Titan Manga
When one of the best lines from the manga Shadows of Kyoto is “Shall I show you the real Kyoto? (裏京都)” It’s a very chilling hello when the protagonists from each tale meet Kotone, a mysterious woman who appears in each story. That quote is going to be as famous as “They’re coming to get you, Barbara” (from Night of the Living Dead) should a movie producer want to adapt this debut manga by Yumeya.
Although not a lot of information is available online about this talented storyteller, maybe it’s because this artist is relatively new. According to the Anime News Network, Yumeya debuted the manga on the Comic Tatan website in August 2020 and ended it that November. The single compiled book volume shipped in Japan in December 2020. And when Titan Manga published their version with a volume label, this misleading information will have some readers wondering.
I’m hoping this artist will consider producing more because I’m loving this collection. When it draws from local folklore and urban legends, I’m hooked! That’s because there’s more of a sense of realism, and should I decide to visit this city again, I have to visit those sites!
In “Hour of the Ox,” Haruki Aono is a live video blogger out to refute the spectres said to be flitting about a local graveyard. He doesn’t want to believe, but after meeting this guide, he better change his mind! I will not give too much away about what happens for every tale, but after reading each story, I had to look up what else has been written online about each real world location.
Although I have many books in my collection recounting supernatural tales for various parts of the world, no work is ever going to be complete because of the wealth of regional material rarely included. Out of the remaining three tales, each of them is equally perturbing. I wish I could say I’ve been to one of those places in Kyoto (I visited this city decades ago), but after reading this, I should be glad I did not!
The stand-out is with “Riverbed of Death” which used the legend of SAI NO KAWARA to punish Hina for dishonouring holy ground. She wants to get it on with her boyfriend in the wrong place, and thankfully he knows it’s best to pray. And when Kotone takes notice, oh my!
This manga is as good as the anime Yamishibai: Japanese Ghost Stories–which I haven’t looked at in a long while. But after this book, I’ll have to get caught up because this popular series is still ongoing after fifteen years! What’s special about this show is because it’s animated using digital Kamishibai (paper dolls) style theatre to give the tales an otherworldly edge.
Yumeya’s style is more clear with the blood and guts. His layouts are clean, and ability to present the calm before the storm says it all. If his Goodreads profile is correct, this talent has kept busy, and hopefully there are plans for more anthology horror collections than what this artist is doing now.
4 Stars out of 5