Super-Dimensional Love Gun is a 2017 ero-guro horror manga, written and illustrated by world-renowned mangaka Shintaro Kago. The manga collection of 15 short tales based around the mangaka’s distinct style of “Fashionable Paranoia” penned over the course of the illustrious career of one of the masters of modern-day ero-guro. Despite being well-versed in the creation of short stories that have been bundled together in large collections such as Super-Dimensional Love Gun and Dementia 21, Shintaro Kago is also known for his provocative, full-length work such as Paranoia Street, Harem End, and Anamorphosis: Hell Beast.
Weaving a razor-thin line between arousal and repulsion, this collection of short ero-guro stories is an amazing representation of Kago’s unique style of storytelling. The blend of uninhibited adult material with more mind-bending scenarios of nauseating acts can allude to a difficult read at points. Even hardened veterans of all things disturbing, like myself, still feel an uneasy feeling of discomfort when reading some of his works (especially stories such as Miss Tomezuka’s Refined Hobby or Collecting Loss). However, the difficult subject matters and challenging unease are the driving force behind Kago’s masterful style, successfully instilling a sense of queasiness rarely felt by traditional media.
Additionally, a sick and twisted sense of dark humour permeates each story in its own, unique way. Varying from crude toilet humour to pitch-black social commentary, each story contains its own level of comedic input, some more so than others, that complement these short tales perfectly. Maintaining a masterful balancing act of laughter and disgust between each panel.
Furthermore, Kago’s striking artwork delivers purposeful weight to each story, featuring intricately detailed linework that brings to life the bizarre and vulgar scenarios that fill each page.
As Super-Dimensional Love Gun is an anthology manga, many of the stories featured drastically vary in content and tone. Stories such as Local Tourist Information, The Lament of the Headless, and the titular Super-Dimentional Love Gun lean heavily on the previously mentioned dark humour, as opposed to White Strings and Collecting Touch which has a heavier focus on its grisly tone. The addition of story notes provides information on where each story is originally submitted, shedding light on the reasoning for the diverse subject matter explored in each story and atmosphere.
An assorted blend of Shintaro Kago’s style, Super-Dimensional Love Gun is a perfect starting point for the mangaka’s work. With an eclectic tone, rapid pace, and stunning artwork, each story is certain to resonate in some way with fans of the dark and depraved, yet still simultaneously coerce some laughs at the absurdity displayed on each page.
*Affiliate Link
Super-Dimensional Love Gun is available to purchase here.*
More Manga Reviews
Hello, spookies! Today I’m going to review Hellstar Remina from VIZ. You can purchase it at Amazon. I get no kickbacks from links, but I want to encourage people to get published… Still receiving new adaptations to this very day, it is safe to say that Monkey Punch’s seminal manga Lupin III is one of the most enduring properties in the world… Noboru Yoshimi was a prolific horror manga author who enjoyed great success with over 300 published stories to his name, mainly aimed at a younger audience. There is however one… Hello Spookies! Class is in session! I’m here to let you know about a little J-Horror project brought to you by Junji Ito and Junji Inagawa. A lot of you… Higurashi: When They Cry – GOU is a 2-volume psychological horror manga, written by Ryukishi07/7th Expansion and illustrated by Tomato Akase. Ryukishi07 is a Japanese author, artist, and representative of… True crime has become a popular sub-genre that has reached a wide audience of those looking for shock or to better understand the lowest depths of humanity. However, the genre…
Remina by Junji Ito Manga Review – The Stars Are Hungry
Mona Lisa Okyo (1970) Manga Review – The Female Lupin III
Indecent Wriggling (1970) Manga Analysis – A Perverse Gender-Bending Body Horror
The Junji Ito Horror Project: Tales of Terror Retold
Higurashi: When They Cry – GOU: Volume 2 (2023) Manga Review
God’s Child Manga Review – Nishioka Kyoudai Create a Serial Killer
Hey there, I’m Jim and I’m located in London, UK. I am a Writer and Managing Director here at Grimoire of Horror. A lifelong love of horror and writing has led me down this rabbit hole, allowing me to meet many amazing people and experience some truly original artwork. I specialise in world cinema, manga/graphic novels, and video games but will sometime traverse into the unknown in search of adventure.