My Husband is Still in His Mother's Womb

Junk: Record of the Last Hero is one of those overly familiar manga stories that kicks off with an unremarkable protagonist who suddenly gains extraordinary powers, allowing them to act without restraint. There are countless other manga that start with a similar premise and execute it far better than Junk does, so I’d strongly recommend checking those out instead. Junk is nothing short of a colossal waste of time.  

The narrative begins with an online lottery where only the first two applicants can win. Predictably, our ironically named protagonist, Hiro, is one of the winners. The next day, he receives a delivery containing the JUNK system, which grants him the ability to transform into a superhero for a one-hour duration. Instead of using his newfound powers for good, Hiro simply uses them to bully his tormentors and anyone else who irritates or obstructs him. In the first two chapters alone (so no spoilers here), Hiro goes as far as killing his own parents by jumping on their home with the full force of the Junk suit. Strangely, this doesn’t seem to bother him much, especially since the inheritance he subsequently receives allows him to live comfortably without working.

After committing this heinous act, Hiro encounters the owner of the white Junk Suit, a woman who questions whether he wishes to be a god or a devil — in other words, whether he’ll use his power for good or evil. Despite not providing a clear answer to the woman in white, it soon becomes evident that Hiro is just a selfish villain who acts solely on personal whims, disregarding consequences entirely. On the other hand, Lisa, the owner of the White Junk Suit, is someone who aids those in need and protects the innocent, embodying the archetype of a heroic figure.

You wouldn’t be mistaken in thinking that this manga revolves around the rivalry and conflicts between these two characters with starkly contrasting personalities and goals, as that’s the impression the story gives early on. However, this aspect is quickly sidelined and becomes irrelevant, marking the beginning of Junk's flaws. Despite its simplicity, the mangaka seems utterly incapable of doing anything meaningful with the story. It’s clear from the fact that even the characters themselves appear uncertain about what they want to achieve. Hiro either lounges around being a NEET or misuses the Junk Suit for trivial matters like bullying 13-year-olds over internet insults — yes, this is the level of maturity we’re dealing with here.

There’s no indication that the story is heading anywhere substantial. The characters don’t actively influence events; they merely react to random occurrences such as kidnappings, terrorism, and newspaper scandals. None of these incidents tie into a larger narrative; they exist merely to prompt some action from the otherwise passive main cast, making the manga a tedious read.

Things only deteriorate further as the manga progresses into its second half. It starts breaking its own established rules by introducing a third Junk Suit, followed later by an entire army of suits, rendering the original ones insignificant. Similarly, the one-hour time limit is extended to eight hours, nullifying the earlier tension of hiding identities, which played a significant role initially as Hiro was constantly pursued by a policeman intent on uncovering his identity as the Black Junk Suit owner.

In the latter parts of the manga, established characters transition from reactors to mere spectators. Hiro stops using the suit and becomes a high school student who does absolutely nothing but mess around with his harem. The cop with a vendetta against the Black Junk Suit inexplicably ceases his investigation after being told to do so. The women in Hiro’s life are conveniently relocated to another town to avoid interfering with the plot, and Lisa willingly abandons her white Junk Suit, fading into obscurity like everyone else. Worst of all, these actions contradict their previously defined character traits, yet the author seems indifferent.

This chaotic turn culminates in a convoluted plot involving terrorism, conspiracies, Sakatomo Ryouma, a wealthy religious sect, revolutions, and the Japanese Democratic League. It’s as ridiculous as it sounds, and this was my breaking point when I abandoned the series at chapter 30. Overall, the story is atrocious, reminiscent of something written by someone trying for the first time and failing miserably. Unfortunately, given Kia Asamiya's prior experience writing manga, this incompetence is inexcusable.

If the story wasn’t bad enough, the characters are even worse. Earlier, I mentioned how all characters are passive and lack clear goals. What I didn’t mention is that the characters in Junk can essentially be divided into two categories: Hiro and stock characters. Even though Hiro is a flawed character, he’s the only one who receives any development. Everyone else might as well have been pulled straight from a generic character database. You can describe almost every character as a generic childhood friend, cheerful schoolgirl, vendetta cop, murdering psychopath, wannabe hero, or Lolita girl who’s supposedly 18 years old. The truth is, none of them possess any unique qualities and are nothing more than shallow archetypes.

