Kedamono-tachi no Jikan: Kyouizon Shoukougun

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Definetely not a story for the faint of heart!
Don't go into this if you can't stomach some like.. Really messed up shit.
Trigger warning for like pretty much everything you can think of.
Light spoilers ahead in this review.

Kedamonotachi no Jikan is about Airi a young model that gets kidnapped by a stalker to imprison her, physically and mentally torture and rape her on a daily basis.

[spoiler]
Airi has the will to endure and escape this hell but she and her kidnapper eventually bond over their traumatic past and a kind of stockholm syndrome scenario ensues...
[spoiler end]
...
This manga manages to realistically show the messed up reality of the human psyche without turning into simple torture porn. We get a deep insight in the thoughts and lifes of the protagonists, their (unhealthy and unethical) ways of coping with trauma and the bond they form from it.

The manga manages to want you to keep reading, it manages to always one up itself and somehow keep coming up with even more messed up scenarios as well as plot-twists and turns.

The art style is realistic enough to properly convey the reality of the shown scenarios as well as the feelings and thoughts via facial expressions.

An extremely enjoyable read, not just for shock value but also as a realistic telling of the messed up truth behind the psyche of killers/rapists/kidnappers and abusers.

TW: sexual assault, sexual abuse, physical assault, murder, gore, kidnapping, stalking, incest, trauma

This is a NASTY nasty manga. It is "good" as far as horror goes, with a twisted stockholm syndrome/trauma bonding aspect, though sometimes I think the author indulges too much into basically what could be described as "trauma p*rn". The story is actually not terrible but I think the author should have ended it after the first arc, or at chapter 12. It would have been the perfect poetic justice, though NOT a happy ending (tbh I don't think its possible for any truly happy ending).

I'm keeping up with the story still, and ... it seems like the author is switching up the main "villain" character at the last minute; like some sort of redemption arc. With that being said, the writing is alright I guess but the story is dragging a bit. I really just want Airi to get away from ALL the men in her life. Her husband is USELESS (iykyk).

10/10. Yet, not recommended? Why? Exactly, because it is so well-written. Let me explain.

This manga is really difficult to digest. Actually one of the most disturbing manga what I've ever stumbled upon. It suffocating. It is a terrible experience to read, still it is masterfully written.

I'm pretty sure the one who wrote this manga had a first hand experience in some kind of extreme traumatic event in his life. This one is written so graphically, and the internal emotional rollercoaster is so perfectly captured, that it cannot be a coincidence. You really feel the mental breakdown of the characters, and it is horrific. True, the ... lead characters were trainwrecks before the events, so don't worry you'll get a good dose of extremly detailed and gruesome backstory as well.

For me one of the most intriguing part is Yuu and Airi's relationship. It's so well-written as a normal and relatively healthy guy tries to help a mentally broken girl with his best effort, yet he's caused her more pain and harm, than a kidnapper. If you had traumatic experiences in your life, more often then not, only the similarly broken individuals are the ones who able to provide you the sense of the real understanding.

All in all this one is masterpiece in it's twisted way. You rarely find something which is so violent, so visceral, so mental, yet still remains real. Despite all of this, I can't recommend it to anyone. If you've had traumatic experiences in your life, this one is a serious PTSD trigger, or if you had a relatively normal life you're going to feel deep disgust and you won't understand the motivations of the characters (and it is better that way)...

In the end it is up to you to decide, if you think you can stomach a deeply disturbing story which contains abduction, rape, mutiliation, extreme abuse, extreme violence, and other seriously messed up topics presented in a really impactful way.

As a last warning: Reader discretion seriously advised. The emotional damage is real here. Don't say I didn't warn you.