10 differences between serial killer fiction and reality

The best of the best fictional serial killers are written and sometimes acted well enough to escape some, but rarely all, of the below problems. Fiction just can't reflect the true horror of reality in the case of serial killers, no matter how much they make you, the audience member, squirm.

1. In fiction, there isn't enough shock in the discovery of hidden horrors.

2. In fiction, the serial killer is glorified.

3. The extended efforts everyone makes to try to understand why is, for the most part, absent from fiction.

4. In fiction, the slow development of the killer and his crimes is cast aside for sudden gory awakenings.

5. The mix of victim and killer often present in the serial killer's personality and experience is underplayed or non-existent in fiction.

6. The serial killer's often overpowering, disturbing personality and misfit nature is ignored in fiction for the killer's ability to blend in and appear normal.


7. The serial killer's dysfunctional psychology is underplayed in fiction for a functional pattern of behaviour that leads to a repetition of kills.

8. The unplanned and rather opportunistic nature of many of the real serial killer's kills is lost for a pattern and a comprehensible reason to kill.

9. The lasting filth and bodily remains surrounding a serial killer is often left out of the fiction for a focus on initial gore and a clean disposal that justifies why everyone around them didn't notice.

10. The physical appearance of the real serial killer is often far less attractive, though frequently normal enough, than those of fictional killers.

Rosy's scrawled manga recommendation: Dendrobates by Ishiwata Youji

Dendrobates
Ishiwata Youji

Blurb

Sengawa's day job is as an accountant working for the police. But at night he transforms into a ruthless assassin bringing death to anyone who deserves it. Meet and hire the man with 1000 guns.

Alternative names

デンドロバテス
罪滅行者
罪灭行者

Status

Ongoing

Manga reader sites (free)

Manga Fox, Manga Reader

Rosy's scrawlings on Dendrobates
This manga is just fun to read, if a little shocking or disgusting at times. In order for a vigilante prone to shooting people to bits to become the good guy, or at least the better choice, in the reader's eyes the bad guys have to be significantly worse. This is where the shocking and disgusting often comes in as what Sengawa avenges can range from drug deaths through to rapes. So if such reading material will turn you off don't read this. That said, there's something fun in seeing the perpetrators slaughtered so if you can handle the violence of the crimes then you'll probably enjoy seeing the criminals get their comeuppance.
Sengawa is a character that reminds me at times of the darker and more insane side of Batman or possibly the Joker. I don't know where this impression comes from but it could be the obsession factor or the destruction of his own life for others or even his disregard of dying himself. Whatever it is though, what does easily come across is his reckless disregard for the system, his brutality and the steadiness of his own perspective of life. He's a man with a mysterious past, one unlikely to be good (the hints of which are just being given to us), and with a singular purpose of his own making. And that is to avenge crimes, for which he can be hired for as little as a lolly. He obviously sees little value in life but once you read the stories you find that he has a deep respect for and desire to protect the innocence of others. This may be related to his past, or maybe not. We have yet to find out.
In the beginning the stories are, so far, generally short. The arcs spanning 1-3 (approximately) editions, which are also fairly short. The story arcs are, however, starting to lengthen and include enemies with the potential to kill Sengawa. I currently take this to indicate that the character introduction is over and that the deeper aspects of his story will start to emerge. Like most mangas that are likely to run for a fair while, the beginning of the Dendrobates is slow but it is fun to read nonetheless.
The art is by Yamane Akihiro and is fairy dark. It reveals the ugliness of people and delves into the starkness of the landscape. It also focuses on the eyes and evil smiles in order to reveal the true nature of the beast called man. Ugliness isn't only on the outside. There's plenty of gore too, to highlight the brutality of the murders but it isn't too over the top. Rather, there's an emphasis of the darkness of blood rather than the amount of splatter. The art is harsh but because it reflects the character of Sengawa and the cruelty of the world it comes across as pleasing to the eye. In fact, you start to revel in the evil smiles and the gun smoke and the two different personalities Sengawa utilises to make his way in the world. 