Additionally, there are too many characters for a 35-chapter manga, many of whom are unnecessary and could easily be removed without affecting the story. Some characters feel added merely to unnecessarily prolong the narrative as filler. It’s difficult to become attached to or care about any of them due to their sociopathic tendencies, worthlessness, or minimal screen time, compounded by their increasing irrelevance as the manga progresses.

One of the supposed "plots" in this manga is Hiro's sudden character shift midway through. Initially portrayed as an angst-ridden man-child prone to anger, he transforms into an apathetic, emotionless observer once he stops using his Junk Suit and returns to school. This change feels abrupt and unnatural, occurring without proper development or buildup. It appears to be an attempt to make readers care about Hiro or redeem him, but it fails spectacularly. His personality flip seems arbitrary rather than a natural evolution.

I wish I could end here, but unfortunately, Junk also falters in the art department, warranting additional critique. The author appears lazy, evidenced by instances where facial features aren’t drawn at all. Given that much of the manga consists of dialogues and monologues focusing closely on characters, this oversight is glaring. Readers will notice how sometimes the mangaka draws only one eye on a character, omitting other features entirely, which looks amateurish.

Beyond laziness, the manga suffers from same-face syndrome, meaning multiple characters share identical facial features. The most obvious example is Hiro and Ryouko, whose faces are virtually indistinguishable. While the backgrounds and scenes lack detail and are somewhat simplistic, they suffice for storytelling purposes. However, the action sequences are woefully inadequate for an ostensibly action-oriented manga. The fights are poorly executed and fail to captivate, leaving readers confused about what’s happening during combat due to the mangaka's ineptitude.

Ultimately, there’s little I can say in Junk’s defense. The only saving grace is that there are manga even worse than Junk, so it doesn’t deserve a score lower than 3 at worst. If I’m feeling generous, I might rate it a 4 at best.

Okay, just to let you all know, I haven't read all of the manga yet! So when I do, this review may change. But I felt that Junk deserved at least one review because it is such a great manga... so far.

STORY: Alright, the story of Junk is fairly simple and has been somewhat overdone in manga and anime throughout the years. It's your standard "teenage boy gets suit and starts kicking butt" manga, like Guyver and others. That's why I ultimately had to give it a seven. Although it is well done and does add some new elements to the genre, the basis for the story has been overplayed one too many times.

That said, this is not Guyver; it is unlike anything you have seen before in this kind of genre. Unlike Guyver, which is dark in its own right, this series is dark. It is darker than dark, darker than black. (Sorry, couldn’t resist throwing in that anime reference.) There is a lot of violence and sexual content that several readers might be turned off by, but I think it adds to the overall feel of Junk.

Also, he doesn't use the suit to save the world, oh no, he uses it to serve himself. He beats up bullies who did... sexual things to him in school. (Did I not warn you of the darkness of this manga?) He uses it to get into a packed concert and other things along those lines. He is not your happy-go-lucky hero; he’s a kid with serious problems in a world that spawns even more problems.

ART: The art is gorgeous throughout and it is fun to read. The only real problem comes in with the fight scenes between two Junks. The angles are sporadic, and sometimes it is hard to tell what exactly is going on, but they do add to the pacing of the fight scenes, which are fast, brutal, and relatively realistic. (Think the Bourne Ultimatum in manga form and you'll have about what it is.)

CHARACTER: This is where Junk really shines, as you can tell from the ten. The characters in this series are amazingly well-done. All of the Junk owners have serious issues: the main character (black Junk) is a recluse and a pervert, the white Junk is… famous? (Can’t say too much without spoiling the series for you.) And the red Junk is a murderous psychotic.

But here’s the thing: none of them is the good guy, and none of them is the bad guy. They are not white or black; they are just different shades of gray, some being darker or lighter but never truly white or black. If anyone in this series is truly good, it would have to be the police force, and if anyone is truly bad… then telling you about them would ruin the series for you. (Sorry!) The only time I have ever seen characters like this in comics (I say comics not manga because these are American series) are the characters in all of Sin City and the heroes in the Watchmen.

