Horror Manga Mega Thread

QSS

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Apr 12, 2018
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Hello everyone!

I want to start a conversation about horror manga. This thread can be used to discuss general topics related to horror manga news, series, authors, fan base, favorites, and anything else that's relevant. To encourage discussion, I'll also try to occasionally post current news and highlights of horror manga. I hope that this will become a good resource for fans looking for discussion, recommendations, and general awareness of what's happening in the genre. Hopefully something more than just "start with Uzumaki."

What I want to talk about today is, "what makes a manga's primary genre horror?" In my opinion, it has to be something that tries to elicit people's feelings of fear, disgust, or repulsion, but it can not too heavily depend on action, strategy, or conspiracies. For instance, Kouishou Radio tries to give its readers feelings of unease, while the author Itou Junji draws images that often disgust the reader. Meanwhile, stories like the ones in Wish Fufillment will often have stories with moral lessons that tries to scare people from wrongdoings. On the other hand, a lot of series have horror elements but are not primarily horror. For example, though series like Darwin's Game and The Friends-Eater Classroom have characters stuck in a horrific situation, the horror's primary purpose is to shock the characters in the story and move the plot and strategy elements along. Even though Shingeki no Kyojin has a pretty fearful setting and gruesome deaths (mostly in the beginning), the series also revolves around the fights and strategy.
What do you think?

That said, I'd like to give a highlight of some currently ongoing horror series, and a few that have finished recently. By no means is this a definitive list, but it has a good spread. Mild spoilers incoming.
Currently Ongoing Series:
A Trial of Blood: A tense thriller that keeps you on the edge of the seat wondering what will happen next.
Eko Eko Azarak: A classic horror series. Definitely a bit on the preachy side, but surprisingly varied and good fun.
Fear: An anthology by Kazuo Umezu, godfather of Japanese horror manga. Expect amazingly crazy and creative situations.
H. P. Lovecraft's The Shadow out of Time: The newest scanlation/publication of Gou Tanabe's Lovecraftian adaptations. Dark, atmospheric, and haunting, they're all absolutely lovely.
Horror Anthology Comic Shikaku: A horror anthology authored by a few of the most famous horror mangaka in Japan. Expect a wide variety of styles and a few genuinely creepy and strange stories.
Hyaku Monogatari: Based on the "100 ghost stories" parlour game. Very short stories, though some are of decent length. Published in the alternative magazine Garo.
Ijousha no Ai: The most horrifying thing in this series is how dumb the characters are.
In the Room: A pretty basic but decently written one volume thriller.
Jinmen: The faces are extremely disconcerting.
Kichikujima: Haven't read this one but the author has done many other good series.
Kouishou Radio: From the author of Fuan no Tane. Expect short stories that cause you to fear the darkness at the bottom of the stairs or what's behind you, but this time with a bit more continuity between the stories.
Mieruko-chan: Good believable modern day horror story. I think most people would act like that, assuming they aren't freaking out. A little bit heartwarming.
Ningyou Touge: People are stuck in house with spook ghost. Not enough chapters yet to say for sure what this will be like.
Pygmalion: Man eating mascots are scary, yo.
Sayuri: Oshikiri Rensuke is capable of writing some pretty upsetting stories. I have high hopes for this one.
Shibito No Koe wo Kiku Ga Yoi: expect the best blend of horror, comedy, and imagination from the amazing Hiyodori/Uguisu Sachiko! Prez is best girl.
Slit-Mouthed Woman Legends: Pretty classic styled horror story by Inuki Kanako.
This Man: The urban legend aspect makes this one interesting.
Travelogue of the Succubus: Lovecraftian Junji Ito series. A bit of a departure from what he traditionally has done.
Wakusei Closet: Strangely calming with spooky moments.
Wish Fulfillment: Another traditional horror series by Inuki Kanako. Characters are their own worst enemies.
Yokai Hunter - A Voice from Yomi: Rich with folklore.
Yokai Hunter - The Six Gods of Fortune: There's more!
Zekkyou Gakkyuu: Schoolyard horror. A little bit repetitive if you read too many at the same time.

