Homunculus is a manga that is exhausting, but can also be enjoyable to read.
Homunculus seems simple to understand on the surface: a story about a man who can see people’s inner being manifested into a physical state. An inner being that reflects their feelings, thoughts, fears, past, and etc. As such a manga that uses a lot of psychology and back and forth between what’s true, what’s not, and etc, Homunculus utilizes a lot of imagery and symbolism. And I really do mean a lot of imagery and symbolism as virtually every page has it in some form.
Which is why I describe the manga as exhausting to read.
There’s really very little time to digest and think the situation over before the author tries to subject readers to new imagery/symbolism or to revoke old thoughts/misconceptions to form ‘more correct’ ones within the context of the plotline.
At times, the intense imagery/symbolism feels almost oppressive because nothing becomes straightforward anymore. All actions taken by the characters and all scenery shown become symbols themselves. As if the author is trying to force understanding in a very extreme way.
Some would view this as meaning the manga is ‘deep’. I can certainly see that way, but from my view, it’s also a clumsy way to be deep. A manga that tries very hard to be deep and meaningful is alright, but when you have to rack your brain virtually every page because seemingly everything you see appear to be a subtle point by the author to say something, it turns the effort of reading into a great one and, counterintuitively, the author’s point is more likely to be lost.
So would I count the overuse of such plot devices a flaw? Yes, I would. However, as I said, this doesn’t mean Homunculus is a bad manga and it can be enjoyable to read.
The premise combined with the author’s method of art and depiction can make the manga suspenseful and engaging. Sometimes, you want to know what the symbolism means because it seems so strange and interesting. Sometimes, you want to know how the characters will resolve the issues they’ve encountered.
So the actual plotline and the characters (as repulsive as some of them may be) do a decent job at driving reader interest and moving the plot at a good rate.
Overall, I would recommend Homunculus as a read, but I do it hesitantly. This kind of manga really is an acquired taste.
