Hide and Seek

by Naono Yoshiko, Ryan Holmberg (Translator)

Genres: Manga, Horror, Comics, Fiction, Graphic Novels Manga

268 pages, Paperback

Published May 12, 2026

Reviews

[Curtis]

A manga collection of short horror stories from the 1970's. These were fun to read, but they're definitely not as shocking as they must have been when they first came out (they were printed in various girl's magazines in Japan, get em traumatized while they're young), and some of the "horrifying twist endings" come off as lulzy instead of upsetting. Worth a read if you're a fan of vintage horror.

[Benjamin Bauer]

Have you ever had a decision point, particularly when you were young, where you could tell the wrong choice might send your life spiralling into an abyss of despair? Do you find yourself terrified, yet fascinated by such moments in people's lives? They're an avowed interest of the author of these twelve short manga. Twelve stories as sharp as an unexpected tack in a rain boot.

I don't know if it's only because the stories in Hide and Seek all involve children or young adults, but I think this volume of Smudge may be the most viscerally uncomfortable. These are some harrowing, often unhappy tales written by a mangaka with a dark sense of humour, at times reminiscent of Fujiko Fujio A's Laughing Salesman series. Few have any supernatural elements, which makes them all the sharper for the painful situations the characters embroil themselves in. I found myself having to catch my breath more than once at the end of these tales, having to pace my reading of them in a way I usually associate more with the works on Shuzo Oshimi. There's a level of pain and anxiety here made all the more effective for the relative normalcy of most of these stories. It might sound like a bit much, but this book is a must-read for fans of horror manga, particularly those who prefer suspense to gore or the supernatural.

I'd even go as far as to say this might be the finest volume in the Smudge imprint to date. It's maybe not as fun as some of the earlier books, but if you want to feel your insides knot up on behalf of some fictional characters, then look no further. I think the title story and Our First Family Vacation in particular left my skull feeling scraped out...but in a good, cathartic way!

This volume ends with a charming biographical essay by the mangaka about her career, originally published in the Japanese edition of this book (which contained two additional stories!). Naono's got a sense of sardonic humour, and it's great to get such a glimpse of her life and the inspirations behind the stories in Hide and Seek. There's even a series of Guro-esque illustrations by the author from around the time of the first few stories, which make for an interesting contrast with her manga-work. Definitely one of Smudge's best publications. I'd even recommend this to readers who don't often seek this sort of stuff out.

[Raven Black]

I would have given it a 5 but a few pieces of "scare" and culture might have been lost in translation so I was not sure why the situation was supposed to be "that scary." Also, the images were a bit "blended together" for my tastes. Otherwise, a really good thriller-horror collection. And while intense, it is a bit less intense than Junji Ito's work, but still not for sensitive readers. It is not a nice book. But amazing read.

[Kathryn Grace Loves Horror]

Delightfully grim manga collection of stories originally published in the early 1970s. All the stories worked for me except one. Particular favorites include "Whose Child is Mariko?" and "Our First Family Trip," but a word of warning: these stories are bleak.

[Toheed Ahmed]

Yoshiki's classic horror stories from the early 70s center around children and teenagers. However, instead of choosing to write evil children, she writes children. The horror does not come from them being born as wicked, bad seeds, destined to commit murder or violence, but from guilt, regret, and shame. The horror of an undeveloped brain not understanding what they have done wrong until it is too late. Even the "girl is revealed to be a man dressed up as a girl" story in here didn't come across as transmisogynistic as these stories (especially older ones) often do, but with a great deal of sympathy and understanding on why people do the things that they do.

[Jonathan]

The back matter describes Naono Yoshiko's as "shojo trauma." Most of the stories revolve around a girl making a petty or cruel choice (or just a mistake) in the moment and then succumbing to the shock of the horrible, ironic repercussions of that moment. There's a couple supernatural stories here, but mostly it revolves around very mundane, plausible tragedies. There's a certain cruel glee to these mostly sympathetic young characters confront their debilitating guilt after it's too late.

Another banger from Smudge.

[Peacegal]

Creepy, flash fiction-style horror tales. I didn't care for the overly graphic standalone art that was included at the book's conclusion; I think there is a difference between scary and sickening.