Hello!
Welcome to The Anime & Manga Review!
It has been my dream to create a world on TheO where users can go for anime and manga reviews and finally here it is! I plan to make this world an active, exciting and helpful place for learning about and finding entertaining manga and anime to read/watch.
Oh this manga… It was one of the first series I ever read on the Internet and it always manages to scare the pants off me!
Zashiki Onna is a classic Japanese horror series from the 90s and follows the story of a young college student who finds himself being followed by a strange woman who is essentially stalking him.
This series has an interesting little history that I won’t go into in depth, but to touch upon it, this manga was written before stalking was recognized as word or a crime so at the time there wasn’t much you could do about it if it happened.
Zashikki Onna plays upon the fear of the known, of having someone following your every movement to the point of obsession and with the fear of the unknown, the things going bump in the night. For these reasons, the manga gives off a very real vibe that feels like it could be an urban legend or a “based off a true story” horror flick.
Zashiki Onna is fairly tame as far as horror goes, in that it has almost no blood or gore (someone gets a bump on the head and a few other injuries) but the true reason it’s terrifying is because it is a psychological horror series. The idea that it could really happen, as well as the artful way the main character’s mental state is shown throughout, from angry, to afraid, to possibly driven to the brink of insanity, is very well demonstrated. As the story progresses, we are made to question everything and it boils to an extremely memorable conclusion that I won’t spoil for you.
Ok so now I have to mention one other series with a similar plot, which is constantly compared to Zashiki Onna, Ibitsu, written by Ryou Haruto and being a newer series is more popular on the net. It also features a female stalker and poor male victim. While I did enjoy Ibitsu, it plays far more into the violence and less into the psychological horror, and also plays more into a supernatural vibe. Don’t get me wrong! Ibitsu is not a supernatural manga, nor is it bad, but it definitely didn’t feel like it could really happen and freaked me out less than the simplistic style of Zashiki Onna. I bring it up because it is eerily similar and clearly takes inspiration from stalker manga that came before it. (Borderline a remake or copycat it’s so similar at a few parts) Read it if you dare as it is still a pretty darn freaky series with a unique flare of its own!
Zashiki Onna is a classic horror manga and a must read for fans of the genre. It is also a good read for people who love horror but don’t want the gore of series like Uzumaki, Gyo, or Manhole.
If you dislike horror manga I would say skip it and try a lighter manga like Assassination Classroom.
~Tsu
PS. Thank you to everyone who reads this world! I have just reached the 3,000 view mark and I am so grateful for the support! If I make it to 5,000 I got a special review planned... so bribery! ;)
Angel"s Egg
Also know as Tenshi no Tamago
Director: Mamoru Oshii
Ok I promised you an anime next, and boy I found one of the most unusual and artistic anime I could!
First off this is an artistic movie. For those of you who have never seen an art movie they tend to be more experimental and very atmospheric, there is less care about clarity of plot and more focus on making something that has meaning and often beauty. And Angel's Egg is no exception. Yoskitaka Amano, character designer of several Final Fantasy games, Vampire Hunter D, illustrated a Sandman comic, and much more, had a hand in creating the story as well as the art style of this movie. (Here take a minute and just look at his absolutely gorgeous work:http://www.elevenland.com/amano/amano.php3.) If you know his art or style then you pretty much know what you're in for for Angel's Egg and whether you're going to like it.
For those of you who are less familiar here's a quick plot synopsis: The story follows a young girl as she cares for an egg she takes with her everywhere. One day a man shows up and begins to follow her as she goes about her everyday life in a strange abandoned world.
Ok I am not going to pretend I understand what this movie is about. It is beautiful and atmospheric and I can't think of much else to say about it. The movie is very slowly paced which is great in that it really let's you absorb the scenery and not so great in that it's, well, slow. That does not make this a bad movie, it just makes it one that requires attention and care when viewing.
So here are some quick tips on whether Angel's Egg is the one you watch today!
--> If you don't like art movies I'd say skip this one. If you're looking for a movie with a strong plot or action, again, this one probably isn't for you.
--> On the other hand if you've been looking to try something different I'd say go for it!
Also, if you, like me, are a big fan of Yoshitaka's work then this is an absolute must watch! His work is stunning and this movie is a great showcase of that!
