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July 2014 Discussion Post: Creepy Anime & Horror Manga



Estimated reading time — 13 minutes

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.

ANIME

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.

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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.

MANGA

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.

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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!

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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.

Other various fansites/tumblrs/streaming sites/etc for this topic:

Spiraphobia
Horror Anime & Manga on TVTropes
Crunchyroll
AnimeA
Feel free to suggest more relevant sites as well.

Have fun and enjoy the creepy!

As always, affiliate links may be present in this post – if you do purchase anything via any of our links, thank you so much for helping to support the site!

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69 thoughts on “July 2014 Discussion Post: Creepy Anime & Horror Manga”

  1. Black butler definitely holds its place in here…. Think about it. A boy was literally sacrificed to the devil only to make a contract with one. The demon he makes a contract holds Ciel’s life in balance just for his own amusement. When lau tried to stab ciel and mr. Police guy saved the day, Sebastian later said that he knew that guy was going to step in and use his body to shield Ciel. LATER in the manga when Sebastian and CIEL had a better relationship ( not romance ) and they went into the forest with the werewolf. When Ciel was dying he was frantic and literally stripped in front of “humans” to save Ciel’s life

    But, was that only because Ciel is his food and he has worked so hard knowing that could have all just gone to waste? Or did he let his “emotions” get in the way [email protected]

  2. I am actually writing a creepypasta based on an anime I used to watch, however, I might be writing new creepypasta stories once I’m done. Any suggestions?

  3. Black Butler is an anime as well. It has three seasons: Black Butler, Black Butler 2, and Black Butler: Book of Circus. It is one of my favourite animes, and is in English and Japanese.

  4. There’s a few I’m suprised no one has said. Perfect Blue, Chaos;Head, Kara no Kyoukai, and Denpa Teki na Kanojo.
    Shiki, Corpse Party, Higurashi…, Elfen Lied, Hellsing OVA, and (more towards the end) Madoka Magica are all great too.

  5. Am I the only one who thinks there should be a Jeff the Killer anime? Or is there one already and I’m just not finding it?

  6. I believe one manga truly deserving the horror title would be Fuan no Tane (and it’s continuation Fuan no Tane Plus).

    It’s a compilation of short horror stories that are generally distinct from each other (with the exception of a few that allude to stories under the same title) that are honestly creepy – a must read!

  7. There was one anime/manga jumpscare comic online that I watched Pewdiepie play… It scared me shitless. It’s about a small oriental city and a young girl who is walking home at night. A lady appears before her, with twisted joints and bloody pajamas, screaming “Where is my baby?” The girl points over at a random location, her fear taking control of her. The woman disappears. But after a few minutes, she appears again, her head twisting 360 degrees and she pounces at your computer/phone screen.
    The end.
    I think it’s about the ghost of a suicide victim, who jumped off a hotel balcony with her child.

  8. Fuan no tane is a great collection of Japanese urban legends. “PANORAMA OF HELL” is also great, but is very disturbing.

  9. Pet Shop of Horrors by Matsuri Akino.
    Beautifully drawn, but more importantly this miniseries shows how little humans can trust their own desires, especially when given a supernatural outlet to fulfill said desires in the most literal sense.

  10. Dark Angel and Dark Star

    I really like elfen lied, but it’s a bit more on the gore side, and well sent for mature audiences with its well placed ( very inappropriate)humor. As far as I can tell (since I actually haven’t finished it yet) it has an amazing story line, and action scenes. And it’s characters are quite lovable too.
    And I like princess resurrection too, but again its a little less or horror, and a little more of thriller. Admirable characters and interesting plot, it’s a good series, but I still have to finish it.
    I’ve never actually seen the corpse party anime, but I heard it’s good.
    But I have to say Shiki (corpse demon) is my favorite horror anime. Intriguing plot and slightly questionable morals, and amazing characters. Shiki is, to say the least, awesome.

  11. Omg i love this topic. I guess I can give a few good animes and mangas.
    Pupa-
    This anime and manga is about how a red butterfly turns a girl onto a human eating monster and her brother into a flesh reproducer and how she feeds on him to keep herself from eating humans. Its more disturbing snd gorey than scary bit intresting.
    Higurashi-
    This anime is one pf my favoritres. This cant be described throught words, you need to watch it to understand.
    Shiki-
    More of a vampire/apocalypse anime. Still really good.
    Attack on Titan-
    I mainly recommended this one because of the weird uhly titans that scare the hell out of you.
    Sankerea-
    One of a kind zombie love story.
    High School of the Dead-
    There are things wrong with this anime that arent even about xombies taking over the world.
    Hope you take these recommendations and watch one of these animes or read their mangas. If you want to watch them for free, ho to a website called Anime Freak.

