Panorama of Hell

by Hideshi Hino

PANORAMA OF HELL is a shocking, tortuous journey into the depths of one man's postnuclear Hell. Through the confessions of a fiendish Hell painter born in the aftermath of the bombing of Hiroshima, Hideshi Hino tells a nightmarish story, creating a manga masterpiece of black humor, stunning vision, and unflinching imagery.

Genres: Manga, Horror, Comics, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Japan, Bande Dessinée

200 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

Hideshi Hino (日野日出志 Hino Hideshi, born April 19, 1946) is a Japanese manga artist who specializes in horror stories. His comics include Hell Baby, Hino Horrors, and Panorama of Hell. He also wrote and directed two of the Guinea Pig horror movies which were based on his manga: Flower of Flesh and Blood, which he also starred in, and Mermaid in a Manhole.

Reviews

[Coos Burton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Después de tomarme unos días para pensar bien sobre lo que leí y ví en este manga, decidí que es un buen momento para hablar al respecto en esta seudo reseña. No es más que mi opinión, por esa razón voy directo al punto: hay un exceso de cosas desagradables y grotescas. Quizá fue un poco fuerte para mí, pero no quiero quitarle mérito por eso, sobre todo cuando tiene su lado biográfico. No me siento capaz de juzgar algo como un relato tan personal. A pesar de todo, me copó el formato, muy cercano a Night Gallery, una de mis series favoritas. No sé si me animaré a leer otra cosa de Hideshi Hino, pero me siento contenta de haberle dado una chance a este título.

[Charles Schneider · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am bias because I helped translate this manga with my friend Screaming Mad George, the movie effects genius. It was an early and pioneering effort by Blast Books - which I brought to their attention because the horrific yarn riveted me so!

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lo volví a leer y me volvió a parecer espectacular y extremadamente cruel, violento, macabro, sangriento y perturbador. Un manga que no deja indiferente.
Cómo siempre, este manga queda recomendadísimo.

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

"...siempre encuentro inspiración para mis cuadros infernales"

Excelente ambientación y sentido logra entregar el mangaka en una suerte de autobiografía, en la que la obsesion, locura, extrema violencia, crudeza e impacto están durante todo el manga a través de una familia completamente disfuncional.

Está dividido en trece capítulo en los que nos relata sobre el arte de un pintor obsesionado con la sangre, cada capítulo es titulado como un nuevo Panorama Infernal y claramente lo son. Cada uno más fuerte que el anterior, realmente una historia escalofriante.

El arte de Hideshi Hino es muy característico, difícil de confundir y altamente expresivo, logra ambientaciones completamente perturbadoras que atrapan y sumergen en una larga y contundente pesadilla literaria, de la que no se sale igual.

[তানজীম রহমান · Rating 4 out of 5]

God, the artwork in this book. Breathtaking.
The shadows are deep pools of darkness that you could lose your soul in. The faces are exaggerated and distorted until they become Melpomene masks. The layouts are wide, creepy, surreal and expressive.
And I'm happy to report that the story takes you by surprise. It starts off as a shocking, Bosch-as-pop-culture view of hell. But eventually the story turns into a touching, sad portrayal of the seemingly inescapable cycle of violence that can befall a family.
Really good, haunting book.

[Anna Kļaviņa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loosely based on Hino's own experience Panorama of Hell is a shocking, violent, furious and bloodthirsty work of art.

The unnamed artist paints with his own blood pictures of hell. He is working on his biggest picture now and the reader is welcomed to the artist's world when he starts to tell more about his finished works. A world that is full of atrocities, broken lives, violence and madness.

[Octavi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Impresionante. Todo. Obra maestra. Impacta mucho más a medida que vas descubriendo que, efectivamente, es una autobiografía.

[Leonardo Di Giorgio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una delle cose più disturbanti (visivamente e contenutisticamente) che abbia mai letto. Grottesco, delirante, esplicito. Preparatevi alla visione d'inferno, quella interna (familiare) ed esterna (mondiale), fino all'incredibile e poetico finale

[Silver · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5
¡Hideshi Hino no decepciona! Ahora nos sumergirá en el infierno y la locura.

[Bogdan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kind of recycling ideas in it`s stories.

Overall, not so scary as expected.

MMmm, I was not very impressed!

[Drew Canole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reminds me of Jhonen Vasquez's Johnny the Homicidal Maniac in some ways. A maniac explaining his obsession with gore. Here he paints with blood. It's really brutal stuff, but the narrator seems pretty chill which makes it seem like its played less for horror and shock value and more just to create interest and have cool artwork.

Through a series of paintings, the narrator shows where his obsession came from. I especially enjoyed the story of his gambling addicted father.

[Kesa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This world is a living Hell
Utter chaos terrifying to behold.
Visages from a Pandora's Box
Turn the Snow Crimson
As it falls from a black sky.
And all around Hell flowers blossom madly.

The confessions of a fiendish Hell painter born in the aftermath of the bombing of Hiroshima. Incorporating historical context and insight into Hideshi Hino's own childhood.

[Stay Fetters · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I… I’ve always wanted to die like this… buried in snow… drowning in my own blood!"

This was deliciously fucked up and grotesque. It was full of gore and the most bizarre tales. I loved it!

[Nate D · Rating 3 out of 5]

What initially seems to be nothing more than shock-art flurry of stylizedly gruesome images and scenes of death and destruction, gains a surprising poignancy as it slowly builds personal and historical context. WWII casts a long shadow across the generations that survived and followed it.

