Although largely unrecognized in the United States, "girls’ horror" is a concept arguably as old as horror itself. Character-oriented and plot-driven, horror aimed at a young female audience has an appeal that can extend not only across ages and genders but even across genres to individuals who otherwise would never think of reading horror stories. In Japan, horror has always been a major division of comics for girls. This site is dedicated to promoting shoujo horror manga to speakers of English.
Please note that the distinction between horror, mystery, and suspense is often unclear. Japanese readers, for example, are generally more tolerant of random supernatural elements in their stories than US audiences. (Not that the supernatural is necessarily a part of horror stories, just that it is often an indicator of the type in Western works.) It can be difficult to tell the exact genre of a comic from across the Pacific, so Western-style mysteries may be included in the bibliographies although they are not the focus of this site.
Most Japanese comics and comics magazines are now available in electronic editions, and some have begun to appear only in that format. At the same time, publishers continue to put out cheap "convenience store" editions, not always included in their own catalogs, let alone those of bookstores. I will document these releases as best I can, but please be aware that many may slip through the cracks.
Featured Authors
Michiyo Akaishi (赤石路代)
Quite a few of her works cross over from mainstream girls’ comics and therefore make a good test for uncertain readers.
Chie Watari (渡千枝)
Readers new to girls’ horror can find an excellent introduction to the type in her short and episodic pieces.
Please send comments or corrections to ghc[at]thirteens.net.
ご意見・ご指摘はghc[at]thirteens.netへメール下さい。