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ホムンクルス [Homunculus] #10
Homunculus 10
Manabu mulai menganalisa proyeksi diri Susumu yang tampak pada dirinya.
Tapi, Susumu sendiri merasa kalau itu sebenarnya adalah proyeksi dari Manabu sendiri.
Di satu sisi, Susumu sendiri sebenarnya tak ingat akan masa lalunya. Pencarian akan masa lalunya pun dimulai.
Tapi, Susumu sendiri merasa kalau itu sebenarnya adalah proyeksi dari Manabu sendiri.
Di satu sisi, Susumu sendiri sebenarnya tak ingat akan masa lalunya. Pencarian akan masa lalunya pun dimulai.
217 pages, ebook
First published August 28, 2009
5 people are currently reading
218 people want to read
About the author
Hideo Yamamoto
174 books248 followers 山本英夫 Yamamoto Hideo , is a Japanese manga artist best known for the manga series "Ichi the Killer" (which was adapted into a live-action film in 2001) and the series, Homunculus (manga).
Recurring themes in his manga are crime, sexual deviations, and psychology.
Recurring themes in his manga are crime, sexual deviations, and psychology.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
April 30, 2022
The concept is immaculate. It wasn't flawless, but it was compelling enough to keep me reading to find out what was going on in these people's lives behind the scenes. I was constantly trying to think ahead and figure out what their homunculus meant. I liked how they incorporated the homunculus' interpretation into the lives of various other characters..
July 5, 2022
No. Actually, this is my favorite volume. The tears I shed, I swear. This was so painful to read without crying. And the revelation! It was so loud, intense and heart-wrenching. And the art really add to the spooky atmosphere.
I need some alone time with my mind. I feel for Ito, he was female at heart but his father tried to shut this illusions down and took over him—the reason he's empty and transparent. The glass form with a face of his father. And he was the guppy, trapped inside, unable to come out, repressing his real gender identity. Ito was trying to unravel Nakoshi's identity pre-plastic surgery days, and unknowingly dug the memories he kept buried deep in his unconscious mind... with a face of a woman, he suddenly felt so comfortable like he's in his genuine skin.
I need some alone time with my mind. I feel for Ito, he was female at heart but his father tried to shut this illusions down and took over him—the reason he's empty and transparent. The glass form with a face of his father. And he was the guppy, trapped inside, unable to come out, repressing his real gender identity. Ito was trying to unravel Nakoshi's identity pre-plastic surgery days, and unknowingly dug the memories he kept buried deep in his unconscious mind... with a face of a woman, he suddenly felt so comfortable like he's in his genuine skin.
September 17, 2021
Brain.exe has stopped working.
Ito is scared and projecting his fear onto Nakoshi. so he doesn't have to deal with it. He's having a conversation with himself.
Isn't it weird how you can both understand the story and don't understand it at the same time?
Ito is scared and projecting his fear onto Nakoshi. so he doesn't have to deal with it. He's having a conversation with himself.
Isn't it weird how you can both understand the story and don't understand it at the same time?
December 18, 2021
4.5
Este y el anterior han sido de mis favoritos.
Este y el anterior han sido de mis favoritos.
July 7, 2016
I just finished reading this psychological thriller, and I'm left disappointed and saddened by the ending. The final volume for this manga rushed to a conclusion that was both sad and disturbing, yet empty and seemingly written for shock value. Does anyone look at it the same way?
I can't argue that the dark ending does not suit the story. Nakoshi (Main Character) is driven insane because he was a narcissistic misanthrope--every time he helped anyone with their Homunculi he was focused more on uncovering a secret about his own ego than in helping someone else. He deluded himself into thinking he was becoming more empathetic and interconnected with people by helping them with their problems, but every encounter with a Homunculi was a therapy session for himself, initiated by someone else with a similar problem. As Manabu (Crossdressing Guy) points out throughout the story, Nakoshi's Homonculi were hallucinations of his own inner trauma, manifested in the people around him. Hell, throughout the story Nakoshi rapes a teenager, abandons his pregnant lover, and then turns her into lobotomized clone of himself so he can fuck himself and feel his own warmth and worth--the man was self-absorbed garbage.
