No Longer Human - Complete Edition

人間失格 / Ningen Shikkaku #1-3

by Usamaru Furuya, Osamu Dazai

Osamu Dazai's classic tale retold by Usamaru Furuya is now in a complete omnibus edition!

No Longer Human , the searing semi-autobiographical novel by Osamu Dazai, Japan’s Dostoevsky, trades its original prewar setting for the brave new world of the aught years in this adaptation by the enfant terrible of manga. This unique omnibus, previously available in three installments, features left-to-right (rather than “flipped”) art drawn by the creator himself for Western audiences. Find out how a self-described clown awakens to his dark genius.

Genres: Manga, Graphic Novels, Comics, Horror, Mental Health, Fiction

612 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 1, 2022

About the author

Usamaru Furuya (古屋兎丸) is a Japanese manga creator from Tokyo. His production covers a variety of art styles and genres, such as horror, humour, slice-of-life, erotica, sci-fi, always with a personal surrealistic touch. Society oppression and the human condition are common themes in his body of work.
Furuya showed an interest in comics making since elementary school. He graduated from Tama Art University, where he had studied sculpture and oil painting.
His manga career started in the alternative magazine 'Garo', in which he published a series of one-page comics called Palepoli (1994-1995). He then worked on Short Cuts (1996-1999), a gag manga serialised in the mainstream magazine 'Weekly Young Sunday'. Other short stories from the same period were collected in the books Garden (2000) and Plastic Girl (2000).
Over the years Furuya has created work for a number of manga magazines, underground and mainstream. Among his series available in one or more Western languages are: the dystopian The Music of Marie (2000-2001); the surreal horror Lychee Light Club (2005-2006), loosely based on a play by Norimizu Ameya; the post-apocalyptic 51 Ways to Save Her (2006-2007); Genkaku Picasso (2008-2010); No Longer Human (2009-2011), adaptation of a novel by Osamu Dazai; Amane Gymnasium (2017-2020).

Reviews

[Luthfi Ferizqi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Osamu Dazai's "No Longer Human," originally published in 1948, is a classic. I read the manga adaptation, which came out in a serialized form from 2009 to 2011, and it was a powerful experience.

The manga stands out as one of the best I've ever read. It deeply moves you by following the heartbreaking journey of a young man slowly falling apart. The illustrations effectively capture the character's despair and isolation, making the story even more impactful.

In the afterword, the manga's illustrator, Furuya, encourages readers to check out Dazai's original novel. This suggestion really sparked my interest in exploring the novel to gain a fuller understanding of the story.

[Mobina J · Rating 4 out of 5]

چطور دنیای مانگا رو تا به حال از خودم دریغ کرده بودم؟
این کتاب اقتباسی از کتاب زوال بشری اوسامو دازای هست و خیلی نقاشی‌ها خفن بود و عجب کتاب سیاهی بود

[Ligia Moisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Usamaru Furuya a reinterpretat impecabil nuvela lui Dazai și i-a spus povestea într-un mod tare frumos. Am empatizat cu Yozo de mai multe ori și chiar dacă mi-am dorit să-l condamn și urăsc în repetate rânduri, nu am putut să fac altceva decât să-i găsesc scuze.

[Tom Garback · Rating 2 out of 5]

⭐️ ⭐️
Critical Score: C
Personal Score: D+
Reading Experience: 📘📘📘📘(4/5)

I’ve assigned this story a lot of weight because its source material is a classic, and Junji Ito adapted it into a manga before Usamaru Furuya. The novel is a significant contribution to misanthropic literature, something I care a lot about.

So this is hard to grade. You’re not supposed to like the horrible narrator or necessarily be on board with the worldview presented here. But the fact of the matter is that this wouldn’t be a classic story if people didn’t relate to it.

What people are relating to is a sexist, entitled, probably clinically depressed asshole who gets so self-absorbed and nihilistic that he reaches absolute despair. Yet, if we’re to read this book as a condemnation of his character, or at least as a tragedy of his lost potential, which is anyone’s lost potential, then isn’t this story quite powerful? Isn’t it powerful nonetheless because it has made such an impact for a 75 years?

