Helter Skelter: Fashion Unfriendly

by Kyōko Okazaki

If you are aware of fashion in Japan you must have seen Liliko's face. For the last few years she has been at the top of the modeling world, with her face and body promoting the biggest brands. But as everyone who is in this world admits, staying on top is a constant and never ending battle. There are always new faces introduced to the public. Younger models and new looks are brought into the fold every season. And keeping that position means learning to adapt and learning to cope with change.

To maintain her position, Liliko has decided to under the knife. This is not her first go with this service. It is yet another round of plastic surgery, all done to keep herself looking young and vibrant. However, in this case just a little nip and tuck was not enough. Liliko is bent on undergoing a full body makeover. From head-to-toe, every inch of her will undergo cosmetic surgery, and thus begins her madness.

Genres: Manga, Comics, Horror, Graphic Novels, Josei, Japan, Fiction

320 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 8, 2003

About the author

Kyōko Okazaki (岡崎京子) is a Japanese cartoonist. In a relatively short career, spanning from 1983 to 1996, Okazaki established herself as a leading figure in josei manga, i.e. comics primarily targeting women. In particular, she was a major contributor to gyaru manga, a trend reclaiming 'girliness' into adult graphic novels.
Okazaki is known for her unorthodox visual style and her bluntness in tackling topics such as sex, prostitution, bourgeois decadence and body dismorphia, against the backdrop of the opulent life in 80s and 90s Tokyo. Her most famous works are Pink (1989), River's Edge (1993-1994) and Helter Skelter (1995-1996), the latter also adapted into a live-action film.
In 1996 Okazaki was hit by a car. The accident, from which she is still re-habilitating, put an end to her comic book career.

Reviews

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I basically have no interest in the fashion industry or famous models-come-to-ruin. Too obvious and cliched to spend time on. Not click bait for me. And this one, a josei (or adult-level) manga, which purports to be the first of a series, but didn't get followed up on (?), at a glance fulfills every pop culture doom and gloom expectation: Beauty has a short shelf life. Beauty kills. Fame kills. Yawn. So Ririko gets involved in basically total body reconstruction through plastic surgery and in the process gets her fifteen minutes of fame and then crashes in an unsurprising way: pressure pressure pressure, dieting, drugs, eating disorders, experimental, dangerous and illegal medical regimens. Sex, drugs and alcohol, body breaking down.

Oh, and this has nothing to do with the Polanski-Tate murders, except in the suggested connections between lavish self-destructive lifestyle, fame and disaster. And madness. And does our Pretty Girl of the Day also commit mayhem and/or murder on her competition?

What makes this longish story impressive is a kind of surrealist turn the story takes as it also goes where you expect. The story becomes so over the top that it twists into absurdity and nightmare and hallucination. The art style is sketchier than I expected, but I just read that the artist was hit by a drunk driver after the process of serialization, and was unable to "clean up" the manuscript to the extent one might expect from such an ambitious production, but see, this is what I also like about it, the messy surface, which feels careless in keeping with Ririko's life. Glossy doesn't work for this story. Worth checking out for the style, especially in the last 1/3.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okazaki Kyoko's Helter Skelter is so many things at once, it is a challenge to describe it. It's beautiful and ugly, erotic and repulsive, poignantly shallow, and all around shows easily how at odds reality is with itself. Let's start with the art: It's not as polished as one might be used to, but that style is very reminiscent of other 90s josei. It looks more quickly drawn and less reworked* than shoujo and shounen series of the same time frame. Intentionally or not, it helps to make the world in the pages feel more frantic and imperfect, much like the real world. The big moments are striking, burning into the readers minds while the smaller moments blur and quickly leave the memory. The color pages at the beginning and chapter starts are often exquisitely beautiful even when fairly simplistic. Overall, it's a pleasure for those that like the style (such as myself), but there are certain downfalls. In particular, sometimes it's difficult to tell characters apart due to similar styles used for all characters but Liliko. This includes male and female characters looking very similar.

*Note: Ms. Okazaki was hit by a drunk driver shortly after the serialization of Helter Skelter. Her injuries precluded the usual correcting of errors, art cleanup, etc, that manga typically receive when collected into an omnibus form.

The story is a twisting tale of the quest for beauty leading to ruination and that which comes after. The underlying social commentary that people will do anything for beauty/power and will abandon those who no longer make the cut rings true even in less opulent times/regions. The idea of experimental plastic surgeries including very disturbing components is both appalling and frighteningly believable. Beyond beauty, Okazaki also tackles the the fickle nature of fame, the role celebrities play in the lives and mindsets of young (and not-so-young people) and how easily a perfect life can be torn asunder by vices.

