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Pure Trance
Following the Third World War, humankind left the toxic surface of the Earth and built an underground city to survive. A serious social problem emerged in this new society: hyperorexia, or severe overeating, a side effect of the Pure Trance life-sustaining pill. This dreamy science fiction fantasy -- a sexy story of catfights, alien safari adventures, evil experimentation, and a girl who dreams of becoming a pop idol singer -- is the long-awaited debut graphic novel of famous Japanese manga artist Junko Mizuno. Pure Trance breaks every stereotype of shojo manga (girls' comics).
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
13 people are currently reading
530 people want to read
About the author
Junko Mizuno
36 books142 followersJunko Mizuno (水野純子 Mizuno Junko) is a Japanese manga artist.
Mizuno's drawing style, which mixes childish sweetness and cuteness with terror and erotica, has often been termed a Gothic kawaii or kawaii noir style. However, Mizuno has stated that she does not feel comfortable about those terms, as she doesn't want to label her work with words because it keeps changing and is influenced by many different genres.
Mizuno has stated that her work is influenced by shōjo manga works; this influence is exhibited through her use of bright colorization and the large eyes she provides for her characters. Her art has a decidedly pop-art and psychedelic flair, and a sizable proportion of her published work is colored, rather than the black and white format typical of most Japanese comics.
A part of Mizuno's oeuvre revolves around fairy tales, showing titles such as Cinderalla, Princess Mermaid and Hansel&Gretel. The story behind this is that after the release of Pure Trance, Mizuno was approached by a publisher who was interested in working with her because of her unique style. However, this publisher did not like the story of Pure Trance as it differed a lot from mainstream comics at the time. Because of this, he suggested she'd make comics about fairy tales, which were commercially more viable. Mizuno has stated that as she was just starting out her career as a professional artist, she decided to take the opportunity, and that while in hindsight she was not very comfortable with the situation, it was a good experience for her.
Mizuno has participated in the Angoulême International Comics Festival and the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. In 2007 Mizuno's work was on display at the Merry Karnowsky Gallery in Los Angeles, in an exhibit titled Heart Throb and at Gallery Nucleus in Alhambra, California in an exhibit titled Tender Succubus. In 2014, Mizuno held an exhibition of her work titled Belle: the Art of Junko Mizuno at the Atomica Gallery in London.
(from Wikipedia)
Mizuno's drawing style, which mixes childish sweetness and cuteness with terror and erotica, has often been termed a Gothic kawaii or kawaii noir style. However, Mizuno has stated that she does not feel comfortable about those terms, as she doesn't want to label her work with words because it keeps changing and is influenced by many different genres.
Mizuno has stated that her work is influenced by shōjo manga works; this influence is exhibited through her use of bright colorization and the large eyes she provides for her characters. Her art has a decidedly pop-art and psychedelic flair, and a sizable proportion of her published work is colored, rather than the black and white format typical of most Japanese comics.
A part of Mizuno's oeuvre revolves around fairy tales, showing titles such as Cinderalla, Princess Mermaid and Hansel&Gretel. The story behind this is that after the release of Pure Trance, Mizuno was approached by a publisher who was interested in working with her because of her unique style. However, this publisher did not like the story of Pure Trance as it differed a lot from mainstream comics at the time. Because of this, he suggested she'd make comics about fairy tales, which were commercially more viable. Mizuno has stated that as she was just starting out her career as a professional artist, she decided to take the opportunity, and that while in hindsight she was not very comfortable with the situation, it was a good experience for her.
Mizuno has participated in the Angoulême International Comics Festival and the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. In 2007 Mizuno's work was on display at the Merry Karnowsky Gallery in Los Angeles, in an exhibit titled Heart Throb and at Gallery Nucleus in Alhambra, California in an exhibit titled Tender Succubus. In 2014, Mizuno held an exhibition of her work titled Belle: the Art of Junko Mizuno at the Atomica Gallery in London.
(from Wikipedia)
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
February 12, 2014
When I started this comic I was surprised by all the praise. While it showcases Mizuno's cutesy, wild and morbid style it felt a bit more juvenile than her later works. I think I'm just getting tired of these drugged up sex doll characters after loaning a pile of her comics. The novelty has worn off and I'm left seeing a trashy attitude towards women. That said, Pure Trance did make me chuckle once in a while and though it started out with a yawn it ended well. It's set in a psychedelic future underground Tokyo, protected from a radiated Earth up above after a world war. In this new Tokyo people eat pills, and most of the story takes place in a sort of rehab for girls addicted to these food pills. The director of the hospital is much like Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS. Big breasted and sadistic (and uninteresting, in my opinion). The highlights of the comic were the details of the animals from the surface Earth and the twins with psychic powers, Yuki and Miki. I would have preferred reading more about them and less about the hospital.
