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My Name Is Shingo: The Perfect Edition #1
My Name Is Shingo: The Perfect Edition, Vol. 1
When an industrial robot named Monroe begins to work at his father’s factory, Satoru is fascinated. As he and his friend Marin spend more time with Monroe, they start to suspect there’s much more to the being than anyone else realizes. But neither children nor adults are prepared for Monroe’s violent awakening into consciousness.
304 pages, Hardcover
Published February 27, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
June 1, 2024
"That mechanical bastard! I don’t like it! Gaah!"
We know how I feel about robots and the future, so we’ll just skip over that.
This was a weird f**king story with the most bizarre characters. One series that I’ll probably continue because it’s so strange.
We know how I feel about robots and the future, so we’ll just skip over that.
This was a weird f**king story with the most bizarre characters. One series that I’ll probably continue because it’s so strange.
June 9, 2024
Before reading this book, I wouldn't have said that a slow-burn Kazuo Umezz title existed, but here we are. Unlike previous releases of his work, My Name is Shingo is a work of creeping horror, rooted in early 80s fears of a robot revolution. Many little details are spot-on, such as the way Satoru and Marin are instantly able to connect with the technology better than the adults, and the conceit of having it narrated by "Monroe" the robot is indicative of later, darker developments to come. But it requires some real patience to get to where this is going - though I suspect the payoff will be worth it.
March 5, 2024
My Name is Shingo shifts from Kazuo Umezu's typical horror fare to instead tell a more sci-fi heavy story. Like his other major works though, My Name is Shingo does rely on a child protagonist to invoke a sense of wonder and innocence. Our main character here is a young boy named Satoru who learns that the local factory his father works at will soon be introducing a robot named "Monroe" to handle various labor tasks. Monroe quickly becomes a bit of a local celebrity, though no one is nearly as eager to learn about Monroe's capabilities than Satoru himself. During a tour of the factory, Satoru befriends a girl named Marin who is visiting from another class. The pair begin to bond over their shared curiosity of Monroe, who in turn seems to be growing more independent and self-sufficient. The horror elements, while minimized compared to Umezu's other comics, can still be felt here albeit much more subtly. Monroe is a bit of an ominous entity casting a shadow over Satoru's more light-hearted antics.
What was a bit disappointing here though was the lack of tension that Umezu typically delivers in heaps. There are moments in My Name is Shingo that seem like its leading to something, only to have the payoff more muted than expected. There's a lot of table setting and world-building going on, though it seems like the fruition of these various plot threads won't be realized until the next volume. All else considered, this ends up reading like a pretty standard sci-fi romp with minimal character development and no real subversion going on. This isn't a strong opening chapter by any means, though there is still plenty to enjoy in Umezu's striking black-and-white compositions and generally interesting enough premise to keep me interested enough for the next volume.
What was a bit disappointing here though was the lack of tension that Umezu typically delivers in heaps. There are moments in My Name is Shingo that seem like its leading to something, only to have the payoff more muted than expected. There's a lot of table setting and world-building going on, though it seems like the fruition of these various plot threads won't be realized until the next volume. All else considered, this ends up reading like a pretty standard sci-fi romp with minimal character development and no real subversion going on. This isn't a strong opening chapter by any means, though there is still plenty to enjoy in Umezu's striking black-and-white compositions and generally interesting enough premise to keep me interested enough for the next volume.
December 24, 2024
2.75
This first volume was weird, and oddly funny at times in an absurd way, but even though the boy and robot pairing always has a lot of potential, the story so far didn't actually succeed in grabbing my interest.
It actually felt quite childish, and not very purposeful so far, so I'm not even sure I will continue reading this series...
I guess you have to give that to Umezz at least: always the weird one, but not odd enough this time...
This first volume was weird, and oddly funny at times in an absurd way, but even though the boy and robot pairing always has a lot of potential, the story so far didn't actually succeed in grabbing my interest.
It actually felt quite childish, and not very purposeful so far, so I'm not even sure I will continue reading this series...
I guess you have to give that to Umezz at least: always the weird one, but not odd enough this time...
September 10, 2024
This made me laugh a few times. I wish my library had the 2nd volume.
dnf
January 8, 2024I was really excited about this, as I love Junji Ito and Kazuo Umezz was an inspiration to him, but the story was really hard to get through. I did not enjoy it and could not finish the whole thing. That being said, the art work and style (minus how the characters looked like very early cartoon drawings) was amazing. The amount of detail put into each panel, especially the colored ones, was incredible. The art alone is easily 4.5 stars. The story is 2 stars, so I'll average that out to three stars overall.