I'd recommend this manga to: teen boys and men mostly. Or anyone into a bit of illogical violence masquerading as extreme vigilante violence.

Notes on manga reader sites
The quality of manga readers can vary. The uploads are often done cheaply or as a serious hobby by a collective. Be aware that sometimes licence hasn't been given but the sites noted above, Manga Fox in particular, are extremely careful about adding and pulling mangas according to license agreements. So you shouldn't have to worry too much about the material being pirated. There are also translated works and non-translated. Amongst the translated works you will find that the quality of translation may vary according to the skills of the translators. Usually the works are perfectly readable anyway, with only a few added or dropped words or a word in the incorrect tense or with/out plurals. But sometimes the text becomes gobbledygook. In which case, either seek another version or give up and buy an official copy once a printed translation comes out. The other issue of note is you may need to expand the screen to read the text easily as sometimes the scans are minimised a little.
I find that if a page doesn't download properly or some other issue occurs (too slow or someone ordered the pages incorrectly etc.) with one reader then skipping across to another reader and picking up where I was is quite easy and rarely annoying.
Otherwise, enjoy and watch out you don't get too addicted you forget about the necessary things in life.

Rosy's manga recommendation: Bloody Monday by Ryuumon, Ryou

Bloody Monday
Ryuumon, Ryou

Blurb
A virus deal clinched in Russia on the Christmas eve. Purpose: unknown. Two clues: a mysterious lady "Maya", one of the reasons it happened, and "Bloody Monday", the keyword for the project.
Then an incident happened in far-distant city of Tokyo. Fujimaru Takagi, a second year student at Mishiro Gakuin high school, is commissioned to find out the truth by the Public Security Intelligence Agency, for his great ability as a super hacker. Now, Maya approaching to Fujimaru as his high school teacher.

Alternate names

ブラッディ・マンデイ血色星期一Bloody Monday Ver. 0블러디 먼데이Lunes sangriento
Madugong Lunes
รหัสมรณะ

Status

Series 1 complete. Series 2 ongoing.

Manga reader sites (free)

Manga Reader, Manga Fox

Rosy's scrawlings on Bloody Monday

This manga starts in a rush and just doesn't stop. It is addictive for it but also rather tiring as you just want to know when each story arc is going to end. If you're going to read this manga I will say this: brace yourself as there is no break until you're through all 96 editions. The characters run about like headless chickens the entire time, so much so that there's a collapse from stress scenario. This scenario does not halt the action though.

With this said, in this manga we are treated to a litany of IT information, a flood of insanity and fanaticism, some cold-hearted greed, several secretive organisations with spies to-boot and a group of teen heroes out saving the day, lead by the computer 'wizard' Fujimaru Takagi. There is IT babble galore from him as he just has to explain how he did everything, which is fair enough I suppose as most of us not so IT knowledgable readers do need such magic explained to us. Personally, having sat through more IT babble conversations than the average person not delved into the IT industry in some way, shape or form, it all sounds like more of the same. Except, I can point out that the speed in which Fujimaru does anything, particularly the hacking and coding, will make IT enthusiasts raise their eyebrows at the very least. In fact, most involved with IT will likely find this as incredulous as most other science-fiction and crime shows simply because although many of the methods used are possible (to some) they certainly aren't at the speed with which they're done in the manga. This just goes to show that as informative a piece of fiction can be it is still complete fiction.

IT magic aside, the story involves a blood thirsty cult lead by a young teen who's determination to kill so many Japanese is a little odd. There's some attempt at justifying everything by siting that Fujimaru had previously defeated them while they were in Russia using his IT wizardry but other than that it is a little odd. But I suppose that's what you get from the insane. And the leader of the cult is certainly that. Insanity is everywhere you look in this manga but a lot of it is instigated and controlled by the cult leader. In this Ryuumon did really well. With the creation of a diabolically insane genius for Fujimaru to go up against all Fujimaru's skills suddenly seem more plausible. The fictional scales of good and evil are balanced and so Fujimaru can become the hero we need him to be, his wizardry passed over just enough as we grasp for someone to stop the madness. Luckily, Fujimaru also has the backing of several capable characters, from his friends to secret service agents to spies, skilled in various areas so that any action he can't take as he's essentially an IT geek and not an action hero are covered by others.