All of the characters are flawed, selfish beings that act so much in their own self interest that they are extremely realistic. Liliko is both utterly unlikeable and yet also completely pitiable. Sometimes she's honest with herself, sometimes she lies to herself and this provides a well-done unreliable narrative for the reader. The supporting cast both tries to keep her happy and also spite her when opportunity calls. It's not a particularly uplifting view of society, but it doesn't feel that it's very far off from the truth in small, powerful social spheres.

Overall, Helter Skelter is a manga like few others. It is remarkably engaging even with characters that are difficult to like and keeps the reader both uncomfortable and unable to stop reading. Due to the mature themes and scenes, the target audience is narrowed a bit, but for those who enjoy an adult series taking on the darker side of fame and beauty, it's a must-read. Plus, as the last work that Okazaki Kyoko created before her career-halting accident and the first of Vertical, Inc.'s Okazaki releases, it will serve as a great introduction to her style in time for the release of her earlier work, Pink, in November 2013. I have my pre-order in, how about you?

[Michael Sorbello · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liliko was just a naive girl desperate for a better life for her and her sister when she flew away from home to pursue a modeling career. The once sweet and caring girl is warped by the harsh and vicious nature of the fashion industry, forced to give sexual favors to perverted old men and undergo extreme dieting and other harmful lifestyle changes in order to win approval from her employers. No matter how hard she tries to climb the ladder, she just can't seem to outdo her competition. This leads to drug and alcohol abuse, and she eventually turns to undergoing illegal cosmetic procedures for the sake of fame and fortune at the expense of her own physical and mental health. She becomes the talk of the town and the desire of many, but she loses more and more pieces of her former self as she grows more famous.

This manga explores all the gritty and disturbing practices of modeling, fashion and idol culture. It's demanding to the point of being abusive, it's full of unrealistic standards and it often drives people insane from the stress and unhealthy practices they have to constantly maintain just to try and remain relevant in the public eye. It can be an innocent hobby for some but it can also be a dangerously shallow practice that boils an entire person's worth down to their physical appearance or acting ability, treating them in inhumane ways and destroying their self-worth just for money and attention.

Having excessive fame in such industries is usually far from the glamorous and idealistic picture they show on television. Your fans don't actually love you, they only love the person you're pretending to be on camera and they will hate you or disown you if you do anything outside of the false image they've created for you. Your freedom is very limited, you're not allowed to have basic interactions with someone of the opposite sex without people writing scandalous tabloids about you and your potential relations. You have to eat a certain way. You have to look a certain way. You're under the constant threat of being thrown away like a used toy in exchange for something fresh and new. Your mental and emotional wellbeing mean nothing, as you're little more than a pretty face to exploit for profit. It's a dark and dangerous game that can destroy people from the inside.

Liliko's decent into madness, depression, substance abuse, plastic surgery and emotional turmoil effectively captures the horrifying reality that fame can create. She becomes shallow, hateful, narcissistic and often projects her negative feelings onto everyone around her to dodge responsibly for much of her own actions. Everyone around her is either abused by her or abusive back to her, showing how vicious and superficial members of the industry can be to each other, always willing to drive a knife in each other's backs if it means attaining more power and profit.

All of the characters are selfish, terrible and unlikable, but it suits the themes of the story very well. Some plot points such as a crime investigation subplot revolving around illegal beauty procedures and the backstories of several side characters felt a bit rushed and underdeveloped, but there were understandable reasons for this. The author was in a car accident which left her unable to work during the publishing process, so the final draft of the story was technically never fully completed. It was polished and published as is in the time of the incident which left much of the art and the coherency of certain narrative segments a bit messy, but it was still a good story overall.

***

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[AMANDA · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not super into manga or graphic novels. I think in my whole life, including Helter Skelter now, I've read less than five. And it's almost all Junji Ito. But I decided to read Helter Skelter, after realizing my library had a copy of it, because it is the inspiration for one of my favourite movies.

Because of how rich and vibrant the film adaptation is, I was really surprised by how bland and actually quite unpleasant I found the art to be in the graphic novel. I felt like it made the story hard to follow in some ways, despite the text, because there just wasn't enough detail and yet was somehow also too sloppy for me at the same time. Luckily, since I'm such a big fan of the film and was already familiar with the plot because of it, I was able to still follow along.

Overall I wasn't especially into this and I don't feel as though it's added anything beneficial to my adoration of the film.

Still, I have to give praise where praise is due to Kyoko Okazaki and the original source of Helter Skelter just for creating the story behind one of my all-time favourite films. Regardless of format or art or style, the story at the heart of Helter Skelter is one I absolutely love. It's worth giving the graphic novel a shot just because it is the original source, and I do like to read the book if I've watched the movie, and vice versa.

[kit · Rating 4 out of 5]

a woman slowly going insane due to the pressure of female beauty standards. poor girl.

