'd use for Nakoshi, because even he (and the writer) is disgusted by himself in several instances. But he is a complex protagonist, born out of a culture that us westerners cannot totally accept, and if possible we would censore him even as a literary figure.

[@firestorm1088]

The shift of Nakoshi from someone you root for at the beginning to the monster we see later is a perfect example of how most monsters are in the real world. They seem like perfectly normal, even likable people, until they don’t. On a more personal note, as someone who has struggled with mental health, I’m quite familiar with people trying to “help” you to feed their own narcissism.

[@somelonelyguy000]

Agreed

[@Ballinout30]

I think the writer wanted you to know these people exist in the world and not be oblivious to it. Sometimes trying to avoid these realities and pretend the don't exist makes us weaker and easier targets for such individuals.

[@lerneanlion]

Somehow, this video became the most terrifying video I ever watched. And it needed no ghosts, demons or monsters whatsoever. Just humans being humans and their twisted emotions kept humans being... well... humans.

[@littledreamerrem7021]

If you haven't already, check out The Summer Hikaru Died. Really interesting premise and eerie art, psychological-meets-supernatural. Without going too deep, it's about a boy, Yoshiki, whose friend Hikaru went missing on a mountain. Whatever came back may look, talk, and act like Hikaru, but Hikaru's gone. "Hikaru" lives in his place, and there's no changing that. Whatever feelings Yoshiki has for the real Hikaru, he has to come to terms with the fact that he isn't coming back. And then there's the extent to which "Hikaru" will go to protect his new life and Yoshiki.

[@denisejeffries2675]

I own copies of that series (still ongoing) and I LOVE it!!!! The Sunmer Hikaru Died and Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun are my two favorites.

[@dragoon6551]

I think what i took from the story more than anything was the danger of assuming what you see or perceive about people is an aspect of them, rather than an aspect of yourself and your own preconceptions. and the danger of trying to force your viewpoint onto others.

[@viktordjambov1437]

Homunculus has to be one of my favourite worst experiences

[@LoganKearsley]

Trepanation was actually a life-saving procedure in many cases for relieving pressure on the brain after cranial injuries.

[@slopbucketeer6129]

Nowadays yes. Before the 19th century it was used as a cure all for a lot of different mental illnesses. It fell out of favor due to its high mortality rate and due to the invention of the lobotomy but, like you said, is still used today in case of emergency

[@Sorrowdusk]

​@@slopbucketeer6129😮 people did it even in the neolithic stone age days. Sometimes people had a LOT of holes in their head, AND they healed.

[@PERIX_QR]

That....took a way a darker turn than I expected.

[@wulfenstien321]

This is the story of a sociopath. They are uniformly narcissistic, but people who have NPD can still feel repulsion and self loathing. Sociopaths don’t.

[@shadowdante1102]

Umm, thats not true. Sociopaths can feel repulsion and self loathing, to my knowledge, all humans can. Its just that different things activate those emotions in them, and they typically dont feel it as intensely as the average person

[@Wolfenzorn]

Are you familiar with psychology and studied sociopathy by chance? If not then please refrain from posting such comments or else you may risk spreading false information and by extention reinforce potentially harmful and discriminatory stereotypes

[@0320hkada]

Sociopathy actually hasn't been used as a standalone diagnosis for quite a while. Instead, it got folded into disorders like Narcissistic Personality Disorder and Antisocial Personality Disorder.

[@blarg2429]

@@0320hkada And those personality disorders (and, I think, likely most or all personality disorders in general) are basically just systemized forms of medical malpractice. Psychiatry is, in its current form, little more than a dangerous pseudoscience used to repackage a given practitioner's biases as a set of diagnostic labels. The underlying behaviors that have been labeled in these ways are primarily trauma responses and maladaptive coping mechanisms.

[@wulfenstien321]

@@Wolfenzorn I'm a psychologist and have written papers on the dark tetrad. Policing others online isn't doing you any good.

[@tescomealdeal8329]

My stomach turned inside out with the process of that 2nd homunculi.