It’s one of those classics that I didn’t enjoy or connect to but offers a fascinating and deeply political glimpse into the mind of its audience, in the same way of a book like Fight Club (which I actually enjoyed and connected to, mostly).

The + in the D+ is because the ending is strong. I was moved by the climax and the author’s afterword.

But take everything I’ve said with a grain of salt, because I’m reviewing an adaptation, not the source material, without having read the source material. Needless to say, I’m not too equipped to assess this book. So I am quite interested in reading the novel and Ito’s manga; the trio offers a really cool opportunity to explore adaptation.

[Steve Holm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked this up on a whim after a youtuber recommended it. I liked it but it is definitely not for everyone. It’s very dark, some of the darkest stuff I have read. There was some moments where I spoke out loud: “What the actual fuck?”
If you are looking for pure depression in manga form, this is for you.
Art is really great and I liked that it was made in standard left to right reading and not the usual right to left from Japan.
A really solid 4.5

[alex · Rating 1 out of 5]

At some point I will probably read the original just to compare but this was a shit reading experience. Yeah I get the alienation and perhaps the whole identity as performance bit, but it just descended into complete immoral chaos that there as zero connecting to. Was not expecting the main character to completely lack a conscience and the whole trauma reveal did JACK SHIT to make me feel bad for this guy. But then again, this probably has a niche audience that my absurdist yet optimist ass does NOT fit into. So whatever. Thanks for dragging me to the depths of hell on a sunny Sunday dude.

[Liāna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read it right after reading the original book which helped me to see the parts that stayed true and a few parts that didn’t. I loved the art and the authors take on the story. It felt even more tragic at times then when reading the book. I also enjoyed the little detailes that were expanded on like Oba’s dad and also the housekeeper incident. I kind of wish it had less sex scenes, just because i was reading it in the public transport and that was well… emberassing. Also didn’t like the modern setting of Yozo’s story, because tike wise the protests don’t make as much sense. Anyways, it ws great

[Hailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

depression in manga form

[Juno · Rating 2 out of 5]

i’m really not sure how i felt about this book

i didn’t enjoy this book, but i don’t think you’re meant to. it made me think a lot about people’s lives and how much we don’t know about them
it made me think of how differently life can work out

i think i might not be in the right headspace(?) to read a book like this. i didn’t feel any sort of connection with the mc regarding the use of alcohol or drugs, though i understood his reasoning for everything

i know it’s part of the story but the amount of explicit scenes were really.. over the top and i really didn’t like that

i haven’t read the original novel yet, but i don’t feel like this book made me interested in reading the novel to be honest…

i do think it portrays certain struggles really well and the art is well made, so for those things i would give it 2 stars

[D.T. · Rating 1 out of 5]

“Perhaps, I’d be better off in jail than spending every night groaning in a sleepless agony, terrified of human beings.”

Sorry to dude who has to live a façade to be likable, but nah. I saw this on display at the library, but it was a waste of time. Oba's supposed to be a mirror to society of how easily someone can fall into the outcast role despite money, good looks, and connections. But the way Oba is portrayed it's hard to feel sympathy for him. The grittiness and Oba could have been handled better.

This is one of those “I eat edge for breakfast, too dEeP for me, and there’s no hope in humanity” stories. They generally don’t appeal to me because they’re often flat emotionally, lack nuance, and rely on too much shock value. I don’t need to see no high schooler banging high school prostitutes/sex workers.

I understand that the only joy he experiences is a carnal release, but it’s uncomfortable. Also, not trying to infuse morality or whatever because I understand these grim stories have a place and can be cathartic and even relatable. But I just got no enjoyment from reading this.

