Criminals do not always receive justice. If a murderer serves several years in prison and yet shows little change or remorse by the end of their sentence, should they be free to roam the streets and move on with their life? Written and drawn by the deranged Jiro Matsumoto, Freesia depicts a world where these criminals can be legally executed by a group of trained killers, formally known as 'enforcers'.
Rather than meeting a swift and painless end, targeted criminals are legally able to defend their lives by hiring a small group of bodyguards. If they cannot afford one (which is likely- a single bodyguard
...
ranges in the hundreds of thousands of dollars) or do not have a friend willing to put their life on the line for their sake, the state will give them one free of charge. Or at least that is what they are led to believe. Far more often these 'free' bodyguards will abandon the criminal and leave them to an almost certain death. Corruption permeates the world of Freesia, but so too do many other awful things.
If legal assassination sounds implausible or absurd-- it kinda is. It would be one thing if these criminals were tried in a court and then executed via hanging or lethal injection, but instead innocent lives are put on the line for a twisted game of murder. I suppose entertainment in a story comes before realism.
Freesia is not a manga to be read while in high spirits. There are so many disgusting and inhumane events in the story that it is likely to make you pop a few anti-depressant pills. Gore, rape, betrayal, insanity, infidelity, corruption and domestic abuse are among the things that paint Freesia's cruel world. There is the ever-present theme of nihilism, and while it is not too overbearing, the lack of humanity in *any* of the characters is continually made apparent. Yamada is possibly the only character in the entire story who is not an absolutely terrible person, and that is even including the dozens of background characters who appear for only a few pages. This misanthropic portrayal of humanity feels a bit forced. The constant misogyny is also quite bothersome; if the girl has not been raped, she has been victimised or abused in some other way. On the other hand, all the male characters fall into the macho tough-guy persona. For a manga that deals with so much mature content, it can be awfully immature in how it chooses to portray it.
Thematic issues aside, Freesia does an excellent job of developing the main character, Kano. While he never becomes truly likeable, he does become more transparent. It is impossible to have any clue in hell what is going on with him at the start (what with his frequent hallucinations and out-of-place commentary), but his behaviour gradually becomes more coherent. Kano understands that something is driving him crazy and chooses to fix it. He realises that it was not the world around him, but he who was falling to insanity. He could have easily existed as a stereotypical anti-hero (the sort that 12-year-old boys go crazy over), but the mangaka thankfully treats Kano as a three-dimensional character. His role becomes less a plot device and more the central theme as the story treads on.
The same cannot be said for all the primary characters. Mizoguchi is as archetypical as they come, a cackling lunatic who kills for sport. He accidentally kills innocent bystanders during his job and does not bat an eye. He beats his wife and screams at her simply for doing as he asks. There is no redeeming feature in Mizoguchi. Not a one. A well-written character would at least have a believable personality, but Mizoguchi is a contemptible psychopath "just because". How did he become such a horrible person? Who knows. He receives little to no character development and exists largely as a catalyst for Kano's own issues. There is no excitement to his appearances; it is just another "Oh, great, it's this guy again!"
Freesia succeeds in making the reader care about the enforcements that take place. By spending several chapters developing the criminals' backstory and motives, it becomes difficult to decide who to root for. When they take that bullet to the face, they are permanently taken out of the story. It's always a bit of a bummer to see interesting characters perish in an instant (even if they were terrible people who deserved it). There is emotional weight to each and every major event.
There is also a bit of black humour spread throughout, such as during a scene where Kano casually sips his coffee as a bullet flies through the window right next to him. Are these moments even funny, though? ... Not really? It's hard to find humour in a world filled with chaos. Some of the scenes (like Kano having sex with his girlfriend on-top of his old, dying mother) are just downright disgusting. It takes a certain type of person to find scenes like that amusing, and I am definitely not one of them.
The artwork of Freesia is abrasive and sketch-like, though that isn't necessarily a bad thing. The lack of refinement makes the awful events of Freesia stand out all the more. Had it looked clean and polished, these scenes would only feel out-of-place. This does not excuse the many instances of lazy drawing, however. Panels frequently contain backgrounds that resemble doodles, while others (mostly the gore scenes) are drawn with expressive detail. There's absolutely no consistency to the artwork.
Is Freesia an enjoyable manga? Absolutely not. Is it a good one? Sometimes. There are some really interesting themes tucked away in here, but they are inevitably held back by the constant gore and childish misanthropy. Freesia regularly switches from maturity right back down to immaturity. It does not quite know what it wants to be or what it wants to say. It will take a skin of steel to handle the awful things Freesia throws at you, but if you can look past that you will find something much more thoughtful. Probably.
