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おろち [Orochi] #2
Orochi: The Perfect Edition, Vol. 2
A deluxe edition of Orochi , featuring all nine of the classic interconnected short stories by horror master Kazuo Umezz, the creator of The Drifting Classroom!
The second volume of Umezz’s classic horror manga begins with “Prodigy,” in which Orochi watches from the shadows while a baby boy matures and proves that you never know who someone will grow up to be. In “Home,” Orochi accompanies a man home after an accident—but as they say, you can never go home again… Finally, in “Key,” the rules of good and evil are blurred for two families when Orochi moves into a new apartment.
The second volume of Umezz’s classic horror manga begins with “Prodigy,” in which Orochi watches from the shadows while a baby boy matures and proves that you never know who someone will grow up to be. In “Home,” Orochi accompanies a man home after an accident—but as they say, you can never go home again… Finally, in “Key,” the rules of good and evil are blurred for two families when Orochi moves into a new apartment.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published November 30, 2005
29 people are currently reading
542 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews
December 4, 2023
I liked the story PRODIGY it was a good twist. But HOME was kind weird and more of a sci-fi so I didn’t like it. Also the story KEY was a bit boring.
May 27, 2023
Once again, Orochi stalks some people whose lives are falling to pieces, occasionally using her supernatural powers of telekinesis and healing to intervene slightly, but mostly just observing. These stories are not good, and I'm reading them as historical artifacts from a well-known manga creator's career rather than for pleasure.
Prodigy ~ 2 stars ~
A desperate man tries to rob the Watanabe family, but things go awry and the infant son of the family, Yu, ends up getting stabbed. Years later, the robber is in prison, and Mrs. Watanabe bullies and abuses Yu to study harder and harder so he can surpass his aloof father in intellect. No one acts like a normal person, but everyone's crazy motivations get explained in the end, though it's quite a slog through multiple outlandish developments getting there.
Home ~ 1 star ~
A man learns you can't go home again in this dull mishmash of the "It's a Good Life" episode of The Twilight Zone and The Children of the Corn with a godawful ending.
Key ~ 2 stars ~
A little boy who lies all the time gets himself into "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" trouble. Too long, too dull.
Prodigy ~ 2 stars ~
A desperate man tries to rob the Watanabe family, but things go awry and the infant son of the family, Yu, ends up getting stabbed. Years later, the robber is in prison, and Mrs. Watanabe bullies and abuses Yu to study harder and harder so he can surpass his aloof father in intellect. No one acts like a normal person, but everyone's crazy motivations get explained in the end, though it's quite a slog through multiple outlandish developments getting there.
Home ~ 1 star ~
A man learns you can't go home again in this dull mishmash of the "It's a Good Life" episode of The Twilight Zone and The Children of the Corn with a godawful ending.
Key ~ 2 stars ~
A little boy who lies all the time gets himself into "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" trouble. Too long, too dull.
May 19, 2022
Orochi is the perfect balance between story and impending dread. Not quite horror in my opinion, but you definitely feel something is wrong with every short story from the very beginning while being invested immediately in the characters. The ending is never quite what I expect, which keeps me flipping the pages for more.
This second volume is a great follow up to the first, where the stories are focused more on the odd events around the main character and how she influences them.
Can't wait for more!
This second volume is a great follow up to the first, where the stories are focused more on the odd events around the main character and how she influences them.
Can't wait for more!
October 3, 2022
Orochi is about a mysterious young lady who likes to people watch all the wrong people! 😂 That’s the series in a sentence. In this second installment, Orochi witnesses some strange happenings around 3 different strange kids.
I read this for the Manga Freak-a-thon ‘22!!
instagram // youtube // tiktok
I read this for the Manga Freak-a-thon ‘22!!
instagram // youtube // tiktok
September 9, 2025
i ate this up as well…. hate to admit it but sorta liked this more than the first 🤣 i liked the horror elements and stories in this one, really enjoyed the story telling
February 17, 2025
3.5/5
Good Stuff
Good Stuff
October 19, 2023
Prodigy : I felt that... So many bad memories from my childhood, but I really liked it. It was well done and that twist at the end? Brilliant.
Home : A well done story that had me questioning a lot at the end.
Key : A retelling of a famous story. Not my favorite, but still, intriguing.
Home : A well done story that had me questioning a lot at the end.
Key : A retelling of a famous story. Not my favorite, but still, intriguing.
