Ningen Shikkaku
No Longer Human

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There are very few manga which leave me speechless fortunately No Longer Human ranks as one of those and as my favourite manga. There have been cases for example Berserk, Gantz and 20th Century Boys but even they pale in comparison to the genius of Osamu Dazai.

It describes the tale of a nilhistic man who finds it difficult to show himself to others thus puts on a facade. It is a story about his life and how is gets to where he is and what occurs on the way.

Based on Ozamu Dazai's famous novel, it hits home and makes you empathise with a sex crazed ... sociopath. After reading this I guarantee that melancholy will overwhelm you and that you will be glad to have read it.

I would continue trying to persuade you to read this but I shall let you decide as I promise you that you won't regret picking up the 3 volumes.

I did not enjoy "No Longer Human". Why am I giving it a 10? I didn't find a flaw for it. It was perfect. The reason as to why I disliked it is because I have a pretty faint heart. This series is amazing. But I didn't enjoy it at all. I recommend it, but not for the faint of heart.

The story had a lot of depth to it, every single aspect of it was great. The story of a sociopath is always one that has fascinated me; this manga nailed it.

The art is amazing as well, the shading and the linework is really well ... done, it fits the manga very well, being very dark and gritty.

The characters were perfectly thought out. The spiral to madness of the main character fascinated me and kept me hooked, wondering what would happen next.

So, do I recommend "No Longer Human"? Yes, I certainly do, it's the closest thing to perfection that I have read, but not for the faint of heart. This series will leave you speechless.

No Longer Human is a tale of despair. It is not heartwarming. There is not a happy ending. It is about the slow descent of a man who breaks and falls. Usamara Furuya updates Osamu Dazai’s novel for modern audiences and does an excellent job in the process. In the afterword of the final volume, Furuya claims that he was not able to truly capture the despair of the original, but I feel as though he has, at the very least, come quite close.

The art is fairly typical for a manga of this sort, though I feel as though Furuya’s talents shine the best as ... we escape into the head of Yozo Oba, the main character. The clean line style of the rest of the manga is replaced with smudged darkness, doing much to portray Oba’s state of mind. I was also quite pleased with Furuya’s depiction of nudity and sex. Even in situations that are at least somewhat pornographic, every woman is drawn to an appropriate and realistic scale. This, I feel, helped me take the book seriously; had Furuya chosen to depict women as impossibly curvaceous and busty it would have taken away from much of the point of the manga.

The story is intriguing, to say the least. No Longer Human is about a man who does not know what he is, and this is depicted and far better than many things I have seen dealing with the same topic. The book gets very dark, possibly even triggering to people with problems involving rape or suicide, but it is handled frankly, without glamorizing or focusing on the acts beyond what is necessary. These are obviously major plot points and as such are brought up fairly often, but in a very “real” way. I read the Vertical Inc translation and was never taken out of the story by strange syntax or awkward translations. In fact, I finish all three volumes in about an hour and a half, with no breaks between.

No Longer Human is a story that sucks you in and keeps you in, all the while provoking oneself to ask what it means to be human. It is something of a cautionary tale, ending with a sense of urgency that one must in some way find oneself to avoid falling. This is a book I would recommend, but not if you are looking for a light or happy tale.

For more of my reviews, go to tuesdaysdusk.tumblr.com/tagged/review

Albert Einstein once said 'Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.' This manga does not display the stupidity of humankind but rather the brilliance the literature they produce can entail.
Honestly speaking, I don't know where to begin with this piece of art. Disguising itself in a short 12 chapter adaptation is a story with god tier art, characters, and story telling.
Not much manga are able to prove their point as well as this. The psychological genre is a cruel one and one might say it is not for everyone. This book will tell you the opposite. ... It's purpose is made vividly clear in its end, and I will tell you for sure; you will ask yourself what it means to be human at the end.
It does help that the story in itself is diverse in ways people like myself may not even begin to fathom. All I can say for this is that you wouldn't want to miss it.
The plot is made to seem all to real to the fact that it makes you fear what a human in itself can do. I write this for the depressed as I write for all. For I am 'No Longer Human'. For I have assumed despair and know all the forms it can take. Do not fret, for this is truly a treat for the mind.

I know people give warnings about reading Inio Asano's "Goodnight Punpun," but nobody seems to talk about THIS story...

This is, by far, the darkest, saddest, and most infuriating, story that I've ever experienced, and partly because I know it's based on true events in the original author's life. It's very realistic, and highlights the worst parts of humanity, which is simply unsettling and upsetting, but also, for some twisted reason, extremely intriguing. This wasn't a story I particularly enjoyed, but I couldn't stop reading.

It reminds us, who may have had comparatively easy lives, that the human world is corrupt and disgusting, and also emphasizes the ... fact that addiction is extremely harmful (and saddening) for not only the user, but all of those around them, and it's certainly not an easy task to get loved-ones to straighten-out once they fall from grace.

Unfortunately, we all live in the world depicted by this manga, whether we like it or not, and even if we don't see it. Everyone just tries to figure-out their own lives, or spends a period of time thinking they have it figured-out, just for something to happen that causes them to contemplate it once again. It can be much easier than one would think to suddenly hit rock-bottom in their life if they don't make the right choices, and I see this story as a warning from someone who got the short end of the stick. In that sense, it's a terribly magnificent story, with art and paneling to effectively depict the state of mind of the protagonist, even when he's lost it.

Take heed of the warning presented in this story, and take care of yourselves, as well as those around you whom you love.