[@catherinecao4810]

This story kind of reminded me of “The Picture of Dorian Gray.” Both protagonists are narcissists who destroy the lives around them, but the difference is in their handling of self-perception. Dorian hides from his shadow by distracting himself with hedonistic pursuits, hiding the portrait (the physical representation of his true self, his self-loathing, and his moral conscious) away and refusing to let others see it. The few moments of vulnerability where he is forced to confront how far he’s fallen lead to outbursts of rage that end in death, first when Basil confronts him about his fall, and then when he is finally faced with his own hypocrisy. Nakoshi projects his “portrait” onto others and acts in a similarly destructive manner, “fixing” them to assure himself. He sees his flaws and problems in others, but fails to see them in himself until he actually has to deal with them in other people. He can’t see his homunculus because he isn’t actually willing to reflect on himself. He isn’t trying to help these people, he’s trying to chase away his own inner demons. When he loses the ability to see the homunculi, he panics, because it means he can’t nitpick others for their flaws in place of himself.

[@fie4426]

"Now every homonculous he sees looks exactly like him " that gave me goosebumps

[@hellenrose9556]

One of the points of this story is that trying to 'fix' other peoples problems in the way that YOU THINK is the best for them will usualy just create more of a problems (like my parents trying to 'fix' me in my early teens, which led to... let's just say much worst problems in my life) It is about trying to mold people into what you think they should be, without considerong what THEY actualy want to be. There is much more to be unpacked about this, but this one thing is kinda obvious.

[@RemotelySkilled]

The horror reminds me of Dostoyevsky, but with your narration a different anecdote transpired: The author seems traumatised by the system (wanting to help him, but just being very arrogant and not attentive). There are many references to "rather think twice", "respect how others deal with their traumata" and defeatism (for there is no solution). Impressive vid, thank you so much!

[@Archonagon]

I love stuff like this. Putting aside the darker tones of what is *done* in the story, it reads like an episode of The Twilight Zone. Your main character isn't necessarily a good guy, he never *has* to be, and yet the main character usually is, in fact it's how books and stories tend to be judged (sometimes literally from the cover). The main character isn't "a good guy" but he can have moment's where he is, at least on the face of things, trying to do what he believes is the right thing (early on), even if it is in service if his own gains. It isn't until you know of his past, and where his actions lead him (the conclusion) that the "Twilight Zone" effect kicks in, which is what makes it (to me) such a great story. It's the "grey area" that human inhabit, put onto paper. The protagonist isn't unfailingly "good" or "heroic," and while he is the protagonist of the story, he is also the antagonist of his own story, which I also find adds a layer to everything, and makes it a great story. This is a human story, with some Japanese Horror concepts thrown in. People are not binary, they are shades of grey, depending on the situation they find themselves in. In this story, you, the reader, can see an attempt at "good" and you can hope for this person's well being. Then, as their background and actions are printed onto page, your perspective is designed by the author to switch. Suddenly this person, whom you may have been cheering for, is shown to be human, flawed, incomplete (in this case literally), and by helping others, he is witness and participant to their traumas, making them his own, until all traumas are just reflections of himself, which is fitting, as he was narcisitic to begin with. To this person, a reflection of the self in everyone, could be considered a type of "heaven." He belongs everywhere, around anyone, he IS the homunculus, which in classic literature, can take on ANY form its creator chooses. He is a little person, who is "made" by the world around him, and his own actions.

[@crab5862]

Woah, a Tale Foundry video I found in under 5 minutes of it uploading. Nice!

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

Agreed.

[@user-be8wz3hw3b]

Thank you so much for being considerate enough to leave a warning. I've seen some stuff I really didn't want to see and heard some stuff I didn't want to hear because of creators not thinking about there Audience

[@ivanav.3136]

with one eye covered, one looks at the world outside while the other looks in. the mangaka has been telling us the truth about the protag from the very beginning.

[@danteshollowedgrounds]

My brain for one moment went like Nintendo Wall-E.

