Finished
“Middle-aged Nakoshi undergoes trepanation, gaining ability to see disturbing "homunculi" in people.”
Homunculus
ホムンクルス
8.34
325 rank · 171,405 readers · 8,795 favorites
Seinen
Psychological
Drama
Horror
Mystery
Supernatural
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Based on your preference for character-driven stories with layered emotional arcs, this title's exploration of identity and belonging would deeply resonate. The pacing mirrors series you've rated highly, and its thematic depth aligns with your appreciation for nuanced storytelling...
However, the slow initial episodes might test your patience given your history of dropping shows that don't hook you early. The art style shift in the middle arc could also be a concern...
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Synopsis
Middle-aged Nakoshi undergoes trepanation, gaining ability to see disturbing "homunculi" in people.
Susumu Nakoshi is a middle-aged man who spends his days between a lavish first-class hotel and a park full of homeless people. One day, an eccentric young man approaches Nakoshi in search of subjects willing to partake in trepanation—the procedure of drilling a hole in the skull. This mysterious person claims that Nakoshi is the perfect man for the experiment. Initially rejecting the offer, he doubles back on his decision after his car gets towed off. Nakoshi agrees to let Manabu Ito, a 22-year-old medical student, drill a hole in his skull in exchange for 700,000 yen. The procedure bears no results at first, with Nakoshi showing no abnormalities. This normalcy comes to an abrupt end, however, when Nakoshi begins seeing the homunculus in every person. With his perception distorted, how will Nakoshi face these homunculi?
What people say
Community consensus
Derived from 40 sampled reviews
8.0
/10
What 40 readers settled on.
91%
recommend
Score distribution
median 9
mode 10
σ 2.15
Agreement
Polarized
σ 2.15 · split reception
The polarity gap
6.1 pts
Recommenders 9.1 · others 3.0
Yes
No
Score over time
↓ 1.97
Running avg · Oct 2008 → Nov 2025
Snap verdicts
· shortest highly-rated reviews
- 10 “Great manga, highly recommended for people who enjoys psychological and theoretical ideas. The manga explores society and theorizes about the limits of the human brain. While it may be a bit slow...”
- 10 “This is the first manga I've seen that I can consider perfect. The story is so smart and so well explained that it hooks you so fast, the next thing you'll notice is that you've reached the end of...”
- 10 “Every human most of the time has the same pattern, or the same context rather.. and each person you may encounter can be a representation of yourself, even the sick side of them can be a piece of...”
Verbosity
Short · 40%
Medium · 43%
Long · 18%
Read Order & Related
Explore the Homunculus universe
Cast
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A Manga Publication
- Format 166 × 15 ch × vol
- Total read 22h 08m approx
- Published Mar 2003 – Feb 2011
- Source Manga media type
- Ref. BS-M0868 catalog