Orochi: The Perfect Edition, Vol. 1
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- Create Date：2022-06-24 06:51:58
- Update Date：2025-09-13
- Status：finish
- Author：Kazuo Umezz
- ISBN：1974725839
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Summary
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！
A mysterious young woman slithers her way into the lives of unsuspecting people like the legendary multitailed serpent for which she is named—Orochi。
Umezz’s classic horror manga opens with “Sisters，” in which Orochi affects the lives of two wealthy siblings who couldn’t be more alike…or more different。 Next， in “Bones，” Orochi helps a man come back to life after a terrible accident， but resurrection can be a deadly business…
A mysterious young woman slithers her way into the lives of unsuspecting people like the legendary multitailed serpent for which she is named—Orochi。
Umezz’s classic horror manga opens with “Sisters，” in which Orochi affects the lives of two wealthy siblings who couldn’t be more alike…or more different。 Next， in “Bones，” Orochi helps a man come back to life after a terrible accident， but resurrection can be a deadly business…
Reviews
Coral Davies
，
Beautifully illustrated and just the right side of creepy。
Rebecca
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3。5/5I picked this up because it was giving me strong Tomie vibes。 There's a similar heavy lined and gory art style， and an equally mysterious woman of unknown origin， though Orochi appears to at least mean well in her interactions。 However， this doesn't have quite the same intensity or depth as Ito's masterpiece。 Perhaps it's unfair to compare them， especially since I believe Orochi preceded Tomie， but the two stories included here felt much more predictable。 I do believe this would be a good s 3。5/5I picked this up because it was giving me strong Tomie vibes。 There's a similar heavy lined and gory art style， and an equally mysterious woman of unknown origin， though Orochi appears to at least mean well in her interactions。 However， this doesn't have quite the same intensity or depth as Ito's masterpiece。 Perhaps it's unfair to compare them， especially since I believe Orochi preceded Tomie， but the two stories included here felt much more predictable。 I do believe this would be a good starter for someone interested in dipping their toes in horror manga， however。 And I will be picking up volume two when it is released。 。。。more
George Cutter
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Book One follows Orochi in two adventures （Sisters/Bones）， and this volume serves as a strong start to the series。 Orochi is a supernaturally gifted girl， but Umezz doesn't offer much of an origin story for her。 （Maybe in a later volume）。 Personally， I feel this makes her all the more intriguing。 She's an uncanny kind of character， the kind that gives off the vibe that she should not exist in our world， like Junji Ito's Tomie， only Orochi isn't a maniacal demon that wishes to hurt others。 Umezz' Book One follows Orochi in two adventures （Sisters/Bones）， and this volume serves as a strong start to the series。 Orochi is a supernaturally gifted girl， but Umezz doesn't offer much of an origin story for her。 （Maybe in a later volume）。 Personally， I feel this makes her all the more intriguing。 She's an uncanny kind of character， the kind that gives off the vibe that she should not exist in our world， like Junji Ito's Tomie， only Orochi isn't a maniacal demon that wishes to hurt others。 Umezz's artwork is absolutely amazing （I've come to expect this from all manga now， as I've never read any manga with poor artwork） and his splash pages especially look fantastic。 This was a very good start to the Orochi series （I believe there are three more volumes yet to be translated） and I'll definitely pick up the rest。 A solid horror manga， worth picking up if you're a fan of Junji Ito。 。。。more
Skjam！
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Despite her rather ominous name， Orochi doesn’t stand out in a crowd。 She appears to be a moderately attractive woman in her early twenties。 If you saw her on the street， you might not notice her at all。 But Orochi isn’t quite human， and has strange powers。 She doesn’t seem to be evil， but her perspective is that of an outsider， and so she inserts herself into people’s lives and strange situations。Orochi is the continuing character in a series of horror manga by Kazuo Umezz， who was big in his d Despite her rather ominous name， Orochi doesn’t stand out in a crowd。 She appears to be a moderately attractive woman in her early twenties。 If you saw her on the street， you might not notice her at all。 But Orochi isn’t quite human， and has strange powers。 She doesn’t seem to be evil， but her perspective is that of an outsider， and so she inserts herself into people’s lives and strange situations。Orochi is the continuing character in a series of horror manga by Kazuo Umezz， who was big in his day and influenced Junji Ito。 Snake Girl and the Silver-Haired Witch， which I’ve previously reviewed， was based on one of his stories。 