Perhaps that's my main gripe with the story and its ending: Nakoshi was so detestable and selfish that it was impossible to care that he went crazy, so making him unredeemable seems like a storytelling cop-out. Though he was the protagonist, he rarely elicited my sympathy--he was so self-absorbed that the person who could really see people's hearts and not their deceptions, Nanaki (Main Character's Ugly Lover), saw through his bullshit and witnessed Nakoshi's real form. Honestly, the only relatable and human characters in this whole twisted work are Manabu, a naive but brilliant doctor trying to figure out his own daddy and sexual issues, and Nanaki, who even when coerced into trepaning refutes the false image she sees fucking her because she realizes what Nakoshi fails to see--that the clone homunculi are false mirrors of the self.
The ending is tragic, but for all the wrong reasons. It's tragic because Manabu must cope with the guilt of ruining a man's mind and a woman's life, it's tragic because the only good and honest person gets lobotomized, it's tragic because Nakoshi cannot selflessly love people, which is the secret to being human. But what does all this tragedy say about the human condition? For all Manabu's experimentation and Nakoshi's increased brainpower, everyone fails to understand man's soul. I wanted more brain matter in a manga about boring holes in skulls, more psychology beyond "Don't lie to yourself; accept yourself for who you are."
Writing out all this, I guess I just want to share my thoughts about this story with others, to say "Look at what I felt" about this story that made me sad.
I can't argue that the dark ending does not suit the story. Nakoshi (Main Character) is driven insane because he was a narcissistic misanthrope--every time he helped anyone with their Homunculi he was focused more on uncovering a secret about his own ego than in helping someone else. He deluded himself into thinking he was becoming more empathetic and interconnected with people by helping them with their problems, but every encounter with a Homunculi was a therapy session for himself, initiated by someone else with a similar problem. As Manabu (Crossdressing Guy) points out throughout the story, Nakoshi's Homonculi were hallucinations of his own inner trauma, manifested in the people around him. Hell, throughout the story Nakoshi rapes a teenager, abandons his pregnant lover, and then turns her into lobotomized clone of himself so he can fuck himself and feel his own warmth and worth--the man was self-absorbed garbage.
Perhaps that's my main gripe with the story and its ending: Nakoshi was so detestable and selfish that it was impossible to care that he went crazy, so making him unredeemable seems like a storytelling cop-out. Though he was the protagonist, he rarely elicited my sympathy--he was so self-absorbed that the person who could really see people's hearts and not their deceptions, Nanaki (Main Character's Ugly Lover), saw through his bullshit and witnessed Nakoshi's real form. Honestly, the only relatable and human characters in this whole twisted work are Manabu, a naive but brilliant doctor trying to figure out his own daddy and sexual issues, and Nanaki, who even when coerced into trepaning refutes the false image she sees fucking her because she realizes what Nakoshi fails to see--that the clone homunculi are false mirrors of the self.
The ending is tragic, but for all the wrong reasons. It's tragic because Manabu must cope with the guilt of ruining a man's mind and a woman's life, it's tragic because the only good and honest person gets lobotomized, it's tragic because Nakoshi cannot selflessly love people, which is the secret to being human. But what does all this tragedy say about the human condition? For all Manabu's experimentation and Nakoshi's increased brainpower, everyone fails to understand man's soul. I wanted more brain matter in a manga about boring holes in skulls, more psychology beyond "Don't lie to yourself; accept yourself for who you are."
Writing out all this, I guess I just want to share my thoughts about this story with others, to say "Look at what I felt" about this story that made me sad.
September 6, 2022
Crazyyyy
March 7, 2023
qu'est ce que je suis entrain de lire ???????
mon cerveau est entrain d'exploser, on plonge RÉELLEMENT dans un côté psychologique qui devient limite malsain, je suis donc AMOUREUSE de l'œuvre là ?
homunculus va devenir un de mes seinen favoris, j'ai rarement autant été prise psychologiquement par une œuvre, j'ai hâte de dévorer les 5 derniers tomes
mon cerveau est entrain d'exploser, on plonge RÉELLEMENT dans un côté psychologique qui devient limite malsain, je suis donc AMOUREUSE de l'œuvre là ?
homunculus va devenir un de mes seinen favoris, j'ai rarement autant été prise psychologiquement par une œuvre, j'ai hâte de dévorer les 5 derniers tomes
August 22, 2019
Finally the truth and big reveal!
This volume sheds the light on the secret past of Ito, one he'd forgotten and his family had hidden. We're also moving closer to some insight into Nakoshi's past, who also seems to have forgotten something buried deep into his memories.
This volume sheds the light on the secret past of Ito, one he'd forgotten and his family had hidden. We're also moving closer to some insight into Nakoshi's past, who also seems to have forgotten something buried deep into his memories.
September 29, 2020
Pretty awesome manga, one of the best Psychological manga’s I’ve read! Great/interesting and exciting art and pretty great story😻👌😁
February 5, 2024
Hombres??? Mujeres?? o los 2???
March 30, 2025
La storia di Manabu
May 30, 2021
E kam shume xhan Iton.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 15, 2024
Definitivamente mi tomo favorito.
La historia detrás del guppy y como éste se vuelve parte de Manabu en representación de la opresión sufrida por parte de su padre es ingenioso, hasta ahora es el homúnculo que más me ha gustado.
Me dio muchísima ternura ver al pequeño Manabu descubriendo esa parte nueva de sí mismo, aunque lo que sucede después con su papá es tristemente, un claro ejemplo del conflicto que atraviesan muchísimas personas homosexuales.
Al menos parecen reconociliarse al final.❤️🩹
P.D. Curiosa la dualidad de los personajes en este tomo, mientras Manabu se re descubre y acepta como persona, Nakoshi está quizás, en su peor crisis existencial.
La historia detrás del guppy y como éste se vuelve parte de Manabu en representación de la opresión sufrida por parte de su padre es ingenioso, hasta ahora es el homúnculo que más me ha gustado.
Me dio muchísima ternura ver al pequeño Manabu descubriendo esa parte nueva de sí mismo, aunque lo que sucede después con su papá es tristemente, un claro ejemplo del conflicto que atraviesan muchísimas personas homosexuales.
Al menos parecen reconociliarse al final.❤️🩹
P.D. Curiosa la dualidad de los personajes en este tomo, mientras Manabu se re descubre y acepta como persona, Nakoshi está quizás, en su peor crisis existencial.
June 19, 2015
Vuelve a bajar las revoluciones en pos de un character development mayor a Ito.
No está mal, pero tomando en cuenta lo avanzado que está todo en la historia, se siente como dar dos pasos atrás.
No está mal, pero tomando en cuenta lo avanzado que está todo en la historia, se siente como dar dos pasos atrás.
June 3, 2019
This is so good.
July 20, 2020
The best volume so far
June 18, 2022
Si chiude il capitolo dedicato a Manabu e sono stra-soddisfatto di come sia stato trattato il tema dell'identità di genere. Super!
January 5, 2025
This manga is such a banger! I’d rate it five out of five stars for all the volumes, even though there are some chapters I didn’t like (or maybe I just couldn’t understand the story).
Setelah mengikuti perjalanan Nakoshi mencari jati diri (because afterall, it’s basically all about finding a soul), Homunculus really shows the dark sides of being human... yang terobsesi untuk memahami diri sendiri walaupun harus dengan menghancurkan kehidupan orang lain, kayak kadang ya ada beberapa hal yang emang bagusnya tuh kita simpen aja, kalau diungkit lagi traumanya malah bikin kita tertekan, isn'it? nah itu ceritanya ngarah ke situ. Yamamoto really makes you believe, "at first", that what the MC doing is actually right. Like, such a hero with this whole 'sixth sense' ability yang dia dapet setelah operasi Trepanasi (bolongin kepala). Terus kita juga dibikin percaya bahwa the ability to see someone’s soul is something special. Tapi makin lama malah jadi bumerang dan bikin dampak destruktif.
Also sosok Homunculus yang diliat oleh MC bikin aku si pembaca semakin ragu ini beneran dia bisa liat atau cuma ilusi dan pengaruh dari tekanan mental yang dia punya? Obsesi MC buat nemuin orang yang bisa "ngelihat" buat dapet validasi tentang apa yang dia alami, malah jadi pertanyaan besar: What is it that he’s really searching for? Does he want others to understand him, or does he not even understand what he’s seeing himself? It’s such a paradox—nyari jiwa orang lain tapi jiwanya sendiri hancur.
