Saki Yoshida is a graduating middle school student with little to look forward to in life. Having been shy at the beginning, she wounded up not making a single friend during middle school and wants to change that in high school starting with her looks. Saki might find out that she got more than she bargained for, though, when fate takes a turn for the worse and her newly blooming youth crumbles.
Metamorphosis is one of the most notorious hentai manga out there and for a while, it seems like everyone was talking about it, and for good reason. Henshin, otherwise known as Emergence, is the story of a nerdy young girl’s high school debut going horribly, terribly wrong. The story follows Saki on her messy path to adulthood in a vile, modern society and her journey is oppressively dark.
Saki is a naive young girl that just wants to fit in and finds herself drawn into a world of drugs, sex addiction, and prostitution. Saki’s loss of innocence at the hands of the people around her causes her to lose her identity and she descends gradually to the darkest places imaginable. She falls further and further into a life that she doesn’t want as she loses the support of the people around her. Metamorphosis tackles the tragedy of victims that fall between the cracks.
Now this story is still hentai, so the sex is graphic and extreme. The story requires a certain suspension of belief of the insane scenarios that Saki finds herself one after the other. Literally, every other person in this story is despicable and one abuse after the next is layered on with every interaction that Saki has with others. There is still value to the horrors that Saki experiences because there are pieces that ring true to actual victims of abuse.
I think it’s interesting that the author made note that when choosing the official English title for this manga, Metamorphosis was selected because the author was inspired by Kafka and his existentialist classic, The Metamorphosis. When I thought about it, I could see the similarities. Both pieces feature the downfall of a character and the tragedy of life without empathy. How quickly a person can go from being a regular member of society to becoming a reviled burden of that same society is a common theme.
Do I recommend this manga to anyone? Absolutely not, especially for those that are sensitive to extreme sexual abuse. But did I enjoy it? I did, and I liked that the story asks the reader about the value of empathy, and if those that are suffering and at the lowest of the low are still human.
Sweet baby Jesus this is a messed up manga. This entire story kinda hits close to home with me. I actually know a girl who went through all of the same things that happened to this girl minus the ending of the story. The thing about it was she got hit by a truck and ended up addicted to opioids. When they stopped giving her those, she whored herself out for coke. It was a sad decline for a lady that I saw that use to be beautiful and there was nothing I could do about it.
This story is much like that in the fact that there was a girl who just wanted to be accepted but was too shy. She got into with the wrong crowd and everything literally just goes downhill from there. I also know a ton of women who are with men because they are the only one's that show them "love" and it's crazy that these things happen in real life. But this manga is almost like watching someone I know do the exact same things. I can't count how many of my friends have died due to drugs (being shot, accidentally killing someone, killing themselves because they accidentally killed someone (two incidents are not related). Being beat by their boyfriends, forced to get abortions by their "boyfriends" and the such. This manga parallels all the f'd up parts of life that I grew up seeing pretty well.
As much as I hate to say it, this was a depressing read that took me back to my childhood in a way that I had forgotten, and like I said before, even though this is supposed to be fiction, I can almost say that this girl embodied a few of my friends and associates I saw while growing up.
If you want a pretty accurate description of what the wrong side of the tracks is like, then read this. If you want to keep whatever good memories you have. I wholeheartedly suggest you skip this book.
It all began with a girl's desire to put on some makeup and become pretty for her high school.
Phew. How did we get here?
I didn't know this hentai was that famous initially. Famously for being one of the most depressing hentai ever. Gosh, I need some bleach again for my brain.
Let's just start with the obvious, yes, it's porn, it's not written by Kafka, and it's yucky. There's some stuff in here that is quite out there (though one might argue that those elements are actually quite common in hentai, or even in mainstream ecchi anime/manga).
So why did I read it? Oh, you know, for the "plot". Or maybe I just like some kinky stuff and I have heard some shit on the internet saying this is one of the most depressing porn out there. So maybe my interest piqued and I decided to check it out.
Anyways... Here I am. Sad. And more than a little depressed. Because this really is one of the most depressing porn out there. It's not the most disturbing stuff, god knows what other shit people might be into these days. And I have read one other hentai that is recommended along with Metamorphosis as being the most hardcore shit out there (you know which one I am referring to, the one with a box), so yeah, it's not THAT bad... But still, it is up there.
