I think this is an important work because it’s credited with introducing the concept of stalking in Japan in the early 90s. I think it’s important that this context is considered because we’ve become so accustomed to stories of stalking and surveillance in the US in 2025 that this could feel dull in some ways. It’s a spooky read nonetheless.

Ibitsu meets Cuckoo! Don’t mess with the tall trench coat ladies of the night!

I didn’t know what to expect from this since I went into this blind. I saw the cover and I didn’t need to know anything else. The cover screamed creepy at me and I was set.

This was disturbing and really reminded me of ‘Ibitsu’ a bit. I think because of the breaking and entering and don’t forget the stalking. The art was just as creepy as the story. I even had to go back through and take another look at the art. Some of those illustrations are definitely nightmare inducing.

‘Huntress’ was a great and terrifying story. One of my favorite reads of the year!

Well, this was actually rather impressive – and that from someone who really doesn't rate the whole manga genre at all. Seems there is something worse than being disturbed by a lanky woman constantly knocking on the door, pressing the doorbell and ringing through to the phone of the flat next door – that is when said lanky woman asks for your help in finding your neighbour, and then latches on to you to do the same at your door.

I find it hard to believe this really did highlight the stalker concept to Japanese culture, even if it was first published in 1993. All told there is a touch of the J-horror to this, with the figure of the woman making a startling silhouette – head to one side, questioningly, long bedraggled hair, constant collection of paper shopping bags… It's also a book that refuses to answer all its questions, but generally provides for briskly-read entertainment. OK, for me a lot of the action art fails, and a revenge element never really works and outlasts its welcome as a result. But I was glad I took a punt on a review copy of this – I'm guessing slightly earlier manga would be more my thing, and the seriousness of this is definitely there. Many readers as a result of this will not be opening the door to any overly-tall, shopping-toting young/old women…

The fact this took 32 years to get translated into English is frankly quite bonkers, and shows an abject ignorance of the urgency the job should have been done with. A strong four stars.

This manga is a brand new translation of a 30 year old story. Apparently it introduced Japan to stalker media. Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC!

Imgur link goes to Instagram graphic scheduled for Jan 28th
Blog post goes live Feb 4th
Will be covered in upcoming Youtube review
Amazon and B&N reviews will be submitted after release

**TL;DR**: Oh my god, this scared the pants off of me. Genuinely, I was vibrating I was so unsettled.
**Source**: Netgalley - Thank you so much to Kodansha!

**Plot**: Hiroshi Mori helps a woman out, against his better judgement, and things go very badly.
**Characters**: No one here is particularly lovable but you still REALLY don’t want bad things to happen because wow it feels bad.
**Setting**: So. Creepy.
**Art/Layout:** The majority of the art itself wasn’t my favorite but the artist did some absolutely amazing detail shots that really amplified the horror elements here.

**Thoughts**:

Being scared this badly by a manga wasn’t on my January bingo card but here we are. Hauntress is a decidedly horrifying story of a stalking with an open and ambiguous ending. A woman pounds incessantly on a neighbor’s door till Hiroshi offers her his phone thinking that will take care of it and end the problem. I promise, it doesn’t.

I’m a chicken, okay, I scare pretty easily though I do consume a lot of horror manga and enjoy a good movie every now and again. I’ll say that before I say I was shaking a little when I finished this. The art, while not my favorite had a very good unsettling feeling to it. It was creepy and there up close and detailed shots, especially around eyes, that really amplified this one.

The ending is open, the story unclear and that makes this worse. I didn’t love Hiroshi but I didn’t want anything bad to happen to him! Now I’m stuck sitting here thinking about how this could possibly have gone… and not wanting to answer the doorbell when it rings. If you like horror manga I recommend this.

Oh. My. Gosh. I will reread this book forever! I love me a good horror manga and this might just be my new favorite manga author, alongside ito of course.

Not scary enough for me to consider it true horror, this story had potential, but I wanted more background and detail. With more development, the tension and scare factor could have been much stronger. Overall, it’s a decent, quick read.

A translated classic manga, Hauntress follows Hiroshi, a college student who gets involved with a creepy tall women who keeps ringing the doorbell of his next door neighbour's apartment.

The art style of this manga is unsettling and creepy, certainly serving a point. The story keeps the reader on edge not really knowing what is going on and why things are happening. It has such an unsettling atmosphere that raises the hair on the back of the reader's neck.

The ending really makes the reader ask more questions than it answers. It's quite abrupt and open ended. I don't require all my stories to have a black and white answer at the end but I just kind of hoped for a bit more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha comics for providing an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own

A college student starts getting night-time visitations from a tall, mysterious woman who seemingly can't be hurt. Things start to escalate as her actions become more erratic.

This was a fairly creepy graphic novel exploring urban legends, and there were some visuals I felt worked really well (the focus on the woman's shoes getting progressively dirtier as time progresses for example), but generally the art style wasn't for me.