October 19, 2022
The second of three deluxe editions.
The three short stories in this volume are not as good as the previous ones. But still a desirable read you shouldn't miss out on.
The three short stories in this volume are not as good as the previous ones. But still a desirable read you shouldn't miss out on.
January 8, 2023
I'm torn because I like the stories but the is so uncomfortable to read.
April 16, 2024
The second volume of Orochi contains three stories: Prodigy, Home, and Key. Prodigy was the strongest of the three and Key was the weakest of the offerings mainly due to its protracted chase scenes. An enjoyable read overall.
October 19, 2022
orochi is a demon of chaos (not really. I have no idea what she is meant to be other than a pretty woman with a very vague set of magical powers) that is hilarious to read about precisely because she never seems to know what she's doing or why. the second tale in this volume went to some insane places while orochi stumbles along, barely a central character in her own manga. I always get a lot of laughs from these and love how camp the stories end up being (a good rule of camp being that sometimes it's better when it's unintentional) and highly recommend to anyone that knows how to enjoy trashy, ridiculous b movies. the only reason this isn't 5 stars is because the third story had barely any orochi in it and I need a little more of her to make things interesting.
November 10, 2022
This volume wasn't as good as the first, in my opinion. The stories all involve children, bad things happen to them, and the whole thing kinda left a bad taste in my brain. I don't know what is up with this Orochi chick, she seems to just go around watching (and sometimes helping) people screw up their lives with her really vague powers that seem to involve pointing at things. The last story, Key, is a boy-who-cried-wolf trope, and has a particularly unsatisfying ending. The art is good though.
I would recommend this is you're a fan of Kazuo Umezz, but not so much if you're a casual reader.
#OrochiThePerfectEditionVol2 #NetGalley
I would recommend this is you're a fan of Kazuo Umezz, but not so much if you're a casual reader.
#OrochiThePerfectEditionVol2 #NetGalley
June 2, 2024
We get it, Kazuo Umezz. Children are evil.
August 1, 2022
Safe to say that while the stories were interesting and I read them all I don't think I liked a single one of them, that is because in the first story of this second volume you visually see a child get stabbed in the throat. That scene alone but a bad taste in my mouth I mean it all ends up working out in the end but seriously if your horror writing means showing a child getting stabbed that's not scary that is just straight up sick and not in a good way. All these stories ending up involving children and their behaviors most of it wasn't scary it was just alarming and unsettling. This volume is not good in my eyes and left me feeling disgusted no wonder barely anyone has read this because horror should not involve children getting abused and harrassed in different ways. I am unhauling both these first two volumes and I won't continue reading more. I am revolted and angry that money was wasted on this purchase. I will say though on a good note orochi's character is fascinating and how she ends up in other people's shenanigans does allow for some entertainment I just can't get over bad things happening to children that was something I didn't know going in.
March 20, 2023
Just finished the final short story within this second volume of Orochi. It was based on ‘the boy who cried wolf’ but it was very well done. I enjoy the art style and the way it helps to convey the story.
I love learning more about the character Orochi as we move through the stories. I think it’s an interesting concept as it’s more focused on the stories around her, rather than her herself.
I thought the first story was amazing, the second story needed a better ending and the third story was good. Overall, I give this a 4 stars and I can’t wait to read volume 3 and for my preorder of volume 4 to turn up!
I love learning more about the character Orochi as we move through the stories. I think it’s an interesting concept as it’s more focused on the stories around her, rather than her herself.
I thought the first story was amazing, the second story needed a better ending and the third story was good. Overall, I give this a 4 stars and I can’t wait to read volume 3 and for my preorder of volume 4 to turn up!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 25, 2023
Once again, nice stories, with mysteries behind them. I liked the second story here most. Third one stood out for the ending itself. First one was great as well.
I am glad that I picked this series up for reading. This has unique take on events.
I am glad that I picked this series up for reading. This has unique take on events.
August 8, 2023
Idk how this guy is considered one of the best horror manga writers of all time. Nothing I’ve read by him is good. The drifting classroom had potential and is definitely far better than Orochi series but still was not great. Orochi has been laughably bad so far. Continuing out of curiosity and my desire to complete the series. If they weren’t so easy to read quickly I’d stop right here. Hopefully the next two perfect editions are better.
October 9, 2023
This weird fixation on spoiled, bullied and lying revengeful kids got me good in this one. Also, is Orochi actually Majka z Gurunu?