Recently Finished Series:
Chibiki no Iwa: Hoshino Yukinobu tells rich stories full of atmosphere and what it means to be human. I'll read this one soon I swear.
Dissolving Series: Recently completely scanlated by slug chicks. The licensed version has been out for ages, but whatever.
Fuan no Tane +: Short stories to make you want to sleep with the light on.
Kiriko Kill: The sequel to the unexpectedly popular Kiriko. We all think another sequel will come out of it. Dumb fun.
Mushihime: A dark, disturbing, well contained tale.
Shiro Ihon: The latest completely scanlated anthology of the Ihon series. Overall well told and creative stories.
Second Coming: An ambiguous one shot. A four seasons award winner, so it's a bit different, but as always, well-told.
 

QSS

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Hello all!
It's been two months and clearly I'm not in top of updating this thread.
Anyways, here are some new ongoing series (again, minor spoilers)
Yomigaeru Shoujo: New series, new group, untranslated author, classic horror shoujo stories. Very exciting.
Frau Trude – Grimm-Adjacent Tales: Scanlated by Lovely Strange Dark, written by Morohoshi Daijiro. Can't go wrong there.
Newest series worked on by slug chicks. Actually pretty decent.:
Yamiyo ni Asobuna Kodomo-tachi: Another series by Uguisu Sachiko. This time it centers around two ESP siblings.
Higanjima: Not sure why I never included this one, it's a classic. It's only so-so though.
Kudan no Gotoshi: Looks a lot like Jin-Men. Too early to really tell.
Ao no Haha: Leans more towards the mystery side, but it's by the author of Pupa so it's bound to be interesting.
Kasouba no Nai Machi ni Kane ga Naru Toki: This one leans towards the thriller side but it's pretty spooky at times.
Yajin: I've yet to see any other series execute the horror concept in the way this series does successfully. Definitely worth a look.
And a few newly completed ones (with mild spoilers):
Wish Fufuillment: Still a pretty average Inuki Kanako series.
In the Room: Finally done! Disappointingly mediocre.
Occult Club - Normanda the Medium's Phone: Short oneshot by Ochazuke Nori. Not much in it, not much to say.
 
Contributor
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Thanks for this thread, it's a nice one.
I need to try some of these series, i don't really remember everything i read, so here some from my follow :

-Sugar dark, it's short but good, i reread it 2 or 3 times.
-Dolls fall, this one is really similar to Corpse Party serie.
-Hakaijuu. It's more of a action-survival story against disgusting monsters, but i really like this one, i have bought all the season 1 tome (sadly, we didn't get season 2 here, i need to get Spanish books).
-Sweet home, from Bastard author. Same as hakaijuu, it's a survival story against monsters (not only in flesh, but in mind), a must-read for me.
-Hotaburi no tomoru koro ni.
-Shiga hime, yeah, it's fun to see high school students ruining their life only because of one little mistake .
-Souboutei kowasu beshi, didn't read yet.
-Ingoshima...Ehm.
 
Dex-chan lover
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Ijousha no Ai: The most horrifying thing in this series is how dumb the characters are.
You got that right, yet somehow it garnered thousands of views and hundreds of bookmarks, simply for being terrible horror. I remember starting to read this because of anituber Aki's reccommendation. Wth was she thinking?

Anyways, I'm interested in seeing more horror-comedy; the juxtaposition between the two genres creates a perfect blend which is one of the reasons why Mieruko-chan is one of my favourite manga right now. And oh man, chapter 9...
The mood of the series was so horrific/hilarious that the sudden turn of atmosphere hit me hard. One moment you're laughing at the series' standard "Mieruko pretends not to see that creepy ghost right in front of her" then suddenly it turned a 180 when you realize that her father... is a ghost.

And keep in mind that suddenly shifting the atmosphere is a powerful tool in storytelling yet it is so risky; if you fail to execute it, the reader's immersion will be lost and the whole thing will just feel inorganic. The mangaka knows what they're doing when they pulled this trick off.

Anyone got any good horror-comedy recs?
 
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Alright, imma contribute, I won't add the ones that are already mentioned (or if i'm blind)

