Harrowing Horror and Blood-Curdling Cuteness (Fuan no Tane)
Below the cut you will find, as requested, the story of the Self-Cutting Emo Ghost Girl. Don't let my cutesy alterna-title fool you, it's actually one of the more disturbing stories in the manga series thus far (and it's definitely the goriest). Then, as a palate cleanser, there will be a couple of extremely non-scary ghost stories, including one of my personal favorites: the saga of Michiko Kozue.
Again, the first story is NSFW due to gore.
As always, read from right to left for maximum horror.
"So as you can see, this building is so new that it couldn't possibly be haunted alread--" *opens door* "Aw, phooey."
Ghost girl: "Hey, want to see a neato magic trick?"
Ugh. So squicked out I can't even snark. And look at that grin: girl is seriously enjoying this shit.
Mom: *mental blue screen of death*
Son: "Dude, that was so hardcore!"
Real Estate Agent: *thinking* "Oh god, oh god! Think fast! Maybe I can still close the sale..."
So, in conclusion, Penance is a total pussy compared to the Self-Cutting Ghost Girl here.
Of course, not all ghosts can manage quite as terrifying a haunting job as all that. Up next, then, is a far lighter story: "The Visit II." Don't be fooled by the title making it sound like a sequel. There is a "The Visit I," but it's completely unrelated to this story.
Uh-oh, random Japanese man. There's spooky sounds coming from outside, and even a dark, ominous shape at your window! What will you do? Cower under your bed? Call the police?
Hell, no! Our hero in this story is a total badass.
Man, I love that little grunt he does as he grabs his makeshift samurai sword/kendo stick/whatever. He's like the Japanese Batman or something. "Hnh. I eat yakuza for breakfast. Whoever dares to disturb me at this hour, they are surely no match for my ass-kicking prowess." Observe how he ninja-rushes to the door, ready for action!
But what's this? Is our hero about to pay a terrible price for such hubris?
Again, nope!
"Wrong house" my ass. This grotesque ghoul took one look at Amateur Samurai Guy and pissed his frigging pants, then ran away like a punk. And if you ask me, he was right to do so.
Personally I think that Amateur Samurai Guy and the scissors-sword Eyepatch girl from Magabana would get along just fine. Hell, this guy is probably her dad or something!
Finally, this next one is probably my personal favorite from Fuan no Tane. It certainly isn't very scary, but it isn't deliberately camp, either. It's just a little eerie, and also sort of sweet.
I love the guy's expression on the last page: shocked, a little nervous even, but not really frightened at all. Because why would he be? Michiko Kozue has to be one of the most adorable and least scary ghosts ever. A young kid's ghost, apparently. I mean, she's freaking tiny, barely coming up past the top of the counter. And look at those big Bambi eyes! If you look very closely at the shadows at the bottom of her face, I'm pretty sure she's even smiling a tiny little smile, as if to say "Pleased to meet you! Now how about giving me my book back instead of recycling it? Thanks in advance, Mister!"
That's the great thing about Fuan no Tane. For every horrific, self-mutilating specter, there's also plenty of bumbling ghouls and adorable little book-loving ghosts to counterbalance it.