I mean, I am not a stranger to morals or philosophy existing within pornographic material. I have Sade and Bataille to thank for that. Hell, even John Cleland's Fanny Hill can be categorized (if you tried really hard) as female empowerment (though it's still really hard to escape the male gaze in that... thing?). They have used the medium of pornography to espouse their outlooks on the nature of power, of sex and violence, and in Bataille's case, of the relationship between sex, death, and the demented. Metamorphosis is not that.
Instead of claiming to have some sort of core set of values and morals, it is still porn, and as literature in pornography goes, it is, disregarding its status as a subversive piece of pornography, still firmly rooted in its tradition, of inducing and recreating sexual pleasure and ecstasy as its primary goal. I think it is Susan Sontag who once said that in pornography, the ability to reset is key. The female character is gangraped, tortured, mutilated, but with each new sexual episode, encounter or escapade, she is reset, whole, unharmed and ready once more. The males in the stories are as well, never seeming to be spent, always virile, their energy and libido always riding at an extreme high. This creates something of a cyclical, fantasy like quality (or nightmarish), of a fever dream drenched in bodily fluids, with bodies clashing in never ending cycles.
Metamorphosis, problematic as it is, subversive in its depiction of the female character whose downfall and degradation is tragic and maddening at the same time, still indulges in this same fantasy. And it hits all the basic story beats of a piece of pornographic material (especially in hentai). Girl meets boy, is lured into a sexual lifestyle, falls deeper, is seemingly lusted by everyone, and everyone has a shot (*wink wink*) at her, becoming a sex slave, and a slave of her own impulses and passion, end.
But I don't know, there's just a weird sense of empathy towards the female lead by the author that is apparent from the outset. Of course, this is some twisted form of empathy, which doesn't exclude cruelty. In some weird way, it reminds me of Madame Bovary, with both female leads craving for a new life, some kind of change (hence metamorphosis), some excitement, which leads them down dubious paths that can bring them pleasure, and their hedonism will be their downfall. Well, kinda.
Instead of focusing on small-town moralities and it being ultimately a study in virtue, Metamorphosis is solely centered on consequences, as well as the abject influence of circumstance. Saki, the female protagonist, wants to be more outgoing, more popular, more attractive to others. So she went ahead and did that. Ends up getting drugged by a fuck-boy, have sex. She wants to be accepted, and is still a naive high schooler, so she just went with the flow. She wants excitement in her life, so she gets addicted to drugs, which is introduced by her boyfriend. She experienced pain in her home, due to a father who raped her, and a mother, when she found out what happened, ostracized her, so she wants more drugs, is without social support. And on and on it goes, until she realized that her life has gone to shit and she just ODs herself. One link at a time, it all falls into place, and in the end, what she is now is so unlike what she was, that they might have been two persons. But they are the same if the consequences are factored in. This is pornography on a social realist bent, baby!
Of course, one might argue morals are THE study of consequences, but in Metamorphosis' case, there are no explicit morals. Just a blanket statement that might as well have been a slogan printed on T-shirts for a youth community project. "Drugs are bad, abuse is bad." It's not even an opinion, just a fact. It's commendable on the part of the artist though to try and get this message across (least of all a hentai artist), but it's still, at the end of the day, just a hentai, morally dubious and intentionally confounding. Because it still performs the role of pornography, its performative functions still exists, in its depiction of an ideal female form, with its lingering and voyeuristic view of sexual encounters that are explicitly meant to be stimulating and erotic. So it can be quite the icky ride, because while you feel bad for Saki, and you sympathized with her tragic life, one misstep at a time, the pictures, the pages after pages of drawings that are meant to appeal to our primal instincts and are meant to be gratifying, creates a heavy cognitive dissonance. Is it meant to make us feel guilty after the fact, for lusting after the female lead whose story is told sympathetically, while her body is drawn in a demeaning and objectified fashion? Maybe that is the whole point, the author's original intent, to induce this discomfort in readers. After all, it isn't the most memed after hentai for no reason, especially for its notorious ending.
