July 2014 Discussion Post: Creepy Anime & Horror Manga
Previously, we’ve talked about the best creepy video games, your favorite scary movies, the top paranormal podcasts and radio shows, and, of course, your best-loved books in the creepy/horror genre. This month we’ll be continuing the community recommendation series, with the spotlight on creepy anime and horror manga. So please tell us (with links if possible!) about all of your favorite creepy, horror-themed, or paranormal anime and manga series. Suggestions left in the comments will be added to the main post. As I’m personally not very familiar with anime/manga, you can help me out a ton by giving links for where to find your suggested anime or manga – otherwise, I’ll just do my best to find it with a quick Google search. This means that if I miss that a series has an anime and manga, or I link to something incorrectly, feel free to correct me and point me in the right direction, just please refrain from being rude about the errors. Another is one that I haven’t personally watched, but it seems to be very popular. It’s described as being about a boy moving to a new school, meeting a mysterious girl, and realizing that his new class is cursed by a string of creepy deaths. As before, this is available on Crunchyroll (and I’m sure many other places, I’m going to try and stick to legal/licensed streams for the OP). Attack on Titan – Known in Japan as Shingeki no Kyojin, many years ago, the last remnants of humanity were forced to retreat behind the towering walls of a fortified city to escape the massive, man-eating Titans that roamed the land outside their fortress. Only the heroic members of the Scouting Legion dared to stray beyond the safety of the walls – but even those brave warriors seldom returned alive. Those within the city clung to the illusion of a peaceful existence until the day that dream was shattered, and their slim chance at survival was reduced to one horrifying choice: kill – or be devoured! Blue Exorcist – Assiah, the realm of humans, and Gehenna, the realm of demons. Normally, these two dimensions would never intersect, but the demons are now intruding on the material world. Corpse Party: Tortured Souls – The story is set in Heavenly Host Elementary School, an elementary school that was torn down following the murders and disappearances of several of its staff and students. By the start of the story, another school called Kisaragi Academy has been built over the elementary school site. One night, a group of students from Kisaragi are telling ghost stories when a sudden earthquake transports them to another dimension where Heavenly Host Elementary still exists and is haunted by the ghosts of the school’s murdered children. The students of Kisaragi Academy students try to find their way home and survive the other mysterious forces that haunt the school. Claymore – In a world constantly haunted by demonic predators known as “Youma”, the everyday life of humans is full of fear and suspicion, as these monsters easily blend into human society to hunt their hapless prey. However, in this world, there is also a mysterious organization, employing half-human, half-Youma warriors to effectively track down and kill the demons. Called “silver eyed witches” or “Claymores” after the huge Claymore swords they carry, these female warriors are eyed with suspicion and distrust by most because of their inhuman powers. When the young boy Raki meets Clare, a Claymore sent to kill the Youma haunting his hometown, he is eventually caught in a story of love, revenge and treachery, as Clare’s past meets with her future… Danganronpa – A group of 15 elite high-school students are gathered at a very special, high-class high school. To graduate from this high school essentially means you’ll succeed in life, but graduating is very difficult. The school is presided over by a bear called Monokuma, and he explains to them that their graduation hinges around committing a murder. The only way to graduate is to kill one of your classmates and get away with it. If the other classmates discover the identity of the killer, the killer is the only one executed. However, if they fail to catch the killer, only the killer graduates and the others are annihilated. Which of the 15 will survive the bloodbath to come? Darker Than Black – In Tokyo, an impenetrable field known as “Hell’s Gate” appeared ten years ago. At the same time, psychics who wield paranormal powers at the cost of their conscience also emerged. Hei is one of the most powerful of these psychic agents, and along with his blind associate, Yin, works for one of the many rival agencies vying to unlock the mysteries of Hell’s Gate. Deadman Wonderland – Based on a manga written by Kataoka Jinsei and illustrated by Kondou Kazuma, serialised in Shounen Ace. A massive earthquake ravaged Japan’s mainland and destroyed most of Tokyo, sinking three-quarters of it into the ocean. Ten years later, the story starts with Igarashi Ganta, a seemingly ordinary, unassuming middle school student attending Nagano Prefecture’s middle school. An escapee, a survivor of the great earthquake, Ganta has no memories of the tragedy and has lived a simple, normal life. This all changes one day when a strange man covered in blood and crimson armour appears, floating, out of his classroom windows. Smirking madly, this Red Man massacres Ganta’s entire class and, instead of killing him, embeds a red crystal shard in his