Grim Night Tales Vol. 1

厭談夜話 [Endan Yobanashi] #1

by Yamayu, Kensei Hokamoto (Illustrator)

常軌を逸したホラーオムニバス開幕。

〈三代目怪談最恐位〉夜馬裕が20年以上にも渡って全国から収集した実話怪談を、人間のリアルと狂気に深く切り込む外本ケンセイが完全漫画化。

厭(いや)な怪談の世界にあなたを誘う。

Genres: Manga, Horror, Comics, Paranormal

182 pages, Paperback

First published July 12, 2023

Reviews

[alex :) · Rating 3 out of 5]

stop this was kinda spooky 🫢

[Mehsi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A terrifying, disturbing, scary manga full of short stories AND an overarching plot!


When I saw this one being announced as getting an English translation? I just knew I had to have it. And then the wait came. And then waiting for Libristo to deliver it. And then early April I could finally read it! And boy, I need more of this story because this one was so intriguing and so scary.

I had thought this one would just be anthology, so short stories. Just that. I was already happy with that. But then I quickly learned there is an overarching plot. A very messed up, disturbing, what the fuck is going on overarching plot. Before I get into the short stories let’s dive into the overarching plot. That is all about a girl in a hotel room. A cute girl. A crazy girl. And a guy tied up to the bed with a blindfold on and no way to speak. I am not sure what the guy did to the girl (or tried to do) but either way he is in a bad situation, I wonder if, as the volumes continue, we learn more about the guy and what he did and why he deserves various horrific things to happen to him. The girl? She has stories to tell. And some cough cough attributes to help tell them (or have the guy listen to her). Each new story has us return to that hotel room. See the girl go from cute to well… Higurashi-mode.

The stories she tells are strange/unsettling/weird. They range from a guy renting a cheap apartment with bonus guests, to scary dolls (we can of course not have a horror book without spooky dolls) who will fuck you over if you fuck with them, to suicide and a twist, to a woman who may or may not be a ghost, and there are more stories each one guaranteed to bring you some lovely nightmares and more fear of the dark (or smiling people, teehee). I really enjoyed each of the stories and they are perfectly spooky/scary if you are a horror lover like me. I also loved that we had a character returning in some stories, namely Editor Y. I am curious if we will see more of him in the next volumes.

The volume ends with a written short story which seemed to be OK at first but then progressively got more and more scary. People vanishing. A boy/guy wishing. I loved that this one was added and I hope that the the next volumes also bring their own short written story.

The art was just fantastic. It fitted so well with the stories told and amplified the spookiness/unsettlingness of it all. There are some scenes that will definitely haunt me for a long time, thanks for that, haha.

All in all, if you want something that will terrify the heck out of you, something that will give you nightmares? Be sure to read this amazing anthology. Perfect for Halloween in just 4 months.

Review also posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/

[yam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unsettling, that’s the best feeling I can describe throughout my journey of reading this. It’s a compilation of horror stories being told by a girl who seemingly held a man hostage. However, she spoke on behalf of a man who wrote about occult stories? It does seem like something is not clicking because we have yet to be revealed about these characters. I think if you’re a fan of Zekkyou Gakkyuu, you may like this.

[Rebo · Rating 2 out of 5]

yeah, this series is clearly trying to take point from one line the 100 stories that lead to my death, but without really understanding what makes that series so compelling…

none of the stories even really make sense, the twists are totally forced, and it tries to be creepy but isn’t… and the whole storyteller bit feels like they wanted to have SOMETHING in between that was unsettling like 100 stories does but didn’t really have a good idea and just came up with the first thing that crossed their mind

glad i didn’t waste money on this at least

[Toni · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

[J-Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

All the various stories were super fun and eerie. I have one complaint, though. Throughout the entire manga, the girl from the bathroom was never explained….. How’d she get the guy into the hotel and what was her end goal? Was she a ghost, too? Maybe the ambiguity of her was the point, but it felt lazy to me.

Other than that, this was fun. Summertime is the best time to engage with the horror genre.

[Ek Guevara · Rating 2 out of 5]

เป็นรวมเรื่องสั้น พล็อตดีแต่งานภาพดูธรรมาด เรียบง่ายไปหน่อย น่าจะทำให้หลอนได้มากกว่านี้

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I was spoiled by growing up with Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.

[Tamar Lopez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed it!! If you’re a fan of Junji Ito I highly recommend this series! Fun, short, spooky stories that all have an eerie story. I really liked the art style as well!

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Out of my manga hiatus, finally <3

[Shep · Rating 4 out of 5]

fun collection. loved the art of the ghosts

[Aergiaaaa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent horror story.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Creepy short stories with complementary artwork. I look forward to continuing this series.

[Loki Poki · Rating 3 out of 5]

The artwork was pretty cool and creepy but the rest was kinda mid

[Jenteal Schultz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hello, sat down, read this SO FAST BECAUSE IT WAS ACTUALLY GOOD!

[Chelsea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the artwork, stories were basic

[Ashley Starfish · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short stories younger me would have been all ears for. Older me is a little quicker to get through each tale.

[Jordan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh.