Halloween Manga Showcase, Part 2

 

The days have slipped away and Halloween is upon us, which means it’s time for another selection of manga titles I’ve translated which suit the spooky season. So without further ado: horror manga.

Disclaimer: The books featured in this post are rated 18+ or M (Mature). Proceed at your own risk.

 

The Demon Consort: “I Love You” Are Frightening Words by Risako Natade and Toshiko Machida

After posting about a local demon legend online, university student Ako finds herself being blamed for the bizarre death of her childhood friend. As more and more people around her fall victim to the ‘curse’, Ako begins to feel like she’s trapped in a nightmare.

This is a three-volume series that’s currently coming out in English. At the time of writing, only Volume 1 has been released.

I found this series quite unsettling (tone indicator: complimentary). I liked the supernatural element, which is very much in the vein of classic Japanese horror, and the gradual revelation of what the people of Kibigawa village are capable of – and capable of justifying to themselves – was very compelling. I was incredibly stressed for Ako throughout the entire process, though.

 

Hinatsugimura by Aki Shimizu

High up on Mount Hinatsugi, there is a hidden village seemingly stuck in a bygone age. The lady of the manor seems welcoming enough and she’s eager to take in lost or injured hikers, but something feels off. The fact is, once you enter that village, you can never leave. You can either become one of the villagers or become part of the villagers.

This is a standalone volume and the first horror manga I ever translated. It’s very atmospheric and features some pretty visceral body horror. One interesting aspect I remember from translating this book is how I tried to maintain the contrast between the modern speech of the various hikers who find their way into the village and the more formal, almost archaic speech of Touko and her daughter. Their ties to their past are a significant part of the story, so it was important for their village to feel like it exists in a bubble of its own.

 

That’s it for my spooky manga showcase for this year. If you’re celebrating Halloween, have fun and stay safe out there. And if you’re not celebrating, I hope you have a fun and safe weekend too!