Panorama of Hell (1984) Manga Review – A Concoction of Abject Horror and Nihilistic Sentimentality

Posted on by Jim Cox
Panorama of Hell cover Starfruit Books

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Panorama of Hell is a 1984 Japanese horror one-shot manga, written and illustrated by Hideshi Hino. Known as a master horror mangaka, Hino is most notable as the writer/illustrator for such well-known works as Hell Baby, Lullabies from Hell, and Town of Pigs. Moreover, Hino has also worked as a director on multiple films, such as Guinea Pig: A Flower of Flesh and Blood (1985), Guinea Pig: Mermaid in the Manhole (1988), and Bara no Meikyu (2014). Bleaker in tone than his usual work, Panorama of Hell was written during a bout of depression experienced by the mangaka.

Narrated by a Mad Artist who uses his own blood to paint terrifying pictures, he regales the reader with the inspiration for his macabre work. Including his unconventional family, stories about his abusive parents, who escaped from Manchuria after World War II, and his violent childhood.

 

Being a somewhat autobiographical piece, Panorama of Hell recites the (rather warped) experiences of our unnamed protagonist’s early life—a straw-man for Hino’s own traumatic experiences as a child. Born into the brutal, post-war hardships of World War II, Hino recounts his experiences of being a refugee fleeing the disputed area of Manchuria, China after the unconditional surrender of Japan and the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War due to fear of retribution from both the Chinese and invading Russian forces. Likewise, the manga also provides a harrowing insight into the aftermath of a post-nuclear attack, recounting the devastation of Hiroshima and the suffering of those who survived in vivid detail. As such, the manga certainly reinforces the negative aspects of war, displaying these horrifying times of squaller and brutality.

 

Additionally, Panorama of Hell’s characters are a representation of Hino’s relatives, retelling the terrible conditions he grew up in. From his Grandfather, a grizzled yakuza who would abuse his entire family, to his father, a pig farmer who carried on his father’s legacy of violence, and even his mother, who lost her sanity to the stresses of migrating as a refugee; the conditions that this young child had to endure whilst growing up is sorrowfully heartfelt.

Furthermore, these characters all seem to follow the typical stylised design of Hino’s work, with males being reflected in an unrealistic, gonkish fashion, whereas females are presented in a more traditional technique, following a similar style to ancient woodblock paintings. The obvious dissimilitude between the sexes is undoubtedly inherent in their underlining nature, with the personification of male brutality in their visualisation and a similar level of savagery being exacerbated by the juxtaposition of female beauty.

 

An incredibly sorrowful insight into the childhood of one of the most notable horror creators to come from Japan, Panorama of Horror is chock-full of objectively horrifying content. From its unflinching exploration of the aftermath of one of the greatest horrors of war, the pessimistic view of a world full of darkness, and the damage the incessant cycle of violence can cause; the manga conjures an equal concoction of abject horror and nihilistic sentimentality.

Panorama of Hell is available to purchase from Starfruit Books here.

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