September 7, 2022
A mystery woman slithers her way into people's lives, and we have no idea why. She takes us on a journey through the two storylines. Although she tries to help but somehow ends up creating trouble for those people. We are given two stories in Volume 1 and three stories in volume 2, both eerie and disturbing, with wonderful plots and, mercifully, no cliffhangers. The fundamental question is: Who is she, and why is she involved in these individuals' lives?
This manga does not let you down. Strange, creepy, and mentally upsetting. If you enjoy stories with unexpected endings, I strongly advise you to read it.
This manga does not let you down. Strange, creepy, and mentally upsetting. If you enjoy stories with unexpected endings, I strongly advise you to read it.
October 16, 2022
Quick recap: Orochi is a seemingly immortal being in the shape of a young woman who can pass anywhere from high school to college age. While her name evokes the eight-headed serpent of Japanese folklore, Orochi does not appear to be of ill intent. She’s motivated primarily by curiosity about the short-lived humans she dwells among, going from place to place and observing strange situations.
This volume contains three stories from the classic late Sixties horror manga.
“Prodigy” opens randomly at a street festival (with a shout-out to Kazuo Umezz’s other series about a mysterious being who gets involved with weird events, The Cat-Eyed Boy.) Orochi is following a young man who she’s been keeping tabs on since he was an infant. Yu Tachibana used to be a happy baby with doting parents. On his first birthday, a robber broke into the house, and in the ensuing struggle, Yu was stabbed in the neck.
Orochi lost contact with the family for a short time when they moved to Tokyo; by the time she finds them again, things have changed. Yu is shunned by other children because of his ugly neck scar. His mother has become obsessed with Yu’s academic achievement, forcing the preschooler to study rather than play, which the child naturally resents.
At school, Yu gets the derisive nickname “Books” because all he does is study, never playing or showing interest in fun (and the kids are still creeped out by the scar.) His mother is a demanding “education mama”, insisting on giving him a tutor to study subjects well in advance of what a normal child would be handling. His father has become something of an alcoholic.
At age eleven, Yu visits a library on the pretext of a social studies project, and reads a news story on the attack that scarred him. Suddenly, he stops fighting back against his mother’s domineering demands, and becomes a model student on the surface, though he has disturbing ideas about how to get ahead. Even so, Orochi is still worried about the child, and once he gets into high school, joins him as a classmate. The other students are still creeped out by him, but the bullying dies away as they mature a bit. Yu still doesn’t make any friends.
Finally, it’s time for Yu to test for admission into his father’s alma mater, K University. Time for the horrific twist!
“Home” tells the tale of Shoichi Sugiyama. He was raised in a remote farming community, and had a normal rural childhood. But in school, he became dissatisfied with the farming life so resolved to move to the big city on the invitation of a friend. Sugiyama vowed not to return until he’d made a success of himself.
But about a year in, his friend absconded with Sugiyama’s savings and clothing. At that point, Sugiyama found out the money he’d given his friend for rent had not been paid to the landlady, and the alleged friend had also forged his name on multiple debt documents to get enough money to blow town for good. Sugiyama was also forced to leave town for his own safety and took up life under a different name, sinking into gang life.
Orochi comes across Sugiyama again a few years later, just as he gets into a brawl. Orochi helps him out with her powers, but he is still badly injured and lies at the brink of death. Orochi decides to travel to Sugiyama’s home town in hopes of finding someone (his parents perhaps?) to notify and perhaps convince to come for the dying man.
To her surprise, Sugiyama is also on the train, looking much better, and ready to finally return home. When they get to the village, it is much the same as when they left it. At first. As Sugiyama settles in with his still living parents, Orochi begins to notice there’s something wrong with the town. A childhood prank by Soichi Sugiyama may have unleashed a great evil.
This is the most openly horrific of the stories in this volume. There’s a final twist that would have spoiled a lesser tale, but works well here.
“Key” opens with Orochi deciding to move into an apartment complex because she senses something interesting will happen there. The first person she meets is a little boy who gives her bad directions. Hiroyuki Watanabe is a brat who constantly fibs for no good reason, steals things he has no need for, and doesn’t study in school. Everyone except his parents calls him by his nickname “Liar”.
Liar’s reputation comes back to haunt him when he witnesses his neighbor apparently murdering her handicapped daughter. No one believes this tall tale. Well, almost no one. The parents of that little girl would like to have a word with him…alone. And no one is going to help a brat like Liar, when they all know he’s just fibbing to be mean to the nice couple.