[Rahul · Rating 4 out of 5]

The manga is mind fuck because of the main character Ririko as she is absolutely crazy. Although ending is incomplete as the author met with an accident. But the various issues it cover from the life of models, from the top of the career and fame to nothing, beauty is sold and most importantly beauty may be a result of innumerable surgeries, treatment and drugs which could really destroy a person mentally and physically. Would be better with a complete ending still good.

[Rachel · Rating 1 out of 5]

1 star.

This was a huge disappointment. I just found it boring.

[Seth T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

When reading, one of the several pleasures I indulge is finding I enjoy a book beyond prediction. The defiance of expectations. The unraveling of prejudices. The low-level epiphany on which my emerging hope for humanity is fastened. And it’s all just a sham, really. Approaching an unread book and believing it to be anything other than an undiscovered experience is an unhappy arrogance common to too many of us. I loathe the presumption that assigns the value of a book before even cracking its cover. And I loathe still more the fact that I am far from immune to such biases.

Frequently I will neglect a book on my shelf or in my stacks because some element of its self conjures negativity in my appraisal. Maybe the cover, for all clichéd admonitions, spurs judgment. Maybe the publisher’s summary falls flat. Maybe the creator’s prior work has not ignited my appreciation. Maybe, as in the case of Helter Skelter, flipping through the book’s pages has revealed an art style I’m not in love with.

These reasons are of course inadequate—hollow rationalizations designed by a faulty mind to the end that my life should be less exciting, less challenging, and less enjoyable. Because that is the historically documented trouble with the human mind: we believe it to be looking out for us and concerned with our well-being, when some approximation of the opposite is true. Really, just look at the boyfriends, girlfriends, wives, and husbands your friends have elected to spend their time with. In many case, just terrible choices that no rational mind would entertain. And then look at the way your friends self-saboutage within these relationships, as if pain and hurt and misery were Olympic events and each one of us were somehow representing our nation before the world. Hence the proliferation of psychology degrees, family and marriage counseling, psychiatric medicine, and the easy availability of massive quantities of booze. All because we somehow know that our minds are out to get us and we hope to at least make it a challenge as we go down in flames. To that end, I read books I don’t expect I’ll like. Books like Helter Skelter. Because I’m used to my brain lying to me and this is just my little way of giving it the finger and saying,  “You’re not the boss of me!”



And when I close the back cover of a book like Helter Skelter, having read its last page, and sit exulting in an example of why it is that books exist, I may smugly revel in having stuck it to my brain one more time. Because, wow. This was worth my time. Wholly contrary to my expectations, this was worth my time.

The book is smarter than I’d originally guessed and incisively chronicles a made woman in the world of cheap celebrity. Liliko is a model, a top model, and her life is built of the kinds of experiences and fabrications you’d expect—and a whole hill of those you wouldn’t. She’s undergone science-fiction levels of plastic surgery to become a Frankenstein’s monster of beauty. It’s said that the only bits of her that remain in this new version of her are: 1) her hair, 2) her eyes, and 3) some unspecified portion of her genitals. And of course, she has a complex. It’d be hard not to.



Helter Skelter tells a tale reminiscent of Sunset Boulevard (and even straight-up references the Billy Wilder film) and prescient of Moyocco Anno’s Sakuran . Actually, it probably plays avatar for the million other stories about women whose usefulness is predicated on their sexual beauty and the desperation with which they fear the abolition of such a temporary celebrity. Not only do such heroes of the popular culture have to contend with the constant fickleness of a populace whose tastes bend and twist on a dime, but terror of the inconstancy of the masses is bolstered by the model’s knowledge that age weathers all and that she only ever had a dwindling, minuscule shelf-life. In Liliko’s case, her terror is accelerated by a brute fact of the procedures she used to mold her body into a physical perfection—while drugs and treatments may temporarily slow the degradation, her flesh will begin eroding at a terrifying rate. And more than just aging dramatically, women who’ve undergone similar treatments show seeping lesions, deep bruises, and corrosion of the material beneath the flesh. These women become monsters, and monstrosity is Liliko’s certain future—so she’ll see if she can’t get a jump start on it.

It’s a lunatic ride.



Okazaki’s art, which originally turned me off when I flipped through the book, is rough and exaggerated. In some ways, it conjures perhaps a prototypical Natsume Ono and is some kind of kin to the grotesque. I’m not familiar enough with the style to give it a name, but it does lack the polish I generally hope for in my comics. That said, it works beautifully. Even before the conclusion of the first chapter, I was wholly onboard and saw Okazaki’s illustrations as essential to the maddening story being told. The art allowed me to disassociate Liliko’s story from titillation. The model spends much of the story undressed literally so that we might discover her undressed figuratively. Eroticism would have been a distraction, for we aren’t meant to take in Liliko’s story with her as object of our lust or arousal; rather, we are to find her life and person and actions and predilections harrowing. The grotesqueries of Okazaki’s art allows that to unfold and eliminates the potential of clouding that message with the guilt of objectification.



