Hinatsugimura

by Aki Shimizu

While looking for the ruins of a pre-WWII village deep in the mountain wilderness, a group of college students find themselves stuck thanks to a sudden thunderstorm. With no phone service, they decide to wait out the rain in a mansion. But little do they know, a ghastly fate awaits them…

Genres: Manga, Horror, Comics, Graphic Novels

224 pages, Hardcover

First published March 20, 2019

Reviews

[✔️ JAVI ®️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

7/10 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Buen resultado a pesar de ser una historia muy trillada en el manga de terror fantástico.
El pueblo de Hinatsugi se encuentra en la montaña y es temido por los habitantes que viven al pie de esta por las desapariciones misteriosas que se producen. El terror llega cuando el lector descubre que les ocurre a los que, perdidos, llegan a Hinatsugi, el pueblo de las muñecas.
Tiene el dibujo típico del manga, del que se ve bien hecho, y resulta muy agradable a la vista. Incluso alguna aberración de personaje que debería ser repulsivo resulta bonito tirando, en este caso, más hacia un buen personaje de fantasía que de terror. También hay viñetas con una importante carga de sensualidad.
Un buen conjunto para esta obra de Aki Shimizu que, a pesar de no inventar nada nuevo, entretiene y hace pasar un buen rato aportando calidad al género.
Autoconclusivo en un solo tomo de 224 páginas.

[Mizuki · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a rather standard J-Horror manga: four college students went hiking but then lost their way, one of the girls was injured and the group was rescued by some villagers, due to bad weather the students couldn't get out of the mountains and the head family of this remote village agreed to take them in for the night. Plus the head family's mistress had a beautiful daughter and...you guessed it, the village wasn't what it appeared to be.

This one-shot manga is formed by a few short stories involving different people who had found their way to the remote village and scary, spooky things happened to them. The stories are interesting and in the latter half of the manga we see some explanation for the secrets and history of this village and the head family's beautiful daughter, and I found the explanation satisfying. 

There are some gross scenes along the way but thankfully these aren't over the top, the artwork in general is good, will look forward to seeing more of this manga-ka's works.

[Antonio Jose Márquez (Pesadillas Recurrentes) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5✨

🐙 "Dame pruebas. Con la boca se puede decir cualquier cosa.”

🧙‍♂️ Tú eres la persona que me quitas mis miedos y mis inseguridades. Hasta que te cruzaste en mi vida yo sólo era despojos y escombros.Tú eres la persona que me completa. Estando cerca tuya noto que no me falta ningún pedazo. Me siente en plenitud. Quiero alargar mi relación contigo hasta siempre porque cuando me falto algo puedo arrancarlo de tu cuerpo y no te hago daño, porque hace mucho que no respiras.

🕯️Hinatsugi es una historia de un pueblo fantasma que mezcla tradiciones japoneses, body horror y un final muy bizarro que goza lo grotesco.

El guión no es nada innovador. Una historia que poco nos va a sorprender pero aún así es del tipo de las que los amantes del terror no nos hartamos de leer una y otra vez. Planteada en un increscendo bastante sostenido con una estructura muy clásica y típica de este tipo de mangas donde una historia en el presente nos hace preguntarnos cuál es el origen y cuál es el detonante que en el pasado la detona. Nos os voy a contar si Shimizu nos aclara esto o no, lo tendréis que descubrir por vosotros mismos.

A nivel del dibujo es donde destaca realmente este manga. Desde la portada nos encontramos unas ilustraciones con un nivel de producción y detalle altísimo. Para mi sólo el dibujo de la portada ya merece pagar los 9,95€ que cuesta este tomo autoconclusivo. A destacar especialmente no sólo la belleza con la que se nos presentan las escenas más grotescas sino el excelente manejo del tiempo que la autora hace en ellas. Apartado aparte merecen las joyas de pequeños paisajes costumbristas con las que está aderezada la historia con las que me he quedado embelesado durante varios minutos, en algunas de ellas, antes de seguir leyendo.

En definitiva, un manga totalmente recomendable si no te quieres internar en una larga serie de volúmenes de los que no conoces cuándo va a acabar y que gustará a cualquier amante de las buenas historias clásicas de terror.

¿Qué os parece?¿Lo habéis leído?¿Cuál es vuestro manga de terror favorito?

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This starts with what appears to be a series of short stories, but it all comes together in a satisfying ending. Not a new favorite, but still worth a read for those who enjoy horror.

[Maggie ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pues, muñecas y folk horror japonés ...

[Kelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is MESSED UP—but, in a way that goes from disturbing to deeply sad.

Essentially, this story is about a haunting.

A scorned mother’s rage transforms what once was love into a curse. Everything she cared for becomes a weapon that she uses to extract the justice and vengeance she feels she is owed for what she and her daughter suffered. Unfortunately, many innocent people are harmed along the way, her daughter perhaps most of all. She’s another captive to her mother’s pain.

To break this curse and set everyone free at last, a daughter must make a great sacrifice.

It’s a really gruesome but satisfying story.

I enjoyed this a lot—from both a storytelling and an aesthetic perspective. I appreciate how the mother here isn’t necessarily painted as a cruel, wanton villain. If it weren’t for the cruelty she suffered at the hands of people she thought loved her, she wouldn’t have become the horror she did. It’s not an excuse—but, it’s more backstory than we often get for female villains and victims like this.

Anyway.

I’d recommend this one, especially if psychological body horror blended with aspects of folk horror may appeal to you~

[Anabel Samani · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25

Buen manga de terror que destaca en la elaboración de las viñetas y que explora el tema de las relaciones abusivas de las madres sobre sus hijas. Le pesa un poco el ser tomo único y dejar en el aire ciertas explicaciones y dar más profundidad a la historia.

[Labibliotecadelorena_ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Este manga de terror comienza con cuatro estudiantes que se adentran en un monte en el que se dice que
pasan cosas extrañas, una vez dentro comienza a oscurecer y a llover, deciden marcharse, pero por
casualidad se cruzan con una chica que les dice que se pueden quedar en su pueblo hasta que amaine al
día siguiente, aquí comienzan los problemas…


Opinión
En cuanto al dibujo es un manga de terror, las caricaturas te dan ese aire siniestro y de mal rollo, me ha
gustado mucho como está dibujado, creo que ha transmitido muy bien lo que buscaba.

Es un manga muy rápido, ya que es un tomo único, pero aunque las cosas pasen deprisa el ritmo es
perfecto, vas conociendo la historia y lo que ocurre en esa ciudad, no se queda ningún cabo suelto y el final
está muy chulo.

Ha sido una lectura muy guay.

3,5/5

[Mehsi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Throughout reading this I just had the constant feeling that I already read this one. But looking in my shelves and even checking the JP name I just cannot find it. So yeah, that really lessened my enjoyment. Each time something happened I was like, THIS IS FAMILIAR!!
It was still a spooky story though some parts were a bit odd (timeline-wise). It is also a bit gory which wasn't always a hit with my stomach, haha, again if I read this in the time I watched Elfen Lied I wouldn't have been complaining, but it seems my gore tolerance levels just get lower and lower. I did like figuring out what the village is, what the mom and the daughter are (we get a very sad backstory), and I was rooting for Minato to get the heck out of there. I loved the ending, that one brought a smile to my face.

[Ernesto Juárez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Folk horror japonés. Maldiciones y muy bonitos los dibujos me encantó.

[Finn Lectora · Rating 3 out of 5]

¡Qué sorpresa tan agradable!

Una historia autoconclusiva de terror, que va de menos a más.

Lo que más me ha gustado es el mito del folklore con esa atmósfera tétrica que envuelve a la mansión.

No es una historia novedosa del género, pero si que es un tomo que cumple su función de entretener positivamente a quiénes disfrutamos del miedo.

[Ebony · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story was interesting in the beginning but very quickly lost my attention. The lead-up was a let down but I did enjoy finding out the truth about the town and how everything came to be. I'm not a fan of the art in this.

[Pedro Plasencia Martínez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Historia de terror rural ambientada en Japón que incluye algo sobre su cultura, sus festividades y su folclore, aunque se trata por encima, sin profundizar, al ser un único tomo. Al principio me pareció curioso que la autora decidiese contar varios desenlaces de distintos grupos de personajes (arqueólogos, periodistas del misterio, estudiantes que trabajan en su tesis, etc...). El manga es corto, pero al dividirlo así gana bastante en intensidad, porque tiene que resolver las escenas sin dejar un momento de relax.

Todo en esta historia es muy clásico, no innova para nada el género de terror, pero utiliza bien las típicas maldiciones que nacen del rencor de una mujer, el hermetismo de una comunidad siniestra, las costumbres retorcidas que se desvían de lo sagrado y que se basan en sacrificios humanos, en fin, todo el pack que suele venir siempre con el terror ambientado en aldeas perdidas y misteriosas que han quedado fuera del tiempo y de la civilización. Los últimos capítulos rebajan mucho la intensidad y la carnicería, aunque en este caso lo que destaca es el body horror más que el gore. No me gustó esa ternura que la autora quiere insertar al final para aleccionar de una forma tan cursi y boba, pero el 80% del manga hará las delicias de los amantes del terror.