Okay, actually concerning the story a manga artist is looking for inspiration for his next story and he comes across a diary that gives creepypasta energy. The author of the diary, Oba, feels like he has to play a role, be goofy and always polite, to interact with his peers. Eventually, he and his friend get caught up in a terrorist organization (0 to 100 real quick). After that goes left, he falls in love with one of the women at the hostess club, and then the story takes an even more depressing turn. At every point he’s a hobosexual, women are always financing him, and he can’t find the will to live or kill himself. Oba spirals in a circle. One step forward, two hundred back.

I couldn’t roll my eyes enough at how Oba gets punished: his wife being raped in front of him. women do not pay for the crimes of men. It’s supposedly karma for him using women for their bodies and a place to stay. A temp worker does it as Oba had once slept with the terrorist/cult leader’s gf who he was condescending toward. it just really feels like a stereotypical man wrote this.

Overall, bleak! Oba hates other people, especially his wife, but not more than he hates himself. The book feels like fleas and roaches are crawling over you while reading the pages. Dirty and grimy.

[Charlotte Ducharme · Rating 2 out of 5]

My favorite book is the original No Longer Human. My favorite manga is Ito’s adaptation of No Longer Human. But this adaptation… really misses the mark for me. By cutting out Yozo’s childhood completely you miss a huge part of his character. Also a more modern setting could have been interesting but aside from the blog subplot (which was okay) it wasn’t used much at all, and just changes things in weird ways.

I think overall the author lost the balance of Yozo’s character. The sheer anxiety of Yozo is what made him such a good character for me, you can see how it influences him and makes him a terrible person, but the anxiety really didn’t come through on this because he was almost too cool calm and collected. Again, showing his backstory with Takeichi seeing through his clowning would have set up his anxiety a lot better and without that it just doesn’t work for me. With a few other things like randomly changing Tsuneko and Yoshiko’s names, I just found it hard to get into.

The art is gorgeous though.

[kimmy j]

pity the fool in the mirror huh.... i suppose i do.....

literally have no idea what to say or think about this. he deserved better but at the same time he absolutely brought everything on himself so hard he has no one to blame BUT himself.

i think yozo's external woes could be humorously slash concisely summarised as "if only i didn't have money, if only girls didn't want me, if only i didn't have a penis" (he does say all of these woes in as many words throughout the book lol)

his internal woes are more shrouded in obscurity to me -it seems like his foundational fear of ordinary people (AND HIS FATHER LOL) and his carefully constructed facade in order to appear ordinary gives him a sort of purpose early on in his life, something to upkeep, nurture and work on. his role as the jester is one he takes extremely seriously, and he minutely manages his perception in the eyes of others.

the first glimpse of letting that facade slip is when he's with his only "friend" horiki; he says himself that he does not play the jester in front of him, that he is without care for how horiki perceives him.

their friendship is extremely odd; at first horiki just hangs out with yozo because of his access to money for hookers, but as he loses his income and with it, the women, their interactions teeters between obvious dissent and passive undermining of eachother to genuinely caring and selfless acts of kindness towards the other.

yet they're both intensely jealous of eachother in an insane relay race where the second one of them succeeds the other one desperately wishes to see them fail / take that success for themselves. it seems like they barely know eachother but they're so deeply intwined in eachother's decisionmaking. bizarre from beginning to end.

as yozo loses his allowance from his father, he slips further into degeneracy - an interesting parallel to what happens later in the book, where his reacquisition of an income via fathers inheritance is the final nail in the coffin that seals his fate for good.
yozo despairs at the thought of not having money after losing it, and despairs even harder when he finally gets it. he knows he can't trust himself around money, around women - the few times he has brushes with the law he rejoices at the thought of being caught, of being punished. he knows he can't control himself and thinks he must have said control taken away by force to get his life back.

yozo's other major relations are with the women who he leeches off of when he's broke. they're all enamoured with him, and he uses them brazenly. the rare few of these girls he seems to hold genuine affection paint a really interesting side of yozo. especially ageha, whom he seemed to actually care about, even though he only knew her for a few weeks prior to their attempted double suicide.

