Homunculus (Omnibus) Vol. 9-10

Homunculus Omnibus #5

by Hideo Yamamoto

The homunculi have all vanished! All but one--a mysterious woman whose face shifts constantly, and who won't leave Nakoshi alone. In a desperate attempt to uncover his truth and hers, Nakoshi bites the bullet and performs trepanation on himself. Will he survive the procedure and find the answers he's so desperately seeking? From the creator of Ichi the Killer and Voyeur, the hit supernatural horror tale that inspired a live-action film on Netflix.

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

712 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 2, 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

[Lily · Rating 5 out of 5]

This manga has left me highly stunned, my mouth fell open more than once reading through the 15 volumes. Plenty of panels that are absolutely amazing, not only for the art itself which improved a lot since chapter 1 till the chapter 55, but for all the information, descriptions, complexity of characters and trauma representations.

Reading Nakoshi’s journey of discovering the meaning of life and what makes us human beings was mind blowing. At first I thought this would be the story of an individual who lost the connection with his life, recovering it through helping others with their own, but it wasn’t like that at all.

Nakoshi wasn’t an external element in other people’s life, it was his life, his story, his life experiences resolution through a big related chain to other people’s experiences. The Homunculus of these people were the only way Nakoshi had to face his decisions, his actions and opinions, and recover what he had lost.

I really thought Nakoshi would reach in the end the answers he was constantly searching and later on, the fulfillment of his desires about being an individual who wasn’t invisible for the people around him, after the awakening of his 6th sense. But even If he did in fact realized the true value of the interior and people’s heart, and specifically his, unfortunately his original inner desire became an unhealthy obsession for wanting what others received, and becoming what others wanted.

We could blame it on his low self-esteem since young and his insecurities not only for his looks but for his interior’s value. This leaded to him leaving behind everything related to his old life to start a new one: his appearance, his love, his family, his personality, and insecurities. As someone who was never capable of value others, nor seeing their true interiors and hearts, because he couldn’t see it in himself neither.

Nakoshi was a human being in the whole extension, able to feel regret and sorrow for others at the same time that being selfish and self centered, angered and bitter. He got his end, this time not looking for himself but someone else, desperation and madness converged in his mind, leaving nothing to rescue for him despite everything he achieved.

An ending charged with such realism that left me with a bitter taste for being accustomed to happy endings, but the end of the road was always clear since the beginning even when you as the reader, went through the story with him.

I would highly recommend reading this manga, even though I don’t think it’s for everyone.

[Krystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goddamn this series was wild.

Things definitely heat up in this final volume, and the conclusion is perfect.

The artwork is amazing - some brilliantly creepy, full page shots of crazy.

Really enjoyed this series! Super messed up, but that's what makes it SO GOOD.

[Kyle Coates · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a manga with a lot to say, and it's incredibly nuanced about how it tells it. I imagine there are lots of interpretations as to what everything Nakoshi sees truly means, but I see him seeing himself as the idea that we can only solve our problems by looking inward, to ourselves. Face the past to embrace the future. Nakoshi seems to be pursuing an impossible ideal of having others see him as he sees himself, the real him, but we can't control how others see us. That's why it starts and ends with you, what you can control.

[Anilea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even after the repulsiveness I felt in my second review, I couldn’t stop reading it. Surprisingly, it paid off.

The manga isn’t meant to
Be read as a dark spiraling journey into salvation; quite the opposite; it’s journey that leads to further spiraling abyss until it finally stops with the realization:

The protagonist is the embodiment of “Hamartia”. He is meant to err through his journey with no hope of self salvation no matter how marginally he’s able to solve others’ tragedies.

The ending is as raw and grime as the premises of the story and it doesn’t disappoint.

I believe I’ll re-reading for the years to come.

Ps:

Pretty Itoh, my Princess, you never wanted it to end so, but at least you tired.

[Svetlana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great finally. 4.5 ⭐️

[LordTBR · Rating 5 out of 5]

For several volumes, I kept asking myself what I actually found in this series to be to “my liking”. It’s completely different from any manga I’ve read, yet like a car accident, I couldn’t look away. The deeper I dove, the more entranced I became.
This series is an absolute masterpiece.

[❄️BooksofRadiance❄️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story should’ve ended at volume 8.
These last two felt like an extended edition.
Still loved it though.

[Esar ايثار · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[aime · Rating 5 out of 5]

although i went through countless insisting appointments of lobotomy, the ending still left me a non-accumulative shock. my mind went taunting around me.

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Textbook clinical case of WHAT THE FUCK. Apparently the moral of the story is love yourself, but not literally, cause holy shit.

[Jay · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series tried so hard to be meaningful. The sad fact is it's just a story about some crazy people. Might have been a good story if it wasn't dragged out for entirely too long. This volume is the best simply because it is the end of the story as a whole and confirms suspicions you've had since earlier volumes. It's not worth the read when there's so many more stories out there.

[Requisody · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars to put Nakoshi in the looney bin ‘cause he needs it, for real 🧠🪛🤖

[Paige Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.8 Still something to think about. The homeless wisdom comes across too heavy handed to fit w/ all the themes about third eyes, keeping your feet on the ground, and forebodding smells. The stuff w/ the dr is clearer up about his fam and cross dressing though. It's cute and funny when they bond.