A helter skelter is an amusement slide that spirals downward around a central tower. Riders would climb a stairwell within the tower to height, after which they would begin their quick descent. An apt, if obvious, metaphor for Liliko’s life, career, and probably sanity. If the title wasn’t enough, in the concluding pages, the Beatles song of the same name plays, perhaps as warning to all who would follow Liliko’s path. Helter Skelter is a hard book, one that confronts the various cowardices that consumers in our cultures nurture and enjoy. It’s about the life and death of souls and how these two things co-mingle within us as we play heroes and villains by the things we buy, the people we laud, the shows we watch, and the clothes we wear. Helter Skelter is an older work, but smart enough that it will likely feel contemporary even forty years from now.
_______

[Review courtesy of Good Ok Bad.]

[Ben Cheng · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book exposes the ugly side of the beauty industry, effectively comparing cosmetics to crack, and putting a deep emphasis on beauty being fleeting. When I first saw this book at the library I thought the art would be really stylish and there would be a bunch of memorable quotes. However, I don't know if it's the translation from Japanese to English that cripples the dialogue of this book or if it's just bad writing but a lot of it feels rather tripe. I feel as if the text used in the book doesn't truly bring out the characters expression like how it's used in other manga. In this book it's much harder for me to match text to voice because of lack of effective punctuation. Another gripe I have with this one is it's art style. A lot of it seems "doodly" and wonky. The first few pages of art in the book, such as the cover don't do the rest of the book justice. This scribbly art style also continues for 300+ pages, leaving my eyes sore and my mind regretful. The plot hardly manages to develop, I get the point after about 150+ pages. She's crazy, because she's beautiful. However, even after the entire book was finished, I was still confused about some of the characters, like the god damn president?!?! Then afterwards I find out I'm not even done, and there's another book coming out continuing this plot! Overall, this book may look like it's full of stylish art as well as a few tidbits of wisdom, but it's actually crummy art mixed with poor translation. Or is it bad writing?

[daph pink ♡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

In comparison to the movie, this was a little dull, and I found the jagged art to be difficult to get into. However, the subject matter and presentation were both excellent. Overall, potential was wasted.

[bea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Li por causa do filme, simplesmente o Coringa para mulheres.
Amei muito, sinto que vai ser uma das melhores leituras do ano!
De verdade não consigo decidir se gostei mais do mangá ou do filme porque a história foi mais mais incrível no mangá mas a estética do filme é impecável! Resumindo: tem que consumir os dois.
Li numa versão digital mas com certeza vou comprar a versão física também pra dar aquela moral extra.

[Isabella · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok, I can appreciate what this manga tried to be and the questions it tried to raise. There are some really important subjects in play here: suicide, rape, what the beauty industry can do to one's mind, to name a few.

That's the only reason why I don't give this a lower rating. Because everything else is just... terrible. Part of me thinks that it's terrible on purpose, but even so, I couldn't bring myself to enjoy this story.

Helter Skelter follows Ririko's story (more closely than any of the other characters), she's an actress/model/celebrity and also a reeeeeal bitch. You can't feel sympathy for her, not even when the mangaka throws in some sad moments. Like we're supposed to go "oh, poor rich and privileged white girl :( She's a bitch because of the circumstances! That totally justifies the shitty way she treats other people!"



Uhm... no. I could feel a bit of sympathy for her if she wasn't a bitch ALL THE TIME. If it was just a few moments but most of the time (or at least half of the time) she was a decent person. But that's not the case, Ririko makes sure to constantly be rude and a pain in the ass of everyone she meets (most importantly, her employees).

She even goes far as to RAPE her P.A, TWICE. Actually, it's implied to happen more than twice, but it is explicitly shown to us two times.

She's abusive physically and mentally/emotionally, and just... such a toxic person. There is no way you could root for her happiness.

When the story isn't focusing on her being a horrible person, it focuses on this half-assed mystery involving a beauty clinic. This had the potential to be the best and most interesting part of the manga, but I can't decide which is worse: this or Ririko's pov.

And while I wasn't expecting a happy ending (Ririko certainly doesn't deserve one), instead we got an open ending that does nothing for us. It doesn't explain anything, it just leaves us confused. For me specifically, it just made me feel relieved that it was finally over, I didn't even question it lol

Last but not least: the art. I realize that this part of the review is subjective, but really, do you think this is pretty?