and his relationship with yoshino, whom he marries, is such a beacon of hope and love; and just like he predicted, the fall becomes that much harder to take. seeing yozo fall in love humanises (lol) him so much, and makes you hope for the story to take a turn for the better. of course it doesn't;

the scene where horiki comes to tell yozo that his wife is being raped is like a fever dream - that dissent and schaudenfraude between them is so tangible that it's what yozo reacts to BEFORE the even takes in the rape.

after it happens, he find everyone involved gross. horiki for coming to gloat instead of stopping it, his publisher for raping his wife, and finally, his wife, for being raped. but i think it'd be a misinterpretation to say he doesn't like her anymore because another man touched her- he says that he hates that the rape ruined her sense of trust.

the rape is also interesting from a storytelling perspective as it is one of the only misfortunes that isn't yozo's own fault- it was completely out of his control, and his reaction to such a misfortune is unlike the ones he's experienced so far. instead of lashing out at the world he sinks completely inward and turns to drugs after years sober from alcohol.

throughout the book his substance abuse and alcoholism comes back to rear its head time and time again. god at those moments you just feel so bad for him but you're yellin at the page for him to get this shit together. over and over he falls into the depths of despair and gets out of it with untoward means, be it manipulation by the way of his family's influence or just his own unscrupulous actions. and this catches up with him in the end. god it's sad. but justified. but so sad.

now what to take from this story..hmmm.. i'm not sure. just like lychee light club, furuya really excels in these stories of complete ruin and i can't help but feel that he was the perfect choice to adapt this story. i can't put into words what i feel but it doesn't matter. and the fact that it's semi-autobiographical (as goes for dazai, not furuya lol) makes it even harder to judge "objectively".

it's a story about complete deceit. about complete destruction. about true and utter ruin brought on by god knows what. it's enough to make you believe that some people are born under a black star.

"i bore the weight of a dozen misfortunes, such misfortunes that, had a fellow man taken on a single one of them, i couldn't but think it would destroy him."

[Grahamunculus · Rating 2 out of 5]

I want to point out that this review isn't necessarily about Furuya or his art (which is very good). He only repurposed a somewhat famous piece of Japanese literature in a more modern setting. The main issue I have with the story is that Osamu Dazai wasn't a likable person and neither is the portrayal of him in this book. Imagine the self-loathing of Holden Caulfield mixed with the self-destructive nature of Charles Bukowski; he's utterly unlikable. Attempting to approach anything resembling sympathy for him is nearly impossible. I simply felt awful for every character who had the misfortune to meet or try to care for one of the most selfish characters in literature. I guess the point isn't to empathize with him, but it's not an enjoyable read even if you go in knowing that.

[gabriella escoto · Rating 4 out of 5]

That was depressing, I need a feel good book for a palate cleanser before sleeping.

[Yaredi Pizano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Realmente sientes esa ansiedad, depresión y desolación. Cómo la decadencia va formando ese espiral del que no puedes escapar hasta que te consume.
Cómo bien lo puso forlorn.

[Estibaliz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I felt Usamaru Furuya did a great job conveying the darkness and depressing mood that sure seems to emanate, by all accounts, from Osamu Dazai's novel, and his adaption of it felt much more touching than that of Junji Ito, that I had read before (and, mind you, I certainly like Ito's work, generally speaking).

All in all, a heavy read, with its good dose of sex and drugs, and human abjection. It surely makes an impression...

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25⭐

I liked this adaptation, despite not reading the original novel yet. I consider this as more clear than Junji Ito's other version that I have checked out.

😍 The good:
I liked the alternating plans between the mangaka discovering the journal and the content is of the diary. The graphics were suitable and well-drawn. The story is deep and makes you think about things (but this credit should be given to the original author). Overall, this adaptation provides a good perspective on the story and also contains relevant quotes from the original.

😅 The not-so-good:
I think that there's not much to say here. Just to point out, the pacing might have been a bit off a times and the story is really dark, though. Not everyone might click with the book.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ако ви е прекалено хубав живота, прочетете я. Не е лошо да се вкара малко депресия в еднообразното ежедневие.

