This is a manga adaption of a novel interpretation of the real life events of Junko Furuta.


Story:
It's hard to say this is enjoyable due to the subject matter, but a good way to describe this is a manga episode of 'Criminal Minds.' The benefit that 17-sai has over virtually every episode of Criminal Minds is that 17-sai wasn't created to capitalize on people's morbid interest in all things evil, but to memorialize an event that should have never taken place. (if 17-sai WAS originally conceived for the sole purpose of making a profit, than damn the original writer, Seiji Fujii)

Morals aside, the actual story follows Hiroki who was roped into Miyamoto's gang. He second guesses very quickly all the actions Miyamoto does and soon enough is tied to the terrible events that take place after Miyamoto abducts a young girl. From them on out we see the terrible atrocities they commit, as well as the girls family work with the police to find out where she's been taken from.

There's nothing particularly revolutionary about this story. There isn't a speck of philosophy used (despite the narrative having enough weight to include it) and the events that unfold aren't astronomical, but the helplessness of the events that take place are very, very real.


Art:
Decent. Nothing special. It's not bad, but it's not super good either. I never felt as though proportions were off, and I also never felt as though the art was trying to shock me (most notably during the abuse). It was tame, which is nice considering the subject matter. Like I mentioned above, this is a memorialization, not glorification. Even still, the art is pretty basic, there aren't overly detailed locals, and most of the events take place inside, so there isn't room for impressive scenery.

That said, the art itself isn't abusive to the reader. It's good to note that the art doesn't glorify the horrific events within these pages. It's careful to expose what's necessary as it takes place. I really appreciated this sense of self-awareness from the artist. It's what kept the Art score from being a 6.


Character:
Some of the things Hiroki does and says are really, really stupid. I found myself questioning why he did them. This is something that a story should never have. It's not a "Woah!" moment where it took me by surprise and I was happy, more of a "What!?" and I was like, "His character showed no signs of this at ALL!" This happened twice.

None of the other characters are all that compelling or have these personal arcs that take place, but the ferocity of the delinquents was terrifying. Considering the topic of this manga, it was surprising that I was continually sickened despite the desensitization that takes place while reading (or perhaps you're already quite desensitized. This will test those limits.)


Enjoyment:
A strange category for this manga, but I can't deny it being a fairly well crafted narrative. Like I've mentioned in other reviews, I can't turn off my critical lense, and it's my critical lense which dictates how enjoyable a work can be. With very little issues (but also, virtually 0 spectacles) I found this to be a devilishly pleasant 7. Not everyone will enjoy this, or handle this, but because the artist took care not to over expose what took place, it was clear that a lot of love was put into not only the narrative but the imagery as well.


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