9 Years Later, 2017's Best Body Horror Finally Returns With The New Release It Always Deserved
An experienced Editor representing Canada via ScreenRant's Team Anime, J.R. has been reading manga since the first printing of Shonen Jump in North America. This passion drove him to write about anime, manga, and manhwa since 2022, having recently served as Lead Anime Editor for ComicBook.com.
His favorite moments in media coverage include reviewing the series premieres of Zom 100 and Bleach: TYBW Part 2 back-to-back and briefly meeting Junji Ito at a VIZ gallery event in 2023.
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Muneyuki Kaneshiro is broadly known by fans worldwide as the creator of shonen sports smash hit Blue Lock, which alone is certainly no small accomplishment. It's the best-selling flagship title for its parent publisher, Kodansha, taking over the reins for Attack on Titan and becoming the sole challenger to Shueisha's deathgrip on manga best-sellers, particularly after clinching the top spot in 2023. Kaneshiro's work is well-known beyond this, though, with recent projects like Super Ball Girls as a clear indication of his written themes resonating with a seinen body horror fandom. But one other perplexing hit predated his most recent harem manga, the 2017-2021 headrush that is Jagaaan.
Kaneshiro's Jagaaan manga is visually a far cry from the already-intense Blue Lock, but their overlapping explorations of self-centered drive and ego make this a fascinating series to pick up for mature readers of the beloved football manga. While these themes and their execution can be polarizing for some readers, the positively bombastic visualization of Kaneshiro's story by the incredible Kensuke Nishida makes an intoxicating exploration of humanity's destructive desires, manifesting into striking, occasionally-incomprehensible body horror. Provided a review copy of Jagaaan Volume 1 by Abrams Books, now in English under its Kana imprint, ScreenRant goes into what works about this supernatural horror journey.
Muneyuki Kaneshiro Explores Desire & The Humans Destroyed By It In Jagaaan
To get ahead of things a bit, Jagaaan will not be for everyone, at least compared to the broader appeal of Blue Lock. This should be no shock to discerning audiences, as it's a seinen manga, meaning it's marketed originally in Japan for young adult males and older. It's stacked with gore, features edgy psychosexual baggage resembling Gantz, and mixes in some glorious body horror visuals that Parasyte fans will love, while cranking everything up to 11. As characters are overtaken by their repressed desires and turned into "Fractured Humans", they are warped by their deepest, darkest wants into a violent creature far removed from their former selves.
At the start of the series, readers are introduced to Shintaro Jagasaki, one such human barely holding onto his basic moral compass, working as a police officer. Everyone he encounters merely provokes his repressed rage, to the point that the "mascot of his hometown Buppa City", Buppanasu (literally shoot, or 'blow 'em away') is even toting pistols and asking how Jagasaki holds on. Truthfully, Jagasaki himself doesn't understand either, going home to his live-in girlfriend, who has their lives ahead planned for them: meet the parents, get married, raise a family. But without an outlet for his rage, Jagasaki is a ticking time bomb.
That is, until frogs fall from the sky like a Biblical plague. Specifically, a species known as Mad Xenopus, or "Frenzied Frogs" that take on human hosts and transforms them into hideous, indiscriminately violent creatures based on their ultimate desires. Most humans are instantly lost to this plague the moment they make contact, but Jagasaki has an edge: the parasite that latched onto him is merely a tadpole he can keep at bay. As it turns out, Jagasaki has an advantage as he's knowingly battled his dark desires for so long, he can channel them into fighting off other Fractured Humans, manifesting a gun on Jagasaki's mutated arm akin to Videodrome, thus the title, Jagaaan. It's a pun.
Jagaaan Volume 1 quickly explores multiple people overtaken so far by these desires. It includes a brutally abusive businessman growing multiple horrible rows of teeth like a leech, with a razor-sharp, whip-like tongue meant to represent his berating of subordinates. Other cases include a girlfriend manifesting a scorpion tail with its stinger on the ring finger, indicating an obsessive desire for commitment, and so forth. It doesn't take even the full first volume for readers to quickly see potential problems with this narrative, but Jagaaan is not without its more fascinating quirks even then.
Jagaaan Is A Wild Ride, But Its Flaws Are Difficult To Ignore
Nishida's artwork throughout the series is breathtaking. It switches on perfectly to convey uncanny aspects of Jagasaki's life as he tries to fit in, while demonstrating exceptionally strong anatomy artwork, basically a prerequisite for body horror, especially so readers can understand just how drastic the transformations become. Characters are well-rendered, and for the most part, Nishida's art is rather consistent in this first volume and throughout much of the series. Frankly, most of the difficulty is with Kaneshiro's writing and general direction, the massive suspension of disbelief required to appreciate its bonkers plot, and his female characters, who are comically underwritten, and turned either into eye candy or fodder.