I guess the irony is that Ririko is supposed to be the most beautiful human being on Earth, but the mangaka's art style is ugly. But to be completely honest, the art didn't help me like this not one bit. I could overlook this point and still give it a good rating if I liked the story despite that, but sadly, this was just another one of the reasons why I didn't.

Recently the live action movie based on this manga came out. I haven't watched it yet, but maybe that is more enjoyable than this? They got a beautiful woman to play Ririko and I won't have to endure this ugly art style, so that's already a plus lol

[Mely · Rating 4 out of 5]

[Will eventually add some things now that I've read the Vertical translation, but the following still covers most of what I'd say.]

Ririko is a Japanese supermodel, a beauty by virtue of reconstructive surgery, dieting, drugs, eating disorders, enormous amounts of pressure from herself and others, and experimental and dangerous medical regimens. She's had so much surgery her body's begun to break down -- and her mind is going with it, not helped by the amount of alcohol and illegal drugs she's taken, or by the self-destructive power plays of sex, as much an escape as any drug and far less pleasurable.

This is nightmarish, powerful, and obscene, and what's most horrifying is that the conspiracy/thriller/vaguely sfnal elements seem hardly an exaggeration from the real details of modeling. Ririko is a glorious monster, violent in excess, hating the world she's stuck in and herself for staying there, but convinced nothing else is worthwhile; and no one around her sees any options either. Even the few people who at first seem to offer kindness or escape end up being in the pay of Ririko's manager or the cosmetics industry or else they, too, are unable to see outside the culture of beauty: Ririko's assistant loses all conscience to her love/lust for Ririko, her passive masochistic desire to be subject to beauty; Ririko makes contact with her idolizing younger sister and in a sincere gesture of affection gives her money to diet and get cosmetic eye surgery.

A cop investigating deaths related to the clinic which does Ririko's work offers an "external" eye, but I am deeply skeptical of his masculine resistance to beauty; I don't think Okazaki problematizes him quite enough. Her world of beauty is a world of women mostly, women who are monstrous to other women, women who become monsters themselves.

[Ignacio · Rating 3 out of 5]

Esta desquiciada sátira del mundo de la moda funciona mejor cuando no hay una trama detrás y sólo muestra el precio que pagan los que se mantienen dentro. Sin embargo, hay una investigación policial que viene y va y diluye la locura y las ansiedades que empujan a la protagonista y atrapan a su hermana pequeña, su asistente y el novio de ésta. La atmósfera insana de la historia contrasta bastante con Pink, el otro tebeo de Okazaki que había publicado Ponent Mon, mucho más alegre y optimista.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5/3
I really liked it for the message it so boldly told, the art and the crazy scenes. However, to be completely honest there were numerous times when I didn't understand anything that was going on in the novel - it was infuriating.

[Kara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is what you call; ugly beautiful.

[Paula Cruz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eu esperava algo diferente desse mangá não sei porquê. Não que seja RUIM, mas a capa me anunciava alguma outra coisa, talvez algo até um pouco mais suave em questão de intriga no roteiro. Essa história tira o pior dos personagens, é muito gráfica emocionalmente, e o contraste com o desenho bonito é muito brutal. É terror psicológico, mas em outro nível de crueldade, já que a Ririko é uma das personagens mais malvadas que já li. Ter uma protagonista assim, tão inumana, é um ato de coragem. Gostaria de ter visto mais body horror, mas, ao mesmo tempo, o que mais assusta aqui é exatamente o que não é mostrado. TENSO.

[K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A truly creepy commentary on body image and how society as a whole has damaged scads of young men and women into believing that their entire worth is based on their looks. Our main character, Ririko, is a world-famous model who is slowly starting to break down in more ways than one. Her body and her mind are decaying at an accelerated rate, thanks to the dubious experimental cosmetic surgery regimens she takes part in. She rages and seduces and cries and is very, very cruel to her assistant, the only one who is even moderately close to her. Ririko is a goddamn mess.

[Mar Que · Rating 4 out of 5]

Красота спасет этот мир. Красота убьет этот мир. Красота - это дар. Красота - это проклятье. Быть красивой - значит вытянуть счастливый билет. Быть красивой - значит страдать.
Главной героиней манги "Кавардак" является Лилико - самая популярная модель в Японии. Ее известность не знает границ. Лицо Лилико на всех журналах, ведущие модные брэнды хотят работать с ней, ее приглашают сниматься в кино. Люди, по сути, проецируют на нее свои желания. Женщины хотят быть как Лилико, мужчины хотят быть с Лилико. Лилико, без шуток, считается идеалом женской красоты.
Красота Лилико, однако, является результатом многочисленных пластических операций. Иногда, правда, ее тюнинг начинает гноить и отпадать, а посему надо ходить на процедуры регулярно, что, естественно, влетает в копейку ее менеджеру. И что дальше? Тут стоит привести слова, сказанные гадалкой Мэгги Лягушкой совсем юной и впечатлительной Серсее Ланнистер. Они как нельзя лучше описывают ситуацию.