November 2, 2023
Gross but cute and cute but gross. Junko Mizuno is a singular talent. There is no one out there making manga like her.
July 3, 2017
Weeeeeiiiirrrrdddd.... The art is delightful (though many of the characters blur for me) but the story is beyond strange in a confusing rather than pleasing way.
May 22, 2024
Such a weird book, I don’t even know how to describe it. The whole thing feels like a freaky dream. I did enjoy it though lol. I picked this book up bc the cover art looked rlly cool and the art throughout the story is so unique. Fits the creepy-cute vibes of the plot perfectly.
Kaori u were always the realest
Kaori u were always the realest
November 3, 2019
I didn’t get it. I’ve read erotic mangas, surreal mangas, I’m used to different styles and stories... I’m confused about the high reviews of this one.
December 21, 2025
debauched phantasmagoria. incredible imagination and fantastic detail.
surprisingly subtle for something which at first appears so vulgar.
i wasn't expecting to appreciate the art style nearly so much.
i suspect that mizuno is tapped the fuck in to some archetypal schema most of us are barely perceiving. to digest the deeper themes (and the excellent backgrounds) i'll need to re-read this several times, and i look forward to doing so.
one gripe- unfortunately, it's really hard for me to tell the characters apart. that's an issue for me with a lot of manga, especially in the cartoonier styles (tezuka, nagai, etc)
...but it's also surprisingly hard for me to real people apart so i don't think i should hold this against the artist.
A+++
surprisingly subtle for something which at first appears so vulgar.
i wasn't expecting to appreciate the art style nearly so much.
i suspect that mizuno is tapped the fuck in to some archetypal schema most of us are barely perceiving. to digest the deeper themes (and the excellent backgrounds) i'll need to re-read this several times, and i look forward to doing so.
one gripe- unfortunately, it's really hard for me to tell the characters apart. that's an issue for me with a lot of manga, especially in the cartoonier styles (tezuka, nagai, etc)
...but it's also surprisingly hard for me to real people apart so i don't think i should hold this against the artist.
A+++
February 24, 2013
A beautiful,erotic, innocent, disconnected piece of majik. Junko Mizuno Da Bomb!
September 4, 2015
I don't understand what's the hype about junko's art. I couldn't read beyond the first twenty pages and I think this is the shittiest comic I've ever seen.
December 4, 2019
Je n'avais rien lu d'aussi étrange, éclaté et bizarement science-fictionnesque depuis Sign of the Labrys de Margaret St. Clair.
Situé dans un monde post-apocalyptique où la viande (disponible uniquement sur le marché noir) est remplacé par des pilules à cause de l'énorme craving qu'elle suscite, la population s'est enfermée dans des domes souterrains et n'ose pas remonter à la surface (peuplée par un monde de créatures mutées des survivant·es). Le manga nous entraîne dans un hôpital géré par une directrice sadique, droguée en permanence et toujours à la recherche de meilleure viande ainsi que des différentes infirmières et patientes qui y séjournent (pour souvent mourir faute de soins adéquats, pas des infirmières qui font de leur mieux, mais de la directrice). Le monde qu'on nous présente est majoritairement peuplé de femmes, mais ça semble être surtout l'angle d'approche de la mangaka plus que un monde sans hommes (d'ailleurs, ils semblent très bien conserver leur pouvoir ; en fait foi un maire voyeur et peureux toujours à la tête de la ville malgré son incompétence).
Le monde dystopique de Mizuno est comme toujours, même s'il s'agit d'une de ses premières oeuvres, complètement psychédéliques, remplis de femmes qui oscillent entre la boulimie et l'anorexie, hypersexualisées (tout en prétendant à l'innocence), et toutes souvent obsédées par une ou plusieurs choses (que ce soit la drogue, la nourriture, le vedettariat, les enfants, les cadeaux, etc. Dans un monde dystopique et nostalgique d'un passé vu comme utopique, ça se justifie très bien). Un grand nombre de personnages, introduit tout au long du manga, sont aussi présents rendant l'univers encore plus éclaté et plein de potentiel. Mizuno trace aussi cette société sur une +/- longue période de temps durant laquelle on peut quand même voir des enfants grandir (je ne volerais pas de punch avec ça) et des personnages évoluer.
