Utsumanga

"Utsumanga" (lit. "Depression manga") is a word used to describe manga that have a heavy emphasis on the topic of depression and/or... make you depressed! It seems to be almost exclusive to Japanese, as looking up the term in English does not net many results ._.

I doubt all of the reccomendations I'll be listing here fit the true definition of utsumanga, but in this context, I'm using it as a categorizing term for all of the manga I've read that I've resonated with because of their themes of mental illness. This includes depression, but is not limited to it. I'll also be grouping in manga with characters who experience mania, obsessive thoughts, and psychotic episodes, just for a few examples.

Obviously, a lot of the mangas that are going to be listed here will have some pretty triggering material. I will try to list them out when I can, but partially because I am forgetful, and partially because it has been so long since I've read many of these, I advise you to look them up for yourself as well.

This used to be one of the "genres" that I read the most but I've kind of been reading happier stuff lately. I have no idea when I'll actually read more or update this page. Expect slowly!

Oyasumi Punpun

Inio Asano 2007-2013

13 volumes - 147 chapters

Oyasumi Punpun tells the story of Punpun Onodera's life from early childhood to well into his young adult life. And life is... not exactly kind to him, but everything that he and his friends experience and endure is not just trauma and tragedy for the sake of the plot. Everything feels real, like something that can and does happen every day in our lives. And I think that's why so many people have found something in this story that they can connect to. This manga explores many dark but real topics such as trauma, domestic and child abuse, cults, self loathing, depression, violence, rape, intrusive thoughts, and all of the difficulties that come with growing up and being a human being. I can't say too much about the plot because there is no "gist". It is just the story of a boy drawn as a little bird, and his friend group as they grow up. The art is also GORGEOUS. It is the most deeply imapctful story across any media that I've ever read, but I have not dared to pick it up since I finished it 10 years ago. People often recommend Punpun with a warning that you might not want to read it if you are currently struggling with severe depression or suicidal thoughts, and I think this is for good reason, though ultimately it is up to you. It might make your worldview even bleaker, or you might find something profound in it that helps you organize your own feelings about living. Use your best judgement, but I highly recommend this one.

Inio Asano has actually stated that he does not want his manga to be viewed as "just an utsumanga," and while I am still putting it on this list because it's definitely a go-to for manga that tears your soul apart and puts it back together again incorrectly, I do not mean to tack on the term as a way to reduce it AT ALL. There is no reducing this manga it's genuinely a masterpiece. By putting it here I definitely do not mean to say that that is all that it is because it really is so much more.

TW: rape, domestic abuse, cults, child abuse, pedophilia, bleak depictions of mental illness, suicide. (This is all I can recall off the top of my head, as, again, I read this about a decade ago. Please look up a comprehensive list of TWs.)

Flower of Evil

Shuzo Oshimi 2009-2014

11 volumes - 57 chapters

Flower of Evil, or Aku no Hana, starts when Takao Kasuga steals the gym clothes of Saeki, a girl in his class whom he has a crush on. Another classmate of his, Sawa Nakamura, witnesses this and uses the knowledge to blackmail him into a very bizarre dynamic where she demands him to do increasingly socially unacceptable things. In the first half of the story, Kasuga juggles his equally bizarre and unhealthy relationships with the two girls, resulting in a series of incidents which scandalize the town that they live in and drive his mental health deeper into the ground.

While Oyasumi Punpun is, in my and many other peoples' opinion, the best utsumanga, Flower of Evil is my personal favorite because I really appreciate what it is about and the character of Nakamura specifically. Flower of Evil is about the conflict between social norms and our darker desires and instincts. Ultimately, the two girls represent the two extremes of this as well. Saeki is the "perfect girl," pretty, popular, polite, with good grades, but beneath this facade she is tired and deeply unhappy. Nakamura refuses to conform in any way, or as we see by the end, it might be more accurate to say that she *can't*, cursing and insulting anyone who speaks to her, engaging in violence and blackmailing, constantly doing things that are unacceptable. Kasuga being torn between these two is a not so subtle metaphor for an average teenager being unable to marry the burden of societal pressures and expectations with how he feels and what he wants. In Japanese, there is a proverb: The nail that sticks out gets hammered down. All of the characters in this manga are nails at various levels of sticking out, with very strong opinions about the hammer.

