Franken Fran

Mar 10, 2016

jman650

Recommended

Review in Haiku: Franken Fran

Horror-Comedy
about artificial girl
who is a surgeon.

STORY:

Episodic tale
with occasional reference
...

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Dec 31, 2008

Ashley-Kat

Recommended

Preliminary (21/71 chp)

I started this manga yesterday and read all 21 chapters of it. I ended up not being able to sleep without the light now. Actually, I the type of person who can't even stand to watch a horror movie let alone this. But somehow I did and quite enjoyed it. For many of the normal people out there who prefer main stream to all. This isn't the manga for you.

Story Line
Every chapter tells a different story. Either Fran goes to school, helps out dying people or preforms one of her crazy experiments. It's interesting and grabs my attention and after reading how gory things ...

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Aug 1, 2008

StarfleetCpt

Recommended

Preliminary (7/71 chp)

This is simply the most eff'ed up manga I have ever come across (yes, that even includes all the hentai I've ever read, which given the depravity and gratuitous breast shots Franken Fran may even qualify as. And yes, I've seen Bible Black). It's going to be hard to write this review simply because it was too much for me - I dropped it like a hot rock after chapter 7, and in all honesty I have to say I really wish I could un-read this.

Story - 6 (Fair)

It's an extremely twisted manga with just about every chapter having the most twisted, sick, and flat-out ... depraved outcome imaginable (I'll give the manga-ka some credit, he at least avoids violent rape for the most part although it's certainly filled to the brim with extremely dark, perverse sexual undertones). It also doesn't shy away from gore either, in fact it makes any of the Saw movies look like Barney and Friends. The chapters are for the most part pretty stand alone, and I think it would be fair to describe this as akin to Blackjack - if Dr. Blackjack were one sick sonnava****.

Art - 6 (Fair)

The art is decent at best - the character designs come off as generic as they come. Franken Fran's ugliness may paradoxically be one of the best points of the manga's art for at least it conveys just how much of a literal monster she is, being a reanimated corpse and all. The graphic details of Franken Fran's "medical practice" are certainly well detailed at least - perhaps too well detailed.

Character - 6 (Fair)

Once again, the characters are at best decent. Franken Fran is perhaps the most well-developed character, somewhere in between acting with the best of intentions and acting out with all the depravity and lack of any moral grounding whatsoever of the monster she appears to be. All the other characters, mainly the one she performs her gruesome surgeries on, are a mixed bag - some are surprisingly developed, others are as shallow as you'd expect from an exploitation flick, and some pretty much just exist for fodder for perversion.

Enjoyment - 2 (Dreadful, and that's putting it lightly)

I simply did not enjoy this. It's way too over the top, too depraved, and just too much. Quentin Tarantino's Hostel can only wish to live up to the amount of depravity this has. The depravity goes beyond the gruesome mutilation of flesh and straight into what could only be really described as rape in some cases. That said....

Overall - 7 (Good)

So with all that said, why do I give this the final score I give? For the simple reason that I recognize that this is the type of manga that simply isn't for me (I only read it on a dare, for those of you interested). Viewing the message boards for Franken Fran right here on MAL, this manga seems to have quite a cult following who manages to enjoy the over-the-top presentation of Franken Fran, and with that in view I feel it unfair to rate the manga low just because I'm unable to see what they see in it.

In conclusion:

The art style is decent, the characters are admittedly rather flat but fair enough, and everything else will just vary by the reader's tastes. I know there's quite a following for this type of stuff, so I don't believe it's fair to judge it by my own bias, though I simply cannot recommend this manga.

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May 3, 2008

renjikuchiki1

Recommended

Preliminary (10/71 chp)

This is just another of those mangas that you either love or hate, as for me, im still on the fence. The story resolves around a girl named Fran, who is something of a reanimated corpse that lives in a mansion with a doctor(that is never seen) and performs bizzare surgeries and experiments on other people. Often she does this against that person's will. Most stories end badly for those who came to her seeking help. The artwork is alright, but nothin special. The story changes pretty much from chapter to chapter, and is often extremely gory and horrid, so if u hav a weak ...

