An interesting premise bound to draw in fans of dystopian fiction, but the sex and nudity is far too gratuitous for readers to pull much depth from the plot. Nothing about volume 1 encourages me to pick up the next in the series, but fans of Gokurakugai may enjoy this as well.

For those who are not well versed in Japanese culture, “mujina” is an old Japanese term referring to both the Japanese badger and the Japanese raccoon dog (tanuki), causing confusion. When it comes to folklore, mujina are frequently depicted as yōkai that shapeshift and deceive humans. You can see the latter description in the world depicted in the latest serialized series, Mujina Into the Deep from Inio Asano, a master of which you would call the depressingly dramatic manga.

The world of Mujina Into the Deep is one that is strange, if a bit familiar. The mujina in this case are represented as these quirky homeless outsiders who are also assassins. By this point, the Japanese child assassin is something that westerners are familiar with – even Quentin Tarantino has made a reference to it in his own filmography. Opening with not one, but two prologues, the first of which introduces one of the two main protagonists, Ubume, in a high-speed chase through the rooftops of Tsukumo as a mujina.

The second prologue introduces to our other main protagonist, Terumi Morgan, who bitterly accepts that he shouldn’t expect a lot from life, though he wishes to remain close to his stepson despite his ex-wife saying otherwise. As he just wants to meet his deadlines at work and watch his adult content in peace, a bout of Covid sends Terumi on a collision course where he meets Ubume and a runaway girl.

Asano has tackled insane, but successful mash-up of genres in Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction, and is trying to do a similar thing here, mixing quirky assassins with a story that touches upon human rights, social media influencers and sex trafficking. Although this title is closer in tone to Asano’s earlier titles, Mujina Into the Deep never seems to hit that dramatic chord.

When you read Goodnight Punpun and A Girl on the Shore, both show children being prepared for the harsh world of adulthood where everyone is messed up in their own way, but at least there are protagonists that you somewhat root for. In Mujina Into the Deep, you don’t find much sympathy towards Ubume who seems like every cold assassin with a heart of gold, or the cynical Terumi, of whom Asano himself seems more interested in. Towards the end of this volume, the story is steering towards the theme of found family, though you might find more emotional engagement in the subsequent volumes.

The one saving grace of this book is Asano’s incredible art, which combines highly-detailed backgrounds and the author’s traditionally quirky and expressive character designs. Whilst he has never been a great illustrator of action, Asano showcases some skill in presenting the set-pieces that showcase the rooftop-hopping, sword-wielding antics of the Mujina. While there is content that is bloody, there are also scenes that feature sex and depravity, which isn’t quite as gratuitous, but still feels tacky in a story that has the pretense of any substance.

For those who have been on board with the depressing tone you’ve come to expect from Inio Asano, you may feel disappointed over the shallowness of Mujina Into the Deep, whose mashing doesn’t quite come together as Asano would have hoped.

Netgalley provided me with an advanced copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

There is an interesting premise here: some time in the future, laws have been passed that only guarantee some people human rights (and all people lose their rights at age 85). This has created class of people known as Mujina - people without rights who cannot get regular jobs, go to hospitals, or even go to trial. Bonus is, if you are not a citizen, laws don't apply to you, so many mujina become assassins for cash.
The story is interesting, though needlessly sexual and hyper violent. Biggest issue is that the art makes everyone look like toddlers, which is extra icky given all the sex.

A good start to a new series that introduces interesting ideas about human rights but gets bogged down by the nudity and violence. I'm hopeful that further volumes will get deeper into the implications of the Mujina on the larger world.

This was written for men who want to think they like/care about women but just want to ogle at them. I was hoping for a Cyberpunk-esque story, but was very turned off. And that's from ever reading anything by this author again. Less than one star for sure.

A darkly humorous read for adult readers. Will recommend to some of our more adventurous patrons who are okay with graphic content.

Mujina Into the Deep Vol 1 is a manga geared toward a specific, mature audience. If you’re not accustomed to stories that dive into dark themes and emotions, this may not be the manga for you. It’s a gritty exploration of a dystopian world with ninjas and killers, with a unique take on how people deal with survival and their darker impulses. If you’ve enjoyed works like Goodnight Punpun or other deep, adult manga, then Mujina Into the Deep Vol 1 is definitely worth reading. It’s a hard series to recommend to those who prefer lighter stories, but if you enjoy manga that explores heavy, complex themes, this is a series you shouldn’t miss. Check it out when Volume 1 is released, or you can read the chapters on VIZ Media!

An adult manga set in a world where some people no longer have rights and are not considered human, nor protected by the law. But they also don't have to follow the law. So a lucrative business in assissination has popped up.

Not necessarily something I would pick up usually, but it is action packed and the story moves pretty quickly. As they say, sex sells-and this manga has that in spades.

TW: nudity, violence

Published by Viz Media and available February 18, 2025, Mujina Into the Deep is the latest series from acclaimed mangaka Inio Asano, author of Goodbye Punpun. The summary caught my attention -- "In the near future, human rights aren't guarenteed, but they are for sale," especially since currently in my home country of the US human rights are very much up for debate. In this world, rights come with strict government control and people living outside these rights and control are called "mujina" (Japanese for badger). It is an interesting setup and I wonder how the story will develop for the main mujina, Ubume. I will say the constant sex is a little gratuitous and distracting, but the action is cool. It's rated M by Viz for some very good reasons. Because of how explicit it is I probably won't order it for my public library, but I am curious as to how it will turn out so I'll probably continue reading myself.

This just didn’t do it for me. Story was confusing and I just didn’t know what was going on. Maybe as the story continues it gets better, but I don’t think I’ll continue with this series

I had to DNF this. It was so incredibly hard to read, not in a technical way. I've read Inio Asano's work before, but this was straight off the bat gross.

Thank you Viz and Netgalley for the ARC.

This premise is so interesting! The action and artwork is fantastic, but the grit of it was a bit too much for me and had to DNF

I have mixed feelings about this book. The concept is actually really cool and I like Asano's art style but I feel like he ruins his stores by trying to make them to edgy. This could have been a really great Manga on its own it didn't need so much nudity and sex. It's like Asano doesn't have enough faith in his stories alone so he is relying on these thing. I'm not sure I would really recommend this one to customers because of the nudity unfortunately

I read the entire first volume in one very short sitting, which, in this case, I mean with the highest of compliments. I feel like I have difficulty getting into some stories, particularly when it comes to recent manga, but this immediately pulled me in and wouldn't let me go. I can't wait for the next volume. Asano does it again!

Interesting concept, but extremely sexual male gaze story and artwork. This is not what I am interested in reading.