Homunculus (Omnibus) Vol. 7-8

Homunculus Omnibus #4

by Hideo Yamamoto

Nakoshi is getting closer to the crux of who he is, and he's starting with his face--the one he used to have. One by one, the lies Nakoshi and Ito have told each other are coming to light. How will Nakoshi react when he finds out that Ito knew about his cosmetic surgery all along?

Genres: Manga, Horror, Seinen, Comics, Graphic Novels Manga

672 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 19, 2024

About the author

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.

Reviews

[Kimi Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume went from zero to sixty REAL quick.
👀👀👀 while none of these characters are likable still I’m still tagging along for the ride. One more volume to go and it’s over. Let’s see where we end up.

[Dan P · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's really gross!! But you can't stop turning the pages. I doubt there's a way this series could have a truly coherent ending at this point but I'll find out next time!

[Bailey Renalds · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5⭐️

[Rick Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first portion of Homunculus that has truly grabbed my attention beyond Hideo Yamamoto's mesmerizingly haunting artwork. In the two chapters collected in this edition, Nakoshi begins to ponder the idea of whether or not the original procedure he went through is working as it should. An encounter with Ito reveals that the procedure was more self-serving on Ito's part and that Nakoshi's visions are placebo induced, though Nakoshi is unconvinced. Believing that he needs to correct the procedure himself, Nakoshi takes to a public restroom to complete the job. It's a harrowing sequence and compounds the horror of the story to another level.

What really works in this volume more than the previous few is just how much more cerebral and psychological the horror is here. Yamamoto has up until this point largely relied on grotesque imagery and some body horror to cultivate the sensation of dread, but here we find the story takes a more psychological thriller type of twist to it. The added tension only compounds the visual aspect more here, making me physically cringe for a few sequences as well. I found this volume much more entertaining and riveting than the previous three, and more invested in Nakoshi's ongoing spiral.

[Reyne Derrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

A move in the right direction, but I feel this series did not go in the direction that I was hoping it would move in. Overall I think I’m going to leave this series disappointed. Which saddens me, because I really thought that first omnibus was fantastic.

[Paige Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The droplets reflected clear w/ the MC's face are especially cool even though it's normally hard to tell what's going on with the small, abstract drawings w/ so much metaphorical action. The questioning can get quite repetitive though I guess it gives me time to understand.

When the MC sees his own homunculus, it looks like when PunPun from Goodnight started getting evil. The slangy "tawlk lik this I done lyke" because it's harder to read than that example and comes out of nowhere.

What kind of lightweights are saying the imagery makes them cringe?? It's shadow people and drag, not gore. Hope we find out in the later volumes why he got plastic surgery, what he looked like before because this whole time I've been thinking the other homeless or bankers seemed like MCs for a panel.

I guess when the dr is in drag, the MC really starts seeing him as the woman he's trying to confront and that's why he acts like a different person, not just in wanting to pass as feminine, but forgetting the conversations that were already overplayed. By the end of the drag date, I assume the dr is talking about themselves and maybe that accent is the MC's father's voice coming through and maybe his mother was demeaning and looked like the drag.

All the burping is a li'l silly but I guess it goes with the bubbles we saw before and gross truths coming out, the masculine in a feminine persona. Yeah, guess so, and everyone is more alike than they think w/ their homunculi. I don't get the stuff w/ the dad. He wanted a son, not a daughter? That's why he doesn't want the dr. to focus on plastic surgery, so they wont change themselves. Can't tell if it was dress up before or they really were a girl because everyone seems too nonchalant at points.

If the MC is trans (doubt), maybe they didn't even have the equipment to rape that "girl" before everyone is so up in arms about, even though it was so metaphorical and hardly human/totally non-consensual. Obv, everything is very confusing.

[Nicholas Dehler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loaded with some of the greatest panels I’ve ever seen, some of the most interesting dialogue I have ever read, and essentially a compelling descent into madness, these volumes of Homunculus were the best so far. This book reads like the calm before a storm, and the storm sneaks up on you. Nakoshi is so calm about what he does that it drills in how cracked he really is. It is super unsettling and fascinating. I really thought the series hit its full stride here artistically, thematically, narratively, basically on all fronts. “What does it mean to be human?” Nakoshi asks in one of the hardest panels of all time. If you dig deep enough, this question is basically the root of the series.

[Jiro Dreams of Suchy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the penultimate omnibus- this story itself is clearly crucial to the finale but as a solo read it didn’t hit as hard as some of the others

The guppy fish tying in with the clothing choices and body dysmorphia is an awesome visual cue- I didn’t get it at first but it really works well.

The self-Trepanation scene is wild- I still wonder how much of this will end up being something like it’s in his mind/hallucination and how much really is happening.
Why is he a cloud?

[Lewis Bamford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Um wow it definitely has its very gross and uncomfortable moments but I just couldn’t help but keep looking and keep reading it’s so good yet so uncomfortable at the same time am really excited for the ending I have been trying my best to understand what is happening and I have a good idea however we shall see.

[Catherine Resta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Artwork beautiful and captivating as always. Volume 7 was relatively uneventful, spending a lot of time focusing on Ito’s struggle with identity. Volume 8 was much better. Nakoshi drilling into his own head was gnarly and genuinely made me uneasy. Nanami is an interesting character and i’m excited to see how both her and Nakoshi’s true identities are resolved in the final two volumes.

[Lloyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5*. This is a bit more like what I wanted to get from this series; it's gorier, emotionally deeper, and ever so slightly creepier than what we had before, while still keeping a good chunk of the oddities and curiosities from earlier. Here's hoping for a strong finish.

[diddybludbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 best volume so far. Nakoshi is close to learning the truth about himself and his ex. The message i got the most from the book is that love is ugly and maybe thats what makes it real and so beautiful, the fakeness of perfection isnt human or real, its fake.

[georgiaotaku · Rating 4 out of 5]

Made me physically cringe. Great volumes.

[Edi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Besides the stellar artwork, the story is finally picking up and it was definitely worth the wait!!

[Brian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nakoshi continues to work on his issues while Ito tells him his visions are a placebo. An interesting character study at this point.

[Avery · Rating 1 out of 5]

the fantastic plot developments do NOT make up for the disgusting imagery

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is quite good.

[SW · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm finally not finding Ito a total creep 😅

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Almost as good as the first omnibus. Gory and disturbing.

[bell josephine · Rating 4 out of 5]

i feel like we’re preparing for a crazy ending. yamamoto, if you don’t blow my pants off, i know where you live

[Kelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

men will literally drill holes in their heads rather than go to therapy

[Esar ايثار · Rating 3 out of 5]

Insane shiz.

[Soteralzobooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.7 (biblio)

[aime · Rating 5 out of 5]

in midst of the lobotomy session, almost saw the light in the end of tunnel !

[Alex Kalinowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

What is a human being?

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

More references to feet than a Quentin Tarantino film.

[Andy]

Now I'm really starting to feel crazy how is this mf not dead?!