 Alternative TitlesJapanese: フリージア InformationType: Manga
Volumes: 12
Chapters: 84
Status: Finished
Published: Sep 29, 2001 to Aug 25, 2009
Theme:
Psychological
Demographic:
Seinen
Serialization:
Ikki Authors:
Matsumoto, Jiro (Story & Art) Statistics Ranked: #18432 2 based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded. Popularity: #640
Members: 28,333
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May 4, 2014
Criminals do not always receive justice. If a murderer serves several years in prison and yet shows little change or remorse by the end of their sentence, should they be free to roam the streets and move on with their life? Written and drawn by the deranged Jiro Matsumoto, Freesia depicts a world where these criminals can be legally executed by a group of trained killers, formally known as 'enforcers'.
Rather than meeting a swift and painless end, targeted criminals are legally able to defend their lives by hiring a small group of bodyguards. If they cannot afford one (which is likely- a single bodyguard ... 
Aug 20, 2014
As someone said elsewhere, Freesia is a great manga for traumatized people. The level of enjoyment that you will get from this manga depends on your ability (and willingness) to relate to a cast comprised exclusively of various kinds of broken people, maniacs and madmen. If it’s not your cup of tea, then you will, probably, see it as a weak political satire on modern society, full of forced gibberish dialogues and illogical actions. If you can get in sync with the characters’ idiosyncrasies, than you’ll read it as a witty essay on the two most important searches, that any person conducts throughout its life
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Jan 5, 2009
In a modern Japan inexplicably at war with vague foreigners, its prisons emptied to fill the military with soldiers, its population constantly reminded via loud speakers in public streets, we begin the tale with a delusional young man, Hiroshi, who talks to an imaginary friend while killing people with remarkable ease thanks to an interesting suppressed past.
This initially unflappable man gets a job working as a proxy for vengeance-seekers via a newly instated vengeance act. The act is so outrageous that even author Jiro Matsumoto is laughing while he writes this brilliant manga. We are looking at a Japan where courts receive ... 
Oct 30, 2007
Freesia is a fairly simple-minded Psychological, Action, Drama and is the sort of manga you'll either enjoy reading or a get bored of it quickly.
This is about criminals who've been let out early because of overcrowding, so the government allowed a new "Vengeance Law" allowing people to hire Enforcers to kill ex-cons who have affected you or your family. This kind of story should be easy to follow but for some reason the author felt the need to add some complex psychological stuff. The plot is pretty interesting and has the potential to do well however the story does become very inconsistent, at times, where ... 
Sep 28, 2014
Have I ever told you the definition of insanity?
Freesia is written by Matsumoto Jiro, a man that makes manga that are pretty hard to figure out if they are art or simply ramblings by the mind of an insane person. Freesia, his longest work as of date, is the manga that made me realize that its simply both. Honestly, all the other manga that I read from him, Wendy, Netsutai no Citron and Benchin no Madala, were all manga that, even though I enjoyed, I wasn't that big of a fan, but I continued to read mostly out of curiosity, because it was so ... 
Nov 24, 2015
Did you ever think that criminals deserve a much harsher punishment than being sent to jail to serve time? Ever thought that the famous law of Talion should be in vigour? Freesia portrays such juridical system in which the victim's family may issue a warrant to have the aggressor executed legally.
The story of Freesia is narrated in a society plagued with war, in which killings are legalized and are carried out by enforcers, who are trained killers or ex-soldiers. The protagonist Kano is recruited by Higuchi to such an agency, in which he cooperates with the newbie Yamada and the senior Mizoguchi. There is more ... 
Dec 1, 2018 Mixed Feelings Funny 
This manga was incredibly bizarre. It had a decent plot overall. The concept of enforcers, the politics, corruption, and the entire system is pretty interesting. That combined with some decent action during enforcement and the stories of those that were being targeted but wanted to live also made each episode interesting. However, there were major issues with the main characters, in that they were all crazy, which makes sense considering their job. Kano, the main character especially, was really crazy. That can be made to work sometimes, but here it was just ridiculous, with him never making any sense and a good amount of what's going on being hallucinations. It was interesting at first, but the novelty wore
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Mar 14, 2023
I've been wanting to write something about it for a long time because it's one of my favorite reads since I started reading in a serious way.
Freesia is an anticipation manga by Jiro Matsumoto published in 2003 in Japan.The story takes place in a dystopian future where citizens are regularly involved in armed conflicts on behalf of private companies. The manga follows the life of a man, Hiroshi, who finds himself confronted with events that challenge his values and loyalty. First of all: this is a manga not to be put in all hands.The tone of Freesia is dark and adult, dealing with themes such as ... 