I don't get why all the reviews for half a dozen issues have said he lost the ability to see homonucli. Not in any of my copies until now. (so apparently some of these really cover 3 issues at a time, not 2 depending on the book) Now I think the weird voice was him wanting to sound like the homeless he didn't all the way meld w/ yet.

Some cool imagery w/ the self surgery, though he doesn't look like himself anymore and I don't know if there'd really be so much blood if the cut is supposed to be so shallow and small. Not much talking now. I guess his dreams are like teleporting him? Timeline is now confusing vs concepts. I miss sitting down w/ the dr and psychoanalyzing people.

[Nicholas Dehler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This final book had some definite highlights. The whole part with the cook, the epilogue, Nakoshi’s full dive into insanity. I really liked his vibe greeting everyone like his buddies in the last act. The whole nanako arc I didn’t love- I felt like it was a lot of yapping about repetitive nonsense, although I did like the scene with the yakuza in the snow and was effectively horrified at what came next. Hated the scenes after the surgery lmao and then Nakoshi just dipped out in the end anyways lol. Overall I feel that the series had some insane lows mainly regarding horrendous content matter and occasionally losing its way, but the highs were much more frequent and were really excellent to read. The philosophy in the manga is really interesting and the art is exceptional

[diddybludbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. idek where to start but, everyone is on a journey to find themselves in life. Nakoshi is a extremely narcissistic and selfish person, who forced people to go through personal growth, some people he actually helped and some he completely destroyed. All of this because of his desire to feel seen. Homunculus asks the reader many questions about how we perceive others, how we perceive ourselves and how we can fit this into todays society. Homunculus in short is about life and the journey we go through, life can be extremely beautiful but at the same time horrifying and disgusting.

[Lewis Bamford · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a way to end a series.
I really thought this volume was homunculus at its core weird, trippy, confusing and vile all at the same time I really did like this series it really left me guessing and thinking about what had happened and really did feel intense this volume especially each page left me wondering what I was reading and how this was going to explain anything and then by the end it was clear it was about a man who was mentally unstable and needed help however never knew how to ask and built up layers of lies and habits which in the end destroyed him.

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

The hardest person to look at is yourself - so the realization that this is all this sort of Solipsism hallucination makes the ending sad, scary and honestly as real as it could be. The death and pain caused by money and lies, the worthlessness of worldly goods, the easy pleasures, this manga made me really think more than any novels I’ve read in a while. An amazing, if gross, series.

If you like manga you should read this.

[Kimi Meredith · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m sorry but….. WHAT. THE. FUCK.
Sooooooo in the end after ALL that…. He was just fucking crazy. And he for sure killed that chick. But then again let’s not even forget he raped an underage girl. I am giving this two stars ONLY for the art. This story can suck a foot. Time I’ll never get back just wasted 😭 but you live and you learn. I got too deep into the series and needed to see it through. Save yourself the time cause I suffered for us all. lol

[Afnan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Something to make me wash my face all-thoroughly after. Humanity's value is at its biggest test when it's facing shame and pride, a question to when and how you're being vurnerable, the length one should go and stop, what should i face when my face itself is unreliable to give people impressions that i want inside..

[Robert D · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't regret reading this series at all. However, the ending left me feeling disappointed. Without spoilers, I can't say I'm surprised with the ending, but I was hoping for something more substantial. I still recommend this series, just don't expect it to end with all things answered, all plot threads wrapped up. That just doesn't happen here.

[Jonathan Hayes · Rating 4 out of 5]

The series had some weak moments but overall very enjoyable if you are into bizarre/psychological thriller type stories. The artwork was fantastic and extremely stylish as well, and was consistently my favorite part of the series.

[Reyne Derrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

As endings go
It sure was something
I don’t even know how to feel about this series anymore
It did not end where and how I thought it would
Nothing is resolved, nothing is answered, it just ends as strangely as it began
I really don’t know what to say
I’m shocked

[bell josephine · Rating 3 out of 5]

i WANTED SO BADLY to love the ending but it just fell so flat. it seems like it’s trying to be meaningful but it just didn’t hit the way i wanted it to. idk. i’m writing this review in a bathroom, leave me alone.

[Itsmarinada · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nakoshi is a twisted man with twisted visions πιριοντ. Πηρε τοσο καιρο γιατι δεν το εβρισκα πουθενα και απλα θεοσταλτα τωρα ειδα ενα ρεντιτ με λινκ για τα τελευταια τσαπτερ. Πολυ κουλ πολυ οκ απλα νομιζω μπορουσε να παει ενα τσικ παραπανω το στορι

[fartgirl · Rating 5 out of 5]

holy frickin poo bro… several moments had me sick to my stomach yet I couldn’t put this series down. even weeks after completing this series I find myself reflecting over the mc’s decisions and impact on those around him. this is one i’ll absolutely be revisiting in a year or two. wowee :0

[groovyzee · Rating 3 out of 5]

that ending really let me down

[Avery · Rating 3 out of 5]

hated this a tiny bit

[Dan P · Rating 4 out of 5]

Daaaaaamn this series had its highs and lows but what a fuckin ending!

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bizarre and weird. Glad I was able to check this whole series out from the library.

This volume 4 stars
Complete series 3.5 (rounded up for goodreads)

[Bailey Renalds · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5⭐️