Jadinya bikin simpati yang aku punya itu lama-lama berubah, aku bersimpati not to his actions which are already chaotic, tapi lebih ke asal muasal kenapa dia sampe kayak gitu, bcs we already know there is no such of thing about kebenaran yang absolut in this world. Tapi tapi tapi... perjalanan ceritanya seru kok, nggak semua hal yang dibahas tuh disturbing, lagian manusia kan emang gituu, kompleks, mungkin kita emang selalu nutup mata aja melihatnya. Terus aku juga suka sama artnya which is sangat surreal, karena selain indah, rapi, dan jelas, artnya juga menambah kesan "menegangkan", aku ikut ngerasa ngga nyaman saat ngeliat beberapa panel tapi ngga bisa aku skip karena cakep???
dan ya semua cerita ini ditutup dengan akhir yang bikin aku apa ya.. melongo kek ini aku habis baca apa ya??? kok endingnya bgini??? bener-bener ninggalin kesan yang kosong gitu.. apalgi setelah semua perjalanan yang kita lewati, Yamamoto ngebiarin kita buat mikirin jawabannya sendiri ngegantung.. nggak tau nih apa semua ini memang ril of fake.
Setelah mengikuti perjalanan Nakoshi mencari jati diri (because afterall, it’s basically all about finding a soul), Homunculus really shows the dark sides of being human... yang terobsesi untuk memahami diri sendiri walaupun harus dengan menghancurkan kehidupan orang lain, kayak kadang ya ada beberapa hal yang emang bagusnya tuh kita simpen aja, kalau diungkit lagi traumanya malah bikin kita tertekan, isn'it? nah itu ceritanya ngarah ke situ. Yamamoto really makes you believe, "at first", that what the MC doing is actually right. Like, such a hero with this whole 'sixth sense' ability yang dia dapet setelah operasi Trepanasi (bolongin kepala). Terus kita juga dibikin percaya bahwa the ability to see someone’s soul is something special. Tapi makin lama malah jadi bumerang dan bikin dampak destruktif.
Also sosok Homunculus yang diliat oleh MC bikin aku si pembaca semakin ragu ini beneran dia bisa liat atau cuma ilusi dan pengaruh dari tekanan mental yang dia punya? Obsesi MC buat nemuin orang yang bisa "ngelihat" buat dapet validasi tentang apa yang dia alami, malah jadi pertanyaan besar: What is it that he’s really searching for? Does he want others to understand him, or does he not even understand what he’s seeing himself? It’s such a paradox—nyari jiwa orang lain tapi jiwanya sendiri hancur.
Jadinya bikin simpati yang aku punya itu lama-lama berubah, aku bersimpati not to his actions which are already chaotic, tapi lebih ke asal muasal kenapa dia sampe kayak gitu, bcs we already know there is no such of thing about kebenaran yang absolut in this world. Tapi tapi tapi... perjalanan ceritanya seru kok, nggak semua hal yang dibahas tuh disturbing, lagian manusia kan emang gituu, kompleks, mungkin kita emang selalu nutup mata aja melihatnya. Terus aku juga suka sama artnya which is sangat surreal, karena selain indah, rapi, dan jelas, artnya juga menambah kesan "menegangkan", aku ikut ngerasa ngga nyaman saat ngeliat beberapa panel tapi ngga bisa aku skip karena cakep???
dan ya semua cerita ini ditutup dengan akhir yang bikin aku apa ya.. melongo kek ini aku habis baca apa ya??? kok endingnya bgini??? bener-bener ninggalin kesan yang kosong gitu.. apalgi setelah semua perjalanan yang kita lewati, Yamamoto ngebiarin kita buat mikirin jawabannya sendiri ngegantung.. nggak tau nih apa semua ini memang ril of fake.
October 1, 2023
What is this story trying to do at this point, anyway? Other than the obvious slowing of the pace to a crawl (the creators need the high page count), there just doesn't seem to be any purpose for it. The two remaining characters are looking desperately to fix their traumatic past, but are hitting wall after wall. I have very little hope that the ending will make sense or that it will be a life-changing revelation. I feel that it could have ended already without all this running around.
May 20, 2021
This manga series is about a homeless man, Nakoshi, who has trepanation surgery and can see homunculi. As the reader, we aren't sure yet if these are real representations of a person's inner heart and shown through the sixth sense, or if these are all an illusion. We are given hints that it is real but also are given doubts due to the deteriorating mental health of Nakoshi and his compulsive lying.
