Manga Review — ‘Betwixt: A Horror Manga Anthology’

Happy Halloween! I’m back at it again with some more horror manga. Betwixt: A Horror Manga Anthology is a collection of manga shorts published by Viz Originals. It features work from both Japanese and American creators.

One really cool thing about the book is that it can be started from both sides of the book. Since American comics and Japanese comics typically aren’t printed the same way, this allows readers to have an authentic experience no matter which part they start with. I’m a millennial who’s been reading manga since I was in middle school, so I remember the days of reading Japanese manga that was flipped to meet the American standard. I’m glad they’re not doing that anymore, and I think this was a really clever way of handling the juxtaposition of cultures.

There were six stories in total, all of which had their own appeal. There was also a forward by Junji Ito, which definitely made me more interested in reading since he’s got such a great reputation.

Japanese

Kamei – Ryo Hanada

This was probably the most memorable story from the Japanese section. I’m not exactly surprised – this is the creator of Devil’s Line. I haven’t read Devil’s Line but I love what I’ve seen of the anime – it’s just the kind of darkly bizarre story I enjoy. The story focuses on a teenage boy who encounters the ghost of a girl whose father murdered her, fused with a kappa.

I appreciated the mythological underpinnings, and the art was beautiful – but for me, the highlight was the boy’s empathy for the girl, even when he was on the verge of death himself.

Film Ephemera – Aki Shimizu

I liked this one because it was just straight-up terrifying. A manga artist tries to liven up his apartment by pasting horror movie posters onto his wall. This triggers a frightening apparition that he finally gets rid of when he takes down the posters.

This was unsettling because I could absolutely see myself doing the exact same thing! I have a poster in my room of a guy with his chest cracked open and full of flowers that my friend made for me as a birthday present. Arguably, that’s a lot more disturbing than the movie posters. How am I not haunted yet?

The Window – Shima Shinya

The Window followed two siblings as they discussed a cheap apartment that was said to be haunted. I didn’t find this one particularly scary, but I did appreciate some of the sister’s commentary. She talked about the way ghost stories about women hide actual abuse and mental illness that women experience. That’s an insightful point, and I wish they’d spent a little longer dissecting it, but it was still a pleasure to see.

American

Never Left – Michael W. Conrad & Becky Cloonan

This one ruled. It’s about a dude named Emil leaves home to escape a doppelganger trapped beneath the ice, but then comes home to confront it once and for all. The art is intense and dramatic, befitting the story’s stark atmosphere.

I also loved how reasonable both Emil and his friend Johann were – of course, Emil wants to get rid of his doppelgänger, and of course, Johann doesn’t believe him and sees a dude trapped under the ice and wants to help him. I also love that it’s ambiguous whether the surviving version of Emil is the real deal or if it’s the doppelgänger.

Mirror, Mirror – Sloane Leong & Leslie Hung

I think this was my favorite piece. The protagonist, Kath, is held back in life by her own anxieties, but she still doesn’t want to see her mirror self take over her life – she wants to be the one to live it, no matter what it’s like. I found this really compelling and relatable. Also, it doesn’t hurt that Kath is adorable. Seriously, she looks like Jeanette from Alvin & The Chipmunks. 

Shadow – Huahua Zhu

A little girl who is bullied in school finds solace with a stray cat who might actually be a demon. The art, pacing, and atmosphere of this piece were spot on. Overall, it’s a well-done story with a lot of merit…but it was probably my least favorite.

It’s not that it’s bad – it’s a good comic. It’s that I spent years volunteering at a cat shelter and came across way too many people who refused to adopt black cats because they thought they were bad luck – or worse, adopted them and then abused and abandoned them for the same reason. I do like that the little girl seemed to really love the cat, but this sort of depiction of black cats is always a little upsetting. The cat in the story might be scary, but please be kind to real black cats!

Overall, this was an excellent volume, and I really appreciated the chance to read it.

Note: I received a free copy of the manga in exchange for this write-up. The content of the review represents my opinions and not necessarily those of Viz Originals. You can buy a physical or digital copy starting on October 24th, 2023

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