Ты будешь королевой… пока не появится другая, моложе и гораздо красивее, чтобы свергнуть тебя и отобрать всё, что было тебе дорого.

И другая королева, что моложе и гораздо красивее, пришедшая свергнуть нынешнюю действительно пришла - пятнадцатилетняя модель-дебютантка Козуэ. И Лилико впервые столкнулась с осознанием собственной заменимости. Не важно сколько операций она сделает, в скольких ток-шоу будет мелькать, на скольких подиумах будет ходить. Все равно когда-нибудь она придет в негодность. Либо она состариться, либо просто надоест своим потребителям и тогда все, пиши пропало. Потому что придет свежее мясо, на которого можно будет проецировать свои желания.
Многие называют "Кавардак" критикой культа красоты в целом, и индустрии моды в частности. И безусловно в манге есть эта тема. Но еще это история о медленном погружении в безумие, о том как один человек медленно теряет связь с реальностью.
Стиль рисунка Кёко Окадзаки довольно грубый и простой. Учитывая то, что Лилико довольно часто появляется в кадре в разной степени наготы (да и постельных сцен тут не мало), мне кажется это верным решением. Лилико притягивает взгляд, но из-за стиля рисунка она не особо возбуждает. Тем не менее, таким образом г-жа Окадзаки также создает своеобразное ощущение вуайеризма. Лилико, из-за того как она нарисована, не может возбудить читателя, но тем не менее она постоянно словно позирует для некой невидимой камеры. Словно она постоянно в образе и показывает нам представление. Она знает, что люди хотят видеть.

Мы ничего не знаем о Лилико. Ее предыстория окутана тайной и рассказана исключительно на уровне намеков. Однозначный ответ на вопрос, почему она так одержима собственной красотой, не дан. Потому что Лилико и не человек вовсе. Для своего менеджера (которую она зовет "мамой", кстати) Лилико способ исполнить собственные мечты о красоте и богатстве. Для своей ассистентки Хады и ее бойфренда Лилико - это шанс прикоснутся к чему-то необыкновенному и прекрасному. Для мажора Нанбу Лилико, не смотря на всю свою красоту и богатство, все равно неподходящая партия и ее удел - это роль любовницы. Даже для читателя Лилико является исключительно формой развлечения. Мы пришли посмотреть на то, как Лилико слетит с катушек. Мы пришли посмотреть на то, как эта красивая и успешная профурсетка потеряет все. Потому что общество восхищается красивыми людьми, но в то же самое время оно их ненавидит и хочет, чтобы они страдали.
При этом, если человек (тем более женщина) некрасивый или вообще урод, то общество будет подталкивать его к тому, чтобы стать более привлекательным, в том числе и путем тех самых пластических операций. Если у тебя непривлекательная внешность (еще хуже если там появились признаки старения) и ты ничего с этим не делаешь, то ты себя не уважаешь. Но если ты-таки сделал пластическую операцию, то ты фальшивка, которая не смогла полюбить себя такой, какой мама родила. Если сделал плохо. Если не сделал тоже плохо. Девочки-подростки восхищались Лилико, потому что она благодаря своей красоте добилась успеха, но тут же стали осуждать ее, узнав, каким образом данная красота была приобретена.
В манге не особо много боди-хорора. но в последней главе Окадзаки ударяется в откровенный сюрреализм в стиле Твин Пикса и я не уверена, что до конца поняла все метафоры, которые она туда вложила. Если говорить о концовке, не особо ударяясь в спойлеры (хотя, финал тут довольно ожидаемый), то тут тоже можно привести цитату. На сей раз из недавно посмотренного мною фильма "Барби".

У людей всего один конец. Идеи живут вечно.

И пусть каждый понимает это как хочет.

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[Przemysław Skoczyński · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moje relacje z „Helter Skelter” należą raczej do trudnych. Kilka razy stwierdzałem, że nienawidzę, by po chwili przerzucać strony z jeszcze większą fascynacją.

Nie zostało to niestety wyoślone na tylnej stronie okładki czy w posłowiu (którego bardzo brakuje), ale twórczość Okazaki Kyoko jest już w zasadzie klasyką gatunku, a „Helter Skelter” pozycją absolutnie kultową. Pisze się, że jej komiksy oddają ducha lat 90 w Japonii, w której kultura zaczęła przeobrażać się w komercyjny byt nastawiony na indywidualizm, a seksualność stawać towarem na skalę dotąd niespotykaną. Rzecz dotyczy kultu piękna, naszych pragnień i destrukcyjnego przemysłu modowego związanego z wytyczaniem trendów. Jest to zarazem mocny głos sprzeciwu przeciw kulturze patriarchalnej pełnej romantycznych wyobrażeń o miłości rodem z mang Shojo lat 70. To komiks momentami przegięty, ciężki jako narracja, czasem chaotyczny pod kątem dialogów, a jednocześnie rysunkowo odnoszący się do alternatywnej mangi poprzednich dekad (część nie została zresztą formalnie ukończona ze względu na wypadek autorki). Całość skręca w kierunku thrillera z mocnym naciskiem na psychologizm postaci, który początkowo wydał mi się zbyt oczywisty, ale uznałem go za niezbędny element tej creepy-poetyki.