[@SirElmothe3rd]

sleep with one eye open :)

[@Nagadirchan]

Oh yes, Homunculus, together with SekaiOni by Okabe Uru and Berserk by Miura Kentarou, the most fucked up manga I ever read, all in my Top 10 also. After this trio, everything feels like childs play in the disturbing department

[@Giguv05]

Hohoho, oh yeah, SekaiOni is something else.

[@2SSSR2]

In that case I would highly recommend that you check Girl Last Tour manga. It is short, only ~50 or so Chapters, it is at the same time quite wholesome and very depressing. It's about two girls daily lives as they traverse post-apocalypse world, there is honestly nothing quite like it out there. The anime also exists but it does not cover entire story, so go with the manga and I can assure you - if you liked Remina and this manga you will very much enjoy Girls Lat Tour but for other reasons.

[@nicholasromero238]

It was wild how that series was both grim and weirdly cozy

[@evilpompom]

Thank you so much for the content warning! Very considerate 😊

[@Vekuyo]

I remember reading this one. I actually loved that they have you initially rooting for a guy that turned out so horrible. Everyone is the protagonist in their own story, even the terrible people.

[@richardblum3516]

If you want a standout manga, read berserk. One of the best stories ever written, even without an ending.

[@kaltaron1284]

Berserk was great until it reached a point where it felt like the author didn't know how he wanted to end it. IMHO somewhere between when Griffith came back and they reached the elf island. And in the end he never did finish it.

[@adams5613]

He left notes and the studio is still producing the story off what he left. It'll probably be a faster end than if he was still alive. I don't see him as loosing his ending but having to slow the story to build up the base for the final push.

[@kaltaron1284]

@@adams5613 I don't know. I preferred the low fantasy horror style over the high fantasy messiah story it became later. Maybe the end will be worth it.

[@adams5613]

With Griffith's ascension it really couldn't stay low fantasy.

[@richardblum3516]

@@kaltaron1284 It definitely accumulated more flaws over time. I still think that the high points of later arcs reach nearly as high as they did in the early series, though.

[@sojh17]

Saw this one on nebula. Can confirm I was very disturbed

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

Cool

[@fireblazenotbulgaria3053]

I know you’ve briefly talked about Madoka Magica, but you should definitely check out other Gen Urobuchi works like Song of Saya or his work in the Fate Series, he definitely is a pretty strong writer in my opinion

[@linktotheend]

Speaking of gens work he also wrote for Karen rider look up Karen rider gaim if you haven’t already seen it it’s fantastic as well.

[@fireblazenotbulgaria3053]

@@linktotheendyeah I’ve heard Kamen rider is good, I just listed the examples I know decently well lol. I just wanted to mention him because Homunculus seems almost like it’d be something Urobuchi would like or write in some ways lol.

[@Sorrowdusk]

🤖: *The most disturbing manga I've read in years...* 👀: And It doesn't has 6 digits?

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

True

[@somelonelyguy000]

Emergence flashbacks

[@No_One_0707]

177013

[@grumpyoldbeargaming7090]

How the hell am I just now discovering this channel? The subject matter that couldn't be more up my alley. The great presentation. The beautiful Ghibli-ass looking intro. Seriously, fuck KZbin's algorithms. It's so broken that all it can do is recommend me 500 videos about whatever the last 4-5 videos I watched were about. I literally have to regularly go through my watch history and delete anything that falls under "not an interest I have, just a video I watched out of curiosity" Worst part is I remember a time when the algorithm didnt work that way and took all of your history + subs into account on recommendations. Anyway, you got a new sub. I actually haven't watched this video, just commenting on it since it's the most recent. It was your video about magic systems not feeling magical where I found you, and I ONLY got recommended that because I recently watched a few vids about creating magic systems in your writing since I have a fantasy series I'm working on.

[@10thletter40]

This MC is such a terrible person, I am absolutely dying at how irredeemable he is 😂

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

Agreed.

[@TheBomb420]

I was just clicked on your channel after 4 months to see this video released 5 minutes ago, what timing!

[@SirElmothe3rd]

ok

[@NerdySatyr]

May I recommend PTSD Radio, sadly never finished but, that by itself has an incredibly interesting history.