The ending also felt a little flat, but it was an enjoyable enough quick read.

The story unfolds when Hiroshi, a college student hears the doorbell next door to his house and it is apparently rung by a mysterious tall woman who then begins to follow him, his every action.

This was my first brush with Japanese horror manga that isn't Junji ito's works and quite honestly this book served its purpose of being creepy and peculiar. The story gives you odds and even and your imagination is key. There were twists and turns that brought out the unpredictable nature of the storyline. The close up smiles and facial expressions were unquestionably creepy and creative for sure.

A good book if you are looking for a creepy, urban legend -que quick, haunting read.

”In the middle of the night, I heard a knock. And when I opened the door, I saw this huge woman…”

This was my very first manga and I think this book just opened me to a whole new book genre👀 This story follows a college student who one night hears knocking on his neighbors door and the woman he sees knocking now starts to take interest in him, knocking on his door at night and stalking him! This was such a creepy story, the art style was so cool and creepy at the same time. Very fast paced and eerie🫣

Thank you NetGalley and Vertical Comics for the Arc

Hauntress is an unsettling story that hooks you from the start with its eerie premise. It follows Hiroshi, a boy who gets tangled up with a disturbingly tall and creepy woman next door. What begins as his attempt to get some peace and quiet—after incessant knocking at his neighbor’s door—quickly spirals into a nightmare of urban legend proportions.

Trigger warnings for bullying, homophobia, and suicidal ideation.

At first Hiroshi and his friend suspecting her to be a victim of their past bullying. However, she’s something else entirely—a supernatural freak with superhuman strength.

The artwork deserves a shoutout. The tall, lanky, eerie woman and her unsettling smiles were pure nightmare fuel. The illustrations complemented the story’s creepiness perfectly, though I couldn’t help but wish the whole thing had been in color.

Hauntress deeply unsettled me, and that’s exactly what I wanted from it. Between the disturbing story, the creepy art, it’s a chilling and effective urban legend tale.

It was dark. I was a little confused. Who was she? What did she want. And why him. But I did enjoyed it. Want to read the next one.

Hauntress is a genuinely scary classic Japanese horror manga from the 1990s. It starts off slowly and quietly like much good horror. Our main character, Hiroshi, is living a normal life as a student. All he does is answer the door when someone knocks. For an older manga only now being translated into English, I was surprised at how accessible it was and how easily it read. The art is gorgeously creepy and I recognize it as the root image for some scenes I've watched in horror films.

I'd recommend Hauntress to all horror fans, especially fans of Japanese horror films or manga readers.

More creepy than spooky, Hauntress teeters on the edge too much. It doesn’t commit and what could have developed into a haunting urban legend/Ringesque tale simply is…weird.

Graphically very striking, the artwork was the standout attraction for me with this title. I'm not sure if it's down to the translation but the narrative felt a bit jerky and the dialogue very stilted in parts. As this pulled me out of the narrative, I struggled to feel particularly horrified by this title, but maybe it works better in hardcopy than an electronic version in the Netgalley app.

As an American manga reader, it is rare to find anything from the 90s or before that's been translated and is easily accessible. "Hauntress" should have been translated waaaaay sooner. Despite the simple characters, there is an unease throughout all the panels. This creeping sensation builds on what it sets up, inching closer to the danger first met at the door. I wanted to run away and hide whenever I saw the stranger creep around but I could not stop reading. All in all an extremely well done horror, I think if you've read other horror manga you should definitely check this one out.

Originally published in 1993, Hauntress is about to be available in English for the first time thanks to Kodansha manga! This single-volume horror story blends urban legends with very real fears as it follows college student Hiroshi through the most terrifying nights of his life. When he overhears a strange woman yelling for his next-door neighbor, he ends up becoming the new object of his affection. She’s tall, gaunt-faced, and seemingly indestructible. The more he attempts to ignore her, the more she threatens him. As Hiroshi and his friends attempt to figure out why this strange woman has fixated on him, his crush Rumi weaves in and out of his life—and in and out of danger.

Mineto Mochizuki’s art and story are evocative of modern urban legends, walking the line between nightmarish and just a bit too real. Your mileage may vary on the way the ending is handled. Personally, we think it fits with the story’s style and inspirations. Either way, it’s guaranteed to keep you up at night after you read it.

This had potential but too much of the story was left up to interpretation. I hate that. I enjoyed the artwork and the slow build of suspense. Overall this didn't work for me. Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC

I think younger teens will enjoy it, or anyone in the mood for a fun fast Halloween esque campfire story. Creepy enough to make an impression and no blood or gore, but there is violence. A quick read with good art and a fast-paced story, you'll never get bored. The whole time you'll be guessing about the tall woman/monster, and I think it's a good introduction to horror and mangas.