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Jan 18, 2014

ZeroPhaze

Recommended

Ok so this is my first review, so bear with improper format or an un-standard review i guess. This is one of the most unique things I have ever read; Franken Fran in short is a twisted, deranged, genius, conceptual, moral questioning work of art.

This manga is currently my favourite manga, but first off before I say the good and why you should read it, here is why you might not want to read it:
It is filled to the brim with an extreme level of gore and horror, and is not for the weak of stomach or mind, and If you are one of ...

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Nov 17, 2016

M0k0cch1_13

Recommended

Franken Fran is honestly one of my all time favourite series, and I am not ashamed to admit tearing up a little when it ended. It's such a unique manga that sticks out from the crowd, partly due to it's absolutely insane premise, but also because of the sheer joy it gave me.

The Story - Each chapter gives you a fresh new story line meaning that it never gets stagnant or feels repetitive. Obviously there will be some chapters that are weaker than others, but I never disliked one or felt bored reading it; I always wanted to keep going!

The Art - The art is ...

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Mar 1, 2010

Spocktopus

Recommended

Preliminary (Unknown/71 chp)

If you've been wanting a humorous take on violent human disfigurement, this is the manga for you. Starring Fran as the titular character, Franken Fran is an intriguing, often hilarious (and often horrifying) story of her medical adventures with the unfortunate people who come in contact with her.

A fantastic manga, as long as you aren't planning on eating anything while you read.

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May 27, 2014

Kuroganedecimo2

Recommended

Manga : Franken Fran

Author : Katsuhisa Kigitsu

After dealing with the war between the 2 goddesses of Nisekoi i.e Onodera and Chitoge,I was tired of the whole thing and decided to go read a manga that I heard of,which firs my liking for gore and insanity and philosophy of life,which was Franken Fran.If this introduction wasn’t good,I’ll get to the point.

The manga deals with the adventures and misadventures of Madaraki Fran,a half-dead girl,who is a doctor that can turn mere mascots into living breathing mascots,human beings into animals and also do surgeries without any concern,whatsoever and the end result might be a dream or a nightmare ... for the treated patients.

One thing that makes this manga unique is the gore factor and the cases that Fran has to deal with.The gore factor is huge in the first 7 chapters,but then it decreases so as to increase philosophical insanity and character development,although there are some chapters,where the gore increases.This really increases the shock factor and makes you want to read it or be creeped out by the gore itself.The individual chapters have good philosophical meanings,from something like beauty and justice,to the matters of life and death and how precious human life is,and they are done in the weirdest and most insane way possible.I like the biological knowledge and terms added to give as to how these operations are all done,even though they wont work in real life (or will they ?).Pacing is episodic,but even some of the chapters made me laugh and some gave me the feels.Also,it contains nudity but not too much,so be careful.

Madaraki Fran is someone that can make Dr.Heiter and Moreau look like shit.What makes her interesting is her personality,sense of morality and judgement.Her views on human life,biology makes you think whether she’s doing the right thing or she’s just wrong and insane and her views on justice are really great,for me i.e. She and her sisters are wonderful and inspirational characters imo.Some of the patients and characters are good or are just ok.There are also recurring characters in some chapters.The art is fantastic in terms of gore as well as characters (There was one character that looked like Haruhi and one that looked like Tenma).It makes you feel the gruesome mentality and horror and comedy of the suffering patients,though there were few instances of lack of blood around some body parts.

TL;DR : It has a philosophical meaning to it,that makes you think and like as well as the fascinating mentality and horror that surrounds it.It’s a must read and it has comedy.

Recommendations :
Fourteen - Umezu Kazuo
Every manga done by Junji Ito.
Inugami - Masaya Hokazono
Gantz - Hiroya Oku
Dragon Head,The Drifting Classroom - Minetaro Mochizuki

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May 22, 2010

Not_Even

Recommended

Preliminary (Unknown/71 chp)

This manga is pretty intense... Every chapter has a new twist, and its creepy enough to be awesome, but not creepy enough to keep you up at night freaked out. They even insert internet memes into the manga like the flying spagetti monster.