April 17, 2024
A fast but dull read with dated 'charming' character tropes, likely leading up to something but, 296 pages later, not inspiring me to want to find out: Satoru is an immature, obnoxious middle school kid (giving big severe-untreated-ADHD vibes) who gets excited when he finds out his dad's factory is getting a robot (he expects, like, a Transformers/Gundam-type robot, but it's an assembly-line arm). The adults quickly fall out of love with their new toy - hard for them to understand and posing a threat to their jobs - but Satoru takes to reading his dad's manuals and sneaking in to play with its programming. Not much happens in this volume except for Satoru being a nuisance and his overgrown toddler of a dad (man, I feel sorry for his mom!) slacking or skipping out on work.
And also taking his kid out drinking with him. As...one does...?
There's also an obligatory 2-dimensional cute girl that Satoru gets smitten with and smuggles into the factory with him to tinker with the robot, but she's more of a prop than a character herself.
Actually, every character is 2-dimensional.
Not my cup of tea, and not giving nearly enough creepy-vibe for something hyped as a horror classic. I doubt I'll look up the second volume.
And also taking his kid out drinking with him. As...one does...?
There's also an obligatory 2-dimensional cute girl that Satoru gets smitten with and smuggles into the factory with him to tinker with the robot, but she's more of a prop than a character herself.
Actually, every character is 2-dimensional.
Not my cup of tea, and not giving nearly enough creepy-vibe for something hyped as a horror classic. I doubt I'll look up the second volume.
October 8, 2025
It is 1982, and Satoru Kondo is in his last year of elementary school. He’s a boisterous boy, loud and excitable. Some of his classmates are already succumbing to heterosexual amatonormativity, but Satoru hasn’t quite reached that stage yet. His father works at a motor factory; it’s not a prestigious job that requires smarts or a fancy education, but it’s good, honest work that pays enough to live on and builds muscle. Satoru’s mother is a housewife who is probably grateful to only have one kid, as Satoru is a bit much.
One day, the owners of the factory purchase two industrial robots that the workers name Monroe and Leigh after American movie stars. Industrial robots on this scale are still an emerging technology, so the workers greet their new tools with a mixture of excitement and skepticism. When he’s informed of this development, Satoru’s reaction is pure excitement (though his ideas of what a robot is are heavily influenced by mecha anime.)
Satoru is thrilled to learn his class will be taking a field trip to the factory to see the industrial robots. While the reality shatters some of his childish delusions about robotics, it sparks a new interest in actual robotics. At the end of the field trip, another class comes in, and Satoru meets and imprints on a pretty girl named Marin.
Their puppy love is very mixed with Satoru’s fascination with Monroe, and he learns how to program the machine, imprinting it with “memories” of both himself and Marin.
All is not well, however. Now that the robots have become fully functional, several of the factory workers have become redundant, quitting or being pushed out. Especially disgruntled is an older worker named Maruoni, who becomes a scrap dealer. Satoru’s father is promoted to supervise Monroe, but it’s not going great because he has trouble figuring out the complex instructions.
This children’s manga is different from the other Umezz series I’ve reviewed. Instead of horror, we’re in the science fiction realm here, one long tale about a robot gaining self-awareness. It’s very slow burn on that front, though. This first volume is more of a coming of age story for Satoru, with the only hints of what’s to come being that the future Shingo is the narrator.
As such, the story is mostly about Satoru’s engaging in youthful shenanigans and his family life. So far, we don’t even have a grip on who Marin is when she’s not being dragged into something by Satoru.
So until the science fiction part kicks in, the main draw is the art. Kazuo Umezz and his assistants do an excellent job of providing detailed drawings of machines and circuitry.
There’s also a somewhat nuanced look at the workers displaced by the new technology and their struggles to adapt to this reality.
The Japanese title is “Watashi wa Shingo“, which tells us a bit about Shingo. “Watashi” is a gender-neutral personal pronoun, a default polite way of saying “I.” This gives us a hint of what Shingo’s personality will be, once it appears.
Content note: Shingo teases girls and pulls one’s hair. Alcohol abuse, vomit. Spoilers say that future volumes will get a lot darker. This was for kids in Japan, but…
If this were an American movie, the robot would be on the poster and in all the trailers, then audiences would have to wait through thirty minutes of cute kids and family drama before the part they came to see begins.
Again, excellent art and we can tell the story is going somewhere interesting eventually, but it’s taking its own sweet time to get there. Maybe check out the next volume first, see if you like it once the main plot starts, and then come back if you want to see the buildup.