Mocny, wywołujący ciary tytuł, w którym granica między pretensjonalnością, a oryginalnością dosyć konkretnie się zatarła.

[Carolina · Rating 3 out of 5]

A impressão que eu tive ao ler este mangá era de assistir a uma versão antecessora do filme “A substância” (dir. Coralie Fargeat, 2024).

O tema é bastante parecido: como, através de procedimentos médicos, a busca pela beleza, entendida como sinônimo de juventude, pode levar ao oposto pretendido: a degradação física e moral.

É um livro pesado e tenso, mas que fala de coisas tão atuais hoje quanto em 1996, quando foi publicado. Gostei, mas é daqueles livros que dão um embrulho no estômago.

A tradução e edição da NewPOP deixam a desejar: há muitos erros de português.

Enfim, é um mangá para pessoas adultas e que merecer ser lido com cautela, pois contém conteúdo de violência física e sexual.

[Alesmu · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 estrellas

La trama y sus personajes retorcidos me han cautivado, te cuentan el lado oscuro de la industria del modelaje y las consecuencias que ésta te obliga a acarrear.

Con el dibujo tengo sentimientos encontrados, pero en general me gustó mucho este manga.

[Jin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been meaning to getting around to this in a while, and finally finished it today.
For people who don't know, the title "Helter Skelter" is an allusion to both the Beatles song and also the incident involving the Manson murders, where Charles Manson ordered his cult to kill people for him.
Allusions in this book definitely refer to this (e.g Polanski reference and Tanabe's attack).
I personally loved the way the art was drawn because it wasn't what is usually considered "aesthetically pleasing" and that perfectly complimented the theme and message of this story.
Okazaki is not afraid to be downright raw and gritty, and I really enjoyed what the story had to say about the issues of youth and beauty.

It's only getting 3 - 3.5 stars out of me though because I felt like the metaphorical meanings of things near the end were very undeveloped when they had the potential to be strong. The ties between Asada and Ririko were understandable, but Ririko's hallucinations of them calling each other siblings as well as the flight of stairs reference were confusing. The ending was premature as well.

I know Okazaki could have done better with both of these topics, I loved the tigerlily and tiger scenes and their underlying meanings, which were metaphorical jackpot in my opinion, as well as the line about the sparrow and the phoenix.
What manga can accomplish that novels cannot is that the imagery must be strong in order to make an impression, the space allowed for metaphor is augmented greatly and Okazaki definitely took advantage of it.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. It's not meant for easily offended peoples though, or people who cannot stand violence, sex and nudity, as Ririko spends most of the manga butt naked and there are deaths. It's raw which I appreciated.

[Rick Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's no mystery that there exists a dark underbelly to the fashion industry, and the detrimental effects it has on women to conform towards unrealistic beauty standards has remained an ongoing discussion for a while. Nonetheless, Kyōko Okazaki's Helter Skelter finds ways to further twist the knife on just how grotesque the industry can be. The story chronicles the life of Liliko, a model who has obtained the highest level of fame in the industry. Her longevity in her career has been attributed to a series of over-the-top plastic surgeries to keep her relevant in the public discourse. The surgeries have gone to the point that her entire body - save her hair, her eyes and part of her genitals - has been completely modified. But Liliko doesn't dwell on the cosmetic changes since she has it all and with that comes a diva complex that is all engulfing. But at the apex there's no where else to go but down, and for Liliko, the end point is an abyss.

This could have been a rather simple, surface-level take on the industry, but the story takes some mighty strange turns in the back half that made this a surprisingly riveting read. It's an ugly tale for sure, but one that pushes the boundaries further than you'd expect. Adding to the mix is the odd charm of Okazaki's artwork. I was initially turned off by the bland compositions and simplistic linework, but over the course of the book it did grow on me a bit. The sterile quality to the artwork adds an additional undertone of horror that suits the tale well, and elements of the story that feel like they could have been titillating in the hands of other cartoonists are instead rather distressing to behold here. I'm not going to go so far as to say I really liked the artwork but it does work well in context to the rather terrifying story that is Helter Skelter.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

After watching the excellent movie adaption, I felt it was time to revisit the manga, and after my local comic book store had it for sale I snatched it up in a heartbeat. But I already knew I would not regret the decision.
See, Helte-Skelter has been with me ever since I first read it several years ago.