Orochi’s snoopiness comes in handy here, and the story ends a bit more happily than it might otherwise have done. But Liar doesn’t appear to have fully learned his lesson.
Orochi remains an enigma in this volume, with almost nothing revealed about her personal past or exactly what kind of being she is. Her powers are ill-defined, but are notably weakened when she’s injured. She might do protagonistic things from time to time, especially in “Home” but is far more interested in being a meddling observer. The primary interest is the human stories going on around her.
The art is impressive, and gives a dark, gloomy feel to the stories whenever necessary.
That said, these are stock stories in their way, just very well done, so they may seem overly familiar, especially “Key”.
Content note: bloody violence, peril to children, child abuse.
If you liked the first volume, this one is also good value.
This volume contains three stories from the classic late Sixties horror manga.
“Prodigy” opens randomly at a street festival (with a shout-out to Kazuo Umezz’s other series about a mysterious being who gets involved with weird events, The Cat-Eyed Boy.) Orochi is following a young man who she’s been keeping tabs on since he was an infant. Yu Tachibana used to be a happy baby with doting parents. On his first birthday, a robber broke into the house, and in the ensuing struggle, Yu was stabbed in the neck.
Orochi lost contact with the family for a short time when they moved to Tokyo; by the time she finds them again, things have changed. Yu is shunned by other children because of his ugly neck scar. His mother has become obsessed with Yu’s academic achievement, forcing the preschooler to study rather than play, which the child naturally resents.
At school, Yu gets the derisive nickname “Books” because all he does is study, never playing or showing interest in fun (and the kids are still creeped out by the scar.) His mother is a demanding “education mama”, insisting on giving him a tutor to study subjects well in advance of what a normal child would be handling. His father has become something of an alcoholic.
At age eleven, Yu visits a library on the pretext of a social studies project, and reads a news story on the attack that scarred him. Suddenly, he stops fighting back against his mother’s domineering demands, and becomes a model student on the surface, though he has disturbing ideas about how to get ahead. Even so, Orochi is still worried about the child, and once he gets into high school, joins him as a classmate. The other students are still creeped out by him, but the bullying dies away as they mature a bit. Yu still doesn’t make any friends.
Finally, it’s time for Yu to test for admission into his father’s alma mater, K University. Time for the horrific twist!
“Home” tells the tale of Shoichi Sugiyama. He was raised in a remote farming community, and had a normal rural childhood. But in school, he became dissatisfied with the farming life so resolved to move to the big city on the invitation of a friend. Sugiyama vowed not to return until he’d made a success of himself.
But about a year in, his friend absconded with Sugiyama’s savings and clothing. At that point, Sugiyama found out the money he’d given his friend for rent had not been paid to the landlady, and the alleged friend had also forged his name on multiple debt documents to get enough money to blow town for good. Sugiyama was also forced to leave town for his own safety and took up life under a different name, sinking into gang life.
Orochi comes across Sugiyama again a few years later, just as he gets into a brawl. Orochi helps him out with her powers, but he is still badly injured and lies at the brink of death. Orochi decides to travel to Sugiyama’s home town in hopes of finding someone (his parents perhaps?) to notify and perhaps convince to come for the dying man.
To her surprise, Sugiyama is also on the train, looking much better, and ready to finally return home. When they get to the village, it is much the same as when they left it. At first. As Sugiyama settles in with his still living parents, Orochi begins to notice there’s something wrong with the town. A childhood prank by Soichi Sugiyama may have unleashed a great evil.
This is the most openly horrific of the stories in this volume. There’s a final twist that would have spoiled a lesser tale, but works well here.
“Key” opens with Orochi deciding to move into an apartment complex because she senses something interesting will happen there. The first person she meets is a little boy who gives her bad directions. Hiroyuki Watanabe is a brat who constantly fibs for no good reason, steals things he has no need for, and doesn’t study in school. Everyone except his parents calls him by his nickname “Liar”.
Liar’s reputation comes back to haunt him when he witnesses his neighbor apparently murdering her handicapped daughter. No one believes this tall tale. Well, almost no one. The parents of that little girl would like to have a word with him…alone. And no one is going to help a brat like Liar, when they all know he’s just fibbing to be mean to the nice couple.
