Franken Fran is a darkcomedy manga with lots of gore. If you dont like gore then this manga is going to disturb you extremely. However if youre like me who absolutely loves looking at dismembered limbs and eyecatching grotesqueries then youre going to have a fun time with this. In a way this manga is sort of like a toneddown version of the world of eroguro. Its much more polished and less raw than guro works but still contains the organs the dismemberment and the bloody circus of acts that is present in eroguro. Its more creative in its approach through its diverse collection of individual stories and there are certain chapters where the style of comedy and art feel reminiscent of Shintaro Kagos another eroguro artist known for his surreal illustrations own motifs. The thing about Franken Fran is its lack of consistency. Franken Fran is structured in an episodic way with the titular main character Fran Madaraki going through different scenarios throughout the course of the manga. Thus there are chapters that are brilliant from the insect chapters to the stories with human multiplication. And then there are chapters that are not as interesting and even some that pale in comparison to the rest. Not all of the stories retain the same level of quality. Theres an experimental edge to this manga that lies in the concepts of its individual stories. The author uses the premise of Franken Fran to delve into the components of society and human behavior and while theyre not the most profound or probing portrayals the playful nature of the manga contributes an amusing perspective into those things. And if theres one thing that the manga does extremely well at its in its playful and snarky way of commenting on society. Franken Fran explores how we perceive physical appearance and attractiveness delves into the darker side of the entertainment industry and touches on the everyday life all to twist these ideas to fit within the comically apathetic attitude of the manga. Its a kind of dark humor thats very tongueincheek and makes the manga feel more fresh and fun as a result. The stories can get wild and almost always lead to an undesirable outcome for the characters. Thats what makes it brilliant though as its always played off in a darkly comedic manner. Its playful and snarky in all the right ways. Franken Frans stories are able to flourish so well due to its peculiar cast of characters. Frans unethical ways of saving her patients lead to a mixture of disturbing and sometimes even outright terrifying abominations. Shes like the crazy mad scientist except that she actually has good intentions though its not always clear from the way she conjures up solutions. The characters in Franken Fran play off of each rather well and the people that Fran meets and interacts with with each new story offer a new concept to be explored whether that be reviving humans wanting to look more physically attractive or desiring to attain a new body. Frans own eccentricities make for countless humorous moments as she works her doctor role which more often than not leads to the opposite of what she envisioned. Fran is the perfect character for a manga like this and her naivety when it comes to human behavior and her lack of concern for the ethical make for some interesting developments in the realm of science. And then theres the artwork. Franken Frans artstyle especially with certain illustrations share the same kind of upinyourface presentation as Kagos stuff but with a little more sheen to it. Franken Frans art is gross overblown and creative. Through the course of the manga the author manages to impress and maintain the same level of quality of the grotesque depictions of the operations mutilations and chaotic bloodbaths. For anyone who loves looking at gore done in cool ways this is definitely one of those manga where its fresh allaround and theres always something neat with each chapter. Even though there are certainly chapters that are not so interesting theyre still worth reading for the bloody bits. There are even some surreal illustrations that accompany the more bizarre stories and they work to add a little more flavor to the manga as a whole. Franken Fran is the kind of manga for big fans of gore and it definitely offers more than just that. It may not be the most profound manga or the most consistent but its definitely a worthwhile read for anyone who wants to sit back relax and envision themselves as a mad scientist who also happens to have good intentions.
70 /100
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