HORROR MANGA COMP

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

Obligatory Content Warning!

To simplify, I'll put a list of symbols I'll be using to represent major, potentially upsetting themes in all these manga.

Horror is a fun genre, but not everyone wants to walk into gorefests or see themes like SA or animal abuse depicted.

So..the symbols! These are all pretty basic unicode, so they should show up, but if they don't just tell me wwww??

⚫ - HEAVY GORE is present in this manga. (There will be scenes with lots of blood, guts, or heavy injuries). Also used for anything with BODY HORROR.

⚪ - LIGHT GORE is present in this manga. (There will be blood, or maybe sustained injuries. About something you'd see in a shonen.)

✖ - An animal is HURT or KILLED on-screen. Bugs will not count for this, although may for the above.

⛛ - CONSENSUAL Sexual content is present. Depicted.

△ - NON CONSENSUAL Sexual content is present. Discussed or depicted. Incest counts for this.

▣ - Depictions of non-sexual abuse. Physical and Mental both count for this. For Sexual, see above.

♥ - Drug abuse is depicted or discussed in depth.

⚑ - Grossness. Mostly used for non-blood bodily fluids. Mostly just refers to depicted vomiting or other-such content.

⛰ - Vague, but, 'disorders'. Mostly refers to in-depth discussions or depictions of EDs, self-harm, or severe depression.

As for another note..I'm going to try to avoid SUPER popular works or artists, just because I make it a point to point others toward lesser-known artists. Basically anything by Junji Itou, or anything that is a household name when it comes to Horror works, like Higurashi, Vampire Hunter D, Beserk, etc.

((I might end up doing a Junji Ito list, though, as I've read every single story he's published and worked on...))

Also--NOTHING OUTRIGHT EXPLICIT! Some boobs or ass can get a pass as fanservice or intended to just be artistic, (and with an 18+ warning), but if it's straight-up something you'd find on certain websites, that's a NO!

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

Blood on the Tracks / 血の轍
✖△▣⛰⚪

One of my absolute favorite manga, and listed on my page, rightfully so!

Blood on the Tracks, or Chi no Wadachi, is best described as a "psychological-horror thriller" story, and also covers some pretty heavy themes, so DO heed those warnings.

It's also overall just a..heavy read. The story takes place in late 1990s Japan, and there are no mystical or supernatural elements driving the plot along--just a story of generational trauma, lies, and murder in the name of "love".

I won't spoil much, but the story starts off with a hell of a bang, and it really spirals from there.

The pacing is absolutely excellent, though, and I really can recommend it to anyone who enjoys psychological horror and Shuzo's other works.

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

Mononoke

▣⛰△

Mononoke is an anime. It's a fucking amazing anime. It also got a manga adaptation, (so on technicality, it gets a spot!), and overall a series whose praises I will sing til' the day I die.

Do not get me wrong--Mononoke is not for everyone.

It's avant-garde, it's surreal, and it's a spin-off of another weird series that you really should also watch, (Ayakashi: Samurai Horror Tales).

Still.

Watch Mononoke.

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

Franken Fran [18+]

⚑⚫⛛△▣

Franken Fran BARELY gets on this list, because it has uncensored chests and can be suggestive at times.

Luckily, it's pretty tame most of the time and often, whenever there's a fanservice-y shot, it's followed right after with some WILD body horror, so it gets a pass, with just an 18+ warning.

Still, DO NOT READ THIS IF YOU ARE NOT AN ADULT.

However..it's also a FUNNY AS HELL Body-Horror Comedy and a great romp with a cast of completely demented main characters, and an episodic 'situation of the week' storyline. Got some strange ailment? Maybe you were the victim of a heinous crime? Maybe you just want to be together with your lover forever..or want a rival out of the picture?

Fran's got you covered, for no fee at all!..

(Beyond the results of whatever she may as well prescribe or perform..)

Franken Fran is a delightful read for when no one's looking over your shoulder..mostly because of the lesbian zombie girls and boobs, and overall, if you're looking looking for something relatively light, but with plenty of fictional blood and guts to go around, (as well as featuring a cute surgeon MC who would have her medical degree revoked in an instant), give it a look!

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

Gakkou no Kaidan / 学校怪談

⚫✖

Gakkou no Kaidan, (or, 'Ghost Stories'), is a cute little absurdist horror anthology from the 90's by Yousuke Takahashi, who is also known for works such as '夢幻紳士', or 'もののけ草紙'.

I legitimately couldn't find any major website actually talking about this one, actually? A shame, too, because I actually enjoyed it! Takahashi has a style that reminds me quite a bit of series from the 70's, like works from Yasumi Yoshizawa, with its rounder lines, minimal shadows, and emphasis more on the motion and shape-language of a character.

Lots of body horror and urban legends you'd imagine hearing from your friends, to creep you out, as a child! They're also pretty silly, because of this--it's almost comedic at times, which isn't necessarily a bad thing!

"Scary in the moment, but when you think about it later..you laugh"

Reminds me a bit of really popular ghost stories, like Aka Manto...It used to scare me so much as a child, alongside others like Kuchisake-onna, (fun fact: I used to be scared to walk home alone because of her), but now, as an adult, I can't help but chuckle. Toilet paper ghost..whose weakness is indecisiveness?!

Because of this, though, it passes! Again, not really an anthology that's super creepy or interesting, but it's a fun quick read.

(...i'll admit, though..くねくね still creeps me out....)

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

Wolfsmund / 狼の口 〜ヴォルフスムント〜 [18+]

⚫✖⚑⛛△

This is probably one of the more 'unique' entries in this list, and another psychological horror!

To be specific, Wolfsmund is a historical dark fantasy manga, based off the story of William Tell, a Swiss folk hero, and specifically, takes place in the 14th century, in the titular border settlement of 'Wolfsmund'.

If you like Beserk, you're probably going to like Wolfsmund, (notable is the fact that the author herself, Mitsuhisa Kuji, studied under Miura!!)--it's horror in a very similar way. Brutal, tragic, and foreboding..Wolfsmund is not a happy tale, nor are happy endings commonplace, especially in times of war.

It's a bit similar in this sense to another one of the author's works, 鎧光赫赫, and what makes me really quite adore it is just how much Kuji's research BLEEDS into this story. You can tell she really did the research into life in the 1300s, even if there's the occasional fantastical element and "rule of drama", the visual design of the characters, in particular, makes an armor and swords nerd like me giddy, and lots of the tactics and depictions of politics and daily life is very accurate.

Just be warned, Wolfsmund really doesn't hold a lot back. There are horrific torture methods depicted, there's censored nudity and sex, (although I would say it's never meant to be 'erotic' in any way), and overall, if you're sensitive to that sort of content, I really cannot recommend this story to you.

It's not an entirely grimdark tale, however. I won't spoil anything, but in Wolfsmund, just as there is savagery and sadism on full display, there is also hope, for a new dawn, for a better life, for peace.

After all, the plot of the story is a revolution.

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

What Hides In Your Mind?

⛰

'What Hides In Your Mind?', also known as W H I Y M ? , is a one-shot, surrealist, psychological horror story by SeNMU, who also made works like Euthanasia Facility!

SeN has a very distinctive style best worded as, 'yami-kawaii'. Angular lines and big-eyed SD girls with harsh shadows--it's very unique amongst horror mangakas! It's probably because SeNMU is from the Pixiv scene, though. It reminds me almost a little bit of artists like yokuragi026.

I will warn that this manga has VERY explicit themes of  su/c/de and isolation, and leaves off on a..very ambigious ending. If you're sensitive to that sort of content, please do not read this! I'll admit it was a bit of a difficult read for me because of this, in my own right.

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

Fourteen / 14歳

⚫△✖▣⚑

This one is really fucking weird.

Like, I can only just warn you now..this one is WEIRD.

I also absolutely loved it just for how straight-up BIZARRE this one is. Don't say I didn't warn you.

"Fourteen" is a 1990's Science-Fiction, Psychological Horror manga by the esteemed Kazuo Umue. This means that this is a bit of an..oddball pick, for a list trying to give a little more love to "lesser known" titles, but despite being famous in Japan, Kazuo is a little more lesser known in the western horror manga sphere, not to mention out of all his works, I feel Fourteen is one of the lesser well-known and discussed.

To get to the meat of it...

Fourteen is about a shapeshifting mutant chicken named "Chicken George", who wants to create a modern-day Noah's Ark for all the animals, after seeing into the future and realizing that all humans will die at the age of 14.

(Are you still here? Yeah. It gets so much wackier, but I won't get into that for fear of spoilers).

Fourteen has been described by some as "chicken Death Note"...which is..a sentence, but..a pretty accurate one.

Read it if you're looking for a hell of a ride..because it holds nothing back.

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

uwaaah..

this was shorter than i had hoped, but i'm feeling quite ill, (i get sick so easily..i hate it), and just want to pet my kitties, so...

no uber-long list today!..maybe if I make a sequel? hrmph

anyhow...as always..

give me recommendations. i love reading instead of doing work ( ´ ▽ ` )