Mystique Mandala of Hell

Hino Horror #12

by Hideshi Hino, Clive France (Translator), DH Publishing Inc. (Manufactured by)

Sayoko, the new girl at school, is something of a mystery. Quiet and shy, she prefers to be alone, and is looked upon with suspicion by her classmates until she is befriended by Tanaka. But getting too close to Saynoko can only bring trouble, as Tanaka soon finds out. Sayoko is, in fact, Mandala, the daughter of the King of Hell. Given two all-seeing crystal eyes, she is sent up into the world to save her dying clan from the invading western demons. However, she soon loses one of the crystals, and centuries later, her search leads her to Tanaka and the curse that is always with her takes hold of the young boy.

Genres: Manga, Horror, Graphic Novels, Comics

192 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2004

About the author

Hideshi Hino (日野日出志 Hino Hideshi, born April 19, 1946) is a Japanese manga artist who specializes in horror stories. His comics include Hell Baby, Hino Horrors, and Panorama of Hell. He also wrote and directed two of the Guinea Pig horror movies which were based on his manga: Flower of Flesh and Blood, which he also starred in, and Mermaid in a Manhole.

Reviews

[charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

neeeeed this tattoooed on my brain

[Rudolph · Rating 3 out of 5]

cute story, i guess, but what happened to the drawing ability on display in the 80s, when he gave us stuff like "panorama of hell" and "the red snake"? the drawings here look kind of half-assed, especially when we're seeing stuff outside of his wheelhouse, like daylit scenes of "normal" people. but, in the end, is there passion here? is there demented creativity? yes and yes.

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

i guess it's unfair to expect hino to produce 200 books on his important themes but still disappointing to encounter something which is basically "this is pretty fucked up right?" and also doesn't even have a fucking ending

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent, but a rather lousy translation.

[Matthew Vickers · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Lord · Rating 3 out of 5]

Little bit inconsistent and without a proper end but nevertheless a nice addition to any horro manga collection.