I’m making my way through last year’s October Humble Bundle haul with aching slowness, but as it was a Halloween theme, it seemed fitting to continue my read of Kasane, which I finally finished today. It left me devastated, but it is a story I will think about for a long time.

Written by Daruma Matsuura, this psychological tragedy follows the young Kasane Fuchi, a girl born with an ugly face. But ugly is an understatement: her appearance is enough to either force people to stare in horror, or look away, desperate to forget what they have just seen. From her wide, amphibian lips, to her rough jagged teeth, sloping eyes and disdainful stare, Kasane is cursed with an abominable visage. She is ostracised and hated, and no one believes that her biological mother is the late, great Sukeyo, a lauded actress who abruptly ended her career after a critically acclaimed performance of Macbeth, and then died in obscurity under mysterious circumstances years later.

Kasane inherits Sukeyo’s acting skill, but due to her face, is left to flounder in the wings of many a backstage crew, spending her time wistfully reciting lines to herself after everyone has packed up and gone home, performing on an empty stage to an audience of shadow. The only memento Kasane has of her mother is a red lipstick, and a note—to wear it when needed. One day, Kasane discovers that if she kisses someone whilst wearing the lipstick, she can steal their face for a limited time. Her first use of the lipstick allowed her to steal the face of one of her biggest bullies, taking the lead of the school play and wowing the audience, but the arrangement ends in tragedy.

Under the dubious tutelage of Kingo—former stage manager and confidant of Sukeyo—Kasane develops her acting skill and uses the face of one Neena Tanzawa, and aspiring actress with little talent and a chronic illness. Kasane rises through the acting world as Neena, severing ties with her old self and striving to surpass her mother. The relationship between Kasane and Neena becomes fractured, and Neena, frenzied to despair at her loss of identity, attempts suicide and ends up in a vegetative state. Coaxed by Kingo, Kasane keeps Neena hidden in a locked room in her apartment, kissing her barely-conscious lips when needed, her entire life becoming an act.

As Neena, Kasane finds love, acquires adoring fans and wins the admiration of many renowned directors. She becomes the leading lady of the stage. But her secrets creep up on her, and a particular relation from her past emerges as a foil to her charade, forcing her to become more inhuman just to maintain her status.

There is so much to this manga. It is a psychological thriller, a mystery, a horror, and a tragedy, with a sense of sapphic eroticism that is both intriguing and disarming. It makes you question the concept of pretty privilege and the superficiality of society. There is no doubt that Kasane is insanely talented and a rare contribution to the craft, and yet her original face precludes her from success. Even when she tries to act with her own face, she is shut down by Kingo, who reiterates with piercing acridity that she is worthless as herself.

I appreciated the moral dubiousness of the characters. I’ve discussed this before; some storytellers struggle to maintain the balance of moral greyness, opting for a vague “no one’s good and no one’s bad” narrative instead of “everyone is flawed and they all have understandable motives”. Kasane wonderfully falls into the latter: there is no doubt that Kasane’s imprisonment of Neena is wrong, but it’s hard not to understand why someone in her position would be willing to try anything to reach her dreams. Kingo’s obsession with Sukeyo, which he then projects onto Kasane’s acting journey, should be met with reproach, but his own past is so tragic that his memories of Sukeyo are all he has to live for.

There are additional characters: a young woman seeking revenge, who pursues this path even when Kasane’s journey changes. Another possessive character who only sees young women as objects to own. A school friend of Kasane who possesses a saviour complex towards those she sees are beneath her. And Kasane’s own mother. Everyone has motives that the reader can sympathise with, and as the story neared its end, I wasn’t rooting for any of them, but I was hooked, trying to anticipate how everything would come together, who would survive, and who would see their dreams realised.

At fourteen volumes and 125 chapters, it’s a moderately long read, but the final chapters are exhilarating. Not since reading Monster have I been so invested in the ending of a thriller, and I wasn’t disappointed. The conclusion is ambiguous as it is definitive: you are given enough to guess the fates of certain characters, and there’s a slither of hope for the reunion of two others, but nothing is set in stone, and Matsuura isn’t desperate to tie everything neatly. We are left to our imaginations to decide how it all ends.

A lot of attention is given to real-life plays, and oftentimes the characters’ lives are reflected in the scripts, which intensifies the acting scenes and emphasizes the point that this is more than theatre: everyone is fighting for their lives.

9/10. Would recommend, but it’s an intense read, one you have to be in the mood for.