Originally printed in 1993, Hauntress is a graphic novel that will make you feel uneasy and unsafe as we follow university student Hiroshi encounter an unsettling person at their door one fateful night. From then on things escalate. This horror genre graphic novel will make you realize that just like Hiroshi you cannot tell if the person stalking him is real or paranormal. The 90s vibes are very present in this graphic novel, which I really enjoyed.

I think avid horror readers may not be as spooked by this work as other horror genre mangas, but the illustrations are sure to make you feel uncomfortable, tense, and carries a consistent ongoing suspense. I am a big fan of urban legends and I think anyone who shares that love will find this to be a great read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kodansa Comics, and Vertical Comics for providing a copy of this work for review.

What I love about Hauntress is how it doesn’t just rely on jump scares or typical horror tropes. Instead, it dives deep into the emotional and psychological toll that Mori's abilities take on her. It’s more about the slow burn of discomfort and the constant sense of unease that lingers throughout the story. The pacing can be a bit slow at times, but it builds the tension really well.

I've heard this manga get brought up a range of times before, and was happy to read it, which I did in one sitting. That said... This felt like a let down. The art style is creepy. Reading it at night certainly added to the level of unease. The ending was disappointing though and the idea didn't feel that fleshed out. Didn't work for me, personally.

yessssss love a translated book like this! Just gorgeous. If you like urban legends, pick this up, because it's a classic, creepy read that kept me hooked.

A young college student hears a commotion next door late at night. Curious, he peeks outside and finds a tall, strange woman standing outside his neighbor’s door, incessantly knocking and ringing the doorbell. Straight from the first few pages, Hauntress presents a situation that sent chills up my spine, as the main character finds himself the new focus of this late night visitor.

Hauntress had me questioning what was going on, if the woman, Sachiko, was a real person or a supernatural entity. Sachiko was reminiscent of Kuchisake-onna, an onryō, in almost every aspect, and the callbacks to the famous urban legend were cool to see. There were many points where the manga was genuinely intense and creepy.

I’m glad to see this classic in print in English and getting the appreciation that it deserves. Fans of manga featuring Japanese urban legends like Ibitsu will gobble this one up.

I was really intrigued by the premise of this, especially as it's a manga that's taken over 30 years to finally see an English translation, and that it's credited with introducing the concept of stalking to Japan.

Sadly I didn't find this an overly frightening read, but it was tense in places. I otherwise found it a little boring, though. The main characters weren't particularly interesting; I found myself mostly wanting to know about the mysterious woman.

I will say that the artwork for the creepy stalker woman was appropriately unsettling!

This has that definite 90s feel to it, in both the artwork and the setting. Unfortunately that also comes with one use of the f-slur as well, which really could have been left out of something being re-published in 2025...

The final part of the manga was perhaps the most effective, barrelling through a selection of urban legends and presenting us with the idea that we as humans are doomed to be forever fascinated by - and potentially susceptible to - them.

Thank you to Kodansha Comics and Netgalley for sending me an eARC of this manga.

I remember finding this online years ago and I am ecstatic to see it finally getting an official English release. This manga is terrifying and lays down some very interesting lore for the antagonist and urban legends surrounding the woman, whatever she happens to be.

The art style is stunning and really lends to the eerie feeling of the manga. The story begins quickly and maintains the creep level throughout the entire story. The close-up panes and the action scenes were so well done and well placed not to mention the use sparce of jump scares, all around if you are looking for a horror manga this would make a great pick.

Review will be posted to GoodReads, Storygraph, and Fable

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Minetaro Mochizuki for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Hauntress coming out February 25, 2025. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I really love manga! I have read a lot of it. I definitely have my favorites. I am not familiar with this author. I thought the graphics were good. I wasn’t as into the story as I thought it would be. I thought it would be a little more spooky. It wasn’t my favorite. But I would definitely check out other manga by the author.

Starkly but beautifully drawn. Hauntress is creepy but not overly done. The terror of the faces are easily emoted.
The story is wonderfully creepy and the ending is delicious. It's classic Japanese horror at it's best. I am so glad to see it translated into English.

Although Hauntress has yet to be adapted for the screen, it is easy to speculate how it might have influenced dozens of Japanese horror films genre fans know and love. Combining stalker anxiety with the suspected supernatural, it definitely has the stuff to get under your skin. Full review here: https://www.jbspins.com/2025/03/hauntress-manga.html

I enjoyed the art style I think it really lent itself to adding to the creepy vibe but I found it difficult to follow the story in the beginning. Around chapter 4 the pace really picked up and I got into it. But I think there could have been a bit more info given at the end, I found the ending disappointing. I don't think that justice was done to the story.

Publishing date: 25.02.2025 (DD/MM/YYYY)
Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for the ARC. My opinions are my own.

TLDR: High School student opens his door after hearing non-stop ringing of his doorbell. Now his life is hell ... 3 stars

Hiroshi wakes up to his neighbors doorbell ringing, he inspects and finds a woman outside. Now his doorbell is ringing, the same woman again. Now she has become obsessed with Hiroshi instead and starts to stalk him. Making his life hell.

Hiroshi is a pretty bland guy. So is everyone else. The one person with a lot of intrigue is the woman herself. I found her really interesting and wanted to know why she was doing the things she did and who she really was.

Pacing is fine, looks like the story takes place over a few weeks maybe. Moves quicky.

Story is of course centric to the main character and the struggles with his ... situation. I found it really intruiging. Very tense.

I really liked the artstyle here. The proportions of facial features upped the creep-factor three fold.

This mangas audience is the typical horror-manga enjoyers. Maybe this could be a good entry point too for those who have read little to no horror mangas. Late teens to early twenties age range.

I am giving this three stars. Nothing spectacular, and I have read creepier mangas before. This is just fine, did it's job of creeping me out a little.

Get ready for a creepy stalker situation! The artwork and dialogue worked together to give us the perfect tension-filled atmosphere.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-arc!!

I love horror and particularly horror manga or comics so it’s safe to say I was excited to see Hauntres in English. Despite being from the 1990’s this was fantastic, the art work is brilliant and suits the genres so well, I loved the lettering and layout. The story itself was fantastic, I adored the mixing of Urban Legends and horror to create a gripping story that you won’t be able to put down until you finish.

As always thank you to Kodansha Comics for the advanced copy to review, my reviews are always honest and freely given.

I only picked this manga because of the creepy cover. I mean, look at the cover. The man was sleeping and the tall woman was opening the door to his apartment.


The story follows Hiroshi, a college student, living his normal life until he hears someone keeps ringing the doorbell of his next door neighbour's apartment one night.


The art and the story was fine. It didn’t scare me as much as I thought it would. The ending ends with so many questions, but I still wanted to know what happened to Hiroshi.


(Thanks to Kodansha Comics and NetGalley for a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.)

A solid psychological thriller. After a seemingly casual chance meeting the main character finds himself in the crosshairs of a seriously disturbed woman. Who is she, and what does she want?

The art is good and adds to the atmosphere, though there are a couple of times in the action scenes, where the events aren't exactly clear

Overall, I liked it

I'm a massive Minetaro Mochizuki fan, and revisiting the 'Hauntress' in the English translation was nothing short of a treat. The sheer eerie-ness and psychological maddening of the titular hauntress is brilliantly showcased throughout the manga. The story is rich, filled to the brim with suspense and makes for an exciting thriller that'll have you finishing it within one sitting. Love Mr Mochizuki's art and story, and very much applaud the brilliant translation.

Thank you Kodansha and Netgalley for this ARC!!

4/5

I don’t read of lot of manga but this definitely gave an old school feel. The story felt timeless like it could happen at any point like any good urban legend. I read it in one sitting as I found it unique unsettling and entertaining. I definitely will pick up more from mochizuki.

Thus story follows a young college student as he become victim to a strange woman who becomes obsessed with him. This story was spooky, the illustrations I found to be really creepy which was really fun! I thought it could have been longer and that would have helped to increase the creep factor. I think it would have been interesting to see a bit more and get a bit more information and learn a bit more about what was going on and who she was. overall I enjoyed this quick read and would recommend for a quick and spooky time!