chest. Within days of the massacre, Ganta is declared the sole suspect and, following a suspiciously quick trial, is sentenced to life imprisonment in Deadman Wonderland, a massive theme-park-like prison. Hell Girl: Two Mirrors and Hell Girl: Three Vessels, available at Crunchyroll. From Wikipedia: “It focuses on the existence of a supernatural system that allows people to take revenge by having other people sent to Hell via the services of the mysterious titular character and her assistants who implement this system.” Hellsing and Hellsing Ultimate – Hellsing follows the antiheroic vampire, Alucard, and a police girl-turned-vampire, Seras Victoria, two vampires employed by the vampire-extermination group of England, the Hellsing Organization. Slowly but surely, through their active duty, they find a new breed of vampires beginning to arise. High School of the Dead – A deadly new disease is ravaging the world, turning the populace into mindless zombies, and the number of infected is skyrocketing by the second. Higurashi no Naku Koro ni – Maebara Keiichi, an ordinary high-school boy, has transferred to a new school in Hinamizawa, a small rural village. At the outset everything seems peaceful and Keiichi becomes friends with a nice group of schoolgirls with whom he spends many idle summer afternoons. Suddenly violence encroaches upon the blissful peace of the village and Keiichi becomes entangled in an endless cycle of fear and death. The inconsistent, but inevitable horrors of Hinamizawa are told and retold becoming an endless and inescapable nightmare of insanity. Will it end even if the mystery of Hinamizawa is solved? Mirai Nikki – High school 2nd year, Amano Yukiteru, is a boy who has problem making friends. He thinks of himself as a bystander and will always write down everything he sees in a cell phone diary. Tormented by solitude, Yukiteru began to imagine things like a friend called Deus Ex Machina who is apparently the Lord of Time & Space. Seeing Yukiteru’s miserable state, Deus gives him a new ability. His diary will now record events that will happen in the near future. Yukiteru is then forced to participate in a game which the winner will become Deus’s successor. Paprika – In the near future, a revolutionary new psychotherapy treatment called PT has been invented. Through a device called the “DC Mini” it is able to act as a “dream detective” to enter into people’s dreams and explore their unconscious thoughts. Before the government can pass a bill authorizing the use of such advanced psychiatric technology, one of the prototypes is stolen, sending the research facility into an uproar. In the wrong hands, the potential misuse of the device could be devastating, allowing the user to completely annihilate a dreamer’s personality while they are asleep. Renowned scientist, Dr. Atsuko Chiba, enters the dream world under her exotic alter-ego, code name “PAPRIKA,” in an attempt to discover who is behind the plot to undermine the new invention. Paranoia Agent – Oh the lies we tell ourselves…If we lie that will make it go away….surely it will. Right? Oh of course it will, of course it will….away to kill them all….all of the other liars….after all they’re the ones responsible! Never you…it was never you…You’ve never lied. ShadowBat does exist….and wouldn’t you like to know who his next victim is? I can give you a hint: it ends with “u.” Puella Magi Madoka Magica – The infamous anime that starts off as a stereotypical magical girl show, but soon becomes a tad different. Sankarea – Furuya’s obsessed with zombies. He collects any figurines, watches any movie, and plays any game with the living dead, and is even only interested in zombie girls. When his cat dies, Furuya begins trying to raise it from the dead using an ancient book of the occult he bought from a shop. But what will happen when he sees the idol of a nearby all girl’s school walking close to where he conducts his experiment, wishing to die and be reborn as a different person? Tasogare Otome x Amnesia – A young woman, by some strange occurrence, was left to die alone in the former building of the Academy for Sincere Teachings. Mysteriously, there is one person who can see her in ghost form: Niiya Teiichi, a freshman. Now they both seek to find out the reasoning behind her death, and what could have caused it. Umineko no Naku Koro ni – Umineko no Naku Koro ni takes place in 1986 during the time frame of October the 4th and the 5th on a secluded island named Rokkenjima. The head of the wealthy Ushiromiya family, Kinzo Ushiromiya, who lives on and owns Rokkenjima, is near death, and eleven of his family members arrive on the island to discuss how Kinzo’s assets will be divided once he is dead. Also on the island are five of Kinzo’s servants, and his personal physician. After the eleven family members arrive, a typhoon traps them on the island and shortly after people start to get mysteriously murdered. Yamishibai: Japanese Ghost Stories is an interesting series of short episodes (around 5 minutes each) that relays classic Japanese ghost stories and urban legends. Crunchyroll does offer a free 48-hour trial, which will allow you to spend a night or two powering through this series. Aphorism – Naraka High School, is a seemingly normal school. However, unknown to the public is the cruel truth of what really goes on in the school’s halls. Rather than studying, students are forced to struggle for their very survival. And the