It’s just so good to read about these characters and how different they are and their problems. None of them are the standard hero/villain archetypes like you see in other manga and anime. And the character and suit designs are wonderful, although the suits are a bit hard to distinguish from one another at the beginning.

ENJOYMENT: If you can’t tell by now, I really enjoyed this manga. It is one of my top five manga series. The whole thing is about as addicting as crystal meth, and at the end of each volume, you’ll be begging for more. The pacing is excellent for the most part; some of the discussions within the police department are somewhat boring, but for the most part, it’s great. The plot is engaging and it throws some unexpected things at you quite a bit. One word: Amazing.

OVERALL: I wanted to give this series a ten, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. The only two reasons I couldn’t, and they are very minor, are the slowdowns during the police department discussions and the hard-to-read fight scenes. But these are not good reasons why not to pick it up.

Also, this is a very dark manga, and if you are into uplifting shounen stuff, stay away from Junk. It will not make you very happy. But if you like your manga dark and your characters gray, then make sure to check this out.

And I have now finished all the manga, and the score remains the same. Hurray for Junk not having a crappy ending!

Not for the faint of heart, but an exceptional Superhero origin story. To this day, it remains the best manga I've ever read. It's quite obscure, but definitely worth discovering.  

Also, you're not meant to like the main character at first. Just thought I'd mention that in case anyone gets turned off initially. But he does redeem himself, and you feel like you're growing alongside the character as you read.  

The universe's Villains are intriguing, and the main character also creates chaos for another Superhero. The series is brief but ends perfectly.  

If you're a Superhero fan seeking a unique and unconventional Superhero manga, this is the one for you. If you're looking for something adult and mature, this fits the bill.  

And if you're in the mood for a quick read, this is an excellent choice as well.  

This manga truly shouldn't let you down.

tl;dr: A henshin hero manga with occasional good moments, but plagued by a directionless plot and unlikable characters.

This manga is essentially a dark take on the tonkatsu hero genre. The protagonist, Hiro, was once a shut-in due to bullying in high school. He receives a device called Junk through the mail, which grants him the ability to transform into a masked superhuman. On a power trip, he indulges in extreme actions like severely harming his bullies. However, without any clear goals or heroic intentions, he ends up using the suit for random activities, merely passing time.

The first five volumes are incredibly aimless, lacking an overarching story. Hiro interacts with other Junk users, and events occur that drastically alter his life, yet none of these developments lead anywhere significant or have much purpose. There are no major plot threads or character arcs, nor is there substantial world-building. Everything about Junk remains vague and mysterious. Additionally, the characters are flat and largely unpleasant, making it difficult to invest in them. Despite this, there are parts that are intriguing or amusing, though the manga leans heavily on edginess for its appeal. If overt edginess isn't your thing, there's likely little here to interest you.

The last two volumes attempt to reach a conclusion, but surprisingly, the manga deteriorates further. The mangaka mentioned the original plan was for the series to be twice as long, but circumstances forced a rushed ending. This explains some issues, but many problems run too deep for a longer runtime to resolve. The protagonist has virtually nothing to do with the main plot, leading the manga to alternate between showing his mundane daily life and other characters driving the story forward. His everyday life is dull, and while there were potential plot threads, they're abruptly ended in ways that render them pointless. Eventually, the protagonist is thrust into the main plot near the end, but the conclusion is both absurd and unsatisfying.

The overall moral of the story is that young people should take more responsibility for themselves and society. While this is a generic message, what makes it particularly bad is how it's conveyed—through an unbelievably dumb plan that somehow succeeds. It defies logic and stretches suspension of disbelief beyond reason. The explanations for the various mysteries throughout the manga also fail to make sense. For instance, the explanation for how Junks generate power contradicts their ability to shoot lasers. The writing is just poor all around.

The art quality is decent, but I wasn't fond of the style. The designs are rather uninspired. The fan translation, however, seemed solid.

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no finished this final

Read The authors pov it's a great novel leagues above solo leveling if I do say so.

A fat fuck becomes a hot elf princess. Go kill yourself author. Just die.