Lost+Brain

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First, if you read this manga, don't be an idiot and keep relating it to Death Note.

I'm a Death Note fan too. You want to compare? Let me compare for you. We all know that DN is distinctly good but as someone who has read it all over again in both English and Japanese three times over I found a good deal of loopholes in the story, which I will list them down in a future review, simply because the story is too long and complicated for the author Tsugumi Ohba to handle. On the other hand, in case of Lost+Brain, the story is very ... compact, right to the points, and virtually free of loophole.

Okay, I strongly believe what makes most of you keep ranting about this manga, despite all the little interesting implications about hypnotism, is the very method the protagonist chooses to change the world - MEMORY ERASURE. Most of you may think it is unfounded, but no, it is exactly what had been happening in the world since the last half of the past century in the name of the neoliberalism crusade led by the U.S.'s economic mega-guru Milton Friedman, as described in details by Naomi Klein in "the Shock Doctrine." He craved for what he called blank slate of the society and the human mind, on which he can literally rewrite everything. Ewen Cameron was the world leading psychiatrist who share the same views and the two men's ideologies converged during regime changes throughout the world. In torture, human were made regress to infantile state, with their memory erased, mostly irreversible. Instead of hypnotism, which is more time consuming and requires extreme mastery, electroshock was used to erase memory and remake human.

I found a rather clear echo of the book in this manga. The bottom line is if you are good then you are more likely to do right more than wrong, so "as planned" is never a necessary phrase to blurt out any more and things should just go smoothly, even though it went all wrong in the end because of a single mistake. That's the narrative that Lost+Brain chooses, to let us follow a well-planned operation until its very end without inserting too much unnecessary twists to confuse readers. The ending might be kinda bad though.

You should read this manga if you are a disciple of LOGIC, not a disciple of some "death note cult."

I remember seeing Lost+Brain a few years ago and bookmarking it because the plot summary was interesting. After reading it years later, the only thing I felt about it is that it had a lot of unfulfilled potential.

The main thing about this manga is the comparison to Death Note and they are plentiful to see like the art style, main characters being geniuses, some of the plot elements and motivations for why the main character does what he does, but it's done in a way less interesting way, by an inferior cast of characters. The characters were just bland with no charisma. The two sidekicks ... to Ren have almost no characterization to them except that one is smart (he almost never shows it) and the other was helped by Ren's hypnosis and becomes obsessed with him (Like Misa from Death Note). Ren on the other hand is just a genius that wants to control the world with his motivation being introduced half way though the manga. Our other main character Itsuki is less of a bland character but it's not by a lot. He tries to stop Ren, but is always one step behind and for most of the manga it feels like he is following him from behind, rather than stopping his plots. His niece Yuki is not anything to write home about either. The other characters are basically useless and do nothing.

The story at it's base is interesting with hypnosis and what power it has to control an individual, and a lot of techniques are explored which helps the reader understand hypnosis better. Also I have my personal feeling that there is a subplot with how television can brainwash into believing everything they say without questioning it, as it is the way Ren uses it to achieve his goals, but I may be reaching here. The main problem I have with the story is again with the characters, as without any interesting characters the story gets dragged down and I can't begin to care if either Ren or Itsuki succeeds in their goals.
The art is decent, but it not anything special. It does it's job, it's clean there isn't anything more to say about.
In the end the manga isn't a disaster and because of it's short length you can read it in a day. If you are a Death Note fan and want to read something that has a similar plot and similiar MC (or straight up rip-offs) you may find something good in it, but it won't be something that you will remember.

This is my first review, so if you have constructive criticism I would love to hear it.

LOST+BRAIN is really amazing. Amazingly mediocre.

If that didn’t convince you, then read on.

I started this manga because I’m a massive Death Note fan and I wouldn’t pass up on something that’s similar. However, despite not having too much expectation in the first place, it still turned out to be a huge disappointment.

The story is about a genius high schooler who is good at everything, but also bored with all the things and people around him. At a school event, he discovers the powers of hypnotism and attempts to change the world using hypnotism. Up to this point, it’s almost like a Death Note clone. ... Heck, even the protagonist, Hiyama Ren, gives off similar vibes as Yagami Light.

I like the idea actually, especially as the manga explains further on several hypnosis techniques and explores a few psychological viewpoints. However, as the story progresses, you find yourself watching an unimaginative police investigation drama with a plot as linear as it gets, without the action. There are no thrills and no plot twists. Everything is so predictable and boring. Hiyama basically gets his way 99% of the time without anyone posing as much as a challenge. Even the Japanese police and the government readily bow down to him at the slightest urging. Of course, the brilliant plan thought up by Hiyama is to control everyone through mass hypnotism (yawns).

The story could have been much better if there was stronger opposition, and if hypnotism was used to manipulate people as pieces in a chess game, rather than dropping an atomic bomb (mass hypnotism).

As for the characters, they are all pretty one dimensional. Hiyama is capable inducing the deepest of hypnosis stages in people effortlessly. (This guy doesn’t even need to try.) Other than that, he’s just a deluded egoist. His ideals of a better world are also convoluted and laughable. Itsuki Kuonji, the (supposed) rival of Hiyama, busies himself with pointless investigations (I call it pointless because he is investigating just for the sake of it) throughout the story and makes little contribution. The rest of the characters are simply roadside pebbles.

Artwork: It is decent.

I was going to rate LOST+BRAIN a 5, or even 6 if I’m feeling kind. But alas, the ending was also extremely craptastic. Even at the very end, Itsuki just had to show up and watch Hiyama trip over his own shoelaces. The only reaction I can give is FACEPALM.

Well, enough of my ranting. I can assure you that I’m judging this manga based on its merits. If I were biased enough to bring out my Death Note scale, it would have gotten a 1 for sure. For those who have read Death Note and have nothing better to do, I recommend giving this a try. It can definitely let you appreciate the former better. For others, don’t bother. You’re not missing out on anything.