  12. YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE USERNAME!

    Could I try and suggest a new discussion post?
    Any unusual fears or childhood fears that people had that nobody understood and ridiculed? Or one you kept secret?

    1. Do me a favor and keep suggestions for the discussion post page. I can’t move this comment there as they are different post/page types, but it’s FAR easier for me to keep track of suggestions when they’re not scattered all over the site.

  13. For manga, try “Doubt” by Tonogai Yoshiki, or “The Enigma of Amigara Fault,” and Tokyo Ghoul.
    Anime wise, try Danganronpa, the Higurashi series, Monster, Tokyo Ghoul, or Corpse Party: Tortured Souls (based off the video game).

  14. Shoshanna Schoenbaum

    Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai, and Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Rei.

    An anime (and novel series– I’ve only watched the series’) that takes place on the same timeline in each season, but has different horrific outcomes based on the protagonist’s actions. I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it.

  15. The Enigma of Amigara Fault is a disturbing short manga-style comic. You can find it online, but I’d recommend easily scared readers stay away from it.
    ((This is my hole! It was made for me!))

  16. If I had to put out my favorite Horror Manga I would have to say it was “Ludwig Revolution”.

    The story is about a spoiled, pretentious prince who has a certain infatuation is deceased women. His father the King orders Ludwig to find a suitable wife from one of the nearby kingdoms.

    The story takes already twisted fairy tales, and takes them several steps further into the depraved. Stories like the play off of Cinderella, and Red Riding Hood, will leave you with the chills.

    I would suggest this manga series to anyone with a love for horror and the macabre. It can be found on Mangavolume.com and is (Or was) Unlicensed at the time, so it should be easy access.

  17. As someone who was once a huge anime fan, one of my personal favorites is the psychological-horror series “Monster.” In fact, it holds such a special place in my heart that the antagonist of the series – Johan Liebert, is the figure in my little gravatar picture here. It’s a very unconventional and unique anime very far apart from the cutesy wide-eye crazy-hair mech cliches animes usually are, dealing with very mature and historical themes.

    It tells the story of a brilliant Japanese brain surgeon named Kenzo Tenma living in Germany shortly after the Cold War, when the country’s East and West reconciled and is now struggling to rebuild its identity. It turns out that a young boy Tenma once saved from a bullet to the head (at the cost of his promising career) has grown up to become Johan Liebert, a psychotic East German serial killer who was molded into an “anti-Christ” type figure by a neo-Nazi organization. Johan takes to stalking and mentally tormenting Tenma, eventually framing him for murder and forcing Tenma on the run from the obsessed Javert-like Detective Runge. This all eventually weaves into a gradually growing story involving a large ensemble cast that has their own part in the East German atrocities that molded Johan into the unhinged psychopath he is today.

    Honestly just explaining that much doesn’t even touch the surface of how deep the series goes into legitimately unnerving psychological themes, including our capacity for evil and what lengths someone will go to achieve their goals, even at the cost of their humanity.

  18. Higurashi or when they cry in English. This anime is still one of my most loved series. There is also great manga dedicated to it, Including side story’s you wont see in the anime.

  19. I have Another manga it’s pretty cool. Corpse Party is also an awesome one and there’s a lot of gore in it XD
    To me, Another isn’t really scary, it’s just mysterious.
    Erm.. I guess Aot is also scary but not really.
    Hehe just because the anime has blood and killing, doesn’t really make it THAT scary like come on. O3O

  20. Attack on titan & Claymore are pretty freaky & gory. Which makes it scarier. But both kind touch on the
    Humanity is going to die” theme that I really enjoy. I like to watch the last limbs of people trying to stay alive. It’s really good. But Attack on Titan constantly has that feel of mystery too. “What are the titans?” “Why do they eat humans?” etc. etc.

  21. Mermaid Saga is kinda weird and creepy. It is about how eating mermaid flesh could grant immortality if eaten. People who eat it but the process goes wrong somehow turn into lost souls or deformed ones in the English dub.

  22. Woooo!! Don’t get me started on this, there’s so many good horror mangas. In my opinion, they’re way better than any horror movie because the stories are so rich.

    For manga:
    -Mahou Shoujo of the End
    -Umineko (all of them, there’s too many not going to list it)
    -Battle Royale (..also a movie. similar to hunger games)
    -Higarashi (all of them)
    -Apoocalypse no Toride (zombies)
    -Pupa (for some seriously creepy messed up stuff)
    Honestly I wouldn’t count Death Note as horror. More mystery than anything. But similar to death note, there’s Mirai Nikki, which is pretty good!

  23. “The Dreaming” is a really great manga. Haven’t read it in years, but I remember getting creeped out by it.