All in all the manga is extremely fun as long as you get past the IT babble and the speed at which IT wizardry is performed. There are a range of characters to identify with, some tragedies, plenty of red shirt deaths, fanaticism to get angry with, cliff hangers everywhere and a giant puzzle to try and work out before the characters do. Kouji Megumi's art is rock solid and for the boys there's plenty of breasts and close ups on women's lips. For the girls, you'll likely just have to try to ignore that, but there are a few characters of worth you'll enjoy seeing on the page, some action heroines and some handsome young men (albeit grinning evilly). The style used to draw the manga falls within the normal parameters of mangas but it is very well done and there's aren't many emoticon-type faces included. The continued seriousness and tension is reflected well by restricting the illustration style while keeping it sharp and focused on movement. There is one thing of note though, that stands out straight away, and that is the eyes of Fujimaru and some other characters. In close ups we are treated to beautifully drawn eyes with versions of slip pupils. Sometimes it seems there's a double iris, a double pupil or singular for both but no matter what whenever the slit pupils appeared it was particularly stunning.

I'd recommend this manga to: anyone interested in thrillers, high tension fast-paced works and possibly IT if they're interested in a bitter laugh or two. I'd also suggest it to anyone who likes action, adventure and detective stories.

Notes on manga reader sites
The quality of manga readers can vary. The uploads are often done cheaply or as a serious hobby by a collective. Be aware that sometimes licence hasn't been given but the sites noted above, Manga Fox in particular, are extremely careful about adding and pulling mangas according to license agreements. So you shouldn't have to worry too much about the material being pirated. There are also translated works and non-translated. Amongst the translated works you will find that the quality of translation may vary according to the skills of the translators. Usually the works are perfectly readable anyway, with only a few added or dropped words or a word in the incorrect tense or with/out plurals. But sometimes the text becomes gobbledygook. In which case, either seek another version or give up and buy an official copy once a printed translation comes out. The other issue of note is you may need to expand the screen to read the text easily as sometimes the scans are minimised a little.
I find that if a page doesn't download properly or some other issue occurs (too slow or someone ordered the pages incorrectly etc.) with one reader then skipping across to another reader and picking up where I was is quite easy and rarely annoying.
Otherwise, enjoy and watch out you don't get too addicted you forget about the necessary things in life.

Rosy's scrawled manga recommendation: Benkei in New York by MORI Jinpachi

Benkei in New York
MORI Jinpachi

Blurb
Manga doesn't get much more noir than this. Benkei is just another expatriate Japanese arist living in the Big Apple. Or so it appears. As there "diabolical hard-boiled stories" show, surfaces aren't always what they seem. Flashbacks delve into sordid, secret past lives, and old scored, long festering, emerge without warning, asking to be settled.
And Benkei's secret? Maybe it's just that he's the only artist in town who isn't having fantasies of being a hitman-for-hire. He is one.
Each self-contained episode in this complete "Benkei" collection is a tighly plotted, beautifully rendered, psychologically harrowing ride into the heart of urban darkness. Hard-boiled tales of revenge, rendered in the tight-lipped, fine-line style of Taniguchi Jiro, one of the creators of Viz's "Hotel Harbour View".

Alternate names
New York no Benkei

Status
Completed

Manga reader sites (free)

Manga Traders 

Rosy's scrawlings on Benkei in New York

This manga comic, which I'll just refer to as a manga, is short, anything but sweet and brutal in its body horror realism. Blood doesn't fountain, young gangsters don't sneer and stick their tongues out while their eyes roll with madness and the weapons are as functional as real weapons, with none of that "his sword is too big to even lift let alone wield" reaction to tangle with. In the blurb it is said that Benkei In New York is noir and it truly is. In terms of noir though, I was a little disappointed but in terms of a brutal and realistic tale of a quiet and calm (generally) middle aged hit man in New York I was mesmerised. Hard-boiled is absolutely the right way to describe this manga and it was a shame it ended so soon. Even though I have read many stories in between this one and now I still want to know more of Benkei's story. If wishes were horses...