[@psychotophatcat]

Is that the manga that the artist had to stop drawing because their own work started to scare them?

[@NerdySatyr]

@@psychotophatcat Kind of yeah, a lot of very strange and supernatural things began happening around him and his team so he decided to stop

[@s0ulwind]

I'll have to check that out. It kind of reminds me of an RPG called Changeling the Dreaming. Characters can see the spirit, the dream aspect of the people and things around them. This definitely shows the horror that's capable with that aspect.

[@Substitute102]

This video's fascinating to me because I did try to read Homunculus a while ago, and wound up dropping the manga after the second one. I can take a lot, but I was not in the headspace to accept the shift in tone and the sudden vanishing of my sympathy, which is kind of funny because normally it takes a lot more to actually cross my boundaries with fiction. I still haven't finished it or gotten back to it, and I think it's kind of just because I'm not really a depressing endings kind of girl for the most part. When I was reading more about the manga on tv tropes (to see if I really wanted to stick it out past the 2nd homunculus or not), I saw a theory that the protag could only see bits of himself in other people, hence why some people were normal-looking and all of that, and I'm pleased to see a lot of other people seem to share that type of theory, I find it interesting for this premise. Considering how poorly everyone else's encounters with him went, I'm thinking the encounter with 2nd homunculus was very much not supposed to be seen in a positive light, but in the confusing, emotionally shocking way it seems to consistently be read as. I could be wildly off but it is possible that you aren't supposed to know what to make of the encounter at first, if you're supposed to take it as the very much negative thing that it is or if you're supposed to think he's still "helping"...but in hindsight, once you reach the end of the story, it would be more in theme for it to be the first real sign that the protag isn't actually as kind as we've been lead to believe, and he isn't really helping anyone at all. I think I worded that rather confusingly but hopefully y'all can still understand--

[@Little_Mashita77]

It's actually such a rare gem Homunculus glad you cover this manga it really such a horrific story true horror!!✨

[@missi7196]

Just wanted to say I love seeing how much your channel has grown. 😄

[@gigamantisman]

This had been recommended to me before, but never got a chance to read it. Sounds great though. Idk if you take recommendations, but I'd suggest reading the comic series Immortal Hulk. It takes the character is a more horrific direction while putting a new spin on the character's lore/development. Worth the read if you enjoy more disturbing horror genres.

[@denisejeffries2675]

Thank you for a new-to-me title! I’m requesting it from the library 😁

[@ScorbunGame]

One manga that I can recommend if you love surreal, creepy stories is The Promised Neverland. I can't say what the actual core premise is without major spoilers for the first arc but it's worth seeing just how far down the writers go down the rabbit hole.

[@antagonisticalex401]

Hearing that name makes me so sad 😔

[@Giguv05]

I recommend reading Shadow House for a similar premise of children trying to outsmart an oppressive system of adults. I think so far it's still going strong, while I felt like Promised Neverland kinda deflated after the first couple of acts, once it starts trying to build the wider setting.

[@ceinwenchandler4716]

Major spoilers for the whole thing, really. The ending is amazing. It had me crying. But Norman was always my favorite character. I'm not sure why.

[@Im_a_weeboverhere]

I recommend a manga called Goodnight punpun it really isn't in the horror genre but mostly talk about the human psyche and it contains some of the most darkest moments that I have read in any manga

[@stinegregersen6553]

I definitely think you should give more manga a chance!! Ones I personally think you’d enjoy are To Your Eternity and Hell’s Paradise. They’re not exactly the darkest stories but they do deal with some really dark themes and interesting magic systems. To Your Eternity for example is all about an immortal protagonist who’s created by a god. He starts out as nothing but an orb with no feelings or senses, but slowly changes with the environment and eventually has to face the reality of how hard it is to be immortal and having to see everyone around you die. It’s one of my personal favs!!

[@enzorocha2977]

Because of this episode and not even a minute in, I searched for a site to read the manga. I must say I am so happy I did; thank you so much! Fantastic read.

[@Jo-Jet]

In terms of manga, I would suggest reading "Pluto" from Naoki Urasawa. one of my personal favorite stories. plus it has robots. you will like it.