I have always disliked literature that relies upon the lead characters being the most tragic figures imaginable. Take for example, A Little Life, whose description of its main character Jude might as well have been a list of "the most tragic incidents that could have happened to anyone". That's just lazy writing, manipulative and deceitful, relying upon forceful wringing of emotions and sympathy towards the character to generate some sort of relatability and pity. Is Jude tragic? Yes. Do I want to help him if he truly exists? Yes, of course I would want to. But do I like him as a character? No, not because he isn't worth liking, but because his depth is defined by his misfortunes, and no one deserves that.
Thankfully, Metamorphosis is at least not that. Despite my qualms with its nature (which, as pornography, is inherent in its genetic makeup, and cannot be fixed without a total overhaul), I identify with Saki. We just want to be liked by others. We just want to have fun. These desires grow strong enough, and if we are not careful enough, those who thrived by taking advantage of others will sneak in and we will be stolen away, far far away from our blissful ignorance. It truly is a thin tightrope, one slip and it's all gone. Saki just wants something so simple, and she gets nothing. And it's not even her fault (not entirely anyways). I don't know of others who have went down the same path as she did, but I have heard stories of people whoring themselves out because of some shitty boyfriend, I have heard cases of people so desperate to get their fix of drugs that they are willing to do anything, and I have heard of people whose parents abused their children to the point that they are willing to kill themselves, because where else have they to go, when their homes are not the safest place to be. Having all of these tragedies pile up into one big mess onto Saki is not just a convenient plot contrivance, it is also an illustration of a person whose support system went to pieces, leading them down to their eventual downfall.
Metamorphosis is no Madame Bovary, it's no Story of the Eye, or Justine. Hell it's not even Fanny Hill. But at the very least, it's not A Little Life. It is only 240+ pages, not 800+ pages. It's unsubtle, it's messy, it's problematic in that its delivery contradicts wildly with its message. But it tried. And I can get behind that.
Jamás pensé que diría esto, pero allá va reseña de un hentai. En mi afán por experimentar con el arte, me he decidido meter en este mundillo tan particular en busca de una historia que vaya más allá de las tipicidades del género. Llevaba años leyendo y escuchando cómo Metamorphosis era un hentai distinto que empleaba la sexualidad como vía para contar una historia dura capaz de revolver el estómago, pero hasta ahora no me había atrevido a entrar, no por su contenido adulto, sino por escepticismo. Por desgracia, no me he llevado ninguna sorpresa.
No nos andemos con chiquitas, por mucho que este tomo esté cerca de hacerlo. Shindo L trabajó en esta historia tres años y se ve el esfuerzo en el trazo de cada viñeta, porque otra cosa no, pero visualmente es fabulosa. El problema es que el argumento da vueltas sobre una misma idea: que las drogas son malas y el mundo de la prostitución, peor. No es un mensaje que se diga novedoso, y conozco bastantes historias que lo tratan de forma extrema sin resarcirse en las partes más explícitas. El problema es que Shindo L ha primado el género por encima del argumento. Si de verdad hubiese querido tratar los conceptos en profundidad, todas las escenas pornográficas podrían haberse reducido a la mitad para introducirse en la psique progresivamente deteriorada de la protagonista. Las últimas diez páginas son, sin duda, lo mejor del tomo, logrando por fin esta exploración psicológica, pero todo lo que las precede tienden a lo explícito sin imprimir más mensaje que el obvio.
Y de explicitud va la cosa: Metamorphosis es un producto surgido de la male gaze. El autor no parece interesarse por explorar la forma en que la protagonista siente su cuerpo, sino que prefiere tirar por las poses exageradas, la desnudez explícita y los fluidos constantes, todo siempre girando alrededor de un cuerpo canónicamente bello y perfecto. No reflexiona sobre ello, tan solo lanza un caramelo a sus lectores (presumiblemente masculinos) para que disfruten de la sexualización de la mujer. No sé qué degenerado podría disfrutar de muchas escenas (porque una cosa es un fetiche y otra muy distinta gozar del sufrimiento ajeno más extremo), pero el dibujo no deja en ningún momento de reforzar el tipín de la joven. Incluso al final, antes de esas páginas de las que hablaba, se sexualiza un cuerpo que cumple otro tipo de fetiche.