Review in english:

Rural horror story set in Japan that includes something about its culture, festivities and folklore, although it is treated in a superficial way, without going into depth, being a single volume. At first I found it curious that the author decided to tell several outcomes of different groups of characters (archaeologists, mystery journalists, students working on their thesis, etc...). The manga is short, but by dividing it this way it gains a lot of intensity, because it has to resolve the scenes without leaving a moment of relaxation.


Everything in this story is very classic, it does not innovate the horror genre at all, but it uses well the typical curses born of a woman's rancor, the hermeticism of a sinister community, the twisted customs that deviate from the sacred and are based on human sacrifices, in short, the whole pack that always comes with horror set in lost and mysterious villages that have been left out of time and civilization. The last few chapters tone down the intensity and carnage a lot, although in this case it's the body horror rather than the gore that stands out. I didn't like the tenderness that the author wants to insert at the end to lecture in such a cheesy and silly way, but 80% of the manga will delight horror lovers.

[Danielle R · Rating 4 out of 5]

The artwork in this book is totally stunning. Kiriko's beautiful eyes and hair, the detailed shrine, the dark forest and food, the mother's all black kimono, the horrific amalgamations of what was once a person. (The cat-girl in particular is both adorable and terrifying.) The beauty of the drawings really fit nicely with how creepy the Frankenstein-aspect was.

The plotline started off pretty standard: four students wander into a forest and never come out again. I did feel like Sakuya's (cat-girl) chapter would have made a better opening than the one with the students, but it might have revealed too much about Kiriko too early. The chapter about the student and dying reporter was excellent and I liked seeing how people would come to enjoy being in such a place. However, the ending took time to explain as much of what happened as it could. It was a very satisfying ending, which is tough in the horror genre.

Totally worth a read, especially for the art and body horror. 4/5

[Maddie · Rating 2 out of 5]

While this manga certainly had a message it wanted to convey, there was too much time spent on the set-up to delve into the deeper meaning. I believe this was a manga that would have greatly benefited from being a series rather than a one-shot.

The first few chapters follow different characters somehow making their way to the Hinatsugi village, meeting Kiriko, and eventually meeting an untimely fate. In practice, this is a wonderful way to set up a horror manga—through the victims we slowly learn more about more about who or what Kiriko is and the town she lives in with her mother. In practice, everything unfortunately came off more goofy than scary—like, what was that girl-head cat?


Most of the chapters had very strong setups, which is why I was so disappointed in the end. They typically follow the same format up until the featured characters reach the village. We are introduced to various characters and their motivations for coming to the mountains. They are then lured into the village where something creepy happens, and then things typically go downhill from there. If a character first meets Kiriko, then the chapter generally ends on a stronger note. If they first meet Kiriko’s mother… well it’s hard to take anything seriously after she makes an appearance.

I think this is a story that does horror best when it stays quiet—like in Kiriko’s character. Kiriko is depicted as a doll-like girl with little emotion. Despite being covered in scars, she’s so beautiful it’s almost unworldly. Because of this ethereal air around her, she always comes off a little bit creepy, making the best of any scene she’s a part of.

Unfortunately her mother is the complete opposite of her, negating all of the eeriness that she brings about. Her mother is what I can only describe as a comically evil woman. She scream and attacks at the drop of a hat, and will even attack her own daughter if she dares disobey. They’re so different it’s difficult to believe they’re mother and daughter. I genuinely feel like the two of them belong in different stories they’re so different. The mother almost reminds me of a Junji Ito villain—not something you would think of when looking at the cover of this manga.

In the end we learn of the motivation behind all the evil that has taken place in the village…but I don’t believe there was enough build-up for it to have an actual impact. I was only just starting to like Kiriko’s character and then poof! It was all over!

[Fernando · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un grato descubrimiento este manga que sobrevuela tanto el terror psicológico de las relaciones paterno filiales como el horror corporal unido a las leyendas demoníacas del Japón feudal. Sabe combinar con un dibujo canónico y correcto ese aire enfermizo de lo maldito con mucha influencia del Psicosis de Robert Bloch. Hay que admitir no obstante que el todos los personajes salvo los tres principales resultan bastante planos, un simple decorado de la misma forma que esas efigies del festival de las muñecas colocadas en la estantería. Un libro muy bien editado por Ecce que merece la pena leerlo e incluso volver a él de vez en cuando.