[Federico · Rating 4 out of 5]

[Lo Squalificato - Usamaru Furuya → ☆☆☆☆.25]

[Elias Carlson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved No Longer Human by Dazai when I read it, so I was very sceptical when I heard there were 2 popular adaptions to manga, but as I want to read more manga, I decided to try the first one by Furuya first. This one was a lot more enjoyable than I had imagined. It hits the story notes that made the work flow nicely, the art was mesmerizing and the few story changes made it interesting without destroying the work. I thought the new story ending was weak but as I read Furuya’s afternote I appreciated that he took a different approach. I don't know if I would say this stands as good alone but as a companion piece and an adaptation, I greatly enjoyed it.

[Den Strina · Rating 5 out of 5]

manga migliore mai letto

[Irene · Rating 4 out of 5]

SPOILERS BELOW
Note: The following review has not been proofread/edited yet. It is just a collection of my ramblings after reading this book. Apologies if some portions/all of the review doesn’t quite make sense lol.

Final Rating (average rating of all the ratings below): 4/5 (rounded down from a 4.13/5)
Personal Rating: 4/5
This was the most depressing book I've ever read. Bro, I only read this on a whim because I saw the cover for volume 3 and thought Yozo looked so much like Light Yagami from Death Note it was insane. And I guess they do have some similarities with both having manipulative and unempathetic tendencies. Anyways, I'm getting off track. Back to the point. I was left speechless at the manga because on one hand, I could totally relate with Yozo's misanthropy and his feelings of how fake everyone in the world is. And as a result, we too, have to put a facade everytime we go outside. It's how I feel forced to act. I plaster a fake smile on my face, act my best to be cheerful, while hurting on the inside. A lot of the thoughts that Yozo had in the manga also plague mine. On the other hand, it was disgusting and tragic to see Yozo's actions and how he ended up. And it honestly scares me. I wonder what the author of the original book (Dazai) wanted to communicate. Is he saying that if people keep thinking like Yozo, they will end up like him, homeless and a drug addict? Maybe not literally, but still end up badly. Is he saying that there is no use to think like this, be all cynical, hate and rage against the world, because there is no use? Are we to conform to the utterly shallow and meaningless societal standards? Or are we doomed to hate the world, but ultimately be unable to accomplish anything, and reside in this bitterness for the entirety of our lives? No matter the case, the bleak ending, to me, illustrates the hopelessness of this world. Yozo's hatred of human society really resonated with me as I currently struggle with depression. However, his tragic ending also pushes me to consider about how I live my life, and be aware of the choices I make.

Plot: 4/5
I loved the plot, but also found Yozo's downfall incredibly disturbing, because it keeps me thinking that if I make bad decisions in a fit of despair, I will also suffer from it. It painfully scares me to see how just a few bad decisions by following Horiki resulted in his transition from the son of a wealthy family to a homeless drug addict in the span of eight years. However, I believe that this plot and the series of events that Yozo experienced are absolutely necessary to convey the bitterness of human society as well as how one can ruin themself.

Themes/Topics (average rating of all the theme/topic ratings below) (disclaimer: I am not an expert in literary analysis. These are just my thoughts and how well I agree with how the author portrays them.): 5/5
Shallowness of the world: 5/5
I absolutely agreed with almost everything that Yozo felt in regards to people and the world. Everything feels so fake. The interactions we have feel so shallow. Everyone is doing things for money. I hate everyone, and I hate myself.
The breakdown of relationships: 5/5
I was debating whether to give this a 4.5/5 or 5/5, but in the end, I settled for a 5/5. The reason why I gave this a 5/5, even though Yozo made so many horrible decisions that also destroyed the people around him, is because I believe readers are meant to feel disgust at Yozo's actions. Yozo demonstrates that as we struggle, we also lash out to the people around us, often harming them in the process when they don't deserve it. His treatment of all the women he had relationships with, such as the woman he attempted to commit suicide with, the editor (I forgot their names), and Yoshino, were abhorrent. He, as he describes himself, is a parasite, leeching off the goodwill (and I don't even know how he has that much rizz lmao) of those women. They have to go to work, and also cook for him and give him money!!??! And he does nothing in return (except give them pleasurable sex I guess but I mean he probably enjoys it too). Anyways, it's utterly insane how unappreciative he is, but I think the manga meant to illustrate that. As for the explicit sex in this manga, this is one of the few times I think it belongs in here, as it is used to illustrate the morally lowness of Yozo. The one woman he's in a relationship with but where sex isn't depicted is Yoshino, and that shows how his relationship with her (before it deteriorated) was more genuine than his relationships with the other women.