Pero no puedo decir que un manga sobre la prostitución es eminentemente sexual, afirmar que eso es malo e irme de rositas. Shindo L tenía un objetivo claro: mostrar cómo una vida normal puede destruirse por completo a causa de las drogas y trastornos como la ninfomanía (que no adicción al sexo; la ninfomanía es un caso extremo y verdaderamente peligroso). En ese sentido, el viaje de la protagonista está muy bien marcado y el autor logra hacer creíble su descenso a los infiernos. El problema, sin embargo, sigue siendo el mismo: que para mostrar este viaje, va por la vía fácil, esto es, mostrar su miseria directamente, sin entrar apenas en sus pensamientos ni explorar cómo la situación la afecta. Comprendo que algunos momentos, como esos éxtasis provocados por la droga, solo muestren el placer que siente porque está totalmente ida, pero la secciones que conectan una escena de sexo con la siguiente son extremadamente cortas, simples y una visión muy genérica de la situación. Como he dicho, no me molesta la imaginería gráfica porque no puedes mostrar una historia tan cruda desde la distancia; lo que me hace valorar el conjunto como un intento fallido es la dedicación absoluta al hentai.
Lo siento, Shindo L, pero un dibujo magnífico (probablemente lo más incuestionable que diré en toda la reseña) y un paneling de 10 no es capaz de salvar una obra tan confundida desde su raíz. Si la forma va en contra del contenido, da igual lo bonito que se vea; el resultado seguirá siendo intragable. Por eso las últimas páginas funcionan tan bien. Tras tantas, tantísimas escenas de sexo barato y redundante, esa escena que muestra la crudeza (resarciéndose demasiado en ella, para mi gusto) de la realidad de Saki deja con muy mal cuerpo. No solo resulta injusto pero lógico, sino que también muestra efectivamente una vida alternativa que cuadra su mensaje. Esa viñeta con el espejo roto es, quizá, lo mejor que he podido llevarme de una experiencia tan confundida consigo misma.
Si algo he aprendido con este tomo es que, en efecto, los excesos jamás son buenos. No me refiero al mensaje; me refiero a la forma. Si ya antes defendía que contenido y continente debían ir a la par, con Metamorphosis he podido ver cómo no mostrar una historia dura y voluntariamente asquerosa: a través de la explicitud continua. La sutileza es y siempre será la clave para conectar con los personajes.
Este comentario contiene spoilers, continúe bajo su propio riesgo
Metamorfosis es una historia que llegó a mí por recomendación de un vídeo de Youtube y tras ver la reseña de la persona, decidí darle una oportunidad. Es un manga que puede no caerle bien a algunos dado su género (es catalogado Hentai por sus escenas explícitas) pero la historia no tiene desperdicios.
Podemos toparnos con la típica chica que ha vivido resguardada en una burbuja (en este caso provocada por sí misma y su ineptitud social), la cual quiere romper este ciclo de su vida y comenzar de nuevo en esta nueva etapa que se presenta (su avance al bachillerato, instituto o como quieran llamarle), sin embargo, su falta de interacción real con otras personas de su edad, su inocencia y un poco de estupidez la meten en situaciones poco favorables, llevándola a conocer un mundo más allá del que ella esperaba.
Una inesperada iniciación en el sexo y las drogas hacen que la protagonista caiga más y más en un círculo vicioso del cual no saldrá nunca. Para sumar a esto, el querer ser aceptada por las demás chicas la lleva a cometer un error tras otro, así como cuando trata de "proteger" su reputación de sus compañeros de clases, quienes la vieron salir de un hotel con un hombre mayor, no hace más que hundirla un poco más en el fango.
Esta historia es el vivo ejemplo de como alguien puede terminar perdiéndose a sí mismo debido a las malas influencias, los vicios, la falta de amor propio y la creencia de que haciendo todo por un hombre hará que este te quiera más. Al final, y luego de haber vivido infierno y medio, decide poner fin a su tortura, no sin antes dejarnos ver lo dañada que estaba por dentro y por fuera.
The plot was above average, the depiction of drug abuse is intriguing. Nevertheless, it could have been a long series - which would convey more of the Saki's feelings and mental development/ degradation. I find the art overall nice and detailed, including various angles and positions, but not exactly sensually erotic.