  24. Weirdo Reading Manga

    Definitely Corpse Party. Also, Swirly, if you like that stuff you should check out Eric Van Wilderman’s channel on YouTube. He plays all those games and more.

  25. InfernalNightmare333

    Let’s see… the Hellsing manga and Hellsing Ultimate anime come highly recommended from me (awesome vampires fighting against… well, I won’t spoil it. Lots of blood, action, horror, and epic fight scenes). Alucard ftw! ^_^ For the over-18 crowd, Team Fourstar on Youtube has a hilarious, profanity-laced abridged parody series of Hellsing on Youtube as well.

    I also like Another & Hell Girl (described above), Higurashi (gory and surreal misadventures of “cursed” students), Dusk Maiden of Amnesia (HS paranormal investigation club meets forgetful resident ghost), and Shiki (more vampires).

    If you’re looking for something a little different, more supernatural/horror RELATED than strict horror, you may want to check out some of the following:

    Sankarea (zombie love story… yes, seriously!)
    Yu Yu Hakusho (teens fighting demons – more of the shonen/fighting genre than anything else, but the manga focuses more on the supernatural aspect than the anime, and both are classics… one of my all time faves)
    Blue Exorcist (similar premise/style to YYH, only more focus on Western than Japanese religion, and of course it’s not as “classic.” :) Also narrower in scope & not as long.)
    Puella Magi Madoka Magica (looks all cute and girly to start off with, but juuuuuuust wait :) Until episode 3, to be precise. The fight scenes are also trippy as hell.)
    Paprika (honestly, more surreal than scary, but some of the images/moments freaked ME the hell out)
    Hataraku Maou-Sama (comedy/fantasy about the “devil” of an alternate dimension being transported to modern Tokyo and losing all of his magic powers… very little real “horror” here, more screwball comedy)
    Kuroshitsuji, a.k.a. Black Butler (not gonna lie, lot of fanservice here, especially in the second season, but it’s one of my favorite guilty pleasures ^_^ And it really is a creepy, dark series at its heart, with some great tragedy/drama and truly freaky moments. Throw in a bunch of hot, stylish anime guys on top of that, and apparently you have a winning formula!)
    Diabolik Lovers (pure, unabashed fanservice. With vampires and S&M. Nothing X-rated is actually shown, but… blood-sucking becomes such a transparent metaphor for other things that it’s barely a distinction. Based on a visual novel, so… yeah. NO UNDER-EIGHTEENS, PLEASE!! The plot is thin, the heroine has absolutely no personality, the relationships depicted are extremely unhealthy… WHY DID I WATCH THE WHOLE THING?!? Oh yeah, Sakamaki Reiji. Damn you, hormones.)

    Okay, I need to stop before I’ve tried to describe every anime I’ve ever watched!

  26. I loved another.I felt it was so original and insane.
    of course hell girl(jigoku shoujo) a site where you can enter your curse to another person and a girl that grants the revenge for you by taking that person to Hell.The price that you ‘ll pay? simple,NO HEAVEN FOR YOU.You re soul will be taken to hell to when youll die every episode a new crunch.
    Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai(when they cry)is an amazing
    anime series where the protagonist finds himself in a cursed village full with deaths and disappearances.The unique about this series is that is been told through scenarios.
    My absolute favorite Elfen Lied http://www.animehere.com/elfen-lied-episode-1.html?ver=1
    just watch it….

  27. Count Cain by Kaori Yuki and Black Butler by Toboso Yana; both series have to do with Victorian England (which is creepy in of itself; Jack the Ripper anyone?) with a supernatural and spooky slant. The art in both series is very dark and atmospheric, yet hauntingly beautiful.

  28. Anime:
    Darker than black has a kind of weird creepy atmosphere in some parts. Overall it’s still a great anime

    Elfen Lied is a really really dark horror anime with a ton of gore but surprisingly deep and sad plot same thing with its manga origin

  29. I’m actually surprised no one’s mentioned Satoshi Kon’s “Paranoia Agent,” easily one of my favorite anime series of all time. Not only is it an incredible and thought-provoking story with loads of creepy twists and turns, but the production quality and animation are top-notch. It helps that it’s a short series – 13 episodes total – so it doesn’t overstay its welcome.

    Like any horror story that I think is told well these days, things get kicked off by a seemingly innocuous event: a character artist on the verge of a nervous breakdown gets attacked on the street one night by a young boy on in-line skates with a baseball bat. The plot thickens as two detectives delve into the case, and learn that what they suspected to be a hoax by the artist may be real as other people become victims of the same assailant, dubbed Shonen Bat (or Lil’ Slugger, in the English dub), and a much larger and more bizarre connection is traced between each of the assaults.