[@kazumihiga7792]

And the anime adaptation is nice and so well done 😁

[@ivanbannon4260]

I love your intro music here.

[@Thannak]

Dungeon Meshi is worth a shot for its 10/10 worldbuilding.

[@tescomealdeal8329]

DUNGEON MESHI MENTION??

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

Cool

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

​@@tescomealdeal8329 yup

[@cagedcreature439]

If you guys plan on doing more manga in the future. Here’s a few recommendations -Berserk by Kentaro Miura -Gegege no Kintaro by shigeru mizuki -Dororo by Osamu Tezuka -As the gods will by Muneyuki Kaneshiro - Phoenix by Osamu Tezuka -Devil man by Go Nagai -Dragon God Pond by Shotaro Ishinomori

[@sinofsanity6593]

A manga focused vid! I feel personally... heard? Attacked? I'm not sure What I like about manga is you often see how imaginative or talented the author is, there's plenty of manga where the author is a fantastic artist and sometimes if a series lasts long enough you see them improve I really hope Talesbot doesn't fall down the same manga hole that I have though, I struggle to keep up with reading since I don't know which to keep reading I often think since I like darker/edgier and esoteric stuff that I should reread Berserk through the deluxe versions, or go further down the horror iceberg than Junji Ito or continue to read what I've started which is about 5 different manga and H.P lovecraft. I kind of burn out thinking about what to keep up with and yes one of the ones I've started is dragon ball, include what's in Z and its one of the longest series I've started

[@anythingyoucando1546]

One anime that is closely linked to fairy tales (not FairyTale. That is the wrong one.) is called "Mushi-shi". Is also written as Mushishi. Think of Japanese Twilight Zone. People tend to describe it as a haunting calm series. The main protagonist has one eye that is a seagreen color and he also has white hair. At least in this series the protagonist is likable. You can watch a couple of trailers to see if it's up your alley or not. It is not flashy.

[@MirrorOfEmotions]

I have written this among one of your videos, but I think that the "The Keys to the Kingdom" book series could be interesting for you. Especially because of the circumstances of the villains and the price the protagonist has to pay as the chosen one. Also more the story progresses, more difficult become concepts like good and evil. But that's all what I will say about the story. I don't want spoiler anything. I think it's worth to read and I think it would give enough content to make a whole video about it.

[@realniket]

I have read a lot of disturbing mangas. Now I have become insensitive to them. I know it's not healthy but can you guys suggest me something that bugs you alot

[@Sorrowdusk]

I seem to vaguely remember one with holes. 🕳️ No, no -not "THIS hole was made for me!" Junji Ito

[@lucascaracas4781]

I feel the same way, horror manga just doesnt work for me the way it should, intead of scaring me it just makes me feel curious to see what new bizarre monster will appear, but I really get way more nervous when Im reading horror books, I cant explain why though. homunculus was the only manga that made me actually feel uncomfortable

[@Keksoe666]

I think we're the same in that regard. Nevertheless, feel free to check out PTSD Radio, Higanjima or Jagaan, if you haven't already🤷‍♂️

[@Keksoe666]

​@@SorrowduskThe Secret/Mystery of Amigara Falls? Something like that, with the holes in a wall shaped like human sillouhettes, right?

[@the_mad_fool]

​@@lucascaracas4781I think it's that your imagination is stronger than any image can be. Homunculus is special because there isn’t a monster at all. The horror comes from seeing the depraved depths of a very Human narcissist.

[@Adraeth]

Speaking of manga and anime, for anyone who wants a cool story with nice soft worldbuilding and a really beautiful soundtrack, give the anime "Mushishi" a try. It's old, but it's still one of my all-time favorites. Simply put, it's a story about a traveler doctor who treats not human, physical illnesses, but afflictions of a spiritual and mystical nature. It's fairly short but really worth it.

[@LiteraIIy_Nobody]

Your intro music is the best music I've heard in my life.