- Dorohedoro, comedy horror with a fun story and unique characters! The horror is most of the time just bodily horror (one of my favourites!)
- Sayuri, it's Oshikiri Rensuke's heartwrenching horror
- Shichi Ha Gojuroku, the story seems interesting enough
- Kichikujima, I love those B-rated horror stuffs, tons of gore, tons of fun
- Himenospia, an utopia where a wasp JK will make an utopia where woman is supremacy (quite the horror tbh, lizardmen ain't controlling people! It's wasp people I'm telling ya!) chapter 8 got removed by the mods though
- Pumpkin Night, beautiful art, story makes so much sense that you can consider it a comedy
- Killing Morph, I love nonsensical stories, comedy horror
- Chikai no Noah, It's got that nice thriller feel imo
- Aku no Kyouten, I remember a batoto comment that summarized the whole story
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- Shin'ai naru Boku e Satsui wo komete, a pretty interesting story
- Funouhan, the characters are so stupid it's funny
- DINER, it's one of those "why is protag-chan not dead yet...? Well, brain dead is also a thing, i guess"
- Yoru ni Naru to Boku wa, actually really like the premise, but it's a shounen so the outcome might be predictable
- Gakkou Gurashi!, if you've never heard or seen this one, just read the manga/watch the anime without spoiling yourself anything for the best experience
- Mina-sama no Omocha desu, protect your balls, man
- Kyochuu Rettou, really good insect knowledge, characters are dumb af but you will cheer for them if they die
- Made in Abyss, need to have an adventurous spirit with you
- Chi no Wadachi, I find this really unsettling (not updated on mangadex)
- Mahou Shoujo of the End, need to have that shipwreck of a story, policeman best boi!
- Kudan no Gotoshi, keep your eyes on the road!
- Kasouba no Nai Machi ni Kane ga Naru Toki, it's more interesting as a mystery than the horror tbh
- Yakedo Shoujo, bitches be cray cray
- Jinmen, PETA's wet dream
- Satanophany, I read this for the laughs, the beginning is about parallel paradise level
- Kyoushitsu Jibaku Club, when school shootings are boring so you improvise
- Franken Fran, personal favourite! Great characters and fun stories! Bodily horror
- Zekkyou Gakkyuu, reminds me of the horror stories i read when i was still in elementary school
- Mouryou Shoujo, can't resist cute loli on a dangerous quest
- Self, the horrors of not knowing what diddling your peepee is because you are too riajuu
- Vanilla Spider, actually a fun read
- Karada Sagashi, hide and seek with body parts cuz the owner is clumsy
- Rengoku no Karma, suicide is a nono, now you need to work to make the people that were near you happy
- Doku Mushi, if you need rape with your cannibalism
- Dr. Prisoner stupid but fun
- Kyou Mei Machi, zombie apocalypse, but they are female-only, and most males are dumb af
- Shokuryou Jinrui, when human become the livestock
- Mononobe Koshoten Kaikitan, I really like this one, about youkai and stuff
- Shibuya Kingyo, zombie apocalypse, but instead of zombies, you have giant goldfish
- children, remote island orphanage
- Blue Phobia, some stone that makes people sick
- Mashira, Attack on Evil Apes!
- Gankyu Kidan, spooky
- Pygmalion, nonsensical story but it satisfies the gore factor
- Alice in Borderland, surival death games! Actually liked the story
- Mushihime all these bugs ain't trustworthy
- Hotarubi no Tomoru Koro ni, it's kinda fun in the beginning
- Kuro, can't resist cute lolis though
- Bougyaku no Kokekko, zombie apocalypse, but instead of zombies, you have giant chicken
- Kiriko and the sequel Kiriko Kill, slaughter slaughter and some story i guess
- Torture Tournament, about the same level as The Friends-Eater Classroom, but without an ending
- Daidai wa, Hantoumei ni Nidone Suru, i love the comedy
- Shiroi Hon and his prequels, a ton of short stories like Kouishou Radio
- Fuan no tane, even more short stories (i like this one and his sequel more)
- Pupa, I'm a fan of these kinds of stories it seems
- Tengoku ni Musubu Koi, I haven't read a manga about a siamese twin so it's really refreshing
- The Quiz, heh
- Kyoudou Seikatsu, loli + oneshot
- Zanuff the Butcher oneshot, MUST READ!!!! Wholesome
- Dead Word Puzzle see The Quiz
- Museum, really good police mystery, available in other sites cuz official english
- Misu Misou, i like the revenge stories
- Sekai Oni, same author as Yajin
- Good Night World, same author as Yajin (I swear, he draws creepy stuff really good, just like Misu Misou's and Sayuri's author)
- Kijin Gahou comedy horror, I really like Kago Shintaro's works, he draws gore really well
- Shiki, Must read imo, might start slow, but when the snowball rolls, you can't stop it


Maybe some R18 ones too?
- Atari ga Detakara Mou Hitori, cannibalism
- Kidza Nie also cannibalism, but i like the other one more


Probably forgot a lot of other great ones, but this should be enough for now I hope
 

QSS

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Is it worth going through 1200 potential horror series to update this thread?
if so, let me know
 

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