    There’s a level of depth and complexity to “Paranoia Agent” that I adore. The revelations comes slowly but surely, and even then they just raise more questions. And even at the end, there are some eerie symbolic things that are never quite explained, and left me thinking about the series afterward. I cannot recommend this highly enough; watch it if you can!

  30. I actually loved Another, both the manga and the anime. But my favourites are Ghost Hunt, and Ibitsu. After reading the latter I couldn’t sleep for a month lol

  31. Noy a single person has menyioned the hugely underrated anime series “Ghost Hunt”. English and Japanese dubs available. I was legitimately frightened all night when I decided to watch every single episode on a row.

  32. It’s kind of a stretch, but Berserk by Kentaro Miura is a dark fantasy with horror elements. One of the greatest series I’ve ever read, and it’s still being published (up to volume 37 currently, and it’s been in production since 1989). The art is impeccable and is reason enough to read it, and it’s understandable why it takes so much time for Miura to produce each episode. I’ve seen very few manga match up to Berserk‘s quality.

  33. Deadman Wonderland is an incredibly good read in my opinion. It deals with a teenager wrongfully convicted of mass murdering his classmates. He gets sent to a different kind prison. Think of it as a prison mixed with a game show with an incredibly dark underbelly. Most of the story deals with that dark underbelly. It’s a different kind of horror story. It deals more with the harsh truths of how cruel the world can truly be. Trust me, it’s great. It’s a good mix of suspense, action, conspiracy, and tragedy. But one thing it’s not though, is boring.

  34. Yesss finally a discussion post I can contribute to. Now, I don’t really watch a lot of horror anime mostly because I’m poor and don’t have the money to afford a crunchyroll subscription AND to buy the dvds and stuff so I can see the episodes uncensored if they have a lot of gore. So, I’m just gonna be suggesting manga. I guess I’ll just make a straight up list with brief little blurbs about each series and I’ll try to keep it relatively short.

    Aphorism by Kujo Karuna
    This one mainly focuses on dread, paranormal abilities and creatures, as well as the classic humans vs horrible evil threat plot. It’s nothing overly original but I still enjoy it so hopefully you guys will to.

    Cage of Eden by Yamada Keiyou
    A bunch of students crash land on an island during a school trip and uncover weird mysteries about the place and try not to die. It’s kind of like Lost meets Jurassic Park with high school kids and fanservice.

    Ibitsu by Ryou Haruto
    This ones kind of cliche in that it has the typical creepy stalker girl character and a lot of predictable elements. But it’s still absolutely terrifying and entertaining, and fairly short, so if you have a little time to kill give this one a try!

    I am a Hero by Hanazawa Kengo
    If you like zombies and psychological trauma you’ll love this one. It’s sort of like a slice of life story set in a recent zombie outbreak and has a cast of very interesting and relatable characters.

    Doubt and Judge by Tonogai Yoshiki
    Doubt is the first series of manga in this universe while Judge is a sort of sequel with the same basic premise. It’s kind of like a less cooky version of the Saw movies with a bigger focus on emotional trauma and persecution than gore.

    I have a lot more but I’ll just stop here for now so I don’t wind up writing an entire book about these stories.. I’m also not going to leave a link since it’s much better to buy the books and support the series than to just find them online but, if you really have to, you can just google the titles and find a bunch of sites that have them up.

  35. Most of the Junji Ito manga are quite good. Tomie and Flesh Colored Horror come to mind. Kago Shintaro also comes up to mind with creepy manga being filled with crap (literally) and brutal and weird death scenes.

    In anime Haven’t watched Sia no Uta but the game and anime were pretty disturbing. Magica madoka and Higurashi also strikes me as one of the most fckd up anime all time.

  36. Aaah Junji ito! Everything by him is creepy as hell. I couldn’t sleep for a few days after reading the ‘enigma of emigata fault’. I also love his short story collection, ‘Mimi no Kaidan’.
    There’s also this creepy manga, similar in tone with ‘Uzumaki’ called ‘Soil’ by atsushi kaneko.
    If you like horror/mistery/detective manga, there’s ‘Psychic Detective Yakumo’ by manabu kaminaga.
    In a lighter note, I love this comedy/horror/shoujo manga called ‘Ghost Only’ by Shin Yui, about a cafe catering to ghosts patrons. Not that scary, but really cute.

    1. His collections are nice. Some personal favorites are the Tomie series and Flesh Colored Horror. Glyceride is also good. The manga of Kago Shintaro also is in the top spot (in my opinion) being both disgusting and creepy.

  37. Try read Onikirimaru manga. I started read it when i was in elementary school, many years ago. Its horror manga about a half-satan kid who slashed satans. I dont read it anymore, so i dont know whether this manga already finished or still ongoing

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