[@TheVikingCarnotaur]

Yo, the tale channel uploaded, I enjoy this fact

[@libertycowboy2495]

Trepanation is still an accepted proceedure for some cases of sub dural hematoma. Also, how much is 700,000 yen in US dollars? About 4500 dollars!

[@nicholas_pascucci]

I'd be curious to see your thoughts on Monster by Naoki Urasawa. I think it would be quite a thought provoking piece of media for you

[@KanaevM]

When I saw this video pop up - I decided to read the source before watching and here I amm back five days later, after just finishing it. That was... quite painful. I had the same thoughts before burusera girl appeared - protagonist would go around and help people, but then everything after happened. When protagonist of the story is worse than majority of antagonists in other stories.

[@ExtradimensionalCephalopod]

Based on your description of what you had hoped Homunculus would be like before it took a turn for the unsavory, I recommend checking out Soul Catchers. It was still going on when I fell out of reading it, so I don't know how the whole thing goes, but it had a light and pleasant tone. The protagonist is a student who can see people's souls, which metaphorically depict their personalities and hangups. He gets befriended by a musician classmate and roped into directing his high school orchestra (even though he starts out with no musical skills) because he wants to see the music's positive effect on the audience's souls. In the process he helps his fellow orchestra members get new perspectives on their situations so they can overcome the problems that are preventing them from fulfilling their individual and collective musical potential.

[@joreo95]

Please look for more manga, some amazing stories have been told in that format. I Highly recommend Billy Bat.

[@jasonrobertson9618]

Though not exactly the same I did have a similar reaction to ending of The Mist (the movie). I was behind the main character's every decision right up to the end... and then they pull the rug out from under you on the last one. That messed me up for days...

[@porterfox251]

I think a lot of anime and manga gets overlooked since the majority that's produced employ the writing conventions of a YA novel, but there are some really solid ones that challenge genre tropes. Erased is a good example. It uses time travel to explore it's themes in a way I haven't seen before and still manages to keep its narrative free of plot holes.

[@ashbailey9225]

I was wondering and hoping you could get into Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint novel.

[@joetheh]

We almost at 3 mil keep goin

[@jeniferesparza7770]

You should cover a manga called “Dungeon Meshi”, it also has an anime called “Delicious in Dungeon”

[@scorpius666999]

The moment you said the title I kind of expected your reaction. I mean, not the darkest manga to come out of Hideo Yamamoto's mind, but pretty dark none the less. Fun fact, he actually went and lived like a homeless person for a while in order to do some research for the manga.

[@cassiemunford3318]

What you hoped the story would be with the main character fixing people's problems really reminded me of Mushishi. It's a great series about a guy travelling and finding people or communities struggling with these spiritual beings, and he just helps the people he comes across. It gets creepy sometimes, but it also very wholesome. It's been years sonce I revisited it, but I highly recommend it if anyone is interested in that kind of story. Edit: The author is Yuki Urushibara

[@julianhinck5455]

you forgot about the guy with the fischbowl humunculus. still a greate vid though !

[@jewban3]

Your so close to a million subs!!!!

[@helenn6551]

Hearing the kind of story you had hoped to find in 'Homonculus', may I recommend the 2007 movie 'Mad Detective'? It's a Chinese movie about a detective who is able to see people's inner personalities but also leaves him mentally unstable, as he is bought in to hunt down a serial killer.

[@p.s.arlove1780]

I also accidentally came across the live adaptation on Netflix while scrolling through. When reaching the second instance, it definitely made my stomach lurch. Thanks for being the platform for me to finish a disturbing story without having to sit through any more of it myself.

[@Tobi2x4]

I desperately want to watch this video, because the title intrigues me deeply, but I've yet to read this, and am planning to read it soon, so I don't wanna spoil anything for myself.

[@somelonelyguy000]

It's going to be a weird experience

[@Tobi2x4]

@@somelonelyguy000 Excellent.