strong bonds of friendship may be the only difference between life and death. Apocalypse no Toride – What can you do when you get mistaken for murder? Nothing. You go to prison. Lucky you, your inmates are some of the biggest cutthroats in the prison. Seriously you are lucky. Expecially when zombies attack. Berserk – Gats, known as the Black Swordsman, seeks sanctuary from the demonic forces attracted to him and his woman because of a demonic mark on their necks, and also vengeance against the man who branded him as an unholy sacrifice. Aided only by his titanic strength gained from a harsh childhood lived with mercenaries, a gigantic sword, and an iron prosthetic left hand, Gats must struggle against his bleak destiny, all the while fighting with a rage that might strip him of his humanity. Warning: This manga is for mature audiences only, since it has sexual content and graphic violence. Black Butler/Kuroshitsuji – Just a stones throw from London lies the manor house of the illustrious Phantomhive earldom and its master, one Ciel Phantomhive. Earl Phantomhive is a giant in the world of commerce, Queen Victorias faithful servant and a slip of a twelve-year-old boy. Fortunately, his loyal butler, Sebastian, is ever at his side, ready to carry out the young masters wishes. And whether Sebastian is called to save a dinner party gone awry or probe the dark secrets of Londons underbelly, there apparently is nothing Sebastian cannot do. In fact, one might even say Sebastian is too good to be true or at least, too good to be human. Bongcheon-Dong Ghost – This is a South Korean horror webcomic series illustrating various encounters with a ghost of a woman who has been reportedly seen in the Bongcheon village of Seoul. Since its publication via Korean webcomic portal Naver Webtoon in July 2011, the urban legend comic has become infamous on the English-speaking web as well, most notably for its inclusion of partially animated sequences and audio segments using javascript triggers. Cage of Eden – Akira and his classmates are travelling on a plane when it crashes onto an island inhabited by species thought to have been extinct. The situation becomes increasingly desperate as some of Akira’s classmates are eaten alive, while some kill others in desperation. Now Akira and a few other survivors are trying to survive what seems to be a horrible nightmare. Count Cain – Delve into the tortured past of Earl Cain C. Hargreaves, charismatic heir to a wealthy family full of secrets, lies and unthinkable crimes. Follow the young Cain as he attempts to unravel the secrets of his birth, all the while solving each new mystery that comes his way. Deadman Wonderland – Ganta Igarashi has been convicted of a crime that he hasn’t committed, and was sent to a new privately owned and operated prison, where the inmates are the main attraction in a modern day twist to the gladiatorial coliseums of ancient times. Throw in a healthy dose of weird little girl, some new-found super powers, and a little conspiracy theory, and you have Deadman Wonderland. Death Note – Well, this is an anime too, of course. I’ve seen this brought up and discussed very often here in the comments, so I can’t really leave this out! The basic premise of Death Note is that death gods kill people when their time comes by writing their names and cause of death in their notebooks, and one day a bored death god allows his notebook to be obtained and used by a human. Doubt – A Japanese cell phone game called Rabbit Doubt has gone viral in Tokyo. In it, players are rabbits who must do everything in their power to uncover the wolf in rabbits clothing before it kills them off. The wolf, a randomly selected player, must use his wiles to create mistrust among the rabbits and knock his adversaries off one by one. When five fans of this game decide to meet offline for fun, the last thing they expect is to lose consciousness and wake up trapped in an abandoned building with a corpse strung up in front of them, a mysterious barcode tattooed on each of their bodies. Will the virtual friends be able to pull it together in the real world and figure out whats going on in time to avoid ending up the wolfs dinner? Fuan no Tane – It’s a collection of very short and mostly atmospheric stories dealing with urban legends, ghosts, and superstitions all organized around a specific theme (school, visitors, etc.). Some are just two pages long. Ghost Hunt – The decrepit building was condemned long ago, but every time the owners try to tear it down, “accidents” start to happen-people get hurt, sometimes even killed. Mai Taniyama and her classmates have heard the rumors that the creepy old high school is haunted-possibly by ghosts from the Second World War. So one rainy day they gather at the told school to tell ghost stories, hoping to attract one of the suspected spirits. Hellsing: Crossfire and Hellsing: The Dawn – Hellsing follows the antiheroic vampire, Alucard, and a police girl-turned-vampire, Seras Victoria, two vampires employed by the vampire-extermination group of England, the Hellsing Organization. Slowly but surely, through their active duty, they find a new breed of vampires beginning to arise. Ibitsu – A boy went to take his trash out late one night, and found a strange, creepy, lolita woman sitting amongst the garbage bags. She asked if he had a little sister, and he answered her, hurrying afterwards back to his apartment. When he looked out the window, she