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Sep 4, 2009

Aru_Keehl

Recommended

Preliminary (20/71 chp)

I never knew a horror manga could attract me that much before Fran.Even with all blood and gore,it´s not really disgusting.

The protagonist is adorable.Highly intelligent and cold-blooded when it comes too biology,surgery and so on,but at the same time so clumsy and sensitive about it,at her mode.It´s really funny to see her thoughts along the manga.

The several "assistants" she created are a good comic relief too,even creepy.Okita sometimes appear to be divided between his two selves (human and feline) for example.

All chapters have tense moments of course.But the good thing that´s some are more comical,others sad...it´s very important to have this balance in this kind ...

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Mar 27, 2009

Lord_Arcana

Recommended

Preliminary (23/71 chp)

This manga is about the half dead girl Madaraki Fran created by her beloved professor Madaraki.
the story changes constantly and have no real plot, but that doesn't change that the chapters individual story lines actually has the ability to surprise you. the artwork is great and it makes the persons seem more lovely than frightening, even the monsters.

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Oct 21, 2020

Larcus

Mixed Feelings

Franken Fran is an episodic body horror manga with a soft hint of comedy put into the mix.

The story revolves around a frankenstein-like girl named Fran and her encounters with various people who often seek her advanced medical knowledge in order to solve a particular problem they face. Almost all chapters are self-contained individual stories with new casts of characters, with Fran and company being the only thing that ties it all together. However, I do recommend reading Fran in chronological order because a lot of stories get referenced in later chapters. The stories by themselves arent that scary in a graphic sense but ... they are pretty scary and very interesting in terms of ideas of what sorts of things could be done to the human body. The only big problem I had with this one was that the pace of every chapter sped up like crazy on the last third or fourth pages of a lot of chapters which kind of messed with my immersion in the story. However, most of them end on a unique bitter-sweet note that felt unpredictable and left me craving for more.

As for the main cast, I definitely felt like they weren't fully fleshed out.
Fran Madaraki(the MC) was, in my opinion, the vocal point of this manga. She is a master surgeon with a very nuanced philosophy and charm that captivates the reader. She is like a clever subversion of the mad-scientist archetype that's believable and works exceptionally well.

The only thing she lacked was character development and progression. You could argue that this was because she was from the start an accomplished individual and that's fair. But still, much of her character and her relationships with other charecters were unexplored. The same could be said for the rest of the cast excluding Frans little sister Veronica who developed quite a bit.

The art was pretty decent, with great detail put into the body horror big page layouts. The character designs were very unique and the monsters that were introduced always felt fresh.
The one thing I found very misleading about Franken Fran( and I think most fans will agree with me on this one) were the volume covers of the manga. All of the eight volumes feature a very sexualized depiction of one or more of the main characters. Which would be fine if this was an ecchi series, but its definitely not. None of the characters are depicted in a sexual way in the manga and nudity is only shown when it is accompanied by body horror. Although, I must say that the cover art definitely differs from the style of the manga so it's possible the covers were done by another guy who just happens to have a thing for Frankenstein girls, who knows.

Overall I think this is a nice read, and I am giving it a 6 out of 10.
I would've given it a 7 or maybe even an 8 if the story actually concluded. But after 70 chapters the story just kind of stops without ending. Hopefully the sequel Franken Fran frantic won't meet the same fate.

Thanks for reading, peace out :)

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Mar 4, 2021

deli_

Recommended

Franken Fran is a dark-comedy manga with lots of gore. If you don’t like gore, then this manga is going to disturb you extremely. However, if you’re like me who absolutely loves looking at dismembered limbs and eye-catching grotesqueries, then you’re going to have a fun time with this. In a way, this manga is sort of like a toned-down version of the world of eroguro. It’s 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. It's 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 Kago’s (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. There’s 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 they’re not the most profound or probing portrayals, the playful nature of the manga contributes an amusing perspective into those things. And if there’s one thing that the manga does extremely well at, it’s 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. It’s a kind of dark humor that’s very tongue-in-cheek 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. That’s what makes it brilliant though as it’s always played off in a darkly comedic manner. It’s playful and snarky in all the right ways.

