Kita ze Inbou! - キタぜ陰謀!

Story & Art: Minetaro Mochizuki
Genre: Drama, Horror, Psychological
Status: Complete (11 chapters)

Creepy onna is CREEPY.

I picked this manga upon a whim. After all, it was only 11 chapters. I found it interesting that it was done way back in 1993 and was curious as to what it would bring to the table, especially being a horror. Not until after I read Zashiki Onna that I found out that this is highly regarded as the scariest manga ever in magazine horror specials and that it was a bestseller. Well, I was pleasantly surprised with the way things turned out.

Summary:

One night, mild-mannered college student, Hiroshi Mori, bumps into a woman visiting his next-door neighbor. A large, creepy woman, she has long hair, wears a coat and carries shopping bags in both hands. He had never seen her before. But then, without warning, the woman starts stalking Hiroshi, shifting her attention from his next-door neighbor whom she had been visiting to Hiroshi himself. Who is she and what is she after? Originally published in 1993 – before the term “stalker” was acknowledged in Japanese society, this well-written horror manga is about a young man pursued by a mystery woman.

Impressions:

I wasn’t sure if horror could captivate me if it wasn’t something animated but Zashiki Onna managed to do so. I felt almost as creeped out as Mori did when he first encountered the insanely ugly and freaky phantom stalker. I can’t even begin to imagine what it’s like to go through such levels of unwanted attention and I sure as hell don’t want to find out either after reading this.

The artwork is pretty good which I didn’t really expect. Characterisation isn’t exactly detailed because of its short length but it is good enough for the story being told. I’m not sure if I can compare this to anything I’ve read/seen before. The ending was rather ambiguous and will most likely have you going “So what the hell happened?”. Although it was a interesting experience, Zashiki Onna isn’t something I’d read again. Would I recommend it? Sure, especially if you want to see how creepy it can get. Still, I didn’t find myself actually feeling frightened like I have so many times with Higurashi na Naku Koro ni (particularly the first season). I’m not sure if anything else will ever give me chills and jumps as much as Higurashi has but that might change some time in the future. Might.