Orochi’s snoopiness comes in handy here, and the story ends a bit more happily than it might otherwise have done. But Liar doesn’t appear to have fully learned his lesson.
Orochi remains an enigma in this volume, with almost nothing revealed about her personal past or exactly what kind of being she is. Her powers are ill-defined, but are notably weakened when she’s injured. She might do protagonistic things from time to time, especially in “Home” but is far more interested in being a meddling observer. The primary interest is the human stories going on around her.
The art is impressive, and gives a dark, gloomy feel to the stories whenever necessary.
That said, these are stock stories in their way, just very well done, so they may seem overly familiar, especially “Key”.
Content note: bloody violence, peril to children, child abuse.
If you liked the first volume, this one is also good value.
January 4, 2023
The second volume collects some stronger stories in my opinion, with the first one, "Prodigy", being my favorite Orochi story thus far. While the ending of "Prodigy" is a bit lackluster, Umezz's ability to craft horror from very simple lines of dialogue is immaculate. The undertone of horror from the atmospheric tone itself was absolutely gripping. Perhaps its the use of creepy kids in this volume to deliver the horror that really worked for me, but this genuinely felt like some of the best horror I've read in comics in quite some time.
June 11, 2022
Tales of betrayal, imagination run wild and a boy that cried wolf. I learned several new French words from this manga which was unexpected.
September 18, 2022
I received an eARC of this title through NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Orochi walks the world trying to understand human nature. Her curiosity consistently gets the better of her as she watches and interferes in the lives of three more humans.
In the first story, Orochi follows the life of a boy who was attacked as a baby and left with a horrible scar on his neck. This story was pretty heartbreaking and horrific. As the mother pushed her child to study harder, it pushed the kid further away. It was hard to read through this story just because it was so horrible and sad. I did not expect the ending, but watching all of this through Orochi's eyes was interesting.
In the second story, Orochi visits a village where she finds a boy who seems to love his life in said village until he is an adult. He then travels to an apartment with a friend, but gets a series of knocks from which he cannot recover. Orochi finds him again after he was badly injured and taken to a hospital. This story was just okay for me. It was definitely a horror tale, but this was not my favorite story.
In the final story, Orochi decides to live in an apartment complex to watch people living in a community. In this community is a child who is dubbed liar, but when he witnesses something terrible, no one will believe what he says. This was your typical "boy who cried wolf" tale with a twist. Part of you wants to feel for this kid, however, the other part wants to dislike him with the rest of the community. I liked this story, It was a kind of thriller in a sense more than horror, however, it does pull on that feeling of being home alone when someone is trying to break in and hurt you.
I genuinely find Orochi to be horrifying in a somewhat more realistic way. This series of stories really pulls at the threads of human evil. Orochi witnesses how horrible human beings can be without the effects of supernatural interference. The characters are compelling as well as relatable which can also add to the horror in some way.
Orochi walks the world trying to understand human nature. Her curiosity consistently gets the better of her as she watches and interferes in the lives of three more humans.
In the first story, Orochi follows the life of a boy who was attacked as a baby and left with a horrible scar on his neck. This story was pretty heartbreaking and horrific. As the mother pushed her child to study harder, it pushed the kid further away. It was hard to read through this story just because it was so horrible and sad. I did not expect the ending, but watching all of this through Orochi's eyes was interesting.
In the second story, Orochi visits a village where she finds a boy who seems to love his life in said village until he is an adult. He then travels to an apartment with a friend, but gets a series of knocks from which he cannot recover. Orochi finds him again after he was badly injured and taken to a hospital. This story was just okay for me. It was definitely a horror tale, but this was not my favorite story.
In the final story, Orochi decides to live in an apartment complex to watch people living in a community. In this community is a child who is dubbed liar, but when he witnesses something terrible, no one will believe what he says. This was your typical "boy who cried wolf" tale with a twist. Part of you wants to feel for this kid, however, the other part wants to dislike him with the rest of the community. I liked this story, It was a kind of thriller in a sense more than horror, however, it does pull on that feeling of being home alone when someone is trying to break in and hurt you.
I genuinely find Orochi to be horrifying in a somewhat more realistic way. This series of stories really pulls at the threads of human evil. Orochi witnesses how horrible human beings can be without the effects of supernatural interference. The characters are compelling as well as relatable which can also add to the horror in some way.
January 9, 2025
“A scary person can be nice, and a nice person can be scary. Therefore, in truth, the scary person is scary. But does that make the nice person nice?"