Art style: 3.5/5
I think the art was pretty. Some of the drawings of Yozo when he was 17 look a little weird though.
Other comments:
NOOOOOO MAN if Yozo didn't meet Horiki maybe he wouldn't have gone down that destructive path. How could he say that Horiki was his best friend when this dude literally made him an alcoholic and was not supportive at all!?!? But on the other hand, I think Yozo was destined to meet this tragic ending. If he didn't meet Horiki, there probably would be something else that would lead him on this downward trend.

[Xena Gabrielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

well, that was pretty depressing… i already know where this story is heading but somehow i was still grasping at threads to see a different outcome, a better ending for the character…

this is a surprise read this year – one which i started on a whim because of a vlogger’s comparison with junji ito’s version. and i really enjoyed the effective storytelling and the rawness of the adaptation to the point that i finished it in 2 days!

it’s nice to see a different take on this novel and now that i’ve seen two adaptations, i felt inclined to read the original… just so i could get a better feel of the story. both adaptations had their strengths and weakness.

Junji Ito’s take was campy and really highlighted the horrors of being human. really love the horror elements – gave it quite an edge! i did feel sad towards the ending but it was more hopeful. there were also some times where i felt the storytelling was a bit disconnected – jumping from one tragedy to another which didn’t feel as smooth compared to Furuya’s. i also felt like the Oba and Dazai’s storylines intertwined too much that it feels a little confusing due to the parallels. this version also felt like Oba happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time which made his life terrible. there was less blame and accountability on his part.

Furuya’s take on the other hand felt more life-like. and the best thing it did was show horror in the mundane, the real life, which was the whole point of Oba’s story. that’s my favorite aspect in this adaptation. it went straight from the source and really just translated the horror in picture form. the storytelling was cohesive and i clearly understood the beginning and end of his story. the insertion of the mangaka was the only confusion i had especially when he mentioned Dazai. it just wasn’t too clear how he fits into the story when the mangaka was the one who looked for Oba. in this version, the women are blameless and just fell for Oba’s looks/charm. it effectively depicted him capitalizing on his assets to survive. it also captured his youth and the rash decisions that came with it. i felt soo bad for all the women’s lives he ruined. ultimately, i feel so sorry for him.

i’m a firm believer that a person’s environment plays a huge factor in shaping who they will become but there’s only a certain point where you can blame the external factors. the rest of his sufferings were definitely due to his poor decision-making and selfishness.

much as i think he was a poor soul, the women were the real victims and it’s such a shame that someone so pure would be tainted because of their love and natural caring nature.

overall, i really enjoyed this version! i read it online for free but planning to look for a the printed omnibus to keep in my collection – makes for a good re-read in the future!

[Adriana Lir Aspuri · Rating 3 out of 5]

THIS BOOK WAS PRETTY DEPRESSING!!
Probably the most dark book i've ever read so far😬

Buku kedua penulis Jepang yang aku baca. Manga ini diadaptasi dari novel terkenal, "No Longer Human" karya Osamu Dazai—penulis yang karyanya udah dari lama banget pengen kubaca, karena: (1) namanya jadi salah satu karakter di anime Bungo Stray Dogs; (2) Dazai selalu disandingkan dengan penulis sastra klasik kayak Kafka, Camus, Dostoevsky, dll; (3) karya-karya Dazai adalah semi-otobiografinya; dan (4) konten-konten tentang Dazai terus bermunculan di berandaku, seakan bilang "buruan coba baca aku!". Ya...udah kubaca. Sekali duduk. Dan, kapok.