For what it's worth, Kaneshiro's physical manifestations of abstract desire, and their execution by Nishida in how they can distort humans is nothing short of breathtaking. Sanshiro Dokuyamada, or "Doku", the talking "Owl-Knowing One" trope, is fun and a perfectly absurd mascot character addition, eating Frenzied Frogs and providing Jagasaki what he needs to prevent himself from fully fracturing. The series expands into more wild territory soon enough beyond this volume, with others like Jagasaki soon to emerge. But those turned off by almost bland attempts at edginess, with hollow characterization such as for Jagasaki's first girlfriend, or his subsequent love interest, won't be able to overlook some frustrating flaws in Volume 1.
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01
Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin) became one of the most-watched anime on Crunchyroll. The story takes place in a world where humanity lives behind massive walls to protect themselves from giant humanoid creatures. What are these creatures called?
✓ Correct! The giant humanoid creatures are called Titans. In the original Japanese, they’re referred to as “Kyojin” (giants). Eren Yeager’s quest to destroy all Titans after they breach Wall Maria became one of the most gripping storylines in anime history.
✗ That answer needs more filler training! The answer is Titans. Kaiju are giant monsters from Japanese cinema like Godzilla, Hollows are the enemy creatures in Bleach, and Demons appear in series like Demon Slayer. In Attack on Titan, these towering humanoid creatures are specifically called Titans.
02
Studio MAPPA has become one of the most prominent anime studios in recent years, producing several massive hit series. Which of these popular anime was NOT produced by MAPPA?
✓ Correct! Demon Slayer (Kimetsu no Yaiba) is produced by ufotable, not MAPPA. Ufotable’s stunning animation quality — especially the breathtaking fight sequences — became a hallmark of the Demon Slayer franchise. MAPPA produced Jujutsu Kaisen, Attack on Titan: The Final Season, and Chainsaw Man.
✗ That answer needs more filler training! The answer is Demon Slayer. Demon Slayer is animated by studio ufotable, renowned for its gorgeous visual effects. MAPPA has produced Jujutsu Kaisen, took over Attack on Titan: The Final Season from WIT Studio, and animated Chainsaw Man.
03
Solo Leveling became a massive hit anime in 2024 after being one of the most popular manhwa (Korean comics) in the world. The story follows a weak hunter who gains the unique ability to level up. What is the protagonist’s name?
✓ Correct! Sung Jin-Woo is the protagonist of Solo Leveling. Originally the weakest E-Rank hunter, he gains the power of the mysterious System, allowing him to level up infinitely. His transformation from the “World’s Weakest Hunter” to the most powerful Shadow Monarch captivated millions of readers and viewers.
✗ That answer needs more filler training! The answer is Sung Jin-Woo. Jin-Woo Sung reverses the name order (Korean names place the surname first). Kim Dokja and Yoo Joonghyuk are protagonists from Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint, another popular Korean series. Sung Jin-Woo is the iconic Shadow Monarch of Solo Leveling.
04
The Crunchyroll Anime Awards celebrate the best in anime each year. Which anime won Anime of the Year at the 2024 Crunchyroll Anime Awards?
✓ Correct! Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End won Anime of the Year at the 2024 Crunchyroll Anime Awards. This beautifully contemplative series about an elven mage reflecting on mortality and the passage of time after her hero party’s quest ends charmed audiences and critics alike with its unique, introspective storytelling.
✗ That answer needs more filler training! The answer is Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End. While Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2, Oshi no Ko, and Vinland Saga Season 2 were all critically acclaimed, it was Frieren’s meditative exploration of time, memory, and connection that captured the top prize at the 2024 ceremony.
05
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is consistently rated as one of the greatest anime of all time. The story follows two brothers who attempted a forbidden alchemical technique. What taboo did Edward and Alphonse Elric commit?
✓ Correct! Edward and Alphonse attempted human transmutation to bring their deceased mother back to life. The attempt failed catastrophically — Edward lost his left leg and then sacrificed his right arm to bind Alphonse’s soul to a suit of armor. This event drives the entire series as they search for the Philosopher’s Stone to restore their bodies.
✗ That answer needs more filler training! The answer is human transmutation — specifically, attempting to resurrect their dead mother. In the world of FMA, human transmutation is the ultimate taboo in alchemy. The brothers’ failed attempt cost Edward his limbs and Alphonse his entire body, setting the stage for their epic journey.
06
Spy x Family became a worldwide phenomenon with its wholesome yet action-packed story of a found family. The father, Loid Forger, is secretly a spy. What is his spy codename?