The story is haunting, and horrifying and will keep burrowing into the back of your skull, but it's a sweet pain, because the reason it is so unforgettable is because it rings true with our fame and beauty obsessed society, and it only grows ever more relevant (just see the recent media frenzy over Renee Zelwegger's face!)

Okazaki manages a perfect balancing act were Liliko, (and women in their hunt for beauty) is never demonized despite her deplorable acts, but isn't excused either by the society that (literally) shaped her.
Liliko could be seen as a consequence of caring, and caring too much, the consequences are shown in their most goriest forms.

After all, it is only Kozue who exercises an indifference towards fame and the parasitic relationship of the subject of worship and worshippers. But this is a bitter position, as she is still trapped in the industry she has no relationship with, forced to pose because she knows of nothing else.
And as it is pointed out, it is easy for Kozue to take a stance that it is "just" beauty, when she's the one who's born with it...

In the end there is offered no solution, no great morale. The circle continues, a mirror of our society and ourselves in the most extreme form. And that is true horror.

[Kiku · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helter-Skelter is a very interesting manga that has a lot to say. Ririko, desperate to become beautiful, submits herself to several expensive full-body surgeries--all paid for by some mysterious woman who exploits her for all she's worth, but keeps her as an 'investment'. Ririko, of course, becomes a famous model, but starts to realize that it's going to end sooner than she feared as her new body starts falling apart.
Ririko starts to desperately pursue anything she can to hang on to her fame as she dies away--vendettas with younger models, meaningless sex ("I just want to use my body and destroy the bodies of others", she says), drugs...whatever she can get her hands on.
The manga itself is deliberately drawn in a very hurried style that, like Ririko, is extremely rough and disjointed most of the time, but alluring in others.

Reading in translation, the quality of the English is better than most done by other publishers, though (being a professional in this kind of thing) I could spot some needlessly awkward phrases and minor mis-steps in the translation, but probably not anything that someone who isn't paid to nit-pick like I am would notice.

Certainly different from a lot of the manga out there, for sure...this one isn't pretty, but it's a compelling look at the price of fame and just how fickle fame in Japan is in particular.

[Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

My second time reading this manga, and I love it even more. I love the story of Ririko's gradual descent into depression, apathy, and madness, and I love how it's told. To say the artwork is stunning would be inaccurate and reductive. The artwork can be unpolished, disgusting, terrifying, and erotic, embodying the manga's haunting opening sentence: "A laugh and a scream are very similar." Kyoko Okazaki really captures the shallow world in which Ririko lives, focusing in on celebrity culture and the pressure to be "beautiful," that is, slender and proportional. Pressures to be "beautiful" and popular are omnipresent in Helter-Skelter, in the end taking a toll on Ririko's mental and emotional stability and making her shallow, selfish, sadistic, sad, and lonely. Sounds like an awful human being, right? Well, one must consider how everyone contributes to her deterioration. Those who built her - "Mama" who manages her career and her plastic surgeons who literally build her a new body - and those who consumed her image. The word "image" here is very important as everything Ririko presents to the world is fake - her face, body, and emotions. Apathy, jealousy, and weariness, gnaw at Ririko until she decides to simply "give the people what they want," becoming a vacant shell - all exterior, all meaningless. This manga is haunting.

[Ruz El · Rating 3 out of 5]

It would be a 3.5 if the site allowed it.

Blind bought this one mainly due to my complete trust in Vertical that they are going to put out manga I like. I was not disappointed. This is a nicely twisted commentary on fame and the culture around it. It's an ugly little book, but a delightfully ugly book. The most striking thing I found in this work was the art. Typically manga can look overly polished and manufactured, which leaves it a bit cold. Not here, the lines look rushed and it gives the material an urgency that's lacking in other manga. According to a bit in the back of the book, the artist was in an accident and unable to give this a final polish. If that polish meant zip-a-tone and all the other things typically associated with manga, then the accident sadly works in favour of the material since the rushed look of the art fits really well.

So another winner from Vertical. Recommended.

[Cristina Munster · Rating 4 out of 5]

Al inicio no me atraía mucho lo que estaba leyendo, pero la historia va más allá y poco a poco nos muestra una gran crítica a la industria de la belleza y el trato inhumano que reciben quienes le sirven de modelos.

Ririko es una modelo en ascenso, su rostro está en todas las revistas y programas de televisión, es admirada por su belleza y las chicas quieren ser como ella. La presión constante, tratamientos médicos extremos y adicciones afectarán su cordura hasta romperla por completo.

[Priscilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

lavish hysteria at its finest