Mar 28, 2020
I absolutely love this manga and mangaka. His work reminds me of the films by Takashi Miike, or the novels of Ryu Murakami (particularly Coin Locker Babies). If you enjoy surreal, ultra-violent, atmospheric seinen, then this should be in your wheelhouse. It also happens to be hilarious (in a very dark way).
Upon first blush, the art may appear unimpressive, with its unpolished, sketchy style. However, I feel that this is what gives the manga it's unique feel. Within a few pages, you can see that the artist has a distinct artistic sensibility, and is an intensely talented storyteller, with the movement flowing seamlessly from panel ... 
Sep 10, 2015
Dystopia world with dysfunctional ruler and member of Humanity, ravages by the unknown war, leading toward a Psychotic MC. An unusual young man with mental illness coming back from the war is the premise of the story, or something that we will found later are the background of this MC. Unable to get a proper job, let alone a proper mind, get a job to hunting the sinner and guilty as the blade or revenge. Mix them with dementia and unexpected twist, is exactly the plot that quite intriguing to read.
The story is quite mind boogling, with the pace and ... 
Mar 8, 2024
Freesia impressed me to hell and back from the moment I picked it up to when I put it down. It's perfectly paced with a stellar arc design, so it never felt too long or too short, and every step was gratifying to experience and finish. The protagonist, Hiroshi Kano, is one of the best examples of a (very) sincerely schizophrenic man. The way the author showcases him as a representation of "retaliatory killing" itself is already great, but he himself also has one of my favorite resolutions of any character in any manga ever. The supporting cast is viciously potent as well, whether they
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Oct 9, 2017
I'm gonna tell you right now prospective reader of this manga...there is a metric shit ton of sexual violence and overall brutal acts perpetrated by the characters in this series. If that is a turn off for you then just turn away now as the rest of this review is rather irrelevant.
Freesia is a story in alternative Japan where due to the overcrowded jails, the government has decided it would be a great idea to lessen sentences for convicted criminals in order for the victims of their crimes to be given an opportunity to legally kill them out of revenge. Since most victims aren't ... 
Aug 4, 2016
This is a manga that gets better and better as it goes on. It's certainly not for everyone, but give it a try or two--I gave it a second chance (hated it on my first attempt, but it somehow stayed at the back of my mind) and to date, I can say this is one of the best manga I have ever read.
A couple of things:- (1) The art doesn't have a consistent quality. The covers and the first few pages are good and neat, but the rest are pretty raw and untidy and looks as if the artist didn't put a lot of ... 
Mar 24, 2020
this is one of the most gruesome Mangas youll ever read , very disturbing on a psychological side of things to the point that youll jaw will drop at times .
youll follow a disturbed guy who works in crime .. so to speak , but the thing is .. this guy ( our hero ) is insane ! he have some mental issues and a large number of those , hell hallucinate and see things all the damn time . this is such a heavy read if you want to follow a " good " character because the main guy here is a ... 
Dec 12, 2021
Freesia is a Japanese manga series that was published in the Monthly Ikki for 84 chapters, premiering on September 2001 and concluding in August 2009. The manga was created and produced by Jiro Matsumoto.
The series was created as a spin-off of post-war Japan, continuing the story of the former soldier Hiroshi Kano, as he returned to his hometown of [CITY] and started building a new life as a vengeance proxy, providing his clients with revenge against criminals, all while reconnecting with his mother, his girlfriend Keiko, and his former colleague, Higuchi, a fellow worker in the proxy industry. Included in the cast are Mizoguchi Mazaki, ... 
Feb 4, 2018
This manga is a story about an ex soldier that is nuts, and gets a job as a proxy enforcer in legal assasinations of criminals. But what this story is truly about is the effects of war, bureaucracy, and propaganda on both the collective consciousess and individuals, and how people delude themselves in order to deal with that.
It does so by following three stories at all times, the criminal's, the proxy enforcers, and the bits about the current state ofpolitical affairs, the latter not being directly explored, but being mentioned in such a way that if you are paying the minimun attention should notice. It ... 
Mar 13, 2024
What the hell am I supposed to think about it?
To give a brief intro, we're set in a slightly dystopian, realistic future world. The economy is horrible, crime is on the rise, technology stagnated, and jobs directed to killing people are commonplace. A government agency created a vengeance act that benefits our schizophrenic, master hitman protagonist, Kano, who now has a chance to get a job, and find a safe routine. I came in without a synopsis, but that's such a big mistake. Everything at the beginning is set inside a mentally ill individual that can't discern what the hell is happening around him. We ... |