This story follows a young girl named Saki who's life gradually descends into a living hell. I found myself become emotionally attached to Saki throughout the events of the story, so the ending was very brutal to me. Some of the events are things that would/could never happen, but some are realistic. As some young girls want to be adults, they will try things like sex and drugs to make them feel more mature. I recommend this to people who want a brutal yet compelling read.
no bcs what the fuck is this, i don’t get how ppl can like this manga??? it’s literally a bunch of rape and a incredibly tragic story about a young girl?? LIKE HELLO WHAT IS WRONG WITH U PPL
Mas que un manga hentai es una pequeña sátira a la sociedad y la forma en la que los padres no tocan temas fuerte o tabúes con sus hijos, como son la sexualidad, drogas, autoestima, abuso sexual y sobre todo respecto así mismo, podemos ver como una chica que estaba casada de su soledad y de haberse excluido de la vida social que todo adolescente vive, busca formas de encajar en un grupo social, olvidándose de valor que tiene ella como persona y debido a que su primera experiencia sexual fue bajo drogas ella tiende asociar este estado de relajación y éxtasis con felicidad y empieza a refugiarse en ellas cuando ve como su vida va cayendo a pedazos, podemos ver también como ella por con tal y hacer feliz a las personas no duda en dejarse humillar y utilizar como si fuera un simple objecto con tal y no perder a estas personas toxicas que solo ayudan a que la chica poco a poco se vaya deteriorando hasta que llega a su desenlace trágico. Un manga que nos muestra la consecuencias de no poder brindarle la ayuda o información necesarias a las mentes mas jóvenes para que eviten cometer errores solo por la presión social o el solo querer encajar en un grupo social. Un buen manga que te deja una reflexión sobre la sociedad, pero como todo hentai cuenta con varias escenas de sexo que puede resultar asquerosa pero la historia hace que el lector no se enfoque en eso. Por eso no debemos juzgar a un manga por su genero ya que pasaríamos por alto grandes obras como esta.
When I read this was called “The Citizen Kane of hentai,” I expected to be disappointed.
Most of the undeserved attention here is due to how unconventional it is within this medium. Uniqueness alone shouldn’t elevate a work of art, but the ideas in here really aren’t that special. I don’t expect most readers to be literati but Marquis de Sade preceded this by centuries.
I’m also annoyed with the author deliberately tying this manga to Kafka’s “Metamorphosis” instead of de Sade’s “Justine,” because Saki has no relationship to Gregor. She is not a victim of society as she puts herself in these situations and does not extract herself from them. This isn’t slut-shaming but the unfortunate truth that porn plots have to lead to coitus in one contrivance or another.
I still believe there are a lot of interesting discussions to be had about this manga, especially the relationship between the reader and the art. I doubt you’ll find it here, where people will praise this hentai simply for evoking sympathy and ruining their libido. For those of you who desire something more philosophical, I encourage you to read Angela Carter’s “The Sadeian Woman and the Ideology of Pornography.”
It’s porn, nonetheless. The illustrations are well done so at least it delivers on that aspect.
sweet baby jesus what the kentucky fresh hell was this. it started with simply a girl wanting to put on some makeup to THAT. fucking hell man. that's some really fucked up shit yeah.
Ngl, the ending made me cry. This whole story is just heartbreak city. It’s been a while since I felt this outright awful reading a story. Thanks Shindo L, you ruined my day. 4/5 stars.
A truly disgusting and disturbing piece of work. The manga’s fan colored version somehow managed to capture the nauseating feelings to each and every one of the scenes even better then white and black scale could.
#mangareview Bình thường thì mọi review sách, truyện của mình đều được post trên goodreads nhưng mà lần này thì khác vì mình cảm thấy rất là right in the feel.
Chuyện là hôm qua ko ngủ được mình lướt FB và tình cờ vớ được bộ này : emergence ,thấy bảo là bộ hentai huyền thoại nên mình cũng tò mò lội đi đọc.
Chuyện kể về một con bé học sinh trung học tên Saki. Nó cũng giống như rất nhiều đứa mọt sách , hướng nội khác nhút nhát và bị tách ra khỏi đám bạn bè. Những đứa như thế thường luôn luôn muốn được hòa nhập , muốn được hữu hình trong mắt người khác. Thế nên nó được mẹ nó cho đi makeover, thay đổi vẻ ngoài. Chuyện bắt đầu rắc rối từ đây.