Franken Fran's stories are able to flourish so well due to its peculiar cast of characters. Fran's unethical ways of "saving" her patients lead to a mixture of disturbing and sometimes even outright terrifying abominations. She’s like the crazy mad scientist except that she actually has good intentions, though it’s 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. Fran’s 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 there’s the artwork.

Franken Fran’s artstyle, especially with certain illustrations, share the same kind of up-in-your-face presentation as Kago’s stuff but with a little more sheen to it. Franken Fran’s 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 it's fresh all-around, and there’s always something neat with each chapter. Even though there are certainly chapters that are not so interesting, they’re 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 it’s 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).

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Jul 4, 2012

Terrorking

Recommended

I'm sure most of the people who read this are familiar with the quote "Don't judge a book by its cover", well this manga will remember you the literal meaning of the quote xD

If you read this review and you didn't read the manga you probably won’t understand what I mean, so to be more clear first of all go and see some covers of the volumes of Franken Fran and then come back and keep on reading :D
Enough joking around and let’s start the real review:

First of all this review is based on the complete 61 chapters manga, I will attempt to avoid every ... spoiler.

Franken Fran is an horror manga with a nice touch of comedy, the manga covers the story of Fran a "girl" that resembles the Frankenstein’s monster with electrodes at each side of her head, she is in charge of the laboratory that Dr. Madaraki Naomitsu (her "father") left to her while he is traveling.
In every chapter she will handle different clients of the laboratory performing almost anything (raise the dead, switch heads and bodies etc...).
Also the chapters seem to cover different themes, such as love, religion, plastic surgery and justice in a strange and unique way combining horror, with a lot of guru, and comedy, with hilarious sceneries.
The stronger points of this manga are the characters and their personalities.
As said before Fran is the protagonist, a funny and easy-going girl that even in the more disturbing scenes will put a smile on your face.
Fran also during the manga will discover to have 2 sisters (other 2 creation of Madaraki), one of them Veronica is an assassin and the other one, Gavrill, is the boss of a gang, both of them will have some chapters where they are the protagonist adding more comedy elements to the manga... I will not say more because they appear late in the manga so I won’t spoil anything.
Frank has also two assistants: Okita, who has the head of a man and the body of a cat and Adorea, a beautiful woman wrapped entirely in bandages.
The graphic style in the first chapter it's a little bit old and messy, but it has a lot of details and in this case (remember it's a horror manga) it's very well appreciated changes. After the first chapter (that is the oneshot that come out before the manga) the style changes a bit, it doesn't feel old and it's simpler while maintaining all the details.

In conclusion all you need to know is that this manga is a must read to all who love horrors.
I think that if you read the first two chapters you will love the series and will keep on reading it (or you will hate it, there is no other choice).

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May 10, 2010

xcleex

Recommended

Preliminary (Unknown/71 chp)

MY thought and opinion for those who will start reading or continue reading
This manga can be viewed differently for everyone, as half of my friend who read this didnt go past first five chapters while the rest stays up to date and read as soon as new chapter comes out. Be warned it is very gore and you will see many impossibilities. But these impossibilities are what keeps me reading. It is medical related (my interest) and this manga actually displayed my imagination in form of manga(for example: i thought about babies growing the way larva grows to cocoon then to butterfly, or fusing five ...

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Feb 13, 2021

Curiouswanderer

Recommended

Honestly if you really need a shock horror manga to make your stomach queasy, this is one of them! My god the amount of blood, gore, murder, you name it that Ms Fran herself tries to help out different unfortunate souls within each chapter, is definitely not family friendly!