4.00 / 5.00 stars
Orochi is a mysterious observer. Taking the form of a young woman, this ghost-like entity uses her supernatural abilities to snake her way into the lives of seemingly ordinary people. But behind every person, there are secrets waiting to be discovered. This is the second volume of the 4-part Perfect Edition, containing the stories “Prodigy,” "Home," and “Key.”
“Prodigy” centers on Orochi following a young boy whose childhood is marred with tragedy, sparking the old debate of how someone's life could have turned out differently, "if only..." In "Home," Orochi learns that parents aren't always the problem, sometimes the kids are even worse. The volume's final story, "Key," is a dark take on the boy-who-cried wolf trope.
Umezz has a very engrossing slow-burn style to his work. First published in the ‘60s, Orochi’s artwork is definitely a product of its time in the best possible way. I love that each of the stories in this series is unique, and there’s no set order to read them in. I find myself picking a story to read at random when I need a good chill.
I recommend this manga if you enjoy a good horror story, if you’re looking for something similar to Junji Ito’s style, and if you always thought Gossip Girl would have killed as a horror story!
4.00 / 5.00 stars
Orochi is a mysterious observer. Taking the form of a young woman, this ghost-like entity uses her supernatural abilities to snake her way into the lives of seemingly ordinary people. But behind every person, there are secrets waiting to be discovered. This is the second volume of the 4-part Perfect Edition, containing the stories “Prodigy,” "Home," and “Key.”
“Prodigy” centers on Orochi following a young boy whose childhood is marred with tragedy, sparking the old debate of how someone's life could have turned out differently, "if only..." In "Home," Orochi learns that parents aren't always the problem, sometimes the kids are even worse. The volume's final story, "Key," is a dark take on the boy-who-cried wolf trope.
Umezz has a very engrossing slow-burn style to his work. First published in the ‘60s, Orochi’s artwork is definitely a product of its time in the best possible way. I love that each of the stories in this series is unique, and there’s no set order to read them in. I find myself picking a story to read at random when I need a good chill.
I recommend this manga if you enjoy a good horror story, if you’re looking for something similar to Junji Ito’s style, and if you always thought Gossip Girl would have killed as a horror story!
May 29, 2022
So that was definitely different from the first volume. All the stories were focusing on children. They explored something quite taboo I think in the way the children were having evilish tendencies, but not in the ghost spooky way, more in them being bad natured children. I liked the stories well enough, but I think that after the first volume my expectations were a bit too high.
Orochi is once again a curious character. You can't help but wonder why she doesn't interfere at some crucial moments, but I suppose it's all part of this mysterious storytelling vibe. The fact that Orochi is quite the onlooker, being an outsider to the situation, really brings a different eye to the stories which I really appreciate. You feel a bit more detached from the situation, like an observant, instead of being right into it, living the story. It helps creating this "tale" vibe which I like a lot.
Major trigger warning for child abuse, it's all through and through. Quite distressing, but that's obviously the goal.
If I'm not mistaken I think that there will be a third volume, which I will gladly read if I can.
Orochi is once again a curious character. You can't help but wonder why she doesn't interfere at some crucial moments, but I suppose it's all part of this mysterious storytelling vibe. The fact that Orochi is quite the onlooker, being an outsider to the situation, really brings a different eye to the stories which I really appreciate. You feel a bit more detached from the situation, like an observant, instead of being right into it, living the story. It helps creating this "tale" vibe which I like a lot.
Major trigger warning for child abuse, it's all through and through. Quite distressing, but that's obviously the goal.
If I'm not mistaken I think that there will be a third volume, which I will gladly read if I can.
May 16, 2023
I loved Orochi Perfect Edition Vol 1 so much I quickly grabbed Vo 2. Sadly I found volume two more of the same in a rather disappointing kind of way.
The first and third stories continue the established formula of Orochi following a family only for something terrible to come to light.
The second story is bizarre but not in a scary way, just more in an incoherent way. Orochi finds a man she had run into when he was younger and he then returns to his home town. Strange events occur but the resolution makes little sense and it really stands out because all there other tales are wrapped up pretty clearly.
As far as Orochi herself, I never expect a true origin story, but it would be nice to get a little something. She seems to merely be a walking deus ex machina and I have gone from being curious about her to completely apathetic. She could be replaced with a psychic cat or a magical lamp and the story would continue no problem.