Je pense que le manga devient vraiment intéressant une fois qu'on se met à explorer le monde au-dessus, les épisodes à l'hôpital n'innovaient pas nécessairement et tendaient même à être un peu répétitif tandis que le monde extérieur fait vraiment exploser une richesse créative et stylistique en plus d'envoyer le scénario dans des directions complètement inatendues.
C'est définitivement une lecture qui vaut le détour, certainement pas celle avec laquelle j'introduirais une personne aux mangas ou à l'autrice (bien que pour certaines personnes, ça pourrait être vraiment un ouvrage révélateur des possibles). Ça s'inscrit magistralement dans le reste de son esthétique et je pense qu'une forme longue comme ce manga (contrairement à ses contes) lui permet vraiment de pousser à fond sa poétique jusque dans ses moindres recoins (les plus sombres parfois).
Situé dans un monde post-apocalyptique où la viande (disponible uniquement sur le marché noir) est remplacé par des pilules à cause de l'énorme craving qu'elle suscite, la population s'est enfermée dans des domes souterrains et n'ose pas remonter à la surface (peuplée par un monde de créatures mutées des survivant·es). Le manga nous entraîne dans un hôpital géré par une directrice sadique, droguée en permanence et toujours à la recherche de meilleure viande ainsi que des différentes infirmières et patientes qui y séjournent (pour souvent mourir faute de soins adéquats, pas des infirmières qui font de leur mieux, mais de la directrice). Le monde qu'on nous présente est majoritairement peuplé de femmes, mais ça semble être surtout l'angle d'approche de la mangaka plus que un monde sans hommes (d'ailleurs, ils semblent très bien conserver leur pouvoir ; en fait foi un maire voyeur et peureux toujours à la tête de la ville malgré son incompétence).
Le monde dystopique de Mizuno est comme toujours, même s'il s'agit d'une de ses premières oeuvres, complètement psychédéliques, remplis de femmes qui oscillent entre la boulimie et l'anorexie, hypersexualisées (tout en prétendant à l'innocence), et toutes souvent obsédées par une ou plusieurs choses (que ce soit la drogue, la nourriture, le vedettariat, les enfants, les cadeaux, etc. Dans un monde dystopique et nostalgique d'un passé vu comme utopique, ça se justifie très bien). Un grand nombre de personnages, introduit tout au long du manga, sont aussi présents rendant l'univers encore plus éclaté et plein de potentiel. Mizuno trace aussi cette société sur une +/- longue période de temps durant laquelle on peut quand même voir des enfants grandir (je ne volerais pas de punch avec ça) et des personnages évoluer.
Je pense que le manga devient vraiment intéressant une fois qu'on se met à explorer le monde au-dessus, les épisodes à l'hôpital n'innovaient pas nécessairement et tendaient même à être un peu répétitif tandis que le monde extérieur fait vraiment exploser une richesse créative et stylistique en plus d'envoyer le scénario dans des directions complètement inatendues.
C'est définitivement une lecture qui vaut le détour, certainement pas celle avec laquelle j'introduirais une personne aux mangas ou à l'autrice (bien que pour certaines personnes, ça pourrait être vraiment un ouvrage révélateur des possibles). Ça s'inscrit magistralement dans le reste de son esthétique et je pense qu'une forme longue comme ce manga (contrairement à ses contes) lui permet vraiment de pousser à fond sa poétique jusque dans ses moindres recoins (les plus sombres parfois).
October 5, 2025
Whoa! This was wild. I need more Junko Mizuno in my life! Gory, sexy, super weird. How could I not love this? It's so odd that I don't even know where to begin to describe it. After the third world war, the surface world becomes unlivable. All of society moves underground. Without real plants or animals, they develop these nutrient capsules. Which some people start getting addicted to. The book follows the staff at a hospital that treats these capsule eating addictions. We see the awful director of the hospital who whips and beats her nurses while being addicted to the medicine they provide. We see many different nurses over the course of the book. As well as other characters from outside of the hospital. The main plots revolve around the nurses' hatred for the director and around the curiosity of what is on the surface. It's very strange. But absolutely beautiful. The story is fast paced and it captures you instantly. There are even a ton of little fun facts at the bottom of each page. Giving you a little fluff detail about each scene. Which is really fun. Overall I loved this book. The art was phenomenal. Clean and sexy while having a ton of gore and being batshit wild. The story was unique and had me hooked from the beginning. I highly recommend this if you like weird books.
September 7, 2021
I mean, this was wild. I don't think that I was the target audience for this but to be honest, I'm not sure who would be. Apparently this started to accompany copies of a CD compilation with the same title but I can't make a connection work in my mind. There is lots of fun in this volume but also lots to make me uncomfortable (maybe that's the point). I made it through to the end but I definitely wondered a few times through if I needed to go on. There are some really creative ideas and it might just me my hangouts that make me uncomfortable with the boobs-out style but there was also just a lot of abuse that irked me.
