horror manga

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Lenni Reviews: “Sayuri” by Rensuke Oshikiri

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review and is suggested for mature readers.

Norio and his family move into a new home only to find nothing but pain and hardship.

While it seems like this is building up slowly to a typical haunted house story, the absolute mad frenzy this becomes was genuinely horrific. It’s scary and sad to watch this family falling apart. Some of the art for this defies the original expectation I had of the style not being able to handle it, as it’s fairly cute, but:

I don’t want to post too many screenshots, but yeah, fucking terrifying. If you read a lot of horror manga, you might find this predictable, and I personally prefer happier endings, but this is worth checking out. 3.7 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Parasyte Paperback Collection” Vol. 1, by Hitoshi Iwaaki

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

In a world where humanity is slowly being taken over by alien parasites, Shinichi ends up infected. While he manages to contain the being to his arm, he is thrust into a dangerous life with the alien Migi as an ally.

This is another series that I’ve gone so long without interacting with up until now. Finally getting to it, I can see why it’s such a classic. It has horror elements I enjoy, the clueless but well-meaning protagonist, a greater threat looming in the future… I can see where Ajin got its inspiration, while this is, of course, very different. Since it is an older series, the tone and art are very nostalgic, and maybe younger readers will be affected by that, as it’s a completely different vibe from more modern titles. As for me, I like it, and I’m glad I’m able to experience it. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Dra-Q” Vol. 1, by Chiyo

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review and is suggested for mature readers due to gore.

Amelie Kurosaki is a high school girl hiding the fact that she is a vampire who must follow strict rules in order to continue living among humans. When attacks on humans seem vampiric, it puts Amelie’s secret at risk.

This volume doesn’t waste any time getting started. Main character, love interest, family drama, and rival love interest all plunked down in under 200 pages. It’s gory and has some dark humor, but the pace doesn’t let you sit with what’s happening for very long. You know the rules Amelie is given are presented to be inevitably broken, but I didn’t think all of them would be broken in the first volume. The plot is fun, the blood and gore are top-notch, but I almost felt dizzy by the end of it. 3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Statues: Junji Ito Story Collection”by Junji Ito

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

The actual summary works here, so I don’t spoil or sound rambly: “Art teacher Okabe creates strange, headless statues. One day, he is found murdered, his corpse headless. From that day on, art club member Shimada seems off somehow… Elsewhere, in a curious town custom, the dead are placed on a tatami mat and set out on the river. Kanako’s grandmother lives alone in a house near this river. What did she witness at one of these funerals long ago? And a mysterious disease makes girls suddenly become more beautiful. But soon they all die. The only way to survive might be worse than death itself”

This collection of stories is pretty good, but also very rapid-fire and short. Some of these could easily be expanded a bit more so they don’t feel like they’re incomplete. I still enjoy them, but a couple more pages would have helped them feel more fleshed out. No pun intended. 3.5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “After God” Vol. 9, by Sumi Eno

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Tokinaga is still stuck as a dog but after he finds a way to escape, Wauke attacks the Anti-God institute to try and convince Waka to turn on them.

This is batshit insane. Tokinaga’s time travel abilities make things interesting, especially since others know about it or sus him out. It’s not used as a Deus ex Machina but as an additional tool for the Anti-God Institute. The fights are wild, but a lot of implications are still brewing by the end of it that I’m dying to find out more about. That’s fine, it’s keeping me involved and I’m having so much fun reading this. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Dark Gathering” Vol. 17, by Kenichi Kondō

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Now, we are in the final stage against Yin Jiao with one graduate left to face the god’s wrath. But even if they prevail, there are still greater threats around our main cast.

I have to wonder how the stakes will rise higher than “defeat a god’ but let’s go for it! I love this series! Tama’s backstory and association with the same curse that afflicted Ai, as well as Ai’s family history with the entity, is a great story. I love this deep dive into all the lore around this god. Now, the focus shifts to the spirits stealing bodies and going after the spirit that took Yayoi’s mother. These characters are so entertaining and I can’t wait to see what happens next. 4.5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “After God” Vol. 8, by Sumi Eno

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Tokinaga talks with Toda, who was with the Ahf-Azu but now wants to leave the group and save his sisters from being used by the terrorists.

The experiments on Orokapi – who is inside Akio – are super interesting, and the role of the IPO’s? Awesome. This volume drops a ton of info, and it’s really cool. I love a good lore dump/plot-heavy volume. I do worry that too many moving parts are happening: Toda’s sisters, whatever Tokinaga is doing, IPOs melting, the dog backpacks

Yes, really….

I do enjoy the wimsy randomly thrown in here and there. This is a very unique story so far. 3.9 out of 5.

 

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Lenni Reviews: “Choujin X” Vol. 11. by Sui Ishida

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

As the Yamato Mori attacks the Tower of Mourning, Zora’s forces launch a powerful counterattack.

Continuing the battle, this volume has some cool art, especially as various characters show off new abilities. The splash pages are fantastic, and (no spoilers) what we learn about what it will mean if Zora is killed? Very interesting. It was a little disappointing that wasn’t the focus of the rest of the volume, but there is a LOT going on; plenty of enemies and some character work to get through. It’s alright that it doesn’t move forward much plot-wise since what we see is intriguing and entertaining. 3.5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “After God” Vol. 7, by Sumi Eno

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Tokinaga is ordered back after making a deal with Alura to save Waka’s life.

Waka and Tokinaga also go on a date, and it turns out as well as anything does in this comic. Is it me, or is all this getting too complicated? There are so many people keeping so many secrets from all these different people, there are like three plot threads going on, I feel like I need a series rundown to organize everything for me. It’s hard to describe without spoiling a bunch of stuff. I’m probably gonna have to go back and re-read this. 3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Choujin X” Vol. 10, by Sui Ishida

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

After the raid on the poppy fields, Yamato Mori has a chance for a final showdown with Zora, but it is in her tower, giving her the advantage.

Seeing the fruits of all this training is so well done. The fight scenes are well done, and the use of the various abilities on both sides are so awesome. Since a good chunk of this is set up and hitting a few emotional beats before the battle begins, it’s all just getting started by the time the volume ends. I hope all this buildup pays off, especially after the last volume of Dark Gathering impressed me so much. 3 out of 5.

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