One day, the owners of the factory purchase two industrial robots that the workers name Monroe and Leigh after American movie stars. Industrial robots on this scale are still an emerging technology, so the workers greet their new tools with a mixture of excitement and skepticism. When he’s informed of this development, Satoru’s reaction is pure excitement (though his ideas of what a robot is are heavily influenced by mecha anime.)
Satoru is thrilled to learn his class will be taking a field trip to the factory to see the industrial robots. While the reality shatters some of his childish delusions about robotics, it sparks a new interest in actual robotics. At the end of the field trip, another class comes in, and Satoru meets and imprints on a pretty girl named Marin.
Their puppy love is very mixed with Satoru’s fascination with Monroe, and he learns how to program the machine, imprinting it with “memories” of both himself and Marin.
All is not well, however. Now that the robots have become fully functional, several of the factory workers have become redundant, quitting or being pushed out. Especially disgruntled is an older worker named Maruoni, who becomes a scrap dealer. Satoru’s father is promoted to supervise Monroe, but it’s not going great because he has trouble figuring out the complex instructions.
This children’s manga is different from the other Umezz series I’ve reviewed. Instead of horror, we’re in the science fiction realm here, one long tale about a robot gaining self-awareness. It’s very slow burn on that front, though. This first volume is more of a coming of age story for Satoru, with the only hints of what’s to come being that the future Shingo is the narrator.
As such, the story is mostly about Satoru’s engaging in youthful shenanigans and his family life. So far, we don’t even have a grip on who Marin is when she’s not being dragged into something by Satoru.
So until the science fiction part kicks in, the main draw is the art. Kazuo Umezz and his assistants do an excellent job of providing detailed drawings of machines and circuitry.
There’s also a somewhat nuanced look at the workers displaced by the new technology and their struggles to adapt to this reality.
The Japanese title is “Watashi wa Shingo“, which tells us a bit about Shingo. “Watashi” is a gender-neutral personal pronoun, a default polite way of saying “I.” This gives us a hint of what Shingo’s personality will be, once it appears.
Content note: Shingo teases girls and pulls one’s hair. Alcohol abuse, vomit. Spoilers say that future volumes will get a lot darker. This was for kids in Japan, but…
If this were an American movie, the robot would be on the poster and in all the trailers, then audiences would have to wait through thirty minutes of cute kids and family drama before the part they came to see begins.
Again, excellent art and we can tell the story is going somewhere interesting eventually, but it’s taking its own sweet time to get there. Maybe check out the next volume first, see if you like it once the main plot starts, and then come back if you want to see the buildup.
June 7, 2024
Ooh, I love a dark and eerie Kazuo Umezz story—he never disappoints.
In this one, we’ve got some creepy and unsettling technology, complicated and twisted interpersonal relationships, and a rather dour and dreadful backdrop. This whole story has an oppressive, dark aura to it—like there’s this slow, encroaching threat just beyond the pages of this book. And, there is—this story is set in the 80’s and focuses on robots gaining a sentience that contemporary readers would certainly agree is reminiscent of AI.
It’s interesting that this story is being republished now when AI—and our hopes for and fears of it— is such a buzzword. Reading this story now, it’s impossible not to feel dread or a deep sense of foreboding.
This story depicts so many instances of the new replacing the old—in employment, in friendships and relationships, and in consumption of goods. It very much adds to the tension readers feel about the robots—and the inevitably of them replacing us.
Very skillfully done!
Though deceivingly simple, this is such a compelling and thoughtful story that feels a bit ahead of its time. I’m so surprised by how well it holds up 15 years after its initial publication. Definitely recommend for any horror manga fans who haven’t had a chance to read this story yet~
In this one, we’ve got some creepy and unsettling technology, complicated and twisted interpersonal relationships, and a rather dour and dreadful backdrop. This whole story has an oppressive, dark aura to it—like there’s this slow, encroaching threat just beyond the pages of this book. And, there is—this story is set in the 80’s and focuses on robots gaining a sentience that contemporary readers would certainly agree is reminiscent of AI.
It’s interesting that this story is being republished now when AI—and our hopes for and fears of it— is such a buzzword. Reading this story now, it’s impossible not to feel dread or a deep sense of foreboding.
This story depicts so many instances of the new replacing the old—in employment, in friendships and relationships, and in consumption of goods. It very much adds to the tension readers feel about the robots—and the inevitably of them replacing us.
Very skillfully done!
Though deceivingly simple, this is such a compelling and thoughtful story that feels a bit ahead of its time. I’m so surprised by how well it holds up 15 years after its initial publication. Definitely recommend for any horror manga fans who haven’t had a chance to read this story yet~
June 13, 2025
3.5/5 stars — the dad is the best character.. i would easily read a series just about him and his misadventures in streaking and taking his kid to bars!
