Mangaphilia discussion

Name
MPD Psycho
Multiple Personality Detective Psycho
Tajū-Jinkaku Tantei Saiko
多重人格探偵サイコ

Written by
Eiji Ōtsuka

Demographic
Seinen

Total Volumes (24)

Original run
1997-2016

Is there an anime version?
Multiple Personality Detective Psycho – Kazuhiko Amamiya Returns) Live Action

Yôsuke Kobayashi is a detective and is on the case of a serial killer who dismembers his victims. The killer later sends Yôsuke's girlfriend dismembered but kept alive.[1] Yôsuke hunts down the killer and due to the events, loses his sanity and develops Dissociative identity disorder with the two main personalities being Kazuhiko Amamiya, a cool headed detective and Shinji Nishizono, a reckless psychopath.[1] After being placed in prison for murdering the killer, Yôsuke Kobayashi is released and works for an independent detective agency ran by Machi Isono.[1] Later serial killers are appearing with barcodes in their left eyes, which Yôsuke Kobayashi also has. Yôsuke Kobayashi investigations lead him to believe he is not who he thinks he is and that his Kazuhiko and Shinji personalities have existed since childhood.

Overall Rating: 9/10
** Amazing and NOT for the faint at heart **

Eiji Otsuka's MPD Psycho is one of the most brutally bloodiest, psychologically dark, mind fucked mangas I have ever read. The complex array of socially dysfunctional psychopaths committing brutally creative, straightforward morbid homicides borderline erotic and disturbing at times left on mark on me while reading this series for nearly 5 years.

The art fresh with simple clean lines, macabre to say the least, hypnotized me with detailed expressions and backgrounds. That said, the illustrator kept most of the cast true to the Japanese background, a rare feat in today's mangas.

The plot felt realistic to a certain degree when excluding the Lucy Monostone ensemble (especially in the finale). There isn't much comedy as it is very dry, with no useless characters and a dark environment.

Unfortunately, the translators stopped a few years back and no english volume has been release in some time. Fortunately, the french version of the series had been completely serialized in France so I was able to grab copies and read the ending finally. Although I can read french this is the one downfall for those that cannot...

If you can muster the first chapter, you're in for a treat. This is just one of the novels where you need to fully pay attention to each sentence.
Do I recommend it:

YES!!!

I'm surprised I've never seen this one considering my enjoyment of the psychological and horror genres... Is it more along the lines of a Junji Ito screw-over or Corpse Party death raid in terms of the mind play v. gore?

I'm also worried my high school French may not be able to carry me through this one, but hopefully that and the Japanese raws can get me through...

mmmm Junji Ito for now as the gruesome artwork of death reminds me of him. But with a finer definition in detail.