This fancy hardcover volume collects two of the tales of Orochi。“Sisters” begins with Orochi just trying to get out of the rain。 One of her gifts is to make people think she’s someone who is supposed to be there， and the beautiful woman who opens the door accepts Orochi as the new maid。 Rumi and her equally beautiful sister Emi claim to live alone save for an “animal” on the upper floor。 It’s actually their hideously deformed mother。It seems that the women of this family are under a curse， or perhaps a rare genetic disorder。 They are beautiful until about their eighteenth birthday， then develop moles， starting with their foreheads and fingers， but eventually covering their entire skin in dark lumps。 Emi is almost eighteen， and knows she should break up with her boyfriend， but he’s also her only comfort。The mother is now to the point where the skin growths have destroyed her health， but before she dies， she whispers a secret to Rumi。 This secret turns the sisters against each other， and the story ends in tragedy。Through all this， Orochi is mostly a passive observer。 Her first intention is to serve the sisters as a maid until they die， but she’s tossed out of the house after a particularly violent quarrel between Emi and her boyfriend。 （Orochi is still able to see what goes on by looking through the eyes of a portrait in the house。）“Bones”: We are introduced to a woman named Chie who’s had a hard life。 Her mother died in childbirth。 Her father was an alcoholic who neglected and abused her， and when he remarried， her stepmother did the same。 Despite this， Chie grew up to be a rare beauty。 Her father sold her to the first man who came up with a decent bride price。Chie’s luck had at last turned， for Saburo truly loved her， and was a kind man。 All was well for a few years， until he was hit by a car and crippled。 This is where Orochi initially comes into the story， as she’s now working as a nurse in an Izu hospital。 The initial prognosis is that it will take three years for him to fully recover。 But with luck and hard work， Saburo is soon well enough to leave the hospital and recover at home。 Chie gets a job to support them。 Soon enough， Saburo is able to walk around outside–and then falls off a cliff and dies。Chie is inconsolable and calls for her husband to return to the land of the living。 Orochi， touched by Chie’s grief， decides to grant her wish。 She creates an effigy in Saburo’s image， so that she can insert Saburo’s spirit into it， giving him a new body。 However， this is a horror story， and Orochi’s first attempt at raising the dead。 The effigy fails to animate， but Saburo’s rotting corpse is suddenly alive。 Mostly。Saburo winds up at the hospital， but when Orochi goes to notify Chie of this good news， she discovers that the woman has abruptly remarried and moved with no forwarding address。 Saburo disappears from the hospital， and Orochi also leaves town。Two years later， Orochi （still wearing the same nurse uniform！） finds Chie and her new baby。 Chie seems less happy than Orochi expected that Saburo is back from the dead。 Orochi off-screen gets a job with a local doctor as a nurse （that mind-warping effect must make job interviews a snap。） Saburo eventually shows up， but he’s changed， and I don’t mean just having more body parts drop off！Has Orochi learned her lesson about meddling in human affairs？ This is only the first volume， so I doubt it。The art is excellent， and sets the mood–you can really see where it influenced Ito。 There’s a bit of same-face when it comes to pretty women， so we only know which ones are supposed to be especially beautiful by the dialogue and narration。The first story is “gothic horror”; you could make Orochi a normal maid and not need any outright supernatural element at all。 The second， on the other hand， puts the walking corpse front and center for much of the run time。 Orochi’s an enigma at this point in the series， with no clues as to what she really is， her full motivations or her background。Content note: Child abuse， child death， mutilation。The hardcover is a bit spendy， you may want to see if your local library can get you a copy to read。 Recommended to fans of old-style manga horror。 。。。more
Mayson Jean
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Excellent art， a narrative emphasis on beauty while showing the ugliest side of humanity。 More or less predictable with a slightly chaotic perspective guiding the story。
James
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A naive girl with mysterious powers helps people in amazing but awful ways。 Very disturbing。
Kelsey Morgan
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Yeah， truth be told， it’s not nearly as good as some of Umezu’s other stuff。 I believe it’s the start of an anthology series， but there are only two stories in this one。 Orochi’s powers aren’t very well explained， and it’s hard to tell if her intentions are good or evil。 The stories have good twists， I’ll give them that， but as far as how well they’re crafted…ehhh， not so much。 This one’s fine if you want to read more of Kazuo’s stuff， but as an intro to his work or a solid horror manga overall， Yeah， truth be told， it’s not nearly as good as some of Umezu’s other stuff。 I believe it’s the start of an anthology series， but there are only two stories in this one。 Orochi’s powers aren’t very well explained， and it’s hard to tell if her intentions are good or evil。 The stories have good twists， I’ll give them that， but as far as how well they’re crafted…ehhh， not so much。 This one’s fine if you want to read more of Kazuo’s stuff， but as an intro to his work or a solid horror manga overall， read something else。 。。。more