Buku ini menceritakan tentang keterasingan, kecemasan, trauma, depresi, dan keinginan untuk bunuh diri berkali-kali yang dialami oleh si tokoh utama bernama Yozo Oba. Karena trauma masa kecil yang disebabkan oleh ayahnya, Yozo tumbuh sebagai orang yang suka 'ngebadut' dalam segala hal di depan semua orang. Makin bertambah usia, makin banyak masalah yang dihadapi sama si Yozo.

Depresi akut membuat Yozo enggak bisa memahami manusia-manusia di sekitarnya dan selalu merasa enggak layak untuk dapat kebaikan dari siapa pun. Lambat laun, depresi membuatnya ngerasa gagal menjadi manusia. It slowly, destroy himself.... Dari buku ini aku jadi tau bahwa "wow ternyata kayak gini yaa isi kepala orang yang ngalami depresi". KACAU!

Di beberapa scene, ada yang bikin aku ngerasa "HAH INI AKU BACA APAAN SIH?!!!". Ada juga momen yang bikin aku sebel sama Yozo karena memperlakukan semua perempuan yang hadir di kehidupannya sak karepe dewe😡
Kamu kasian, tapi kamu juga nyebelin luar biasa. Ugh!

Aku setelah selesai baca buku ini langsung ngerasa capek banget, terus bengong menghadap ke tembok karena keinget kalo cerita Yozo Oba ini sebagian diambil dari kisah nyatanya Osamu Dazai😶

Pastikan waktu membaca ini kondisi mental lagi baik-baik aja. Soalnya, ini beneran brutaly deppresing!! Dari awal sampe akhir isinya pikiran Yozo yang pengin mengakhiri hidup. Bahkan kalo dipersentasekan, scene bahagia di buku ini cuma 5% aja :]
So if you're not feeling okay, better NOT read this!

[DeeJade · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Ningen Shikkaku" (English translation, "No Longer Human") is an adaptation of Dazai Osamu's novel of the same title, originally published in 1948. The manga "No Longer Human" by Usamaru Furuya opens with the author finding a link to an online diary while brainstorming for his next publication (yes, he wrote himself in the manga, Hitchcock style). Said diary chronicles the various life experiences of a man named Yozo Oba, with the narration beginning with his high school years and following his life journey until he is 25.

"No Longer Human" is a poignant exploration of a young man's struggle with existential despair and the fear of death. Oba wanders aimlessly through life, haunted by his father's expectations and absence and struggling to keep up appearances by playing a role and masking his feelings. "No Longer Human" is not a typical story of a man who is mistreated in life and elicits sympathy from the readers. Neither is it a frustrating tale about an unlikable character who receives punishment from the universe. Instead, it is a story that evokes the same sense of emptiness and hollowness as its protagonist. Despite its dismal nature, the story is still captivating, leaving one in awe and disturbed fascination as they follow the protagonist's actions and thoughts.

This manga, especially the book itself, will not be a good experience if you are unprepared for it. "No Longer Human" is not a cheerful book, and it is not an easy book. So, consider yourself warned.

Trigger warning: This book contains topics of depression, mental illness, suicide, drug abuse, alcoholism, and sexual assault.

[buni]

What can I say about this. Yozo was a sad character from the beginning. He seemed to be living life for others, scared of being his true self. He didn’t understand humanity, let alone where he fit into society. He’s deeply distrusting and disturbed by others. To me it reads as though he wanted to please others, and yet despised that he did so. He did what he believed the people around him wanted to survive. Ageha being an example of this, he attempted to drown himself with her, yet lived on without her. He didn’t want to die, he simply felt misplaced in society and saw a woman he admired choose death. The more horrible things that happened to him, the more he leaned into the idea that he was horrible. He started making decisions with that notion in mind. Yet, he still ran from the editor and her child, acknowledging that he was bringing negativity into their lives. What happens with Yoshino later was honestly horrific. He sees it as his punishment, and acts out against her in horrible ways. I’m only glad her father took her out of the situation. I cannot even begin to fully grasp everything that happened, only that it was gruesome and gut wrenching. You want so desperately for him to redeem himself, to turn things around, but that never comes. It’s scary because it’s so real, it’s something all humans are afraid of at one point or another.

