Scumbag Loser

Heavy Spoilers: - - - Saitehen no Otoko a.k.a as Scumbag Loser is a classic example of a story that had potential to be very good, but unfortunately it never was able to maximize that potential due to various flaws. Plot: Saiteihen no Otoko starts off very mysterious, its premise is interesting and original. The story starts with our main character Murai Masahiko, Masahiko has the strange ability to notice odours and smells of various people. One day a girl he knew as kid transfers to his school, however her scent isn't the same. Masahiko feeling suspicious decides to question this girl(Haruka) and is able to successfully identify her as a "pretender", though unlike your typical Mary Sue protagonist he agrees to be quiet as long as she pretends to be his girlfriend After some days Masahiko notices that fellow classmates slowly are starting to change, unfortunately for Masahiko he can't prove anything even if his intuition tells him something is wrong. Sound interesting right? Well it isn't but I'll get to that later. Art: The art is bearable to say the least. The major problem with the art that it's full of inconsistencies, sometimes it's very detailed and other times it feels flat out lazy and unpolished. Thus in conclusion the art was never really able to maximise the atmosphere, or to build tension. Character Just Plain Horrible. Throughout the story the MC(Masahiko) is portrayed in a negative light, he has his creepy obsessions, his creepy fetishes but he isn't a bad character at the start, he's just a character you’re not supposed to feel sympathy for. This is all good until halfway when the author tries to take a 360 turn and decides to portray in a positive light. Masahiko was from very early on shown as a scumbag, but suddenly the author decides to say Fuck it all and tries to convince the audience that he had his "reasons" to act in such a manner and tries to make the reader sympathize with his struggles but it just doesn’t work. Another thing that I disliked was the development of Haruka,in the first few chapters the interaction between Haruka and Masahiko was very exciting and entertaining, Haruka would drop subtle threats and would install fear upon the vulnerable Masahiko, she'd go as far to "transform" the only person Masahiko liked into another monster/demon. Frustratingly enough at the end guess what she did all those horrible things because she loved him. Yes dear readers if you love someone you have to ruin their lives, stalk them and treat them like livestock because that's love apparently. Lastly and most annoyingly the author kept on introducing characters that really didn't matter to plot progression, maybe Saitehen no Otoko would have been better if the author dedicated his time to develop the two protagonists. Conclusion Though it started off with a lot of potential due to bad execution and horrible character development Saitehen no Otoko never really went anywhere, and in a sense it's a shame because the premise was an original one I enjoyed the first few chapters when I thought it was going to take a "psychological thriller/horror" pathway, but after chapter 7-8 it just falls in quality and plot and thus not worth bothering to waste your time. Final Rating Story: 4/10 Art: 5/10 Character: 3/10 Enjoyment: 4/10 Overall: 4/10

I found this manga unique and enjoyable and I believe it deserves more recognition. The plot hooked me in from the beginning and kept me on the edge of my seat until the very last page. The manga does an excellent job of being super creepy and suspenseful. It's about a guy who comes into contact with a girl who is supposed to be dead. The protagonist is an intriguing person. If you enjoy stories where the main character isn't a good person, I'd highly recommend this. He's a loser who constantly looks down on other people in a desperate attempt to feel better about himself.He says and does many despicable things and is heavily flawed but he still retains a human element that I could identify with. He wants to feel loved and accepted by the people around him. A person's value and love is one of the main themes of the story. It also questions if it is acceptable to change people if they don't match our ideal.

At the time of writing this review (which I don't do that many of unless the work holds a special place in my heart), I have just finished Saiteihen no Otoko (Scumbag Loser), a manga that will stick with me until the end of time. Story: When I first heard about this manga, I was pretty interested in the story, so I read the first chapter (after finishing the School Days manga), and from that point on, I was hooked, and all the plot twists and turns made for a great story, so for Story, I give it a 10/10. Art: Theart is something that definitely made it different from the other manga that I have read. I was surprised to find out that it was a Shōnen manga, because of its Seinen-esque art style, plus the graphic violence made for an even better portrayal of the story. For Art, I give a solid 10. Character: For it being only 3 volumes and 15 chapters, Saiteihen no Otoko seems like it wouldn't have much character development, right? WRONG. Through all 15 chapters, you question yourself, asking who do you really support? So for Character, a 10/10. Enjoyment: If you think you're going to enjoy reading this because you think it's a Slice of Life/Romance/Comedy manga, you will want to back the fuck away from this manga now, because if you're not used to such a dark and gritty story (especially with the art style), you will have nightmares about this manga. That being said, for Enjoyment, I give it a 10/10. Overall: I have immensely enjoyed this view into the darker, more graphic side of manga, reading it only in 1-2 hours. I'd definitely recommend this manga to anyone who loves the Psychological Horror genre, and can handle the blood and gore that's in this manga.

This is just bad and, after the first act set in the school, incredibly boring. I wanted to enjoy this as it seemed like a weird, dark manga (which I do really enjoy), but God this is bad. And so boring. MC is first presented as a unlikable character, which I can enjoy if done well, but that changes when we are supposed to feel bad for him in the final act, though I just didn't care because he was such a horrible person. There was a lot of lazy writing or plots set up that could've been slightly interesting (for this manga) that were thengiven up on with a 'just kidding' or 'i lied'. The BORING AS HELL final fight was even given up on with some characters just saying 'I'm done for today' and pissing off, which just made me feel the writer didn't care enough to finish the fight in a half decent way. I also want to mention: ->His parents, and other characters', shit actions DO NOT excuse his shit actions. (Spoilers for this paragraph?) There was a creepy romance with a dead girl which the MC obsesses over but by the end we're supposed to support this because the poor MC 'was never loved by his horrible parents'. NO. That's not how sympathy works- it's still a creepy romance no matter his parents relationship with him. He didn't learn from what happened to Haruka in elementary school, which was a result of his actions, as he continues to obsess over her. Why are we supposed to feel bad for him? He is an awful person, and the author trying to make him more likeable at the end of the manga only adds to my dislike of the MC. The MC develops these powers half way through which gave me a rip-off and dull version of Kaneki Ken from Tokyo Ghoul when he uses his ghoul powers. This manga does nothing unique or truly disturbing. It's mostly full of cheap shocks that don't challenge the reader. I just found myself feeling detached from all of the events in the plot and the "struggles" of the MC. By making him unlikable for the first half, I didn't care for him at all by the end and actually ended up disliking him even more when I was instead supposed to be feeling bad for him. The plot, while in the first act, was bearable, it felt very stretched out and convoluted in the second act and I just found myself caring less and less with every page. I eventually started skimming over each page, willing for the manga to just end already. I think if it had ended after the first act, I would've rated this manga slightly higher (probably a 5). The second half is what really let it down. In case you couldn't tell, I don't recommend this unless you want to cringe and/or rage at this story that might've had a tiny bit of potential to be, at least, fun, but ended up being drawn out and boring. There are multiple series that acheive aspects of this manga far better: - Supernatural Invasion and the affects of society- Parasyte - Uncomfortable sexual situations, along with the pressure and shame surrounding it- Aku No Hana - Inner struggle of becoming part of the monster you detest- Tokyo Ghoul - And just well done, terrifying horror with chilling art to accompany it - anything by Junji Ito I urge you to read/watch any of these rather than this