Benkei, as mentioned, is a middle aged man who seems to be cut off from almost everyone. There's a chance meeting with a lady of the night and they do form a bond of sorts but otherwise, he's a loner who wanders in and out of people's lives and leaves a trail of bodies behind him. He's got scruples when it comes to taking on a job but they aren't what you'd expect. Benkei, overall, is a fascinating man, and you only get a glimpse at what might have been for him with the flashbacks. To be honest, seeing such potential for good and then such brutality from the same character is shocking and that, I suppose, is all part of the darkness that makes this manga hard-boiled and noirish.

As to the art, created by Taniguchi Jiro, at first I was a little discontented as the artwork is a series of stills. There's little movement or flow involved and I believe this is where some of my disappointment with regards to the noir description came int play. I was expecting more flowing darkness and depth, with lots of movement and 'soul'. What you get though does perfectly match a hard core, hard-boiled hit man story where the hit man is slow and steady as he goes, deadly in intent. It captures the stillness that's come over him and his personality since a particular incident in his past (I refuse to reveal too much as the story is short - you need surprises). So when I rid myself of those modern noir expectations I was left with a darkness of atmosphere rather than art, a reflection of a character rather than a city and a realistic style that graphically portrayed the far more than necessary realism in the deaths. So, my advice for this, get hooked on the hard-boiled description and leave the noir bit for dust, despite how close it comes.

I'd recommend this manga comic to: lovers of stark, realistic and horrific stories, noir, hard-boiled characters, hit man stories and even old detective stories. This will probably appeal more to men but I'd still recommend it to anyone capable of dealing with realistic violence.
The unrealistic violence spoon-fed to kids doesn't cut it as precedence. Please give this only to those who know a little medical knowledge and can accept such things happening to people. This is not for kids or unknowledgeable early teens, in other words (although I would have read it by age 14 or so if given the opportunity because I was thoroughly steeped in medico by then).

Notes on manga reader sites
The quality of manga readers can vary. The uploads are often done cheaply or as a serious hobby by a collective. Be aware that sometimes licence hasn't been given but the sites noted above, Manga Fox in particular, are extremely careful about adding and pulling mangas according to license agreements. So you shouldn't have to worry too much about the material being pirated. There are also translated works and non-translated. Amongst the translated works you will find that the quality of translation may vary according to the skills of the translators. Usually the works are perfectly readable anyway, with only a few added or dropped words or a word in the incorrect tense or with/out plurals. But sometimes the text becomes gobbledygook. In which case, either seek another version or give up and buy an official copy once a printed translation comes out. The other issue of note is you may need to expand the screen to read the text easily as sometimes the scans are minimised a little.
I find that if a page doesn't download properly or some other issue occurs (too slow or someone ordered the pages incorrectly etc.) with one reader then skipping across to another reader and picking up where I was is quite easy and rarely annoying.
Otherwise, enjoy and watch out you don't get too addicted you forget about the necessary things in life.

Rosy's scrawled book recommendation: I Am Not A Serial Killer by Dan Wells

I Am Not A Serial Killer
Dan Wells

Blurb
John Wayne Cleaver is dangerous, and he knows it.
He’s spent his life doing his best not to live up to his potential.
He’s obsessed with serial killers, but really doesn’t want to become one. So for his own sake, and the safety of those around him, he lives by rigid rules he’s written for himself, practicing normal life as if it were a private religion that could save him from damnation.
Dead bodies are normal to John. He likes them, actually. They don’t demand or expect the empathy he’s unable to offer. Perhaps that’s what gives him the objectivity to recognise that there’s something different about the body the police have just found behind the Wash-n-Dry Laundromat---and to appreciate what that difference means.
Now, for the first time, John has to confront a danger outside himself, a threat he can’t control, a menace to everything and everyone he would love, if only he could.