October 12, 2020
Has to be one of the most mind screwing things I've read lately. In all honesty, I found the story hard to follow and a bit nonsensical, I had to read it twice. However oddly, I enjoy things like that. I've come to the assumption this author really doesnt try to make sense perse, but rather just goes all out with strangeness and obscurity. Junko is more of an artist than an author. If you're an avid manga reader and randomly came across this you might not like it. But in my case I much prefer written novels when it comes to following actual plot. Theres been a small handful of times I've been pleasantly surprised by comics, but usually I pick up things like this because of what they are. More based around a confusing aesthetic rather than a coherent point.
August 5, 2020
I use to have this when I was a teenager and finally got it back and oh I adore Junko Mizuno’s art SO MUCH. I didn’t remember the story at all, so propably As an teenager who USE TO THINK can understand english VERY well didn’t really understand it at all 😂
I love Junko’s strong female characters so much, she’s my biggest inspiration to do my own art 💖 storyline is a bit messy but It didn’t bother me ’cause the art is so STUNNING.
I love her ✖️✖️✖️
I love Junko’s strong female characters so much, she’s my biggest inspiration to do my own art 💖 storyline is a bit messy but It didn’t bother me ’cause the art is so STUNNING.
I love her ✖️✖️✖️
November 28, 2025
A good example of what happens when an artist neglects the fundamentals. One of the murkiest comics I’ve read. Frequently incoherent, and not in an intentional or interesting way, but in a way that undermines the generally lovely narrative and worldbuilding. Differentiating between characters, and sometimes even environments and actions, is difficult, sometimes impossible, from beginning to end. Formally a mess; conceptually strong.
May 25, 2021
Meeeeh. Oui le dessin est beau et original mais vu qu’il n’y a pas grand chose derrière ça fonctionne pas très bien sur un livre entier. L’histoire est incompréhensible, les personnages ont tous la même tête, et globalement à part des meufs dénudées (et en même temps pas assez pour que ce soit ouvertement un bouquin érotique), bah il n’y a pas grand chose à retenir.
February 9, 2022
Did not finish.
Read for: cool, weird art, gore (esp. medical, drug related), titties
I adore Junko Mizuno's art for all its weirdness, but I couldn't get into this super weird story. It didn't make any sense and the swearing was funny but also so out of place, i was pulled out of the story by it. A, uh, effort was made, but I think I'll just stick to artbooks.
Read for: cool, weird art, gore (esp. medical, drug related), titties
I adore Junko Mizuno's art for all its weirdness, but I couldn't get into this super weird story. It didn't make any sense and the swearing was funny but also so out of place, i was pulled out of the story by it. A, uh, effort was made, but I think I'll just stick to artbooks.
June 26, 2022
Wildly creative, social commentary that's a bit hard to follow, but so rich with characters, intertwining plots, and world-building that it's worth a reread.
(In fact, the author says to read the main story line in the panels first and then go back and read the trivia at the bottom of the pages.)
(In fact, the author says to read the main story line in the panels first and then go back and read the trivia at the bottom of the pages.)
January 7, 2025
Most of the time, these bewildering, impossible -to-classify books deliver garbage endings. Not so here — the denouement happens quickly, but it pays off all the cutesy ultraviolence that preceded. The trivia JM includes throughout the story really fleshes out the underground and surface worlds.
Highly recommended if you’re into weird stuff.
Highly recommended if you’re into weird stuff.
January 21, 2017
This is pretty terrible. Story bounces all over the place, dialogue is awful, and I din't like the art.
July 10, 2017
barely a 3, i don't think i like her work as much as i used to.. at least the storyline i like the art still...
May 10, 2019
Fun and funky with lots of nasty.
April 6, 2020
This book is an acid trip. It's not much of a plot and the world and characters are illogical. I almost felt like it was a waste of time but the girls were pretty.
July 1, 2020
I really like this author’s art style, which is why this book was recommended and why I bought it, but the story is so confusing and chaotic. I didn’t really enjoy it.
March 16, 2024
More impressive for the art than the story.
January 28, 2025
I enjoyed it I wish there wasn’t so many characters I got so confused tho. I loved the art style hehe
July 11, 2025
fun story, but the pacing is all over the place. Mizuno is definetly an illustrator, but not a manga artist.
