Manga Reviews (2010-2019): No Longer Human by Ito Junji (based on the novel by Dazai Osamu)

“No Longer Human” is one of Japan’s best selling fictional books of all time, but Ito’s “No Longer Human” captures the emotional hell that Dazai and his character had gone through. A fascinating story, but made even darker when you know that certain stories involving the characters actually were true. Another highly recommended Ito Junji manga work!

MANGA TITLE:No Longer Human

ORIGINALLY RELEASED IN JAPAN: 2017

STORY AND ART BY: Ito Junji

BASED ON THE NOVEL BY Dazai Osamu

FIRST PUBLISHED IN JAPAN: SHOGAKUKAN

PUBLISHED IN USA BY: Viz Media Signature

RATED: N/A

RELEASE DATE: December 17, 2019

Junji Ito made his professional manga debut in 1987 and since then has gone on to be recognized as one of the greatest contemporary artists working in the horror genre. His titles include Tomie and Uzumaki, which have been adapted into live-action films; Gyo, which was adapted into an animated film; and his short story collections Fragments of Horror, Shiver and Frankenstein, all of which are available from VIZ Media. Ito’s influences include classic horror manga artists Kazuo Umezu and Hideshi Hino, as well as authors Yasutaka Tsutsui and H.P. Lovecraft.

Osamu Dazai was born in Aomori, Northern Japan, in 1909, the son of a wealthy landowning family. During his boyhood and youth, he wrestled with his own complicated mental state and eventually dropped out of Tokyo Imperial University’s French Literature Department. He went onto pen a number of important works, including Run, Melos!, Return to Tsugaru, and The Setting Sun, becoming one of the leading voices in contemporary literature, even while he struggled with drug addiction and attempted suicide on multiple occasions. In June 1948, one month after completing No Longer Human, considered by some to have been his own suicide note, he drowned himself with his lover Tomie Yamazaki in the Tamagawa Canal in Mitaka, Tokyo. He was 38.

Dazai Osamu is a Japanese author who is considered in Japan as one of the most well-known fiction writers.

Best known for his work “The Setting Sun” (Shayo, 1947) and “No Longer Human” (Shingen Shikkaku, 1948), the latter which is a story about a young, self-destructive man who doesn’t see himself as part of the human race. And also happens to be the second best selling novel in Japan of all time.

The year that “No Longer Human” was released, he and the woman he had an affair with, Yamazaki Tomie, went to Tamagawa Canal near his home and drowned themselves.

Ito Junji is a Japanese horror mangaka best known for his work “Tomie”, “Uzumaki”, “Gyo” and many more. In 2017, he would adapt Dazai’s novel into a manga.

And to adapt such a deep novel by Ito was an interesting fusion as Ito’s style adds almost a horrific feel to already a messed up situation involving its characters. It’s a dark storyline which Ito fans will surely love.

It’s important to note that in Japan, a total of three manga were released. The Viz Signature English adaptation is all three in one book.

Before reading this review, I want to warn those who haven’t read it to read this article after they read the manga. As this review includes some spoilers.

Also, the storyline has revolved around a troubled man named Oba Yozo and his life when he was younger through his young adulthood.

Oba is scared of humanity, from being sexually assaulted as a child, to seeing the worse of humanity from his family, their friends, the staff that work for the family.

And in order to hide that disgust, he would try to hide behind the facade of being a clown. Making jokes, playing stupid to make people laugh. Its his way to establish any sort of relationship with people.

But one day he meets an unusual looking kid named Takeichi, that everyone bullies. But Takeichi confronts Oba and confronts him on his buffoonery and knows Oba is fake. This starts to make Takeichi worry that Takeichi may be outed.

When Oba shoes him the ghost-like paintings of Amedeo Modigliani, Takeichi tells him that certain artists express the inner truth of human cruelty through their own trauma.

But it doesn’t take long for Oba to come across tragedy, after tragedy and many more tragedies because of him.

While many readers of the original novel have felt that Oba was very much a big part of what the real author Dazai Osamu had experienced or have thought about, Ito Junji actually has Dazai featured as a character.

In fact, the book kicks off with the real life story of Dazai and his mistress taking their life and drowning themselves in the Tamagawa River, but also has Dazai and Oba actually meeting and Dazai writing “No Longer Human”.

Personally, because there are moments in the book that almost delve into the supernatural or dream-like/nightmare-like setting, I often wonder if Ito showing two characters, but in fact the story is about the same person. While the stories are fictional, there are things in Dazai’s life that have happened and made it into the book as part of Oba’s storyline.

The real-life Dazai Osamu (real name was Tsushima Shuji), grew up in a mansion, a wealthy and powerful family and he was brought up by his servants and aunt. He also spent his money on clothes, alcohol and prostitutes. He also attempted suicide multiple times, ran away with a geisha, was disowned by the family and the story of Oba and another woman trying to kill themselves off a beach in Kamakura actually happened.

Dazai also was addicted to Pabinal (a morphine-based painkiller), developed acute appendicitis, taken and locked up in a mental institution, his wife committing adultery with his best friend, got married again and met a woman who lost her husband after ten days of marriage.

Situations from Dazai’s life, actually are incorporated into Oba’s life in the manga.

And while Dazai will always be known as one of Japan’s most successful authors and fiction writers of 20th century Japan, one can only wonder the pain he suffered throughout his life. And if what happened to Oba, also happened to DazaI, in some ways, I can see how the book can be seen as the author’s goodbye work.

Dazai/Tsushima has lived through a lot of tragedy and heartbreak that the title of the book “Ningen Shikkaku” (No Longer Human) is a sad testament of an accomplished writer who had severe mental health issues during a time when mental health issues were looked at differently.

Overall, another highly recommended Ito Junji manga work!

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