Koroshiya Ichi is one of the weirdest things ever created by a human being. With a twisty storyline, disgustingly real artwork, and nuanced and multifaceted characters, it is one of those series that I really WANT to recommend to absolutely everyone, despite the fact that I know for a fact that it isn't everybody's cup of tea.

Hell, it isn't really anybody's cup of tea. I don't even know that I'd call reading Koroshiya Ichi an enjoyable experience. Interesting? Yes. Entertaining? Of course. Enjoyable?

...

Well...

One of the main things I like about Koroshiya Ichi is just how uncomfortable it is. Not only the gruesomeness of the imagery, but also the strange, sexualized nature of it. The way it is expressed in terms of BDSM. It's kinky, not necessarily in the sense that it titillates sexually, (I mean, unless you're really into that kind of thing) but that it is a sexualized expression of violence. In many ways, it's downright Freudian.

I suppose in order to articulately explain what the hell I'm talking about, I have to get into some amount of detail. One could say the work has duel protagonists. Or perhaps duel antagonists? Either way, neither of them are particularly good people. Together, they are each as one side of the S&M coin, Ichi being a sadist, Kakihara being a masochist, both of them taking these roles to extremes. In his private life, Ichi is incredibly submissive, almost childlike, whereas Kakihara is dominant, being the head of the Anjougumi, and imposing his will on all those around him. And yet when you look at Ichi's "relationship" with Kakihara, something flips. Kakihara was a masochist from the start, receiving extreme sexual gratification from experiencing pain, while Ichi is the opposite. He just loves killing. Like, a lot. Like, no, seriously.

And as much as I want to continue this, and believe me, I really do, I feel like if I say anything else, I'll give too much away, and you're not really likely to be reading this looking for a recommendation, as I have a feeling you already know whether or not you like this sort of thing, but for the sake of making this a "complete" review, I will say this: whether or not you can stomach this is entirely your own business, so I'll leave that much up to you. But if you can stomach the bizarre, gory, sexualized, S&M violence, then yes, I certainly do wholeheartedly recommend this. The story is excellent, and filled with colorful characters of all sorts, although mostly bad people. And it taught me one very important and useful piece of advice: Never venture into Kabukichou late at night, because you might run into one of these sick fucks.