May 27, 2024
This just wasn’t for me. I wasn’t taken by the art style, the characters were shallow and annoyed me, and the story went next to nowhere.
June 21, 2025
3.5
A pretty good start, doesn’t feel very scary or weird at the moment, but knowing his work is know it will get juicier.
A pretty good start, doesn’t feel very scary or weird at the moment, but knowing his work is know it will get juicier.
March 16, 2024
This is an amazing weird kid's fiction take on technology, so far. I hope this stays this impressive. Oddly reminiscent of the old movie Curse of the Cat People in that much of the horror, so to speak, is derived from a creator drawing you into a child's understanding of the world. Suspenseful, in a strongly attenuated manner, but not really "horror" like the other works of Umezz available in translation.
February 24, 2024
Umezz's art is so Showa-retro that it looks contemporary, if that makes any sense. He is a master of the art of showing, not telling, so while My Name Is Shingo is not the most dialogue-heavy manga I've read, the art definitely does a lot of heavy lifting for the world building. While the main robot in the story is supposedly just a programmable robot, Umezz implies sentience---something that I'm sure will come into play in the next volume. (I received a free ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.)
June 15, 2024
very very cute!!!
the illustration style of this is to dieeeeee for. truly the most visually appealing manga i've read. that being said, it did feel lacking in storyline and especially character depth. i'm hoping the plot picks up in the second vol., as the promise of the premise is there, it's just the execution that needs fine tuning.
at times i was unsure if the dialogue was being ironic and tongue-in-cheek or if the characters were actually that underdeveloped. we shall see in the coming volumes.
marin is my favorite tho. she is me and i am her. a cutie patootie.
the illustration style of this is to dieeeeee for. truly the most visually appealing manga i've read. that being said, it did feel lacking in storyline and especially character depth. i'm hoping the plot picks up in the second vol., as the promise of the premise is there, it's just the execution that needs fine tuning.
at times i was unsure if the dialogue was being ironic and tongue-in-cheek or if the characters were actually that underdeveloped. we shall see in the coming volumes.
marin is my favorite tho. she is me and i am her. a cutie patootie.
March 30, 2025
This like a techno cosmic space horror? Weirdly unsettling and weirdly gripping.
I think this only works for me because I've read some of Umezz's other stuff, you really have to have suspend your disbelief and have a high cheese tolerance (I mean, all comics from the 70s are kind of like this).
Honestly so completely different from Orochi and Drifting Classroom I'm impressed by that alone.
I think this only works for me because I've read some of Umezz's other stuff, you really have to have suspend your disbelief and have a high cheese tolerance (I mean, all comics from the 70s are kind of like this).
Honestly so completely different from Orochi and Drifting Classroom I'm impressed by that alone.
January 26, 2024
My Name is Shingo tells the story of a young boy named Satoru who discovers his father’s factory has a new robot called Monroe. The story develops as Satoru becomes friends with a girl named Marin during a factory tour. Marin and Satoru spend time together and with Monore. No one is quite prepared for what follows.
I quite liked the art in the book. Each hand-drawn panel has incredible detail. There is beautiful color artwork in one part of the manga, which is truly spectacular.
Unfortunately, a few things stopped this from being a book I could enjoy. I don’t think this manga has aged particularly well since the 80s, though some of my issues may just be cultural differences. Regardless, some things in the book bothered me and nearly stopped me from reading. I am interested in seeing where the story goes, so I will probably continue this series for at least one more volume!
While this wasn’t my favorite manga, I can understand why this is considered a classic. If you enjoy retro manga, My Name is Shingo: The Perfect Edition, Vol. 1 is worth a read.
Thanks to Viz Media for providing me with an advanced review copy.
I quite liked the art in the book. Each hand-drawn panel has incredible detail. There is beautiful color artwork in one part of the manga, which is truly spectacular.
Unfortunately, a few things stopped this from being a book I could enjoy. I don’t think this manga has aged particularly well since the 80s, though some of my issues may just be cultural differences. Regardless, some things in the book bothered me and nearly stopped me from reading. I am interested in seeing where the story goes, so I will probably continue this series for at least one more volume!
While this wasn’t my favorite manga, I can understand why this is considered a classic. If you enjoy retro manga, My Name is Shingo: The Perfect Edition, Vol. 1 is worth a read.
Thanks to Viz Media for providing me with an advanced review copy.
