Black Paradox

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Alternative Titles

Synonyms: Name Onna, The Licking Woman, Mystery Pavillion, Kaiki Pavilion, Strange Pavilion

Japanese: ブラックパラドクス

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Information

Type: Manga

Volumes: 1

Chapters: 8

Status: Finished

Published: Aug 2007 to Aug 2008

Genres: Drama, Horror, Supernatural, Suspense

Theme: Psychological

Demographic: Seinen

Serialization: Big Comic Spirits Casual

Authors: Itou, Junji (Story & Art)

Statistics

Score: 7.26¹ (scored by 13,145 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #5065²

² based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #684

Members: 24,142

Favorites: 344

7.26

Ranked #5065Popularity #684Members 24,142

MangaBig Comic Spirits CasualItou, Junji (Story & Art)

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Volumes: /1

Chapters: /8

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Synopsis

Four people intent on killing themselves meet through the suicide website Black Paradox: Maruso, a nurse who despairs about the future; Taburo, a man who is tortured by his doppelganger; Pii-tan, an engineer with his own robot clone; and Baracchi, a woman who agonizes about the birthmark on her face. They wander together in search of the perfect death, fatefully opening a door that leads them to a rather bizarre destiny...

(Source: VIZ Media)

Included one-shots: Name Onna, Kaiki Pavilion (Strange Pavilion)

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Background

Black Paradox was published in English by VIZ Media under the VIZ Signature imprint on October 25, 2022. The English version does not include the one-shot "Name Onna." The series was also published in Spanish by ECC Comics on May 30, 2014 and in Polish by Japonica Polonica Fantastica on February 17, 2014 as part of Mega Manga series.

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Characters

Marisol

Main

Baracchi

Main

Piitan

Main

Miku

Main

Taburou

Supporting

Tsuyoshi

Supporting

Nagaoka

Supporting

Suka

Supporting

Tanio, Rei

Supporting

Yamanishi

Supporting

More reviewsReviews

Oct 1, 2017

Wotakunai

Recommended

There are 6 chapters telling the story of four people who met to commit group suicide. However, their attempt lead to a bizarre turn of events that opened the door to the spirit world and all the disturbing phenomena it carries with it.

As with every Junji Itou's story, the signature uneasiness and creep factor are always present, especially in the later chapters.

The charm of this story for me is how the spirit world is presented and how souls are depicted as beautiful gems (dubbed as "Paradoxical Night"). These sphere-like jewels brims with life that is also capable of immense destruction.

Moreover, I find the interactions among ...

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Feb 3, 2019

doctorminsuks

Recommended

Trigger warnings: suicide, suicide attempts, brief mentions of brain tumours
Review may contain mild spoilers depending on how you view a spoiler

Black Paradox is a one-volume manga by guro artist and author, Junji Ito. When a group of anonymous people meet through the Black Paradox website and join together to kill themselves, their lives take a sudden, unexpected turn. Following greed, fear, and loss of mental stability, Ito takes his writing to a whole new level with Black Paradox.

Now, as someone with suicidal tendencies, I actually very much enjoy how Ito utilises it within this manga. Although it won't be for everyone - and ...

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Aug 29, 2019

AmericanPopMusic

Recommended

This review doesn't contain specific spoilers, but I will talk about the plot in broad strokes.

Black Paradox, published in 2009, is your standard Junji Ito fare. That is to say, this manga is delightfully eerie and uncomfortable. Unlike something like Uzumaki, Black Paradox isn't particularly nausea inducing, though there is quite a bit of body horror as you'd expect considering the author. The included one-shots, The Licking Woman and Mystery Pavillion, are also worth reading though I won't get into them as they're both a single chapter.

Black Paradox concisely depicts the trials and tribulations of four young people who, while not being familiar with one ... another prior to the story, form a suicide pact and stumble upon an otherworldly mystery involving spirits, doppelgangers, cool rocks, and the Japanese energy industry. While these things might sound unrelated, they all interact with one another to varying degrees. Much like other Junji Ito stories, the specifics of the various phenomena and mysterious aren't really explored in depth and a lot is left up to the individual interpretation of the reader. This of course can be pretty hit or miss, but if you've already read anything by the author you'll know what to expect. Personally, I was left wondering how some aspects of the story related to the main plot. Part of the fun is trying to figure that out and coming to your own conclusions, for sure, but whilst reading some things did feel a bit superfluous. The art is pretty standard, it complemented the story and helped create a gloomy otherworldly atmosphere. Naturally, the body horror was disgustingly depicted. Additionally, I really enjoyed the character design and how they were depicted on the page.

The characters were, perhaps unsurprisingly, mostly bitter and apathetic people. Considering the situation the four main characters find themselves in at the beginning of the manga, this is understandable. Each have their own personality and motivations and they behave in ways that are pretty consistent. One particular aspect of characterization in Black Paradox that I want to call attention to is its depiction of the impacts that greed have on people. You're left wondering whether many of the characters are becoming worse people, or if their greed and selfishness is simply bringing out aspects of their personality that was already there. In that, the characterization really shines.

Overall, I enjoyed Black Paradox. It felt pretty average as far as Junji Ito stories go, and didn't stand out to me in the way that Uzumaki and Hellstar Remina did. That, I think, isn't a bad thing. After all, not everything can be great otherwise you wouldn't have a reference point. I wouldn't start someone on Black Paradox if I wanted to introduce them to the author, but I'd definitely recommend they read it. It's length is a strong point, as the story was small enough to be contained within six chapters.

If you've got some time to spare and you're in the mood for some spookiness, give Black Paradox a read. 7.5/10

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Poll: Black Paradox Chapter 2 Discussion SzJ - May 31, 2017	5 replies	by aries04 »» May 9, 3:00 PM
Poll: Black Paradox Chapter 3 Discussion joe_g7 - Sep 14, 2017	4 replies	by dakuchonekobing »» Mar 10, 8:33 PM
Poll: Black Paradox Chapter 8 Discussion joe_g7 - Sep 14, 2017	7 replies	by a_prtnkv »» Jan 28, 6:00 PM
Poll: Black Paradox Chapter 1 Discussion magelet - Sep 29, 2010	9 replies	by dakuchonekobing »» Jan 16, 12:26 PM
Poll: Black Paradox Chapter 6 Discussion BridgeX - Jan 11, 2012	13 replies	by waalex11 »» Sep 18, 2022 9:57 PM

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