Take a Look at Japanese Horror with Anime and Manga!

American audiences have been introduced to a variety of Japanese horror stories via adaptations and remakes of The Ring, Ju-On: The Grudge, Dark Water, and One Missed Call, among others. But these films are hardly the tip of the iceburg when it comes to the depths of the horror genre in Japan! Manga and anime are also well-known for their horror stories, which include edge-of-your-seat action as well as psychological thrills.

Have a look at some of what's available below and be sure to head to your local comic shop today to pick up these thrilling series today!

 

UMINEKO WHEN THEY CRY GN VOL 01 LEGEND GOLDEN WITCH PART 1 Item Code: SEP121280

Umineko: When They Cry is the manga adaptation of horror master Ryukishi07's visual novel series, Umineko No Naku Koro Ni ("When the Seagulls Cry"). The eight-part visual novel follows Battler Ushiromiya as he enters a duel of wits with the mysterious "Golden Witch," Beatrice. The story inspired both a manga and a seperate anime adaptation.

After several bitter years apart, Battler returns to visit his extended family on a secluded island. Though he always doubted his eccentric grandfather's stories of the mysterious "Golden Witch," when members of his family start turning up dead in inexplicable ways, he starts to wonder who's truly responsible.

HELLSING COMP SER DVD Item Code: SEP122143	HELLSING TP VOL 01 Item Code: SEP098121

Kouta Hirano's Hellsing series is one of the best-known manga and anime of the last decade. The plot centers around Alucard, a rogue vampire who swore allegiance to the Hellsing organization after losing a battle to the original Van Helsing himself 100 years before the start of the series. He is joined by Seras Victoria, a newly-turned vampire and former police officer, as they defend Queen and Country from a variety of supernatural threats.

Whether you choose to pick up the complete series on DVD or start your vampiric journey in print format, Alucard's story is sure to please.

 

Junji Ito is one of Japan's best-known horror artists, with stories such as Gyo and Tomie as some of his best-known work. Tomie in particular spawned a long series of live-action horror films, but perhaps one of Ito's best-remembered works is Uzumaki.

UZUMAKI 3-IN-1 DLX ED HC Item Code: AUG131498

Kurozu-cho, a small fogbound town on the coast of Japan, is cursed. According to Shuichi Saito, the withdrawn boyfriend of teenager Kirie Goshima, their town is haunted not by a person or being but by a pattern: uzumaki, the spiral, the hypnotic secret shape of the world. It manifests itself in everything from seashells and whirlpools in water to the spiral marks on people's bodies, the insane obsessions of Shuichi's father and the voice from the cochlea in our inner ear. As the madness spreads, the inhabitants of Kurozu-cho are pulled ever deeper into a whirlpool from which there is no return!

 

DEATH NOTE BLACK TP VOL 01 (OF 6) Item Code: NOV101063

Though most recently known for their light-hearted series Bakuman, the partnership of Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata took the manga world by storm in 2003 with Death Note, which remains immensely popular even today. The story of Death Note follows the bored teenaged prodigy Light Yagami, who has an immense distaste for all things he considers "evil." However, when he discovers the titular Death Note - a notebook that kills anyone who has their name written in it - he sets out on a path to destroy what he determines to be "evil" and create a new world with him at the helm. He's joined by a shinigami (literally "death god") called Ryuk as he avoids the genius detective L. This best-selling thriller manga is now available in the two-for-one "Black Edition" format, so there's never been a better time to start reading!

 

VAMPIRE KNIGHT GN VOL 01 Item Code: AUG138193	VAMPIRE KNIGHT DVD COMPLETE SERIES Item Code: DEC101735

For those who like a little romance with their scares, Vampire Knight is for you! Yuki Cross has no memory of her past prior to the moment she was saved from a vampire attack 10 years ago. She was adopted by the headmaster of Cross Academy, and now works alongside Zero to guard the Academy's secret - that their Night Class students are secretly vampires!

Matsuri Hino's romantic look at vampires has been incredibly popular, both in Japan and state-side, since first starting serialization in Shojo Beat almost 10 years ago. The anime and manga have also spawned light novels, drama CDs, fanbooks, artbooks, and a video game. Now you can get started on figuring out what's really going on at Cross Academy with the first volume of the manga and the complete anime series!

Head to your local comic shop to get all these horror related Manga and Anime titles!
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