[@titangirl161]

A very good story about trauma and how different people deal with it is the anime boogiepop phantom, but sadly it's based on the second of a book series, and therefore some homework is needed to truly understand it, which kinda sucks because it had some poignant things to say

[@elina_chan2744]

The intro always gives me goosebumps

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

Agreed

[@Antasma1]

With Yukari, I interpreted she just needed more self confidence to stand firm. This power was really in the wrong hands

[@phantomflower6749]

Now I loved Homunculus and it's a great story... it's just not an enjoyable story. It is deep on an uncomfortable level that makes you want to look away. You're seeing things primarily through the perspective of the protagonist. So he sees things coming up as good and righteous. At the end with his encounter with the minor you can see her smiling and happy with what she 'experienced' by our main character. But is she really happy or is this how the protagonist sees her afterwards?

[@Ezkanohra]

Just saying that the "made of sand" thing is real. It’s called Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). It does seem like it fits perfectly into Homunculus. Although you did make me want to read this manga. I decided to read some of Junji Ito’s works (Tomie, Remina) and perhaps this is a good next read.

[@PleaseStayOutOfMyDreams]

This has been my fav manga for years and I’m so glad it finally got an English release so more people can access it. It’s a shame Hideo Yamamoto hasn’t made more works. His other stuff is really good as well.

[@somelonelyguy000]

I think he should make more works like homunculus rather than the usual gory stuff he works on like ichi the killer

[@cloud4323]

Cool First time catching a video so fast!

[@benjaminstenseng4013]

Thank you for the warning, friend

[@chronred8190]

when you have the time i would like to suggest giving Frieren: Beyond Journey's End; it is heavily underrated and with a great plot

[@mattdangerg]

Whoever made your intro music deserves a bonus

[@hajarmdn4883]

When I read Homunculus years ago, I was sad to find out that not many people have read it or talked about it. But seeing how extremely popular it is now, I am so happy and grateful. It’s an amazing manga with a very unique premise and amazing art. Anyone who hasn’t read it should do so asap

[@szandivilagos6908]

I would recommend you to read Goodnight PunPun, but it’s not a fun manga either… it’s pretty depressing but brings out a lot of question about life and people…

[@Daemonworks]

Another manga to consider, a bit closer to the Ito side of things, but a lot more more David Lynch (at least from memory, it's been a while). Longer-form and a bit more slow-burn: Soil by , Kaneko Atsushi. A family disappears in a small town, detectives arrive to investigate. Then things start slowly getting weird.

[@XHammer-fs5pf]

I recommend The Case Study of Vanitas/Vanitas no Carte by mangaka Jun Mochizuki. It is a gripping tale set in SteamPunk 1889 Paris France about a human who cures Vampires of curses with his partner in crime Noé as the uncover a conspiracy. Think Full Metal Alchemist mixed with Ann Rice’s vampire chronicles. The whole story is amazing, but the main romance reminds me of Pride and Prejudice. Actually, the entire series feels like 19th century literature in a way a manga story never has with its subtleties, and it has little homages to Vampire literature and films like a character named Lord Ruthven or count Orlok, and plenty of references to old fairy tales and the Ballad of Roland. Watch up to episode 12 of the anime or read up to chapter 25 of the manga and of it’s still not your thing I understand. ( the manga admittedly has world building stuff the manga had to cut for budget reasons)

[@XHammer-fs5pf]

The main protagonist Vanitas is also almost a textbook Byronic Hero

[@Toto-95]

aaaaah you're missing out big stuff bro ! "Bastard" is a great Manwa i can recommend (psychological thriller)

[@MrCahueteAvenger]

I think this video's themes got ties with "Good night PunPun", but as I havent read Humonculus yet, I cannot say which one goes the farthest (probably Humonculus) but Good night PunPun gets pretty deep and pretty dark in its own twisted way, and leaves you... Well I just felt like it left me to my own devices at the end of the story, eternal cycle kinda feeling. Read it if you haven't yet!

[@matteste]

When it comes to manga and anime, you should really give the likes of Girls Last Tour as well as Made In Abyss a whirl. Both are pretty amazing and distinct in their own ways. And of course, there is Evangelion which is a beast of its own. And I have recommended it before, and I'll do it again with the visual novel Full Metal Daemon Muramasa with its own flavors that it brings to the table.