i was bored yesterday and decided to read some manga, but i didnt feel like getting up to date with any of the ones i follow, so i browsed the site for a while until a new manga caught my attention. and it tuned out to be so very good and i feel like posting about it so here it is
i dnot usually read many horror manga, but im a big fan of the few ive read. i think a big reason i like horror manga more than movies or books is the visual aspect and the freedom of pacing that maga offers. The black and withe, sometimes hyper detailed, manga drawings are something that you cant really replicate with animation or movies or my imagination. i also live that when reading a maga you can pause any time and take as much time as you want with any given panel, and i think that, for a visually-driven horror story, that's a great strength.
That said, most often than not, when reading a horror manga i end up admiring the skill and detail of the art more that i get surprised or impressed the way i would with a movie for example.
so anyway, i found this manga called "Bibliomania". Its pretty short, 12 chapters, so i finished in one reading. It starts with an interesting plot, but nothing indicative of it being a horror manga. The story is bout a girl called Alicia that wakes up in the 431 room of a "hotel". There a snake-looking character appears and tells her that she is a guest and as long as she remains in the room all her wishes will come true, but she cannot leave for she is linked to her room and the further away she gets from it the more her body will discompose. Alicia wants to leave back to the real world, though, and the way to do that is to travel every room until she reaches room 000. Thats the plot, and the manga follows it as you'll expect for 3 or 4 chapters. Alicia travels impressive-looking room after impressive-looking room.
the artwork is great. One thing i really like about it, and that ends up being incredibly effective later on, is the contrast between the simple, cartoonish look of the protagonist and the hyper detailed art style of everything else.
The manga used possibly more and more body horror as the story progresses, both in the main character and in her surroundings.
Now, as I said, body horror is way more impressive to me the it is disturbing. Or it was. Until i read this manga.
there's a manga technique used to surprise readers that consist on putting the resolution of a building tension as the firs panel after a page turning. That way the reader is very invested in the story, turning page after page and then, in one of these page-turns, there is a big, detailed, beautiful art that, if made correctly, makes you stop bathing for a second.
There's one instane of these technique in bibliomania that is possibly the most effective use of it I have encountered (except that damn snow fight in chainsaw man that still haunts me to this day). i was reading the manga digitally, so i can only imagine how much more effective it will be in a physical version of the work. But it still got me very good. Twice, actually, while getting some screenshots. The image is still clear in my mind. That's the reason im making this post, really. ive read other horror manga, but they have never caused any strong reaction in me such as this one did with a single panel.
The story also gets very good, and not in the direction you may be expecting. And did i mention the artwork is insane?
And the composition is so cool too
so if you like pretty art and cool art and great art and like horror and you body horror, give it a read. It's only 12 chapters long and is very worth reading. (if you do decide to read it be aware that there is a lot of body horror, death, depictions of suffering, suicide, gore, skuls?, mmh i think that it)