Chẳng ai dạy nó phải làm gì khi bị một thằng ma cô tán tỉnh khi đi mua báo. Vậy nên nó cứ thế theo thằng ấy vào quán karaoke rồi bị thằng ấy dụ dùng thuốc và dụ chịch. Tệ nhất là nó yêu thằng ấy và nghĩ thằng ấy cũng yêu nó. Chẳng ai bảo nó có những thằng chỉ cần fuckhole thôi.
Rồi nó vì muốn mua cái túi xách cho bằng bạn bằng bè mà đi theo mấy lão già biến thái , đi những bước đầu tiên trên con đường làm gái mà ko hề hay biết.
Mạch truyện bắt đầu trở nên fucked up hơn khi nó bị bố đẻ cưỡng hiếp và bị mẹ đánh đập đuổi đi khi phát hiện ra sự việc. Saki ko còn con đường nào khác ngoài tìm đến thằng bạn trai ma cô và vì trả nợ cho thằng ấy mà chính thức trở thành gái. Một con điếm nghiện ngập . Nó lấy thuốc để chích thay vì lấy tiền đi khách nên bị thằng bạn trai đuổi đi. Nó trở thành con điếm vô gia cư. Sống bẩn thỉu lay lắt như chuột trên phố, nó phát hiện mình có thai. Saki quyết định giữ lại đứa bé , cố gắng sống tốt hơn. Nhưng đời không như là mơ. Nó vẫn phải đi khách và chích thuốc . Nó đã trượt quá dài.
Truyện kết thúc là cảnh Saki ở trong nhà vệ sinh sau khi bị một bọn học sinh cướp hết tiền dành dụm được và đá hư cái thai trong bụng . Đọc đến đoạn này mình cứ Không , không đừng mà , đừng giết đứa bé mà :(. Trong hình là khi nó nhìn vào gương và cố gắng trở lại như mình trước kia , con bé Saki mọt sách , nhưng không được nữa rồi...
Well mình đọc được rất nhiều comment nói bộ này cũng thường thôi , không có gì nặng đô cũng ko feel bằng nhiều bộ khác blah blah. Nhưng có một điều chả thấy ai đề cập đến là nó rất thực và relatable , nghĩa là bạn có thể nhận ra mình ở trong đó. Mình cũng từng là một con bé mọt sách ko biết cách nói chuyện với ai. Và cái làm cho bộ này buồn thảm đáng sợ là mình biết rằng đâu đó ngoài kia có những số phận như con bé Saki , mà thiên hạ sẽ chỉ phẩy tay một cái cùng câu nói muôn thưở "Ngu thì chết tội tình gì đâu". Đáng sợ nhất là sự vô tâm lạnh lẽo của con người.
Tóm lại là khi bạn có bầu và want a quick fap cho dễ ngủ thì hãy chọn thứ gì đó đơn giản thuần hentai thôi, ko phải kiểu come for the fap stay for the feel như này. Hại tim thực sự :(
NSFL, I read this because being painfully curious I had to know what made it infamous. It's unnecessary to read it, I'd recommend just spoiling it for yourself and avoiding. It's not necessarily that "horrific", even though I'm labeling it a horror, but it is grotesque and disgusting at the end. For most of the the book is just a long 'it's not rape if you enjoy it' trope and I didn't really understand the controversy around it, but at the end Overall it should only take you about an hour to read it, so if you're really curious...
A comparación de las novelas graficas eroticas japonesas, Henshin presenta una historia que, hasta cierto punto, se convierte en una critica hacia el mundo de la prostitución, drogadicción, pedofilía. Una historia la cual trabaja la idea central sobre la propia aceptación y los efectos de buscar esta a todo motivo. Un motivo por el cual esta historia obtiene el merito de una ligera critica, está el punto de que esto llego gracias a la mera mano del autor sin siquiera pensar en ello, llevando a nuestra protagonista a espacios tan asquerosos y repugnantes, que quien la acabe solo puede ser por uno de dos motivos, lastima o morbo. Uno de los pocos detalles negativos que le encuentro está que la historia solo aumenta el sufrimiento y como cualquier otra historia erotica, siempre buscara colocar una nueva catastrofe para la protagonista o para llevarla al acto sexual. calificación final: 3.8, sube a 4