I'm still giving it 3 stars because I enjoy the art and the stories individually are nice bite sized horror pieces, but as a series they leave me wanting more . -Reviewed by Jenna I.
The first and third stories continue the established formula of Orochi following a family only for something terrible to come to light.
The second story is bizarre but not in a scary way, just more in an incoherent way. Orochi finds a man she had run into when he was younger and he then returns to his home town. Strange events occur but the resolution makes little sense and it really stands out because all there other tales are wrapped up pretty clearly.
As far as Orochi herself, I never expect a true origin story, but it would be nice to get a little something. She seems to merely be a walking deus ex machina and I have gone from being curious about her to completely apathetic. She could be replaced with a psychic cat or a magical lamp and the story would continue no problem.
I'm still giving it 3 stars because I enjoy the art and the stories individually are nice bite sized horror pieces, but as a series they leave me wanting more . -Reviewed by Jenna I.
January 15, 2025
Orochi's first volume really impressed me with its two weird, original stories blending the surreal with the gothic. While this second volume continues to impress with its excellent, unique artwork, and I respect the author for diversifying the genres in which the Orochi character finds herself, the three stories here unfortunately don't impress as much as the first two did.
Much more grounded and dramatic than the sometimes subtle horror of the first volume, these three stories feel like dark fables in a way I didn't at first realise the first volume's tales also did. Orochi's character takes a back seat this time around, so the mystery and the impact of her character really doesn't go anywhere, which I think is a big mistake. And while the first and third stories here are interesting, none of these three tales are quite on the level I was hoping for.
There's enough here I got value from, and I'm still enamoured enough with the first volume, that I'm more than willing to dive into Volume 3 and continue to recommend this series. Unfortunately though, this second volume really is a step down from its predecessor.
Much more grounded and dramatic than the sometimes subtle horror of the first volume, these three stories feel like dark fables in a way I didn't at first realise the first volume's tales also did. Orochi's character takes a back seat this time around, so the mystery and the impact of her character really doesn't go anywhere, which I think is a big mistake. And while the first and third stories here are interesting, none of these three tales are quite on the level I was hoping for.
There's enough here I got value from, and I'm still enamoured enough with the first volume, that I'm more than willing to dive into Volume 3 and continue to recommend this series. Unfortunately though, this second volume really is a step down from its predecessor.
October 23, 2022
"The Kids Aren't Alright" --Offspring
Following the observations of the immortal and powerful entity of Orochi this series continues to show not only the worse of some people that Orochi has taken an interest in but occasionally supernatural elements as well as seen in the second story. That said if you are easily freaked out by death and gore then this series is not for you due to some dark themes shown through some dark imagery and characterizations. This book in particular has moments of children either being hurt or are found hurting others so use your best judgment if you decide to read it.
Stories included in this volume (without any spoilers)
Prodigy: A happy little family's life is changed forever by a moment of desperation.
Home: A boy grows up simple but wants more in life. Life doesn't go as expected.
Key : A little boy that cried wolf to often sees something dangerous.
Following the observations of the immortal and powerful entity of Orochi this series continues to show not only the worse of some people that Orochi has taken an interest in but occasionally supernatural elements as well as seen in the second story. That said if you are easily freaked out by death and gore then this series is not for you due to some dark themes shown through some dark imagery and characterizations. This book in particular has moments of children either being hurt or are found hurting others so use your best judgment if you decide to read it.
Stories included in this volume (without any spoilers)
Prodigy: A happy little family's life is changed forever by a moment of desperation.
Home: A boy grows up simple but wants more in life. Life doesn't go as expected.
Key : A little boy that cried wolf to often sees something dangerous.
April 2, 2023
The first book has so much momentum that I immediately spent my Saturday afternoon reading the second volume but this one drops off a bit in quality for me, specifically because it almost exclusively has Orochi following children. The Drifting Classroom is full of kids getting their asses kicked so this isn't anything new or unexpected but the first collection felt more mature in spite of its ridiculous melodrama because there were adults or young adults. This was just a tougher read because these stories are heavier than the b-movie style of The Drifting Classroom and the torment is relentless! It's not for everyone and I have a much easier time recommending the first volume over the second. Orochi isn't as involved this time around either and I miss when she interacted more with the characters. Regardless, I read it in one sitting. It's a breezy and demented bad time and I'm eager to pick up the third volume already waiting for me at the library.
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