October 22, 2016
Pure Trance is one of Mizuno's slightly earlier works, coming out before her twisted fairy tale series (Cinderalla, Princess Mermaid, etc). It exudes a freshness and coolness that I haven rarely found in a manga that doesn't actually take itself seriously. Everything about this volume feels tongue in cheek, and that's where Mizuno shines.
The story of Pure Trance is that after another World War, everyone is forced to live underground and consume pills for sustenance. Some people have become addicted to these Pure Trance pills and must seek treatment for their addiction. The nurses at Center 102 treat said patients, or at least attempt to. It's hard to accomplish much when their psychotic director will decide to kill a patient or torture the nurses randomly. Pretty out there, right? Throw in all of the little trivia (just about every life form or neat toy or piece of furniture gets an explanation box) and you get a manga that's disturbingly witty. It goes well beyond over-the-top and revels in its permissiveness. It at once exudes femininity and putridity--cute and horrific all at the same time. The director has big shining eyes that sparkle...while at the same time wielding a whip and having hypodermic needles sticking out of her. It's this contrast that works so well.
Pure Trance is really best enjoyed for the crazy art and random ideas rather than the story. Honestly, it is quite disjointed as if Ms. Mizuno wanted to be sure to cram in every random idea that popped into her head even if it had no relevance to what was going on. So if you're looking for cohesiveness, it's best to look elsewhere. There is no denying, however, that Pure Trance is visually stunning in its uniqueness and that its dark humor shines throughout the course of the work.
The story of Pure Trance is that after another World War, everyone is forced to live underground and consume pills for sustenance. Some people have become addicted to these Pure Trance pills and must seek treatment for their addiction. The nurses at Center 102 treat said patients, or at least attempt to. It's hard to accomplish much when their psychotic director will decide to kill a patient or torture the nurses randomly. Pretty out there, right? Throw in all of the little trivia (just about every life form or neat toy or piece of furniture gets an explanation box) and you get a manga that's disturbingly witty. It goes well beyond over-the-top and revels in its permissiveness. It at once exudes femininity and putridity--cute and horrific all at the same time. The director has big shining eyes that sparkle...while at the same time wielding a whip and having hypodermic needles sticking out of her. It's this contrast that works so well.
Pure Trance is really best enjoyed for the crazy art and random ideas rather than the story. Honestly, it is quite disjointed as if Ms. Mizuno wanted to be sure to cram in every random idea that popped into her head even if it had no relevance to what was going on. So if you're looking for cohesiveness, it's best to look elsewhere. There is no denying, however, that Pure Trance is visually stunning in its uniqueness and that its dark humor shines throughout the course of the work.
April 15, 2015
Junko Mizuno is a controversial artist even in her native Japan, which says something about her style and choice of themes. Her signature remakes of classic stories such as Cinderella, Hansel & Gretel and The Little Mermaid are all very restrictive (and somewhat one-dimensional) as works of art, revolving around well known stories with a twist and Mizuno's iconic cartoon style. "Pure Trance" is where Junko Mizuno really shines - An original story which delves into the truly grotesque and psychedelic which exists on an entirely different level of narration than any of her previous work. Oftentimes disjointed and uncannily weird, It's a difficult read and definitely a love-it-or-hate-it piece of work.
May 17, 2024
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211215: this is a much much later addition: well i read it a second time, feel moved to critique, but maybe i would need more familiarity with 'girls manga', to really appreciate this weirdness, this work with nurses and dominatrix in fetish-wear, big eyes, big breasts, this work which is thick, unbroken, constantly curving lines. story is fractured. extra margin images and bios cool. i could imagine the images in psychedelic colours like Peter Max, could even hear a 'Yellow Submarine' soundtrack, with extravagant violence, blood and gore, while maintaining a cutesy vibe- this contrast is what makes me enjoy even when i do not understand it...
first review: just really like the art...
211215: this is a much much later addition: well i read it a second time, feel moved to critique, but maybe i would need more familiarity with 'girls manga', to really appreciate this weirdness, this work with nurses and dominatrix in fetish-wear, big eyes, big breasts, this work which is thick, unbroken, constantly curving lines. story is fractured. extra margin images and bios cool. i could imagine the images in psychedelic colours like Peter Max, could even hear a 'Yellow Submarine' soundtrack, with extravagant violence, blood and gore, while maintaining a cutesy vibe- this contrast is what makes me enjoy even when i do not understand it...
first review: just really like the art...
April 24, 2017
Excellent twisted graphic novel. Cutiesy poo world of nurses mixed with s+M, dope and anorexic themes, weaving in and out of the surface and underworlds. Mizuno's imagination runs amok as you are exposed to the rounded, yet shocking images.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews