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!

Originally published in 1993 and is credited with bringing the idea of stalking to Japan.

A young man looks out of his apartment door when he hears insistent knocking on the next apartment.  That's all it took to start his nightmare of some crazy "RIng" looking woman to begin to stall him and everyone he knows.

For a story that is over 20 years old, it truly holds up.  It is creepy and scary AF.  I think if my phone has ring or someone has knocked on my door while I was finishing this, I would have screamed!
Highly recommended for a good creepy scare .
Published 2/25/2025

Thanks to @netgalley and  Kodansha Comics for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

A good, creepy comic about a haunting. I enjoyed the artwork although at times it was a little difficult to follow, being in black and white.

** spoiler alert ** This is not a manga I would typically go for due to the art style and the genre being horror, but I'm glad I did! This book was a wild ride and definitely haunted my dreams for a few days after finishing. This was a well told horror one shot manga using a unique art style that made the hauntress even creepier. The main character thought he was just being kind to a stranger, but that kindness attracts this creepy lady that has been trying to get a hold of the main character's neighbor. The hauntress starts harassing the main character after letting her use his phone. Then he thinks this creepy lady is a girl he used to bully in elementary school, but it turns out to be a complete stranger. When the main character is about to die at the hands of this hauntress, he jumps from his apartment building and turns to see the apartment complex on fire...starting from his room. He sees the stranger in the flames in his room, so when he wakes up in the hospital and hears that he is the only one who was injured, he makes a run from the hospital. I shall not divulge the ending so your nightmares may also be haunted. Will the main character die or is it the hauntress that will find her end?
I want to thank Net Galley and Vertical Comics for the opportunity for the ARC read of this incredible one shot manga, and I want to thank the author for the opportunity to read this incredible work.

i’m so glad this finally got a solid english edition almost thirty years after its initial publication, because this was creepy good fun. the art style is that quintessential 90s seinen vibe that’s pretty realistic in the facial features, which makes the monstrous elements pop even more. plot felt bare in points and the ending was a bit unresolved for my taste but i did enjoy that this was a quick read but still felt dark and suspenseful.

Thank you to Netgalley and Kodansha Comics for the opportunity to read and review this manga. I will be honest for me personally, I didn't like this due to the jump scares and the artstyle but! I think its one that if you are interested in it, you should give a shot there's a full fledged story, there's the ring like character and there's some classic art. I just honestly got too spooked and don't want to read anymore. Because of these points, I have to give this a 4 out of 5 stars.

This was a creepy manga. The story follows college student, Hiroshi Mori, who starts getting stalked by this crazy woman that he just met. This manga felt similar to Junji Ito’s work. The atmosphere was ominous and the story was very strange.

I loved the artwork. It made the story feel even creepier.

I think I would’ve liked this more if it was a short story. It just seemed to drag a little. It got to be a little repetitive. I really liked the ending though.

I would recommend this book to fans of horror manga.

Hauntress is a fantastic title for this work. I myself felt deeply haunted. I loved it. This reminded me very much of Junji Ito's work and I'm so glad I found a similar mangaka. Will definitely be checking out more of Minetaro Mochizuki.

Feels like a really classic graphic novel style. Great story with like some pretty decent lore considering how simple the basic premise is. Love the use of light and dark in this to really set some moods.

I enjoyed the concept for the story but never felt the horror I have experienced in similar stories. Overall i found the story a bit boring, the characters didn't have much to humanize them. My favorite part of the sotory were the final few pages, and I wish the rest of the story had the same impact as the last couple chapters. The standout for the manga was the illustrations, the illustrator did a great job of creating an unsettling and creepy feeling without being too blatent and in your face with the horror.

Thank you netgally for the arc of this book.

Don't open the freakin door! This manga was WILD. The suspense was suspending. The horror was horroring. I was on the edge of my seat for most of the ride. It is a really quick read because it's so hard to put down. Very nice!

I didn’t really enjoy this read. I had higher expectations going in. The antagonist was more annoying than scary.

There were some good moments but they couldn't make up for the overall experience, and the ending was predictable.

The artwork was decent, though. I have no complaints about that.

***ARC from NetGalley***

As per the description from the publisher, this story originally came out in 1993 and is appearing in English for the first time. I am so glad that it did. Hard to tell if this is a story about stalking, an urban legend, or both.
The art work is wonderfully expressive. You can almost feel Hiroshi's panic as the story progresses.
Very quick read and stays with you long after it is over.

3.5 ⭐
Minetaro Mochizuki, best known for his manga Dragon Head, created this classic manga.
In this story, we follow Hiroshi, a student whose life takes a dark turn triggered by a harmless event: the ringing of a bell. The way the author mixes urban legends and everyday life makes the atmosphere very tense, leaving us wondering why Hiroshi is going through all of this and, most importantly, whether it is reality or just his imagination.
As the action reaches its exciting point, some questions get answered while other mysteries remain. This mix of the supernatural and the ordinary keeps the reader hooked until the end.

This was okay. I was expecting more of a creepy scary vibe and it was creepy, but I never felt jumpy or drawn into the story.

Liked:
-The premise
-The illustrations
-Stalking portrayal

Meh:
-The overall story felt rushed
-It was kind of boring

I get how if you never read anything like this before, I can see how it would be more fascinating and creepy (or even validating). But for me it was just okay.

Format: Advance Reader's Copy from Kodansha Comics and NetGalley

Holy Crap, that was unsettling as all heck. In the best way... obviously... because it's horror. I think this manga will appeal to anyone who enjoys Junji Ito. This manga has that perfect classic japanese manga horror which really attracts people to the genre. Honestly this was really good, I have a few questions about the story of the woman and who she is but I think that was probably the point. I wish there was a tiny bit more closure but it was still very good.

Published by Kodansha and available February 25, 2025, Hauntress is a major work in the horror genre for manga. It was published in 1993, before stalking was widely known in Japan. The story follows college student Hiroshi, who's being followed by a creepy woman. I was interested because it's on several "Scariest Manga Ever" lists and I do love a good scare. Unfortunately it's hard to make a drawing scary and this isn't scary to me. The stalking starts too early with no buildup, which ruins the tension. I did like that at the end the stalker becomes another urban legend (Japan is famous for its urban legends). The art reminds me of Junji Ito, which I know for other readers will be a plus but the one Ito book I've read didn't impress me much. This just wasn't scary for me.

3 stars for the art. It was genuinely gorgeous. The story was kind of boring, not much substance beyond a scary lady stalking the main character