The second half of this manga is very satisftying, and to me, is about compromise and balance. After some time (and after the teenage horomones go away, I feel like that one is important) all of the characters start to feel more confident about their place in society. They, no longer children, learn the difference between what behavior is just frowned upon vs what can hurt other people. I like how it shows that neither absolute hedonism nor absolute conformity are going to provide happiness. As someone who was particularly attached to the character, I especially like how Nakamura was given what, in my eyes, can be a happy ending. Even though she still cannot fit in or do what is expected of her, it feels like her constand fighting and floundering is over. She is able to find at least contentment without having to give up too much of herself.

On that note, the reason that I really adored Nakamura is because I feel like (even though I doubt the author had this in mind) she is very relatable to autistic people. Being unable to accept rules or expectations placed on me without a full understanding or explanation why (ie, "because I said so" or "that's just how things are" didn't work for me), I had to build my own sense of morality from scratch through years of deep thought and making mistakes. I often rebelled against or just ignored rules that I felt did not mesh with my own view of the world. Just like in the story though, these traits matured with me. From this, it should be fairly obvious why I felt such a strong connection with the character of Nakamura. To a lesser extent, her behavior and mannerisms also remind me of how I think and act when manic.

Shuzo Oshimi went through a few different art styles while writing this, so by the end, there are many beautiful panels, but in the beginning, the characters can look a bit scrunkly sometimes.

TW: rape, suicide attempt, suicidal thoughts, multiple instances of sexual harassment, toxic/abusive/codependent friendship.

Inside Mari

Shuzo Oshimi 2012-2016

9 volumes - 80 chapters

Inside Mari is another manga by The Flowers of Evil author, Shuzo Oshimi. It tells the story of Isao Komori, a college dropout and borderline hikkokomori, waking up in the body of the high school girl he had been stalking, Mari Yoshizaki. Unlike most body swap stories, very little is played for laughs, as the entire situation is terrifying to the main character. Isao-in-Mari teams up with Mari's friend Yori, who immediately picks up that something is wrong, to find Isao's body and with it, possibly a way to swap back, but when they do find Isao's body, the story takes an interesting turn, departing from it's original plot...

It is difficult to describe the themes of this manga without spoiling it, but ultimately, it explores concepts such as child neglect/abuse, the pressure of expectations, and the repression of one's identity (and possibly sexuality) by one's parents/society, which are all things that Mari experiences to such an extreme until they cause her to have a psychological break, adopting the delusion that she is actually someone else inhabiting her body, in what can be seen as her mind's attempt to protect itself from all of this.

Yeah. I really like this one.

It should be noted that this manga includes a few brief scenes of Mari (who is a minor) engaging in sexual acts, and though they are not portrayed in a manner as to titillate the reader, it plays a somewhat large role in the plot and the themes, and is unskippable. Use your own judgement if this is something that makes you uncomfortable. Other trigger warnings include everything listed in themes above.

Takopi's Original Sin

Taizan 5 2021-2022

2 volumes - 16 chapters

An alien, later nick-named Takopi, travels across the galaxy from Happy Planet in order to spread happiness with magical Happy Gadgets. When he crash-lands on Earth and meets Shizuka, a 9 year old girl who is relentlessly bullied at school and neglected at home, he's determined to make her smile, but fails to grasp the severity of the situation with his child-like innocence, leading to disastrous outcomes.

This one is pretty short, with only 16 chapters (which can be read for free on Shueisha's manga plus app!). The art is very stylized and gorgeous. It does at times feel a little rushed and the ending a little unfinished, but I still liked it a lot overall :) I like how the characters are multifaceted and break the dichotomy of being either a victim or a perpetrator, and are instead shown to have the capacity to be both.

The author also has another work currently being serialized called The Ichinose Family's Deadly Sins, which is also really good so far and hits a lot of the same notes as an Utsumanga (so I recommend it if you like these!) but leans more heavily into mystery and suspense, so I don't think I'll be giving it it's own entry on this page. But still, check it out, it's good!

TW: Suicide (of a child), murder (of a child), child abuse, child neglect, extreme bullying, death of an animal (offscreen).

Scum's Wish

coming soon...

Happy Sugar Life

coming soon...

A Girl on The Shore

coming soon...