Manhole
Cover of the first volume
マンホール
(Manhōru)
GenreSuspense[1]
Manga
Written byTetsuya Tsutsui
Published bySquare Enix
ImprintYoung Gangan Comics
MagazineYoung Gangan
DemographicSeinen
Original run2004 – 2006
Volumes3

Manhole (Japanese: マンホール, Hepburn: Manhōru) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tetsuya Tsutsui. It was serialized in Young Gangan from 2004 to 2006, with its individual chapters being collected into three volumes. The series follows two prefectural police officers as they investigate the mysterious source of a contagious disease.

Tsutsui conceived of the plot after reading a novel on bacterial diseases, which led him to research the subject. Critical reception has been positive, with critics praising the story and artwork, albeit offering mixed reception on the characters.

In 2009, the first volume was designated as a "harmful book" by Nagasaki Prefecture and effectively banned from sale there. Tsutsui only learned of the designation five years after the fact, and attempted to overturn it but was ultimately unable to do so; this experience led him to create Yūgai Toshi, which centers around censorship of manga.

Plot

A bloodied, naked man is found dead in the city of Sasahara, prompting prefectural police commissioner Ken Mizoguchi and his assistant Nao Inoue to investigate. They discover the man died from an unknown form of filariasis, which begins to rapidly spread across Japan. While the outbreak appears to be random, it is actually the result of a man's plan, formed from the darkness of the city's manholes.

Production

Tsutsui conceived the series while reading The Whisper of the Angel, a Japanese novel about bacterial diseases. Tsutsui later read scientific works on the subject and visited a museum in Tokyo on bacterial diseases.[2] Tsutsui also cited American cinema and the works of Osamu Tezuka as sources of inspiration.[3] Tsutsui decided to make Shunsuke Kitajima, a character from his work Reset, appear in Manhole after meeting a dedicated fan of the character at a convention in France.[4]

Publication

Written and illustrated by Tetsuya Tsutsui, the series was serialized in Square Enix's Young Gangan magazine from 2004 to 2006.[5] Square Enix collected the series' individual chapters into three tankōbon volumes.[6]

Volume list

No. Japanese release date Japanese ISBN
1 August 25, 2005[6]4-7575-1507-3
2 January 25, 2006[6]4-7575-1609-6
3 June 24, 2006[6]4-7575-1707-6

Reception

Critical reception to the story has been positive, with critics praising the use of suspense and realism.[1][7][8] Critics differed on the story's originality, with Manga Sanctuary praising its originality[9] and BD Gest describing it as "not fundamentally original".[10] Manga News praised the longer length compared to Tsutsui's previous works Duds Hunt and Reset, believing it to have resulted in better pacing.[7]

The characters received mixed reception. Some critics praised the main characters, noting their buddy cop-like nature.[9][10] However, Splash Comics felt their dynamic was too cliché.[1] Manga Sanctuary praised the villain as understandable and relatable.[9]

The artwork received a positive response, with critics positively noting its character designs, backgrounds, and depictions of gore.[1][7][9] Splash Comics felt the art style was similar to Western comics and the works of Jiro Taniguchi.[1]

Nagasaki Prefecture ban

In 2009, the first volume of Manhole was designated a "harmful book" under Nagasaki Prefecture's Youth Protection and Development Ordinance, effectively causing the volume to be banned from sale in the prefecture.[5][11] The designation stemmed from the 27th page, which depicts the parasite's host crawling out of a manhole.[5] Nagasaki Prefecture did not inform Tsutsui of the ban as they felt it was unnecessary to do so because it was posted on their website.[5] Tsutsui learned of the ban about five years later in late 2013, when he read a comment in the review section of a retailer's website.[5]

Upon learning of the ban, Tsutsui hired a lawyer and requested Nagasaki Prefecture reverse its "harmful" designation, but they refused. He later traveled to Nagasaki Prefecture to oversee the review, but the members of the committee felt there was no problem with the "harmful" designation.[5] This experience would become the basis for Tsutsui's later work Yūgai Toshi.[12]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Glasstetter, Bernd (January 13, 2013). "Comic-Besprechung - Manhole 1". Splash Comics (in German). Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Japan Expo 2008 - Rencontre avec Tetsuya Tsutsui". Manga News (in French). July 11, 2008. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  3. ↑ Claes, Arnaud (April 10, 2007). "Tetsuya Tsutsui: "Je n'aime pas le principe de s'éterniser pour rien sur une série"". Actua BD (in French). Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  4. ↑ "Tetsuya Tsutsui: Intervista Esclusiva al Mangaka di Prophecy e Poison City". AnimeClick.it (in Italian). April 9, 2019. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Sonoda, Masaya (July 30, 2017). 「有害図書指定」された漫画家・筒井哲也さんが描く「表現規制」のディストピア. Bengo4 (in Japanese). Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 4 ヤングガンガンコミックス (in Japanese). Square Enix. Archived from the original on June 18, 2008. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  7. 1 2 3 "Manhole Vol.1". Manga News (in French). May 6, 2008. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  8. ↑ Géreaume, Mickaël (April 23, 2007). Manhole T1 Review (in French). Retrieved August 22, 2023. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  9. 1 2 3 4 "Critique Manga Manhole". Manga Sanctuary (in French). February 7, 2012. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  10. 1 2 Cirade, L. "Manhole 1. Tome 1". BD Gest (in French). Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  11. ↑ Croquet, Pauline (March 25, 2015). "Le mangaka Tetsuya Tsutsui, rebelle modéré". Le Monde (in French). Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  12. ↑ Nakagawa, Machiko (May 30, 2022). それでもあなたは間違っているーー漫画家・筒井哲也が「表現の自由」と「自己規制」の狭間で描いてきたもの. Real Sound (in Japanese). Retrieved August 22, 2023.
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