Creative Staff
Story: Kyoko Okazaki
Art: Kyoko Okazaki
Translation/Adaptation: Vertical Inc.
What They Say
If you are aware of fashion in Japan you must have seen Liliko’s face. For the last few years she has been at the top of the modeling world, with her face and body promoting the biggest brands. But as everyone who is in this world admits, staying on top is a constant and never ending battle. There are always new faces introduced to the public. Younger models and new looks are brought into the fold every season. And keeping that position means learning to adapt and learning to cope with change.
To maintain her position Liliko has decided to under the knife. This is not her first go with this service. It is yet another round of plastic surgery, all done to keep herself looking young and vibrant. However in this case just a little nip and tuck was not enough. Liliko is bent on undergoing a full body makeover. From head-to-toe, every inch of her will undergo cosmetic surgery, and thus begins her madness.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Helter Skelter is the story of a train wreck, one you see coming from the first few pages. Having clawed herself to the top, supermodel Liliko, who is actually the product of illegal plastic surgery methods, struggles to maintain her career when her body starts breaking down. She’s a fairly unsympathetic main character who embodies the worst of the celebrity world. While the story contains depravity, sexual and otherwise, in spades, the plot itself is fairly predictable. As soon as Liliko’s looks start going south, a younger, prettier rival emerges to threaten her number one spot, and Liliko resorts to desperate measures that ultimately ruin her.
Helter Skelter is very much a manga trying to make a statement. Each page is a commentary on the fickleness of public opinion, the price women pay for beauty, the brevity of youth and fame. People are ever using one another as tools, whether it’s the agency president using her models for profit, Liliko’s lovers using her for sex, or Liliko using her manager Hada for entertainment. While the message comes across loud and clear, the characters are very flat, especially the plastic surgeon, who’s a one-dimensional stereotype of the arrogant scientist with a cadre of eerily perfect looking assistants.
The most relatable character is Hada, who’s just an average person trying to make a living. She needs her job so she puts up with Liliko’s tantrums and verbal abuse. But the relationship takes an extremely twisted aspect, and Hada and her boyfriend get sucked into Liliko’s whirlpool of madness. Things get so warped that even when the opportunity arises for them to break free of Liliko, they choose to stay.
It’s an ugly story, and it’s got artwork to match. Okazaki-sensei doesn’t offer cute shojo style illustrations here. Her lines are thick, and she doesn’t use screen tones for much other than contrast in nighttime scenes. Despite being about Japan’s hottest model, Helter Skelter’s character designs aren’t pretty, and Liliko tends to have a freakish look, especially when she’s emotionally unstable. The only reason why we know she’s beautiful is because others say she is.
This manga includes five illustrations printed in color. It is rated 18+, which is definitely warranted for graphic sex, violence, language, and fairly disturbing body-falling-apart illustrations.
In Summary
While Helter Skelter has an element of sci-fi grotesque with Liliko’s body falling apart as a side effect of plastic surgery, her decline from stardom and concurrent descent into insanity is fairly predictable. Perhaps it’s because I’ve seen too many washed up idols crash and burn in Hollywood, but this cautionary tale doesn’t reveal anything we don’t already know about the ugly side to celebrity life. But if the worst of tabloid scandal is your cup of tea, you may want to give this manga a try.
Content Grade: B-
Art Grade: C+
Packaging Grade: B+
Text/Translation Grade: B+
Age Rating: 16+
Released By: Vertical
Release Date: August 20th, 2013
MSRP: $16.95
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