[CartoonistCyr · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars out of 5

No Longer Human by Usamaru Furuya is the first of four manga adaptations of the 1948 novel by Osamu Dazai, which I haven’t read yet. For years, this manga has been out of print, until November 2022, when Kodansha released a 3-in-1 omnibus volume containing the entire series. How does it fare? Find out here.

The story of No Longer Human closely follows the novel, but places it in a modern setting. Our protagonist is Yuzo Oba, a young man from a well-off family in Japan. His true self is hidden behind a happy facade, and things go from there…

No Longer Human is a dark, dark story. It is similar to Inio Asano’s Goodnight Punpun in a variety of ways, but is shorter and darker. You have to be in the right state of mind to read this, as Furuya pulls no punches at all. Speaking of Furuya, his art is amazing and reminds me of Takeshi Obata, the artist behind series such as Death Note and Bakuman.

Overall, No Longer Human is not an easy read. But it is a great read. I didn’t enjoy it that much at all, but I will say it was amazing. Check this out if you can handle the content, you probably won’t regret it. I’m sure I don’t regret reading this!

-- Sebastian C

[Noé Jean-Riverin · Rating 3 out of 5]

God I really should've looked at the trigger warnings befire reading this.

All I knew about this story was the double suicide in the water.

I picked this up to get it off my shelves for now, as I knew it would be a harder read. And I was right. Still, after every page, every bad turn, I felt compelled to get to know this story a little bit more. I've started liking reading about characters that are unlike me, and trying to relate to them.

In fact, Yoro feels misunderstood, lonely, played with by a society that has too many rules, and tries to be liked by his peers in any way he can. I can relate to that.

The story gets dark extremely fast, the main character always brought down by his own feelings. Even after steering his life back on track and getting married, he falls into a drug addiction and the hardest parts to read happen. His treatment of his wife is awful, selfish and disgusting.

This was an adaptation of the real novel, and I might be curious to read the original material. Moreover, I liked the cadence of this adaptation, and the ilustrations were beautiful and haunting.

3.7/5

[Vincent · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars
🌕🌕🌕🌕🌘

I have read the Junji Ito's manga adaptation before this one, and I couldn't help comparing them with each other. I haven't checked the original book; therefore, I can't say whether these adaptations were close to the original version or not. However, based on the similarities between them, I'd say they were both pretty close to the original book.

I kind of liked the Junji Ito's version because his style has always been clicking with me. However, his version made the main character too much of a cliché and evil to the point that I couldn't care less about his life. I believed in the original story the main character isn't like this. On the other hand, Usamaru Furuya's adaptation made me feel empathetic for the main character. I understood Oba more, his actions as well as his interactions with the women, while Junji Ito's version made him become a "real empty animal". I also liked that this version had some extracts from the original book.

Regardless my criticism for the Junji Ito's version, I think I would recommend both versions if you don't want to read the original book because they both have their own strengths and weaknesses.

[Hazem Khaled · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know what to say, but I felt like I wanted to be heard after reading this story.

I recommend reading this if you want a book that analyzes the complexities of the human mind, but definitely stay away from it if you are struggling with depression, suicidal thoughts or can't stand realistic depiction of sexual assault and child abuse.

This story filled me with disgust, rage and hatred towards the protagonist, while also fulling my self-loathing and sometimes understanding why he was doing what he was doing, But at the same time it made me grateful that I'm not as "objectively terrible" as the protagonist.

I regret reading this story in my current mental state, I kept on reading till the end for a glimmer of hope, but it just kept getting worse...

The fact that the author of the original novel Osamu Dazai killed himself after writing this makes me believe that this is not entirely a work of fiction, I had a mental break dawn after finishing it, but at least I felt a little better after crying for a bit.