*~CONTENT DISCLAIMER: manga makes mention and/or depicts sensitive topics like alcohol/drug abuse, sexual violence, abortion/miscarriage, and child sexual violence~*

TL;DR: a tortured young man tries to understand what it means to be human and leads him down a rabbit hole of bad impulse decisions that ends up worsening his situation. his endless wandering leads eventually causes a psychotic where he nds up being completely consumed by his madness. this story is absolutely beautiful and terrifying. it was such a great read but NOT for the faint of heart. if you like Berserker, you may like this manga.
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SYNOPSIS: youzou is a troubled individual struggling with identity and ... what it means to be "human". he feels the need to put on "faces" when in society and his inability to organically fit in eats away at him. while he does manage to get on his feet for a short period, it comes crashing down and he mentally and physically withers away.

ART (9/10): this manga looks BEAUTIFUL. everything about it is so striking, impactful and haunting at times -- it very much reminds me of Berserk. All of the characters are unique looking and the emotions are portrayed so well; pain, stress, relief, agony, and playfulness all read so well in this art style.

CHARACTERS (8.5/10): i was absorbed by the characters and their evolution throughout the story. each character felt so real and it was so natural how characters came in and out of youzou's life, how they affected his life and theirs. everyone had their own backstory, motivations, successes, and burdens that were never glossed over or overshadowed by the main storyline.

STORY (9/10): this story was gripping!! every entry built on the last in such a seamless way; i was never once was abruptly taken out of the environment the story created. again it really reminded me of the storytelling in Berserk -- everything was meticulously storyboarded out but it didnt FEEL that way. it is a tragic story of a man trying to understand his own existence but gets swallowed up by the sorrow and worry that comes with not fully understanding the world around you. it was beautiful and haunting.

OVERALL (9/10): im truly shocked at how much this manga was able to convey over the 3 volumes it had. i have no words -- it was just SO good, everything about it was done so well. the art is impeccable, the characters were well written and felt REAL, and the story was so well put together. HIGHLY recommend!!

This manga was incredibly sad and depressing. It does a good job at having the reader sympathize with Ooba, which is quite difficult due to the fact that by all account he could be considered a terrible person. Still, it is often the people that are seen as terrible, the good for nothings, that have the worst things happen to them and hence by making such a character one that can be sympathized with the story ends up tremendously depressing. In most of these cases, even if there are external stimuli, the cause of Ooba's despair and depression is usually Ooba himself, and his peculiar way to dealing with the ... world. He finds chances for happiness again, and again, and again, being set up for success at every opportunity, but he manages to screw each and every one of these up due to his own actions, but in ways that made sense considering who he was, wherein even if the reader could see that what they were doing was completely wrong and would inevitably lead to ruin, that it made sense why they would proceed like that. And in the end, that's what makes it most distressing, in that this isn't some story of someone dumb or someone with terrible luck, but of someone incredibly lucky and intelligent for whom things still end up completely falling apart around. The art is also good in that it is able to seem normal and good looking when necessary, but also feel incredibly dreary when such an atmosphere is called for. 

tl;dr: The tale of someone who fails at life told incredibly well and thus being immensely depressing.

Wow, I have been reading manga for 8 years and no manga has shaken me to this extent other than Gantz. I have read the original novel, Osamu Dazai's novel was great but this adaptation is tremendous and earth shattering and never have I felt the wish that I had never picked up a series that I felt with this series. The manga has this ability to draw you in with just its first panel and it moves so fast that you won't have the time to take a breather when it starts a new arc in the telling of its unholy saga. The art ... is great, the characters are very very well written, you can't but help but feel bad for all the people the protagonist comes in contact and ultimately for the character himself. Sometimes you do wonder if what he is now is because of his belief that he is no longer compatible with the beliefs of society and humanity as a whole or is it actually true It is a masterpiece and its truths need to be shown to more and more people. But I really don't want people to read this because it put me in a bad and a ponderous mood for the whole day. A+

No Longer Human is a title i think a lot about,just the name it is so cool and fascinating for me.I didnt read the novel "No Longer Human" by Dazai Osamu but im starting to.This manga brought so much emotions in me after reading it.Just thinking about all the things Ooba got trough from the start to the very end.All the feelings he felt, all his toughts,all he sees which is shown trought the art, everything.I feel like i did too feel , see and expierience it.I really think a lot everyday and this manga got me thinking even more.I felt like my mind is ... going to blast out of my emotions and thinking.I am similar person myself and i did understaund every time when seeing Ooba sad and in so much despair and unhappines.I did understand him and all his bad toughts about all the people but i still had something in my mind that felt he is bad person sometimes because of his thinking in some parts of the manga.Ooba is very good character and i really liked him every moment of the manga and all the side character too,they had that "something" to get you like them nad understaund them.Its so real ,every conversaiton and every event that happened.Overall rate is 9 i really enyojed it and felt everything from it,it left me speachless and just with my toughts not just about Ooba's life but about mine too.I still think about it everytime i have a chance to.

Not really a story but more of a character exposé. The character, Yozo Oba, is young, rich, charismatic, talented, good-looking, sensitive, and innocent, much too perfect to see yourself in, but kind of an "I wish I was like that" character. To his perfection gets added a dose of psychological trauma which will be the source of conflict that spins his life out of control despite how easy good things happen to him.

From trauma, to depression, to despair, to addictions, to paranoia, to ruin, a progression that feels very real that touches your deep fibers even if the character originally felt too perfect to be ... real. It is that perfection that makes a point about mental illness: That it could happen to anyone. Nobody is as great as Yozo, but everyone has their strengths and chance at happiness that will ultimately be robbed of when going down this path.

The manga is well illustrated and reads very well. It could be a 10/10, or not for you, depending what you were looking to get out of it. I give it an 8 because I feel like I've seen better takes on this topic, but not in manga though (yet).