A terrifying, disturbing, scary manga full of short stories AND an overarching plot!

When I saw this one being announced as getting an English translation? I just knew I had to have it. And then the wait came. And then waiting for Libristo to deliver it. And then early April I could finally read it! And boy, I need more of this story because this one was so intriguing and so scary.

I had thought this one would just be anthology, so short stories. Just that. I was already happy with that. But then I quickly learned there is an overarching plot. A very messed up, disturbing, what the fuck is going on overarching plot. Before I get into the short stories let’s dive into the overarching plot. That is all about a girl in a hotel room. A cute girl. A crazy girl. And a guy tied up to the bed with a blindfold on and no way to speak. I am not sure what the guy did to the girl (or tried to do) but either way he is in a bad situation, I wonder if, as the volumes continue, we learn more about the guy and what he did and why he deserves various horrific things to happen to him. The girl? She has stories to tell. And some cough cough attributes to help tell them (or have the guy listen to her). Each new story has us return to that hotel room. See the girl go from cute to well… Higurashi-mode.

The stories she tells are strange/unsettling/weird. They range from a guy renting a cheap apartment with bonus guests, to scary dolls (we can of course not have a horror book without spooky dolls) who will fuck you over if you fuck with them, to suicide and a twist, to a woman who may or may not be a ghost, and there are more stories each one guaranteed to bring you some lovely nightmares and more fear of the dark (or smiling people, teehee). I really enjoyed each of the stories and they are perfectly spooky/scary if you are a horror lover like me. I also loved that we had a character returning in some stories, namely Editor Y. I am curious if we will see more of him in the next volumes.

The volume ends with a written short story which seemed to be OK at first but then progressively got more and more scary. People vanishing. A boy/guy wishing. I loved that this one was added and I hope that the the next volumes also bring their own short written story.

The art was just fantastic. It fitted so well with the stories told and amplified the spookiness/unsettlingness of it all. There are some scenes that will definitely haunt me for a long time, thanks for that, haha.

All in all, if you want something that will terrify the heck out of you, something that will give you nightmares? Be sure to read this amazing anthology. Perfect for Halloween in just 4 months.