Stay Fetters
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"I’ll spend the rest of my life in misery。 Hahaha！"Horror manga is one of my favorite things to read。 I’ve noticed that the authors who create these horror masterpieces aren’t afraid to push the envelope and that makes for better bloody reading。 So I’m always on the lookout for new reads to open up my gory imagination。 This one was recommended to me by a friend who knows what I love to read and how wicked my mind is。 But things can get tricky for me when I try reading something new， I can’t help "I’ll spend the rest of my life in misery。 Hahaha！"Horror manga is one of my favorite things to read。 I’ve noticed that the authors who create these horror masterpieces aren’t afraid to push the envelope and that makes for better bloody reading。 So I’m always on the lookout for new reads to open up my gory imagination。 This one was recommended to me by a friend who knows what I love to read and how wicked my mind is。 But things can get tricky for me when I try reading something new， I can’t help myself from comparing new reads to books by Junji Ito。 It’s a terrible habit that I have to learn how to break。 With that being said， this was a pretty good book。 The art was spooky and the stories were just as creepy。 They all had that creep factor that really hits you deep down inside。 That’s what I love about these books， they know how to suck you into a story and then destroy you from the inside。 Orochi was a decent read and lovers of horror manga will enjoy this one。 It has its own creep qualities that will stick out and I’m excited to try more by this author。 I just have to always remember to not push my husband off a cliff and cry about wanting him back…。。 。。。more
CONNIE MINUTOLO
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I thoroughly enjoyed this book。 It was genuinely creepy and I couldn't put it down！ I thoroughly enjoyed this book。 It was genuinely creepy and I couldn't put it down！ 。。。more
India♡
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I saw the cover of Orochi and immediately fell in love with it。 The art style is a call to older American comics and I'm so here for it。 I enjoyed reading the two stories in this volume。 I think Orochi is definitely reminiscent of Junji Ito's Tomie but it's very different because while Tomie sought to wreak havoc， Orochi has very good intentions。 Her only problem is that she clearly doesn't understand human nature， so she ends up actually leaving the people she intends to help in a worse situati I saw the cover of Orochi and immediately fell in love with it。 The art style is a call to older American comics and I'm so here for it。 I enjoyed reading the two stories in this volume。 I think Orochi is definitely reminiscent of Junji Ito's Tomie but it's very different because while Tomie sought to wreak havoc， Orochi has very good intentions。 Her only problem is that she clearly doesn't understand human nature， so she ends up actually leaving the people she intends to help in a worse situation than before they met her。 Apparently there's gonna be a second volume so I look forward to that！ Hopefully it contains her backstory。 Definitely going to have to get a physical copy of this beauty for my shelf！ （view spoiler）[ I was confused as to why Orochi would send Chie a dead baby's hand knowing her son is missing， but I think it goes back to Orochi not understanding humans all that well。 She is a very interesting character to me。 （hide spoiler）] 。。。more
MargReadsManga
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Do you like creepy， short stories？！ I do！ And Orochi does NOT disappoint！！ I’m am very excited to pick up the next volume releasing in July！ I highly recommend this for fans of Kazuo Umezz or Junji Ito！！ My favorite short story was the one about the sisters。
Kelli
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In this delightfully spooky start to this classic collection of Umezz’s work， we meet Orochi as she slithers into the lives of several unsuspecting folk and observes the horrors that unfold。In the first short story， “Sisters” we meet two sisters who couldn’t be more alike or different who are living in an isolated mansion and are quite terrified of growing old。 In their family， women start to turn ugly as soon as they hit 18。 It happened to their mother and they fear what will happen to them。 Bu In this delightfully spooky start to this classic collection of Umezz’s work， we meet Orochi as she slithers into the lives of several unsuspecting folk and observes the horrors that unfold。In the first short story， “Sisters” we meet two sisters who couldn’t be more alike or different who are living in an isolated mansion and are quite terrified of growing old。 In their family， women start to turn ugly as soon as they hit 18。 It happened to their mother and they fear what will happen to them。 But， what dark secret did their mother keep from them… and how will the truth affect this curse？A darkly twisted tail with an ending I didn’t totally expect。 Incredibly sinister！ Really enjoyed the first one！The second story in this collection revolves around a woman named Chie who has lived a rather unfortunate life。 Her mother died giving birth to her and her father was absent most of her life， leaving her to the cruelty of her stepmother。 Very Cinderella-esque。 Especially when achieving married a man she loves very much and who seemingly rescues her from her terrible life。 Unfortunately， when this man dies in a freak hiking accident， Chie is devastated。 She would do anything to bring him back…。 A plea that Orochi hears。 But， when Orochi intervenes and does try to bring Chie’s late husband back， she uncovers a horrible secret and realizes the limitations of her own dark powers？ Was Chie’s late husband’s death really an accident？ And， what happens when the dead don’t come back quite right？I really like the “Pet Sematary” aspect of this story。 It’s quite gruesome and mysterious throughout。 That said， I do think it dragged at certain points and that the ending isn’t exactly satisfying for what the story seems to be trying to convey。 I’d have appreciated something in the same vein as “Pet Sematary” in that regard — something more haunting and thought provoking。 It was still enjoyable enough to read for any avid horror fans~Looking forward to reading the rest of the stories in this spooky collection~ 。。。more
Doc
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Be weary for a dragon lies among us。It is rather interesting reading through this book considering Kazuo Umezu has been in the manga business so long he has inspired some of the greats in modern manga artistry。 For those unaware of the dragon comment the main character for this series is a girl named Orochi and the dragon I refer to is Yamato no Orochi from Japanese mythology who was a god and although we are not told how she came of her abilities it is pretty clear Orochi is not a typical human Be weary for a dragon lies among us。It is rather interesting reading through this book considering Kazuo Umezu has been in the manga business so long he has inspired some of the greats in modern manga artistry。 For those unaware of the dragon comment the main character for this series is a girl named Orochi and the dragon I refer to is Yamato no Orochi from Japanese mythology who was a god and although we are not told how she came of her abilities it is pretty clear Orochi is not a typical human girl as her influence affects the stories told so maybe she is a god and maybe she is not but only time will tell。My only problem with both stories and this might be an issue with me is that I already figured out the twists in each story presented here before they were revealed but the dark style of this horror manga still made the trip worth the read as Orochi finds herself often discovering the darkness found within the human souls she meets。 。。。more
Rachel
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Solid enough， glad to see and have experience with “classic” horror manga to have better context of its literary history and evolution！
Kinsey Boston
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3。5 starsThe art is really amazing and I especially loved some of the elements of the second story。 I was just a little confused at the end of the second story and felt like it could have been explained/done a little bit better to make it more clear。 The stories are great but orochi is a very passive character。 I do like what she does when she is involved in the story， however。 I like that she wasn't evil because I was fully expecting her to be intentionally harming people。 It brought some new t 3。5 starsThe art is really amazing and I especially loved some of the elements of the second story。 I was just a little confused at the end of the second story and felt like it could have been explained/done a little bit better to make it more clear。 The stories are great but orochi is a very passive character。 I do like what she does when she is involved in the story， however。 I like that she wasn't evil because I was fully expecting her to be intentionally harming people。 It brought some new things to the table。 。。。more
Kirk
