Categorizing Ichi the Killer can be hard. It might not be a horror manga but its definitely horrible. Full disclosure here Ichi the Killer is one of the most graphical and most disturbing pieces of manga out there. Its also one of the best manga Ive read in my entire life. Which might say a thing or two about me. The manga was created by Yamamoto Hide. Hes outdone himself by creating a manga in which almost every character is batshit insane. I first got to know Ichi the Killer by watching Takashi Miikes movie of the same name. Its a damn fantastic movie and as insane as the manga. Theres a key difference though. The movies overdrawn and almost comical in its depiction of violence and depravity. The manga is not. Ichi the Killer is the story of the titular killer but more so of the Yakuza Kakihara. After Kakiharas boss vanishes he first searches for him and later for Ichi. This eventually leads to a confrontation between the two. The main story may lack some depth but it tries to add some by revealing the past bullying experiences of Ichi which led to his current state of mind. Although it doesnt seem to do a good job at relating it to the present it manages to tie it in with Ichis current target. In the end the story does have a repetitive cycle but there are plenty of exciting twists to spice things up. Ichi the Killer is less a horror manga but predominately a mature and psychological tale about two characters who are downright insane. The artwork is unusually great because theres lot of detail put every panel and character designs however most of the character designs are quite unsettling. Also this manga is pretty creative in its depiction of extreme gore and horrific violence so expect to see the most nauseating thing you can imagine. It heavily explores themes such as sadism masochism identity disorder manipulation and mixes them into one of the most depraved manga of all time. Overall Ichi the Killer proved to be one of the most disturbing and gruesome manga ever created with a twisted story that didnt make much sense until you get deep into the story. Some trigger warnings: necrophilia body mutilation assault and abuse sexual contact blood and gore murder Its an amazing piece that features on a lot of the many tropes of cult horror see the trigger warnings listed above. Nothing in this manga series is lighthearted if the first issue is absolutely anything to go by. Its dark its twisted and youre either going to enjoy it or be utterly disgusted. This isnt for the fainthearted although the manga seems somewhat milder compared to the film in terms of its content so far. This is a dark story that is set up beautifully and is only going to get darker and wilder.I like to warn you again. Ichi is fucked up at times disgusting and features graphical content. If ones up for that though ones treated with an amazing manga. https://rehnwriter.com/wpcontent/uploads/2020/08/ichithekiller1.jpg
90 /100
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