✓ Correct! Loid Forger’s spy codename is Twilight, and he’s considered the top agent of Westalis’s intelligence service, WISE. His mission, Operation Strix, requires him to build a fake family — leading him to adopt the telepathic Anya and marry the assassin Yor, creating one of anime’s most beloved found families.
✗ That answer needs more filler training! The answer is Twilight. Agent Dusk and Shadow are fictional names, while Nightfall is actually the codename of another WISE agent, Fiona Frost, who has a crush on Loid. Twilight is Westalis’s greatest spy and the heart of Spy x Family’s charming story.
07
Crunchyroll merged with another major anime streaming service to become the dominant platform for anime. Which streaming service was absorbed into Crunchyroll?
✓ Correct! Funimation was merged into Crunchyroll after Sony’s acquisition of Crunchyroll from AT&T in 2021. The merger consolidated the anime streaming market, bringing Funimation’s massive library of dubbed anime together with Crunchyroll’s simulcast catalog, making Crunchyroll the world’s largest dedicated anime platform.
✗ That answer needs more filler training! The answer is Funimation. Netflix Anime is part of Netflix and operates independently, HIDIVE is Sentai Filmworks’ streaming service, and AnimeLab was a smaller Australian service. Funimation — once Crunchyroll’s biggest rival — was fully absorbed into the Crunchyroll platform.
08
Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli are legendary in the anime world. Miyazaki’s final film was released in 2023 and won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. What is the title of this film?
✓ Correct! The Boy and the Heron (Kimitachi wa Dō Ikiru ka) was released in 2023 and won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2024. The deeply personal, surrealist fantasy film was widely considered Miyazaki’s farewell masterpiece, exploring themes of grief, imagination, and the passage between worlds.
✗ That answer needs more filler training! The answer is The Boy and the Heron. Spirited Away 2 and Ponyo Returns don’t exist. The Wind Rises was Miyazaki’s previous “final” film from 2013. The Boy and the Heron marked his true farewell, winning the Oscar and cementing his legacy as anime’s greatest storyteller.
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Yuriko Ishikaza is essentially written to be "fridged", or killed off, as a catalyst to push Jagasaki forward in his character arc. The worst part is that this isn't merely figurative: her remains are literally kept in Jagasaki's fridge, intending to resurrect her. It's almost hilarious how on-the-nose the series follows this trope, while also perhaps explaining the relatively scarce presence of female characters in Blue Lock. Similarly lazy characterization happens with Clarabelle Kawamoto, a fellow officer to Jagasaki, who is the butt of several period jokes in her introduction.
This is all to say, Kaneshiro's collaboration with Nishida creates breathtaking yet upsetting renditions of desire and its destructive potential. These aspects alone are enough of a draw for plenty of horror fans. As Cesar A. Cruz put it, "Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable." The upsetting, gory, violent aspects of the story will easily be worth adding to the shelves of body horror aficionados and those who appreciate gorgeous visuals. But not everything about Jagaaan is artfully executed, and it's got more than one glaring flaw to its name, which shouldn't be ignored. But again, Jagaaan is not for everyone, even though everyone is perfectly thrilled to devour Blue Lock and other work by Kaneshiro nonetheless.
Jagaaan is available in print in English thanks to Kana and Abrams Books as of September 29, 2026.
- Release Date
- 2022 - 2024
- Network
- tv asahi, ABC TV, Nagoya TV, HTB, KBC, NCC, Niigata Television Network 21, khb, KFB, HOME, KSB, Kagoshima Broadcasting, OAB, ABA, Iwate Asahi TV, Akita Asahi Broadcasting, Yamagata Television System, Shizuoka Asahi TV, Asahi Broadcasting Nagano, Hokuriku Asahi Broadcasting, Ehime Asahi TV, Yamaguchi Asahi Broadcasting, Kumamoto Asahi Broadcasting, Ryu-Q Asahi Broadcasting
- Directors
- Kazuki Yokoyama, Hiroshi Kimura, Shintaro Inokawa, Kohei Kuratomi, Fukutarou Hattori, Takayuki Tanaka, Yusuke Onoda, Yoshito Mikamo, Kentaro Sugimoto, Masao Kawase, Chihiro Kumano, Takahiro Enokida, Akira Toba, Tokihiro Sasaki, Yasushi Muroya
- Writers
- Taku Kishimoto
-
Kazuki Ura
Yoichi Isagi (voice)
-
Tasuku Kaito
Meguru Bachira (voice)
KioskNews shows a cleaned-up reading view extracted from the publisher’s page — the original always lives on their site, not ours.