The Family Zoo by Phate

I ran into this short, one-shot manga the other day when our very own Agent Djudge asked if I would like to try out something on the more “screwed up” side of things. After reading through all of its 22 pages, I could only think of one thing: The pain was gone. 

When it comes to gross-out humor, it’s going to be a bit tough finding something that surpasses The Family Zoo. Beneath the rather innocent-sounding exterior lies a manga that isn’t afraid to be as sick and disturbing as it possibly can. That’s not to say that I didn’t find any of the jokes amusing, though. I remember laughing heartily at one or two in the beginning, but as I progressed through the pages, I was only met with more and more tasteless humor. When I laughed then, it was only because of the ridiculous dialogue. 

To say that there is anything redeeming about The Family Zoo would be pushing it. The plot gets a couple points for its uniqueness and originality (but is still pretty bad), and the simple artwork fits along with the story’s humor. However, that doesn’t do much and fails to compensate for this title’s downfalls. 

So is this manga worth your time? My answer for that question should be obvious: not in the least. Even with its rather short length, The Family Zoo is still just a blatant piece of trash. For those out there that enjoy graphic scenes of incest and the consumption of feces, maybe you’ll find amusement in this. For everyone else, spare yourself the pain.