I gotta say, I really admire Fran, Gavril, Veronica, Okita and Adorea as characters because they just have their own uniqueness. Our main gal Fran is a really smart doctor who just wants to fix others and her nice laid back attitude makes her pretty likeable. Gavril is like a pretty cheeky villain who has no ...

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Aug 11, 2013

RicosPizza

Recommended

Franken Fran is an offbeat manga that could be classified as several things. Guro-eroge springs to mind, but that doesn't cover it in fullness. Generally speaking the chapters are relatively disconnected and don't tie in to one another yet still manage to make a cohesive manga. The story is very basic in some ways (i.e., "Fran helps people") yet there are some more complex underlying bits of story if you start "connecting the dots" so to speak. However, the story as a whole is probably the weakest point for this manga. Major plot points are brought up only to be dropped and never discussed again, ... and the story ends quite abruptly in the last chapter. I'm assuming this is due to time or budget constraints, however.
The art in this manga is overall very good, especially the detailing on the more surreal panels. However, I find myself conflicted over the cover art for each volume. As someone on a forum discussion once pointed out, the cover art for each volume is to some extent "trolling". This is because the art is often ecchi and/or very camp, making it look like a parody at times. It isn't bad by any means, but it's very misleading regarding the actual content.
The characters in Franken Fran are rather good on the surface, but the more you read it seems like the shallower characters become. Each fit a "trope" and never leave said trope within the main cast, perhaps with the exception of Veronica. There is not much character development among the main cast, but many of the introduced characters that only stick around for a chapter or so are quite deep and develop a lot over the course of 30 or so pages. This being said, the main cast is still quite interesting! Since the Madaraki girls were each created with a specific purpose in mind, it stands to reason that they wouldn't stray far from their purpose. Each is a determined and unique individual in their own right. Their interactions with other characters, especially with "normal" people, is always captivating and at times charming and humorous. And sometimes terrifying, that too. Despite lacking in development over the course of the manga, the characters are still very enjoyable.

Overall, this manga has a lot of different and sometimes completely unrelated elements, yet they tie into a lovely bit of work. Each chapter is unique and enjoyable in different ways, ranging from horror to comedy to tragedy and even a superhero arc. There's a lot of pseudo-scientific points brought up that may not be centered in reality but are fun to entertain regardless. If you can keep up a suspension of disbelief, this manga is very entertaining; as well as being one of the most surreal manga I have read. Would recommend to anyone looking for a horror or science related manga that isn't too serious.

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Oct 13, 2015

TewlerHD

Recommended

I consider Franken Fran as a dessert after many serious dramatic mangas out there. It's short, wacky, interesting at first glance, and not plot-centric. And best of all, it's a gore feast, with parodies and aesops too.

Art: Great monster designs, so detail in the gory field and great anatomy. The rest is mediocre.

The Story:
It's a series of short stories surrounding our protagonist Fran. There is a tendency of having BE and/or mind screw plot twist at the end of every chapters (except some rare occasions). Some are good, some are bad, and some are just so funny and weird. MOST are disturbing, really disturbing. My ...

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Sep 30, 2018

valtiel01

Recommended

Franken Fran is a well made paranormal dark sitcom. The manga is about a schoolgirl Fran, who has stitches on her body and resembles to Frankenstein monster, a human being brought to life by a crazy scientist. Fran was also created by a scientist and she spends most of the time operating and researching in his lab. She needs funds to keep the lab working, so she helps various people to make changes on their body for a price. That is basic start of a chapter - someone offers her money to make change on their body, she experiments and the outcome isn't as expected. ...

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Mar 15, 2020

pornocop

Recommended

I went into this manga really expecting to dislike it. I mean, frankenstein anime girl that does surgery, there's no way that's actually an enjoyable read, right? I expected an overabundance of fan service, needless gore and tropes galore.

That's exactly what I got and somehow I really enjoyed it. I'm a sucker for interesting and grotesque monsters which you will find are all very well done here. Even in the later chapters where the stories seem to fall off quite a bit the art itself kept me engaged.

When I talk about the quality of the story, its important to keep in mind that this is ...

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