October 10, 2025
The build quality of the book is phenomenal. The glossy design over a matte finish with florescent colors really capture the age of the story with the prospect of the future that the content centers around. I truly enjoyed reading this book more because the build quality is so great. The $35 price tag is easier to stomach on that basis.
The story itself hooked me quickly. I went into it completely blind and I highly recommend that is how everyone goes into this one. I can't wait to get started on the next volume because of it. One of the best beginings to a manga of this genre I've ever read.
The story itself hooked me quickly. I went into it completely blind and I highly recommend that is how everyone goes into this one. I can't wait to get started on the next volume because of it. One of the best beginings to a manga of this genre I've ever read.
October 17, 2024
Thank you NetGalley and Viz Media for this arc!
5/5 stars
Wow I'm really enjoying this newly translated manga!! Having just read Cat Eyed Boy by Kazuo Umezz as well, I can confidently say that I am a big fan of not only his art style but his storytelling and humour as well. Here we meet Satoru and his friend Marin as they meet and educate a robot named Monroe. This really captures what it's like to be innocent and have just a passion and drive for something so new. I really really liked this, and am very much excited to read the rest of the series!
5/5 stars
Wow I'm really enjoying this newly translated manga!! Having just read Cat Eyed Boy by Kazuo Umezz as well, I can confidently say that I am a big fan of not only his art style but his storytelling and humour as well. Here we meet Satoru and his friend Marin as they meet and educate a robot named Monroe. This really captures what it's like to be innocent and have just a passion and drive for something so new. I really really liked this, and am very much excited to read the rest of the series!
March 11, 2024
This was such an odd book. It's a quick read for being over 300 pages but I feel like I didn't read anything. There were a few times when I thought that something was going to happen and then it just kind of skipped over it and nothing happened. Since this is labeled as horror, I thought it would be, well more horrific. It was honestly a little bit boring. The artwork is amazing though and the only thing that kept is slightly interesting.
January 13, 2025
Sometimes - OK, maybe often - a book will arrive on hold for me and I will have no memory of why I requested it. A coworker's suggestion? Read a review? On a "best of" list somewhere? I don't know. I suspect this was on some sort of list but I don't remember which one.
All of that to say, this was a curious read! I really liked the art and am intrigued as to where the story goes but also not sure if I want to continue. I will ponder it!
All of that to say, this was a curious read! I really liked the art and am intrigued as to where the story goes but also not sure if I want to continue. I will ponder it!
May 17, 2024
The classic style of Kazuo Umezz. It's a weird flip-flop between the narration of a machine and the events that are taking place before some nebulous catastrophe. It's... a little difficult to follow in some places but it's a fairly straightforward story of a young troublemaker and a robot he learns to program.
Curious to see how the story plays out.
This series has 6 volumes.
Curious to see how the story plays out.
This series has 6 volumes.
June 14, 2024
Livro de ficção científica que como todas as grandes obras acaba poŕ ser uma crítica à sociedade (de ontem e de hoje) e mostrando a pobreza que muitos têm de viver. Ao mesmo tempo vê-se a importancia (ou talvez não) das máquinas no dia a dia. Em suspense para saber o que vai acontecer agora ao jovem satorou e tudo o que gira a sua volta
April 24, 2024
A lot of absolutely gorgeous pages and a lot of heart easily propel one above the somewhat idiosyncratic pacing and the little-bit dated scifi concepts. This looks like a big story with lots of small crannies, and I can't wait to go through the rest of it.
June 1, 2024
Quick read that held my attention pretty well, was hoping for more to happen in this volume but as of yet the robot's "violent awakening into consciousness" hasn't begun.
Not sure if I really am invested enough to seek out the other volumes.
Not sure if I really am invested enough to seek out the other volumes.
August 7, 2024
A slow unsettling build with a strong first half. I also realized there are 2 other books after seeing that this story is to be continued at the end of the first book. I really enjoyed the illustrations and the story itself was better than some of Junji Ito's stories 3.75/5⭐️
February 28, 2024
New Kazuo dropped, and it’s just all right. 🤷🏻♀️
Mostly a set-up for things to come.
Mostly a set-up for things to come.
April 7, 2024
A great portrayal of human kind underestimating robots and AI.
The illustrations were a pleasure to the eye. This manga is as a pleasure to read.
Not to mentions it’s outer cover design. Wonderful!
The illustrations were a pleasure to the eye. This manga is as a pleasure to read.
Not to mentions it’s outer cover design. Wonderful!
May 9, 2024
It has potential to be a good story, however this volume didn’t really provide too much.
May 24, 2024
(DNF)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews