The Human Chair (Ningen Isu) Originally story by Edogawa Rampo, Art and adaptation by Junji Itou Publisher: Shogakukan (2007) Length: Oneshot (One Chapter) Despite my bumpy relationship with Junji Itou, works like Human Chair prove to me that the mangaka can create short, frightening stories when he wants to. The bizarre plot of this piece, when explained, may seem like anything but scary. But when coupled … Continue reading Human Chair Review
God’s Child (Kami No Kodomo) Story and Art by Kyoudai Nishioka (duo) Originally published by Ohtan Shuppan (2009) Length: 1 Volume (11 Chapters) “God’s Child” was a very intriguing, yet horrifying read. Though it wasn’t the most original story direction, a captivating protagonist and surprising amount of artistic depth led to a terrifying experience. In some instances, its angsty roots were identifiable throughout the manga, … Continue reading God’s Child Review
G Senjou Heaven’s Door Story and art by Yoko Nihonbashi Original Publisher: Shogakukan (2001) Length: 3 Volumes (18 chapters) To preface this review, this is one of my highlight readings of the year. It has refreshed me, it has ignited a passion that was beginning to dwindle. G Senjou Heaven’s Door is about passion. It’s about how passion can kill you. It’s about how talent … Continue reading G Senjou Heaven’s Door | A Love-Letter to Manga
Hey how’s it going everyone, Today I’ve decided to take to write a shorter piece discussing the first manga I read. It’s a prompt I borrowed from the “30 Day Manga Challenge”, where a person responds to a prompt every day for that month. While I don’t think I’ll be doing that due to a busy schedule, I thought “Day one’s” writing idea was intriguing … Continue reading My First Manga | Pokemon Adventures Review
Dark Water (Honogurai Mizu no Soko Kara) Original story by Koji Suzuki, art and adaptation by Meimu Original Publication: Kadokawa Shoten (2002) Length: One volume (5 Chapters) We have now entered October, AKA the month of spooks. And what better way to celebrate the halloween month than by discussing a completely underwhelming horror manga that really shouldn’t exist. Dark Water is an adaptation of Koji … Continue reading Dark Water Review
Mail Story and art: Housui Yamazaki Originally publisher: Kadokawa Shoten (1999) Length: 3 volumes (18 chapters) Mail is scary. There’s no doubt about it. I experienced genuine fear when I was reading it. If that was the only criteria for a horror manga, Mail would get full marks. But unfortunately, this episodic horror series dipped in quality very early on, seemingly forgetting what made it … Continue reading Mail Review
PositioN Story and art by Hitoshi Ashinano Originally published: Kodansha (1999) Length: 1 Volume (7 chapters) This is going to be a really short review for a really short piece. I don’t have too much to say about PostioN, but it had some interesting qualities that I thought were worth discussing nonetheless. PostioN has an unorthodox blend of art and writing. That is, great art … Continue reading PositioN | A Future soaked in the Past
Benkei in New York Story by Jinpachi Mori Art by Jiro Taniguchi Originally published by Shogukukan (1995) Length: 1 Volume (7 chapters) I often find there is a correlation between how I discover manga and the type of experiences I have with them. There are manga that are recommended to me first-hand by friends, and usually these pieces resonate with me on a more personal … Continue reading Benkei in New York | What you Should be Reading
Ibitsu Review Story and art by Haruto Ryou Original Publisher: Square Enix (2004) Length: 2 Volumes (15 Chapters) In recent months I’ve found myself on a horror binge. The medium is surprisingly packed with scary, well paced series that effectively combine horror elements with the implicit structure of manga. In my opinion, Haruto Ryou’s “Ibitsu” does the best job of converting horror elements into proponents … Continue reading Ibitsu | An attempt at Pure Horror
Stealth Symphony Story by Ryougo Narita Art by Youichi Amano Original Publisher Length: 3 Volumes (20 chapters) Due to its length, Stealth Symphony will forever be a “what-if?” moment in manga history. It had all the proponents of a successful shounen series, with some fresh ideas through darker storytelling that set it apart from the other up and comers. Due to what I can only … Continue reading Stealth Symphony Review
