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Manhole Volume 1

Manhole Volume 1

MangaCrime
Pages
216
Published
2024
Language
English

Synopsis

Two prefectural police detectives, Ken Mizoguchi and Nao Inoue, investigate a mysterious death in Sasahara and find the victim killed by an uncommon, rapidly spreading form of filariasis. As they trace the outbreak, the case leads them toward a deliberate act tied to the city's manhole system, with the threat of a much wider epidemic building behind it.

Manhole is the first of three volumes by Tetsuya Tsutsui, originally serialized in Young Gangan from 2004 to 2006. This English edition was published by Abrams ComicArts in 2024.

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Genres

Manga Crime Police Procedural Thriller Graphic Novels Body Horror

About the author

T
Tetsuya Tsutsui

Tetsuya Tsutsui (筒井哲也, born November 17, 1974) is a Japanese manga artist known for tense, socially charged thrillers. He debuted in 2002 with Duds Hunt, then serialized Manhole and Reset in Square Enix's Young Gangan. His breakthrough was Prophecy (Yokokuhan), run in Shueisha's Jump X from 2011 to 2013, which follows a police cybercrime unit hunting a masked man who posts videos foretelling his crimes; it was adapted into both a live-action film and a television drama in 2015. After discove...

Characters

Ken MizoguchiProtagonist

A prefectural police detective leading the investigation into a string of deaths and the deliberate outbreak behind them.

Nao InoueSupporting

Mizoguchi's investigative partner, working the case alongside the veteran detective.

All characters in Manhole Volume 1

Frequently asked questions

  • Did the author have a specific inspiration for this story?

    Tetsuya Tsutsui developed the plot after reading a novel about bacterial diseases, which prompted him to conduct his own research into the subject.

  • Did this series face any controversy after its release?

    In 2009, the first volume was designated as a harmful book by the Nagasaki Prefecture in Japan, which effectively banned its sale in that region.

  • How did the author's experience with this series influence his later work?

    The author's inability to overturn the local ban on this series served as the primary inspiration for his later manga, Yūgai Toshi, which explores the themes of censorship.