Uzumaki by Junji Ito

Title: Uzumaki

Mangaka: Junji Ito

Age Group: Older Teens

Series is: Completed with 3 volumes

Volume(s) Reviewing: 1-3

My Rating: 5/5

A Japanese town called Kurozucho is cursed by the spiral. The inhabitants get obsessed with spirals and strange happenings occur across town. What doom will be brought upon the people and the town?

I have read another horror series by the same mangaka called Gyo two years ago. Both have the same level of scare because of the surreal and utterly creepy situations. Gyo has a continuous story for 2 volumes where the protagonist tries to survive. In Uzumaki, the chapter at the beginning of the story is drawn out to a few chapters. After that, every chapter is a story of its own but with Kirie (the main girl) in each of them and experiencing the horrors of the spiral. That is, until the very end when everything comes together.

Spirals could be seen anywhere, such as a snail's shell. Using different things in the world around us that contain spirals, the mangaka creates some terrifying tales. After reading this series, I couldn't sleep properly that night. I managed to dream about the story and continued it in my head in some warped way.

I highly recommend Uzumaki (and Gyo) to anyone who wants a horror story outside of their boundaries. Perfect for the month of Halloween.

Gyo by Junji Ito

Title: Gyo
Mangaka: Junji Ito
Age Group: Older Teens
Series is: Completed with 2 volumes
Volume(s) Reviewing: 1-2
My Rating: 4/5

Tadashi and his girlfriend, Kaori, go on vacation for relaxation. Kaori who has a sensitive nose, picks up on an awful scent. If only they have known that the horrible stench is the start of theirs and the world's worst nightmare.

If you want to read something that will mess with your head, Gyo is the manga for you. Basically in the beginning, you have the characters discovering this one fish that is attached to a pair of live metal-like legs. Next thing you know, the entire land is covered with sea animals that have these strange devices stuck onto their bodies! It gives Japan the shock of its life as its people gets attacked randomly by these evil things. Once the animal hosts are completely used, the devices look for other means of survival on their own will --- including humans. The Apocalypse is here and its scarier than zombies.

This manga makes me shudder. Most of the time when you think of manga, you think of light fluffy shojo or action-packed shonen. But if you are not a horror fan, it generally doesn't cross your mind to pick up something that will scare you. Gyo doesn't screw your mind to the max as much as Dragon Head does but the content is enough to keep you hooked and freaked out. It makes you wonder in what ways can the world really end.

In the horror world, this manga will get a 5/5. But since I am not so keen on favouriting stories like Gyo, I settled the rating for lower. I do recommend it for those who are fans of Dragon Head or the-world-coming-to-a-sick-end plots.

At the end of the second volume, there are two short stories called The Sad Tale of Principal Post and The Enigma of Amigara Fault. They both are as bizarre as Gyo but I think more effective for having you do the wide-eyed stare much quicker.