In Volume 10, we finish with the investigation into Ito's homunculus and uncover secrets buried deep in his past. Now, we move onto Nakoshi's past to see what's hidden there.
In Volume 10, we finish with the investigation into Ito's homunculus and uncover secrets buried deep in his past. Now, we move onto Nakoshi's past to see what's hidden there.
September 17, 2023
"No one is looking at your split-ends and no one is looking down at you.
Face them. Our eyes are the only thing that connects us to the outside world. You should never look away.
Are you talking to yourself?
Aren't you the one who always
tries to avoid other people's eyes?"
I love this volume the most.
Manabu's emotional release on the acceptance of his past and Nakoshi's emotional crumbling after his self-reflection is peak Homunculus.
Face them. Our eyes are the only thing that connects us to the outside world. You should never look away.
Are you talking to yourself?
Aren't you the one who always
tries to avoid other people's eyes?"
I love this volume the most.
Manabu's emotional release on the acceptance of his past and Nakoshi's emotional crumbling after his self-reflection is peak Homunculus.
December 24, 2025
volume mais interessante
De todos, até o momento, este foi o mais interessante.
Neste volume, é abordado o passado esquecido de Manabu, além de sua relação conflituosa com o pai.
Sem comentar o lapso de memória do nosso anti-herói, que, a meu ver, demonstra que ele vivenciou ou provocou algo muito grave no passado.
Agora, restam mais cinco volumes para explicar e entender melhor essa história tão confusa!
De todos, até o momento, este foi o mais interessante.
Neste volume, é abordado o passado esquecido de Manabu, além de sua relação conflituosa com o pai.
Sem comentar o lapso de memória do nosso anti-herói, que, a meu ver, demonstra que ele vivenciou ou provocou algo muito grave no passado.
Agora, restam mais cinco volumes para explicar e entender melhor essa história tão confusa!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 13, 2024
creo que es el capítulo más triste hasta ahora. justo cuando crees que lo estás empezando a pillar todo y que sabes qué va a pasar la historia se vuelca como una poltxi y te revienta todos los esquemas. sólo quiero seguir para ver cómo acaba porque me intriga de cojones. un abrazo a Ito por el palazo y otro a Nakoshi porque encuentre su verdadero yo.
September 15, 2025
THISSSSS IS THE GOOD SHIT. he is truly trying to do some good and he has so many demons he is trying to face on his own, but helping out piercings man (woman) and how they have been projecting thier own insecurities onto our main guy. like yes the dude who cant fucking remember his own face due to surgery has hiw own problems BUT its so nice to see ito find thier own way. this shit was PEAK
September 27, 2025
Entonces, al parecer Ito sí tiene daddy issues, y desde pequeño ha estado reprimido, ocultando su identidad. Por otro lado, nakoshi trata de recordar la identidad que cambió y hasta ahora se da cuenta de que olvidó.
Todo empieza a tener un poco más de sentido y al fin la trama avanza progresivamente, en vez de ser pedazos raros de historias
Todo empieza a tener un poco más de sentido y al fin la trama avanza progresivamente, en vez de ser pedazos raros de historias
February 10, 2022
Terungkapnya fakta besar Manabu pada jilid ini memang suatu hal yg besar. Namun volume 10 ini tidaklah begitu baik bagi sy, mengingat seberapa jauh semuanya ada dalam pengembangan cerita, rasanya seperti mundur dua langkah dan datar di nomor ini :')
March 14, 2025
Me explotó la cabeza
Creo que tuvo el final perfecto. Un manga raro, reflexivo, al borde de lo absurdo, con un poco de todo... me encantó
Un perfecto protagonista, el cual no es bueno... pero es malo?
Creo que tuvo el final perfecto. Un manga raro, reflexivo, al borde de lo absurdo, con un poco de todo... me encantó
Un perfecto protagonista, el cual no es bueno... pero es malo?
January 18, 2018
this one went from extreme confusion to absolutely stunning.
August 14, 2019
The themes are cool but there's still a lack of depth in Yamamoto's works and the writing is nothing special. Let's see where it goes.
August 23, 2021
That was a good character development
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews