Face Meat by Bonten Taro
A headless busty blonde, a face-stealing psychopath, a sleazy serial‑killer sculptor, a horny handsome hunchback, a vengeful caterpillar cuckold, a torturous hangover in the pits of hell. Welcome to the raunchy and gristly world of FACE MEAT, from the decadent imagination of outlaw polymath Bonten Taro—ex‑kamikaze, ex‑yakuza, singer, songwriter, actor, world‑famous tattooist, husband of seven, and underappreciated pioneer of “pinky violence” femme fatales and adult horror manga. While Mizuki Shigeru and Umezz Kazuo were paving the way for horror in shonen and shojo magazines in the 1960s, Bonten was secretly doing the same in erotic men’s rags—and the results are as trashy as you’d expect. With an essay by Bonten booster and B‑gekiga expert Kunisawa Hiroshi, FACE MEAT includes fourteen hair‑ and pants‑raising stories that have never before been assembled under a single cover in any language!
Book Details
- Creators: Bonten Taro (author/artist), essay by Kunisawa Hiroshi; edited by Ryan Holmberg
- Format: Trade Paperback
- Pages: 240
- Size: Approximately 6 × 8 inches
- Publisher: Living the Line (SMUDGE imprint)
- Publication Date: June 10, 2025
- ISBN: 978‑1961581074
- Reading Age: 16 years and up
Reviews & Critical Reception
- Library Journal: “Bonten’s remarkable illustration makes use of bold, inky linework and exaggerated body language and facial expressions to evoke a nightmarish atmosphere and to depict characters who appear contorted by obsession, desire, rage, or to the whims of an oppressively violent world.”
- Publishers Weekly (spring preview): “Though it’s light on substance, readers who don’t mind a bit of trash with their treasure will have a blast.”
- Krystal Lee, Feathers of Icarus (blog): “A fun collection of Japanese horror stories. … The atmosphere is a classic kind of creepy… The contrast of the black/red artwork was brilliant… I loved seeing the styles brought to life with the simple addition of one single colour.” (Rated 4/5 stars)
- Bernie Gourley, Tiger Riding for Beginners (blog): “This is a creative collection of fourteen dark and creepy tales. … The tales are taut and disturbing… sexually as well as violently graphic – so, if you’re one of those weirdos who is ok with a severed head but scandalized by an unclad breast, this book isn’t for you.” (5/5 stars)
