Ningen Shikkaku is the autobiography of Osamu Dazai told through the character Oba Yozo. Throughout the work the protagonist narrates his process of dehumanization gradually distancing himself from society. The book is narrated in the first person creating a bond between the reader and Yozo. I believe the discomfort experienced while reading Ningen Shikkaku stems from how the reader might identify with the protagonists experiences particularly with the absence of what makes him human. As the story progresses the protagonists moral degeneration intensifies leading him to further withdraw from society. While the book Ningen Shikkaku offers the reader a character analysis allowing for an intimate relationship with the protagonist Junji Itos manga adaptation discards all the character developmentwhich I believe to be the most interesting part of the bookto focus on constructing horror through the idea of the grotesque. Ito creates a new narrative for Ningen Shikkaku yet he doesnt dare to stray far from the original content adapting the work in a way he believes makes it more shocking. The biggest shock I experienced while reading the manga was seeing Ningen Shikkaku adapted in such a crude way fulfilling a completely different function than the book and thus distancing the protagonist from the reader. Junji Itos attempt to make the work more shocking ends up turning the events into exaggerated and caricatured moments losing the subtlety and ironic tone present in the original content. Consequently the manga becomes very superficial failing to delve into Yozos mind and what disqualifies him as a human nor does it use these shocking moments effectively as they become so exaggerated and silly. I believe this is one of Junji Itos most clumsy mangas unfortunately not as comical as Gyo or Uzumaki. I would like to compare the grotesque in Suehiro Maruos manga Ultra Gash Inferno with the grotesque in Junji Itos Ningen Shikkaku. Ultra Gash Inferno is filled with sexrepugnant sex sex that involves human disfigurement something violent and repulsive yet still full of aesthetics beauty amidst the purest ugliness. Meanwhile the sex in Ningen Shikkaku tries to be vile for its own sake. The ugliness is moral the grotesque is in the act of sex itself. The book contains few sex scenes and in those moments the protagonist feels apathetic about the situation he doesnt feel guilty or like a sinner. In the manga the protagonist is literally haunted by ghosts from his past most of whom are women who passed through his life with whom he slept at some point leading to great misfortune that further impoverishes Yozo. Junji Ito adapts the sex scenes using the same moral criticized throughout the book: sex is wrong. This is where the horror of the manga concentratesshocking with sex scenes and ugly characters. Junji Ito is considered a disruptive author but in Ningen Shikkaku the ugliness and grotesque reflect societys moralistic view of what is happening in the plot. The ghosts of Yozos past heavily present in the manga distort the protagonists personality making his experiences seem trivial and turning the work into something overly expositional not allowing for a real sensibility to the events. These moments end up serving only as a stage to judge the protagonist condemning him for being so far removed from what is considered right in Itos eyes. The focus of the manga is on showing how miserable Yozo is because of his sins not because of his disconnection from society his shame and his fear of other people. This causes a significant loss of the existentialist content and psychological analysis of the protagonist present in the original work giving way to the moralism employed by Ito in his adaptation. Ito doesnt innovate much in terms of plot or aesthetic choice maintaining a conservative view of the work unable to shock without being exaggerated or caricatured. In his interview with VIZ A Talk with Junji Ito Ito comments that there is a limit to the content of his stories: not to cross the boundaries of common sense. Adapting a work that isnt tied to current morals like Ningen Shikkaku using this common sense only serves to reinforce Itos viewpoint on the work which should make him the last author to adapt this story Furuya should be the secondtolast. In conclusion the positive aspects of Junji Itos Ningen Shikkaku manga are due to the merits of the original work with the manga being a distorted and superficial adaptation exaggerated to the point of bad taste. If youre interested in the content of the manga read the book instead.