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The first story reminded me of a Tales from the Crypt comic。The second one did a bit as well， but man that shit got dark at the end。 But also the big reveal felt a bit contrived， and the build up was a bit subtle。 Perhaps upon a re-read I’ll notice things， clues I missed the first time。In any event it read quickly and was fun。 I never really felt creeped out because there are magical elements that remove this from the realm of believability， and it felt sometimes like the protagonist had abiliti The first story reminded me of a Tales from the Crypt comic。The second one did a bit as well， but man that shit got dark at the end。 But also the big reveal felt a bit contrived， and the build up was a bit subtle。 Perhaps upon a re-read I’ll notice things， clues I missed the first time。In any event it read quickly and was fun。 I never really felt creeped out because there are magical elements that remove this from the realm of believability， and it felt sometimes like the protagonist had abilities I really didn’t understand。 There may be a cultural barrier because I’m not familiar with Japanese lore as much as a native reader might be though。Still， I enjoyed it。 。。。more
Erin
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This book is a wild rollercoaster of stupid。 But I can't stop reading This book is a wild rollercoaster of stupid。 But I can't stop reading 。。。more
Brian Hendricks
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Umezz loves to pile twists on top of each other and make his characters suffer。 No one is exempt from the threat of extreme suffering except perhaps Orochi herself。 I’m looking forward to the release of the next volume this summer。
Carah
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This feels VERY VERY Junji Ito-esque to me。。。 and if I wouldn't have known it wasn't him， I would have assumed it was。 I don't know if it's Horror Manga that I don't like。。。 or if its the authors I have read that I don't like。 I find that the topics come across as shallow and cheesy because they aren't being explored enough。 I also didn't like the writing style with this。 It almost feels like it was written in a different language and then really poorly translated。 （After doing some research， I This feels VERY VERY Junji Ito-esque to me。。。 and if I wouldn't have known it wasn't him， I would have assumed it was。 I don't know if it's Horror Manga that I don't like。。。 or if its the authors I have read that I don't like。 I find that the topics come across as shallow and cheesy because they aren't being explored enough。 I also didn't like the writing style with this。 It almost feels like it was written in a different language and then really poorly translated。 （After doing some research， I think this is the case。） I also felt exactly the same about Orochi as I did with Tomie。 Who was she。。。 what exactly was she doing。。。。 what were her motivations。 For being a key part of these stories， I have no understanding of who she is at all。 And don't even get me started on the onomatopoeias。。。 LOL。But the art was top tier。 。。。more
Sunny
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I heard about some of this author's work such as the "Drifting Classroom。" Did not actually read that work in detail。 Just heard and saw bits and pieces。 After reading the descriptions about these series， I thought I would give it a try。 It touches on horror， psychological thriller， and few gore--integrating them into each story。 It covers on themes such as sisters who are filled with terror due to a family hereditary condition and a sudden twist in the end of how vindictive siblings can be。 Ano I heard about some of this author's work such as the "Drifting Classroom。" Did not actually read that work in detail。 Just heard and saw bits and pieces。 After reading the descriptions about these series， I thought I would give it a try。 It touches on horror， psychological thriller， and few gore--integrating them into each story。 It covers on themes such as sisters who are filled with terror due to a family hereditary condition and a sudden twist in the end of how vindictive siblings can be。 Another story shows how good intentions may cause unseeable negative consequences--especially when not everything is known。 Overall， the stories border on creepy side with sudden twists that will keep the reader engaged。 I am curious enough to try the other volumes once they come out。 If you are the type who are into works that somewhat borders on the supernatural horrors that reveals the negative side of people， then I would give this work a try。 It is a manga so would be a quick read。 。。。more
David Hill
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This was interesting， I didn't hate this but I am definitely far from loving it。 I got Twilight Zone vibes from the two stories in this book Sisters， and Bones。 Both stories had their strong points but there is something about them that I found very off。 There is a lot about Orochi that isn't explained or even clued in on about， so it left me feeling disjointed from the story。 How， and why is she doing these things， what is her purpose， what does she get from each out come， what even is she？ Bot This was interesting， I didn't hate this but I am definitely far from loving it。 I got Twilight Zone vibes from the two stories in this book Sisters， and Bones。 Both stories had their strong points but there is something about them that I found very off。 There is a lot about Orochi that isn't explained or even clued in on about， so it left me feeling disjointed from the story。 How， and why is she doing these things， what is her purpose， what does she get from each out come， what even is she？ Both stories led me to believe the moral of the story is to keep out of other peoples business。Thank you NetGalley and VIZ Media for allowing me to read a digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion。 。。。more
