Chilling Horror!!! – Or, How to Survive the Heat in Tokyo

Here is a new way to make you forget about the hot summer weather in Japan. Some Japanese people enjoy telling horror stories in summer. They start by making a circle of 100 candles and then sit and tell their tales. After each person finishes telling a scary story, the person puts out a candle, and when the last candle is gone, people think something very scary might happen. So beware that last candle going out.

So why do I say that horror stories might cool you off this summer? Japanese people believe that goose bumps and the feeling of being scared actually lowers your body temperature and it’s very common to over hear people speaking of scary things in the summer.

If you want to feel a little bit more cooled off by running a chill down your spine during the hot summer months, here are some comic books for you to read. You can even read them aloud while sitting in your circle with your friends.

Horror

Horror

Horror/Sci-fi

Comedy

Kazuo Umezu, who is the author of these horror comic books, is a very unique person that built a red and white striped house called “Makoto chan house” in Kichijoji (“Makoto chan” is his comedy comic book). He actually writes not only horror, but also comedy and sci-fi, but he is especially known for his horror comic book writing. He is considered one of the best horror comic writers and his work has inspired many others. His peculiar drawings and cruel stories show a darker side of this uniquely funny comic writer as he is a profoundly uncanny and chilling story teller. He also has a very smart sense of being able to expose the cruel emotion, which is hidden in people, within his tales. If I hadn’t said enough for you want to read one of his books, just look at his beautifully gruesome artwork above.

Another scary comic book and anime is “Higurashi When They Cry.” The story is about a boy, Keiichi, who recently moved to the rural village of Hinamizawa and has befriended four girls—Rena, Mion, Satoko, and Rika — and joined their after school club. Life is initially peaceful until Keiichi learns from a man named Tomitake about an incident of murder in Hinamizawa’s past.

And well that’s about as scary as I want to get for now. Stay cool!

Horror – Anime Series

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