was gone. Who is the strange woman, and why does she give him such a bad feeling? I am a Hero – Hideo Suzuki is a thirty-five year old mangaka assistant struggling to be the hero in his own life by breaking back into the lime light with a new serial all the while juggling his relationship with his girlfriend and his own delusions. However, as hard as Hideo may try, the world seems to have a different set of plans for him; sinister and dark machinations that completely overturn his reality as he knows it. Judge – Sequel to Doubt. Junji Ito – Gyo, Uzumaki, Museum of Terror, Tomie, etc – Pretty much everything by Junji Ito should go on this list, I’d think. Like so much of the internet, I first encountered him when someone linked me to The Enigma of the Amigara Fault, the infamous “this hole was made for me” story. Ludwig Revolution – Prince Ludwig isn’t your conventional prince charming. He appears to be an unbelievably attractive though in truth, necrophilic narcissist prince who has a fetish for big breasted women. However his father the King became very displeased with his unusual hobbies and sets him off on a journey to find a bride. So together with his constantly abused manservant Wilhelm, who is in truth his closest person, he sets off on a journey which leads to encounters with infamous fairytale princesses. An even more twisted interpretation of the already twisted original fairytales from the Grimm Brothers! Mahou Shoujo of the End – Kogami Kii hates his normal everyday life and wishes for something to happen. One day in the middle of class, he looks out the window and sees his teacher’s head explode when a little girl hits it. He goes to the bathroom to calm himself, but when he gets back to the classroom, he finds most of his classmates killed by the same little girl… Mirai Nikki – High school 2nd year, Amano Yukiteru, is a boy who has problem making friends. He thinks of himself as a bystander and will always write down everything he sees in a cell phone diary. Tormented by solitude, Yukiteru began to imagine things like a friend called Deus Ex Machina who is apparently the Lord of Time & Space. Seeing Yukiteru’s miserable state, Deus gives him a new ability. His diary will now record events that will happen in the near future. Yukiteru is then forced to participate in a game which the winner will become Deus’s successor. Mermaid Saga – Legend has it that if a human eats a mermaid’s flesh, they will be granted eternal life. But is that a blessing or a curse? Immortal lovers Yuta and Mana travel through Japan and the centuries longing for a normal life. On their journey, they meet others who have consumed the flesh of a mermaid in hope of becoming immortal. But the powerful substance affects each person differently. Yuta and Mana are two of the lucky ones. Others are fated to die or transform into a savage monster, a “lost soul.” Monster – Monster weaves the riveting story of brilliant Dr. Kenzo Tenma, a famous surgeon with a promising career at a leading hospital. Tenma risks his reputation and promising career to save the life of a critically wounded young boy. Unbeknownst to him, this child is destined for a terrible fate. A string of strange and mysterious murders begin to occur soon afterward, ones that professionally benefit Dr. Tenma, and he emerges as the primary suspect. Conspiracies, serial murders, and a scathing depiction of the underbelly of hospital politics are all masterfully woven together in this compelling manga thriller. Pet Shop of Horrors – A smoke-filled alley in Chinatown harbors Count D’s Pet Shop. The pets sold here aren’t your everyday variety and the Count prides himself on selling Love and Dreams in the form of magical creatures that come with an exclusive contract. But buyers beware. If the contract is broken the Count cannot be held accountable for whatever may happen. A fascinating and macabre look into the very soul of human nature. Shiki – This series is about a village with a population of about 1300 people, and during one fiercely hot summer, many mysterious incidents happened one after another… Tasogare Otome x Amnesia – A young woman, by some strange occurrence, was left to die alone in the former building of the Academy for Sincere Teachings. Mysteriously, there is one person who can see her in ghost form: Niiya Teiichi, a freshman. Now they both seek to find out the reasoning behind her death, and what could have caused it. Tokyo Ghoul – Strange murders are happening in Tokyo. Due to liquid evidence at the scene, the police conclude the attacks are the results of ‘eater’ type ghouls. College buddies Kaneki and Hide come up with the idea that ghouls are imitating humans so that’s why they haven’t ever seen one. Little did they know that their theory may very well become reality. The Dreaming – Identical twins Jeanie and Amber are new students at Greenwich Private College, that lies on the edge of virgin bushlands. The school is run by its vice-principal, who has a prejudice against twins – in fact she rejects all twins’ applications. The girls are only able to get in by saying that they are just regular sisters, born 11 months apart. The Legend of Onikirimaru – A demon boy who lacks horns on his head wields the cursed blade “Onikirimaru”, the one weapon that can slay a demon, in a never-ending battle with the demons that haunt Japan during the age of the samurai. Spiraphobia
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