Heya, I saw you talking about Ichi the Killer the other day and I though "That sounds interesting maybe I'll look at it" and MAN. Finished it yesterday it was too suspenseful to stop reading! Just wanted to tell you I liked it.
well adjusted tumblr users when they learn about an ultraviolence, gore, tragedy, thriller WHATEVER manga that they probably shouldnt read:
JKHJSDDSJAK im just kidding. i have to admit my stomach did a 180 when i started reading ''im gonna check it out. MAN." like i was ready to get chewed out do you realize this. jumpscared
now that i have fresh eyes on it though, what DID you think of the old man mentoring itchi and his motivation and whatnot?? he fucking suuuucked i was barely caring about that guy until the very end like way to ruin the romantic climax. not that i have any Betterr ideas to switch him out with on the subject of why itchi is the he is. - he IS the catalyst of the story, after all. maybe if i read it a third time ill like him more?
if you wanna get more of it, theres the movie -infinitely more popular and liked than the manga because of the director and actor- (also again, the character design EVEN WITH turning kakihara into a blonde twink *chefs kiss*) there are some sequels acting as prequels that have more insight on itchi would be roped into this level of intense psychological manipulation... i dont remember liking them as much as i did the original. i really was in it for the 'kakihara does a stupid gay character development that pisses you off' ride
if youre willing to still hear me out, i actually got to ichi through a different manga the same artist illustrated, "homunculus", that i also really enjoyed. my memory is weaker on that story, but its not nearly as gore intensive. still a horror thriller of sorts, though. its the story about a man who lives in his car and agrees to to a back alley surgery experiment. the 'surgeon's(student?) theory is that by opening a literal third eye through trepanation, he will gain insight in to the supernatural. he can "see" through only when closing his right eye though, in the form of miscellaneous beasts haunting individuals, said beasts representing repressed memories, trauma, insecurities and whatnot. not everyone has them. if youve ever seen a spread of a guy holding a drill to his own forehead, thats the one!
it could have easily been serialized into "problem of the week" and gone on for longer but it drops the pretense midway through as it focuses more on your main character(s). it has also gotten a movie in the last decade, but i havent seen it.
since when i last talked about ichi i was once again harping how the core of this, sans final mastermind plot twist, is about a closeted, extreme masochist, yakuza chief hunting down the man that killed his boss/implied lover, homunculus has a smiliar thing going on that not a lot of manga, horror or otherwise, are willing to act upon, or at least to this extent. the surgeon i mentioned before (i dont remember names ;;) has a gaudy, 'rich single cougar in your area' (imo) fashion sense, and crossdresses ocasionally. his own thing and the way his homunculus manifests is like an hidden agent plot through the story, culminating with a dedicated arc. by the end, if its not explicitly stated (again i genuinely dont remember) then its made extremely obvious that she has transitioned and identifies as a woman (like for real, its if you dont see it you have dementia type of obvious), the relationship between the her and the protag is very interesting and endearing, and has that similar romantic tension that kakiharas one-sided manhunt carried. it fades into the background when the protags own skeletons are brought to light, but seeing her come back in the end and hugging him while hes just too far gone did something NASTY to my emotions. theres an english saying that pretty much sums up her deal, but i dont want to say it because it would immediately spoil it. so ill just say its really interesting that her entire character design, from how her face is stylized to how her homunculus manifests, is sick as hell and incredible foreshadowing. teehee
i suppose that if you handled ichi you can handle this, but if you do check it out be warned that one of the arcs revolves around this 40?? something year old having sex with a teenager. its not presented as titillating, thank god, its awkward as hell, and then it gets annoying as FUCK because its said teenager and protag playing an hours long chicken game, when one backs out and concedes defeat the other negs them on. i might be putting on rose tinted goggles, but now i find it one of the stronger arcs.... reminds me of when i was a teenager myself. make of that what you will. (cluster-b girlies stay losing i guess) also, the one spread of the surgeon and the teenagers homunculus interacting was the coolest thing id seen so far in that story ngl.
not sure how to end this. heres an funny panel of said surgeon lol
also this page of them holding hands because teehee