Publisher
Tor Books

ISBN
0765327821

Rosy's scrawlings on I Am Not A Serial Killer
This book is the first of a trilogy, a trilogy which I've finished reading but hope to see more of. I found John Cleaver's thought processes to be very interesting and a pretty accurate portrayal of a sociopaths, with the struggle to be normal or to survive in the 'normal' world brilliantly expressed against a backdrop of more typical sociopathic desires. John Cleaver isn't a serial killer, doesn't want to be one and because of that sociopathy gain a new fictional character that sheds light on what it might be like to live with the condition but not actually devolve into the worst state we know: a serial killer. Of course, more is revealed and the struggle becomes darker in the subsequent books but what you're likely to find yourself peering at is a young, well portrayed version of a Dexter like character, with a young boy deciding to use his sociopathy for good rather than for killing. How that turns out, I'll leave for you to discover.
I Am Not A Serial Killer book is captivating, not only for the thought processes of John Cleaver but also for the style of writing that expresses the tension and stark darkness that swirls about John. He isn't capable of making certain connections, thinking in certain ways or feeling certain things and within the story these concepts and feelings are only illustrated in others. The writing becomes a barrier much like John's mind or eyes, through which see a blurred image of ourselves. Sometimes understandable and at other times completely incomprehensible. The often disastrous illogic behind the actions of most 'normal' people or non-sociopathic people (John is rather blinkered on other mental illnesses or conditions) is there to see in stark detail as John ponders or rages over it.
To me, the psychology of John Cleaver was the most interesting aspect of the book, as you can tell from the above. But I'm also a fan of paranormal and supernatural fiction and particularly like seeing it blended with other genres. In I Am Not A Serial Killer crime thriller is blended with the demonic and for that you can have some fun following the negotiations a person unwilling to become a serial killer goes through when facing the possibility of killing, albeit a demon. Then you can have fun figuring out if killing a demon is acceptable or not, much like whether Dexter's kills are acceptable or not as those he kills are all killers themselves.
In I Am Not A Serial Killer though, I found the tie between demons, crime and sociopathy to be a little loose even though you could view the demons as evil people and work with that. In the following books, however, this tie becomes a non-issue as the world of John Cleaver becomes cemented even as he continues to struggle against himself. So, for those worried about the supernatural aspects or a little put off by them (you like pure crime more) just give it a whirl and by the end of I Am Not A Serial Killer you might just find yourself too curious to give up. To me, continuing on was well worth it for being able to see the world through John's eyes.
Also of note, I found the glimpse of what it would be like to mother a sociopath, knowing his or her condition, rather intriguing. There are a few other congenital and mental conditions where the role of the mother and her trials and tribulations is more well known within society. But what it is like being the mother of a sociopath definitely isn't, not until you see an overly-stressed mother crying and shaken after a disaster. Sociopathy is often looked on from the outside with fear and a lack of understanding, the people with it characterised as serial killers or potential serial killers more often than not. It is this characterisation along with his impulses that John struggles with. But you also see his mother struggling to tie him to the 'normal' world, have him recognise people as people, react correctly, follow rules of behaviour to keep John and others safe all while protecting John's heart and mind from damage caused either by himself or the actions of others. What it would be like to try to raise a sociopath to function, hopefully well, within society is briefly, tantalisingly there in the background of John's perceptions and for this alone I'd say this book is well worth reading.
I Am Not A Serial Killer is quite addictive and once you've become hooked you find yourself in a bubble world with half or more of your connections with reality cut. Reading I Am Not A Serial Killer really makes you realise just how differently humans can perceive the same world and each other as well as how much effort goes into all of us getting along.

I'd recommend this book to: anyone interested in psychology, psychology's involvement in crime, teen boys after an interesting read and those who like crime mixed with the paranormal. This book would likely appeal to males more than females due to the lead character's gender and the style of writing but I'd recommend it to anyone interested in psychology. I believe this book is sometimes seen as a kid's or teen's book due to the age of the protagonist but ignore that completely. It isn't, although teens would likely love it.