[Kuroo Dabi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me parece una falta de respeto (lo digo en plan broma) que te enseñen un personaje que no es protagonista y que tenga un destino triste, me refiero al tipo que le quedaban 3 meses de vida, me gustó mucho el diseño de su personaje, es que todos los personajes están bien dibujados, la historia es buena, uno podrá decir que ya ha visto algo así antes pero tiene su toque único, la verdad me gusto, se lee rápido y te proporciona ese sentimiento de miedito que uno anda buscando, ahora con permiso me iré a llorar al wey que le quedaban 3 meses de vida.

[Zephorah Dove · Rating 3 out of 5]

The fact that the stories all connected was very fun to read in a sitting. We slowly got to hear more and more about this strange area and interesting (murderous) characters. The gist of the story was solid and getting to see how a parent's grief/rage/anger can manifest in very disturbing ways added to the intrigue.
The artwork was so good and I'm for sure looking forward to more work by the mangaka. The creepy scenes were done so well (scared the heebijeebies out of my friends).
Thanks so much to the publisher and Edelweiss for the DRC!

[Lee Lacey · Rating 3 out of 5]

A window into the tradition of Hinamatsuri through the lens of horror with well wrought drawing and some solid horror elements that felt unique and engaging. The writing becomes a bit overstated towards the end of the work, though the core message is a good one. Missing the punch in needs to become a new top favorite horror manga and won’t be giving me any nightmares, but still a decent stand-alone volume.

[Dayamarali Espinosa · Rating 4 out of 5]

It didn’t scare me to read thing horror comic/manga. To me it want that seriously horror it was more less I guess watching tv show or a movie yes horror goosebumps etc but this book to read it wasn’t it was more like wow umm eww wow that kind of thing. People get missing after enter the odd of the mountain/ village and never return. Due to that odd mystery village. If you know to know what happens come read this manga. I giving this between a 3.5 or a 4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Maranda · Rating 3 out of 5]

A 3.75.

A beautiful art style with some good horror, this manga is visually appealing. And the story is interesting, I'll give you that. But it's far too quick, and I feel like one more story and slower pacing would improve the book, as well as adding some panels to provide action/context in. Like at he start, one of the characters obtains an injury on her head, but it's never explained how it happened. Lightning strike? She slipped and fell? A fallen rock hit her? What the heck happened.

[Sheila Moreno Moreno · Rating 3 out of 5]

La verdad es que se está publicando en nuestro país cómic de terror muy interesante. Éste pueblo de las muñecas empieza como una falsa antología quedó germina juntando todas las historias. Hacia el final peca un poco de diferentes saltos de fe y creencias que no han sido muy bien explicadas. Pero merece la pena echarle un vistazo

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

People say there's a lost pre-war village on Hinatsugi Mountain, but everyone who goes to seek it vanishes without a trace. Building on legends of yamanba (mountain hags), Aki Shimizu creates a folk horror tale about a woman fueled by anger and the people who fall into her trap.

CW: child abuse, body horror

[Alissa Vidulich · Rating 4 out of 5]

A haunting Japanese horror manga about how parents can demand perfection from their children, about the shallowness of what society deems good or useful based on looks or age, with some tie-ins to cultural folklore traditions. There is a lot more I could say, but it would give away too much. I enjoyed it.

[Gisela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me ha gustado bastante para ser el primer manga que leo de este tipo, por fin. Estaba buscando una historia sin complicación pero que diera esos momentos que te dejan con los ojos abiertos cuando pasas la página. No puedo comparar con nada similar del otro género porque todavía no he leído, pero sin duda es una buena recomendación.

[Alli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely good and very, very creepy. The horror of patchwork people is evergreen, but I think this does a decent job of conveying some of the tragedy and allure of it, as well, particularly in respects to mother-daughter relationships.

[Matt Ichijoji · Rating 5 out of 5]

Le doy 5 estrellas.
Ha sido una sorpresa muy agradable. Lo he leído rapidísimo y el final me ha encantado .
Una buena lectura para los amantes del terror.

[Autumnbabe · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[foxel.reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Keşke filmi olsaydı inanılmaz beğendim. Beklentimin çok çok üzerindeydi. Junji Ito’nun çoğu eserinden daha iyiydi.

[J-Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short stories that are interconnected to form a bigger picture of freakishness. Similar to the dog/girl from FMA.