Jessica
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I can appreciate and see how this series was influential for the future of horror manga， but the stories just fell flat for me。 The twists felt contrived and unnecessary， and some of the premises are just eh。 I also wasn’t sure if Orochi was the hero of the story or a Tomie type or just a random girl， and I still don’t really know。 The character artwork is GORGEOUS though， worth the read for that alone。
Michael Lieto
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3。5/5This is my first Umezz work so far。 I love his art style and character designs。 Both stories have their strengths and weaknesses。 Sisters has some great irony in it but I’m not sure if our non-human lens Orochi really adds anything here。 I think it would be even better without her in the story。 A pretty solid read， I’d give it a 3/5Bones I think is much better。 It’s more clear that Orochi is not human and any good intention she has leads to disaster。 However， some of her help is questionabl 3。5/5This is my first Umezz work so far。 I love his art style and character designs。 Both stories have their strengths and weaknesses。 Sisters has some great irony in it but I’m not sure if our non-human lens Orochi really adds anything here。 I think it would be even better without her in the story。 A pretty solid read， I’d give it a 3/5Bones I think is much better。 It’s more clear that Orochi is not human and any good intention she has leads to disaster。 However， some of her help is questionable and there are one or two minor plot points that didn’t make too much sense （Orochi sending a cadaver hand just to test Chie’s reaction？ That is a very stupid reason for that）。 But still this story is overall very strong and sad。 I LOVE that we get a perspective of the zombie/reanimated person， that I have almost never seen before and I wanted so much more of that， especially when he first came back。 He can still think but can’t speaks because his tongue is rotted away。 Good twist at the end too！ 4/5I also have to mention that this new hardcover edition is BEAUTIFUL。 The cover had really nice raised letters on it and the size of this book is just perfect to hold and read。 The page quality is excellent also and there is no cover loss on any pages or panels。 This was fun and I am excited for more！ 。。。more
Felipe
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Great art and display of the book was 10/10。 But the storyline， and the dialogue-they were ok。 Maybe it's just my personal preference but I thought it could've been delivered better。 The main character Orochi， has interesting qualities but she's so unrealistic compared to the rest of the characters around her。 Great art and display of the book was 10/10。 But the storyline， and the dialogue-they were ok。 Maybe it's just my personal preference but I thought it could've been delivered better。 The main character Orochi， has interesting qualities but she's so unrealistic compared to the rest of the characters around her。 。。。more
daph pink ♡
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So this is my first encounter with Kazuo Umezz's work。 And I can absolutely detect parallels between Junji Ito's work and his since， as we all know， the former is influenced by the latter。In terms of the two stories included in this collection， the premise is sound， but the execution and impact were lacking at times。 The artwork is rather good。 I'm hoping that the remaining volumes feature interesting stuff。 So this is my first encounter with Kazuo Umezz's work。 And I can absolutely detect parallels between Junji Ito's work and his since， as we all know， the former is influenced by the latter。In terms of the two stories included in this collection， the premise is sound， but the execution and impact were lacking at times。 The artwork is rather good。 I'm hoping that the remaining volumes feature interesting stuff。 。。。more
Erin Talamantes
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3。5This was my first manga by Kazuo Umezz and I wasn’t really sure what to expect。 This is definitely more of an understated and gothic feeling type of horror。 I enjoyed the story Bones more than I did Sisters。 Will probably check out the next volume when it comes out！
Robin
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Quite a good horror manga I think， I like how the volume is split into 2 stories with orochi being a spectator to both
Susan Canales
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Not a horror fan， but this manga is disturbingly good。 The old school art was lovely and gave the stories a creepy vibe。 I enjoyed it。
Gaby
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3。5 ★
lukas
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