[Meeting…] Worm Boy

We have almost 50 characters commented on in this first season of Getting to know…, so that it is increasingly difficult to choose the character who will star in the section. That's when I review my comic book collection and if that doesn't work, I resort to visiting the library or a comic book store, looking for a cover to give me the inspiration I'm looking for.

That situation occurred a few days ago when I saw a few volumes by Hideshi Hino, a Japanese author of whom I read a couple of works some time ago.

It is worth clarifying that although Hino has almost always dedicated himself to manga (generally horror and gore), he has also He has participated as a director in several films, which coincidentally are the ones that brought him fame in the most controversial sense of the word., since these films (extremely violent and bloody) were confused with Snuff films - films where real people are murdered - when they were shared on the internet, which caused the police to search for their creators, who had to prove that these films were not real.

Knowing this, you are already on notice if you see or read any work by Hideshi Hino, because Despite the childish appearance of its characters, its stories are cruel and unpleasant., giving a somewhat strange combination that does not usually leave anyone indifferent.

The worm boy

Sampei Hinomoto is a boy who has a very hard life, since his strange appearance and hobbies cause him to suffer bullying from his classmates, scolding from his teachers, and a certain amount of shame and rejection from his own family.

Because he has no friends, hates school, and his family is uncomfortable with him, this disturbing, sickly looking boy He is only capable of having a good time in the company of abandoned animals of all kinds, which he himself collects and takes to his secret hiding place, located in a landfill behind a factory. There, surrounded by garbage and leftovers from civilization, Sampei is happy feeding his animals with the food from his lunch and playing with them until it gets dark and he has to return home.

Sampei's love of animals is not limited to dogs, cats and birds. He adores all kinds of animals, including dangerous ones like snakes or those that disgust people, like his beloved worms, which he almost always carries in his pockets so he can play with them on the street or in class, a situation that caused him to be nicknamed “worm boy.”

From bad to worse

The best part of the year for Sampei is when he has vacations, because he can spend the whole day playing with the animals in his secret hiding place, although those dates also coincide with the delivery of his school grades and the corresponding anger from his parents, who see him as the black sheep of the family, since his brothers are much more dedicated to the subject of studies and more normal in general terms.

One day after receiving a loud scolding from his father, Sampei locks himself in his room and begins to vomit for no apparent reason. From the vomit comes a strange red insect that stings his finger and leaves him unconscious, and then disappear.

Starting the next day, the child begins to suffer from an illness that gradually rots him, causing him to lose his teeth, arms and legs, and for which doctors cannot find any cure. Sampei's family, despite trying to cure their son, continues to have an attitude of discomfort towards his situation, since his cries of pain and the strange smell he gives off mean that they cannot lead a normal life.

It is therefore not strange that, when Sampei turns into a giant worm and leaves his body, his family decides to hold a funeral for the boy's empty corpse and then eliminate the giant worm to prevent it from harming them in their daily lives.

Sampei, now turned into a worm child, survives the murder attempt and decides to start a new life because, now that he is not a human, he will not have to worry about studying or being with other people.

Unfortunately, his new appearance alienates his only friends, the animals, and prevents him from making new companions, so this will cause an evolution in his personality, which although in this new stage of his life he is tremendously optimistic and pleasant, he cannot avoid the feeling of loneliness that ends up reaching him wherever he goes.

Conclusion and Recommendations

Sampei is a kind character but his strange appearance and hobbies deprive him of having a normal life and society is not very kind to that kind of people. Although his stage as a worm child begins by bringing a little happiness to Sampei, he will soon discover that the loneliness and cruelty of people are constant wherever he goes and that, inevitably, this can make the purest heart turn black.

You can read the story of Sampei in the volume The worm boy published in 2005. And if you like Hideshi Hino's style, you will be pleased to know that this is not the only work of his that has been published in Spanish.