[rie · Rating 3 out of 5]

king’s been doing generational trauma as horror since before it became a meme

[Alessandra S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Este mundo es un infierno viviente, un caos aterrador para poder contemplarlo. Rostros en la caja de pandora vuelven la nieve carmesí como si cayera de un negro cielo. Y todo alrededor eran flores infernales floreciendo alocadamente. La rueda del karma gira desprendiendo desgracias. Matar a mis hermanos y hermanas... ese es mi pecado. Llorando por un poco de perdón, mis gritos hacían eco en los cielos. Todo es un desastre en medio de la roja nieve... una triste señal."

"¡Oh Manchuria! Imperio perdido que por siempre se ha ido, tierra del infierno chorreada de sangre, nunca regresarás, has sido retirado de los dominios de la oscuridad y de la era del mundo. Continente mítico que nunca más serás pisado. Esta fue mi patria. Nací hijo de un derrotado invasor de aquel país del infierno... Nació el hijo de los demonios del infierno, ohhhh... infierno... ese es mi hogar."

Hideshi Hino siempre me hace padecer una pena inmensa en el pecho y esta obra es una prueba más de ello. Un manga tremendamente íntimo con el que al autor mezcla un sentido del humor retorcido y un pesar que parece permear gran parte de su obra. El dibujo es maravilloso y el final exquisito, una de mis obras favoritas.

[Maricruz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Qué burradas dibuja este hombre, madre mía. Comienza como algo grotesco, que, depende de lo negro que sea tu sentido del humor, te puede mover incluso a risa, con ese ir de una asquerosidad a otra aun más gorda. Pero luego se va convirtiendo en algo más siniestro y conmovedor, en particular cuando hace referencia a acontecimientos históricos vividos por el propio Hideshi Hino. Ya que este manga es, según reconoce el autor en unas palabras finales, autobiográfico. Espero que no de una forma demasiado literal, porque si no, vaya tela.

[Juan Carlos malik · Rating 5 out of 5]

El manga más retorcido, cruel, brutal del género del eroguro.

Aquí les dejo la reseña:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nB52g...

[Zac Hawkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ohho hoho fuck.

King Hino, truly the most fucked up horror mangaka that isn't called Suehiro Maruo.

[wormmouth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some astonishingly beautiful artwork here, Hino had one fucked up mind. Just so glad to have a copy of this

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Non è stato facile valutare quest'opera. Ho dovuto leggerla e rileggerla per riuscire a elaborarne il contenuto. La prima lettura mi ha causato repulsione e shock perchè, nonostante sia amante al genere Horror, la violenza gratuita sugli animali e i minori che viene rappresentata mi aveva alquanto turbata. Avevo deciso che questo manga non faceva per me. Tuttavia, leggere le interviste rilasciate da Hino, in fondo al volume, mi ha aperto gli occhi sui significati nascosti e le profonde metafore di questo manga. Perciò, l'ho riletto, questa volta in maniera più consapevole e ne ho visto la bellezza. Hino vuole "schiaffeggiare" il lettore perché vuole che provi il dolore, la pazzia e la mortificazione dei suoi personaggi, eco della sua. Perciò, esagera, sconvolge, disgusta, ma questa è solo la superficie del suo "fiume di sangue" in cui galleggiano cadaveri. Per capire, bisogna tuffarsi e aprire gli occhi e, se guarderemo a lungo, non vedremo solo il rosso del sangue...

[Wyatt Ryder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most horror authors build up slowly, but Panorama of Hell had me feeling visceral about 4 pages in. The shock value art of this manga is supported with the increasingly maddening story that will make you even start to sympathise with the main character, and then show you how goddamn terrible you are for even beginning to think like that. A brilliant read that is almost the perfect length, you will never feel bored or like the story is dragging on like other horror manga (looking at you, Uzimaki)

Just never expect to own a physical copy of this manga, it was printed in english once and now costs about 500usd on ebay, it is easy to find online scans though.

[Star · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am having headache btw
All themes are pretty understandable
China japan wars, war refugees struggle, abuse, domestic violence, gore, blood, killing,rape

Art is pretty gory, i didn't like puke scene bc i have gag reflex things. That's the only thing made me uncomfortable.

[Laika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Felt like a well executed Garth Marenghi. The goofy artist character talks directly to the reader listing a series of hastily thought up edgy scenarios with a tone of "isn't it shocking?" but when the art is this good you can pull off a goofy idea like "ass sashimi"

[Haruna · Rating 4 out of 5]

intense.

[Michael Sorbello · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short but shocking, brutal and horrifying look into extreme depravity. Again, not the greatest in terms of story, but worth reading for the ridiculous levels of shock value alone.

[A E · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hideshi Hino's masterpiece.

[Jen Rempel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the worst thing I have ever read. I did it to myself. :P

[Claudia Pastor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Qué maravilloso ahora sí haber conocido la genialidad de Hideshi Hino. Sabía que tenía que leer otro de sus mangas ❤

[Pitichi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Il pittore protagonista di questo orrore scarlatto ci accoglie nel suo cupo atelier e ci invita a scoprire i suoi quadri; ognuno di essi narra una storia: un luogo, un suo parente, un episodio storico.
L'artista (lo stesso Hideshi Hino?) dipinge con il sangue e trova ispirazione nell'orrore quotidiano. Si sente a tutta ragione un demone e venera l'imperatore infernale, una replica in argilla e sangue dell'indelebile fungo atomico che squarciò Hiroshima il 6 agosto 1945, e che, "con un bagliore e un tremendo ruggito, succhio' il sangue di centinaia di migliaia di persone in un attimo".
Le sue visioni demoniache si rivelano presto ben più forti della realtà, la sovrastano e la inghiottiscono in un incubo orrendo, che porta con sé in un attimo anche i lettori, tutti.
Fantastico, onirico, un incubo più reale del vero.
Non conoscevo Hideshi Hino, ma gli sono profondamente grata per questo capolavoro.