Orochi Chapter 7 (Manga Release)

It's finally here! The second and final chapter of the third kanzenban of Orochi!! "Battle" tells the story of a young boy and his father. I can't go into it too much without giving stuff away, but it was well worth the wait.

I know Japan has made movie versions of a few horror manga titles (including a few Tomie movies based on Junji Ito's character as well as Umezu's own The Drifting Classroom), but I wonder if anybody over there has ever thought of making this into a movie. If they haven't, they really should. It wouldn't really be a horror movie, more drama with some very startling things, but it would be damn good.

Anyways, get ready for an incredibly long story that will (hopefully) give you a lot to think about. And a lot to shiver with horror at.

Best-quality (leveled and small file size; done by Anethum graveoles):
http://www.mediafire.com/?ynwthn1meod

Low-quality:
http://www.mediafire.com/?myzezjgtxzn
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=ZBVDIGET

High-quality:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=RWGHHYHH
(Only Megaupload because it is 280 MB)

Also, some news about the future of Orochi - Thanks to a bit of info from NymphStealer (part of KuroKishakai, who did the first chapter of Orochi and half of the second chapter), I asked the person that had scanned the first three volumes of the series, [Ju-Ni] Vicissitude, if he had the fourth and final volume, and he said that he did! He said that he would scan it, and the trusty translator, molokidan, can get to translating it as soon as the job is done. I can't say when to expect the next chapter, but it should be coming eventually. Just keep checking here for details, as I'll post whenever something becomes concrete. Enjoy the chapter!

Update on Orochi

Yesterday, I got the translation for chapter 7 of Orochi from the translator, molokidan. I've started working on it already, but it'll still be a long time before it's done. This chapter is over 200 pages and will finish the third kanzenban. I haven't read it yet, but molokidan says that he thinks it has the best ending out of all the stories.

I've got a couple of things on my plate right now, including an upcoming anime convention, and that coupled with the many pages in this chapter means that I definitely won't have the chapter done before the end of the month, but unless something horrible happens, I should have it done by the end of May, probably long before. Look forward to it!

Midori (1992)

I'm still waiting on the translation of chapter 7 of Orochi, so I figured in the meantime, I'd get back to this blog's original purpose - sharing my opinion of all things horror. This time, the dish is Midori, a rather odd movie. It's based on a manga by Suehiro Maruo and was created by just one guy, Hiroshi Harada. It is also very hard to find, though like (almost) everything else, it can be found on the web.

I haven't read much of Maruo's work, only two things making up three volumes: Ultra-Gash Inferno, which I hated because it seemed to be nonsensical and gross simply for the sake of being gross; and The Laughing Vampire, which I enjoyed quite a bit, for reasons I am unsure of. I didn't know how to feel about Maruo's manga after reading those, but watching this movie made up my mind. I may not like all his stuff, but he does deserve to be respected. His work can carry a lot of meaning, if you're willing to look for it. And can get past the graphic depictions of sex and violence.

Getting back to the movie, Midori tells a simple story. A young girl with nowhere to go has to rely on a stranger's kindness, but she soon learns that he is no friend. Forced into a despicable life, with no signs of happiness, she must live on. I want to say that the overall story doesn't matter, but it does. To really get the points being made, you must look closely at the characters, aside from the story, but at the end, you must also think about everything that has happened, to understand what it means. Part of the reason I like this movie is because it shows you the grotesque images Maruo is known for, while moving along quickly, letting you know that the images are there, but they aren't all. There's more. I personally have made the mistake of assuming that Maruo's work is disgusting for no other reason than to have a disturbing picture, but this movie helped me to realize that while his work does give the people who want such images what they desire, it also says something. He draws the depravity of the human race, details how horrible we can be, establishes that these terrors can be anywhere and everywhere, but acknowledges that it is human nature. These are monsters, but they aren't mythical. They don't hide in caves or come out only once every seven years. They are people.

This movie is not for everyone, just as Suehiro Maruo's work is not for everyone. If you have a weak stomach, don't watch it. If you aren't going to think about symbolism and possible meanings, don't watch it. But if you want something that will get you thinking (and I'm talking, really fucking hard thinking), and you can stand seeing horrific images, watch this. And hell, if you don't like it, you'll at least be able to say that you watched a really rare and unique movie.

Orochi Chapter 6 (Manga Release)

Here's the first chapter of the third kanzenban of Orochi! In "Stage," a boy suffers a tragedy at a very young age and as a result gives up all TV and music. More than a decade later, he tries to break into show business. Has he forgotten about the misfortune of his youth, or are his intentions more than they seem?

I really liked this story, and I think a lot of people will. It's not strictly a horror story, but it's well told and paced excellently.

Low-quality:
http://www.mediafire.com/?hmczivyo30z
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=YB3BCSPH

High-quality:
http://www.mediafire.com/?lw2z3h2rg2w
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=3JBH3JVX

This is the first of the two stories in the third kanzenban, and it is about 130 pages long. The second story is over 200 pages long, so it'll take longer to do. I'll try to get it done before the end of April, so you guys don't have to wait too long for it (and because I'm going to an anime convention at the end of April and don't want a nagging feeling while there). As for what happens after that, I'm going to mess with my scanner, see if I can get it working, and talk to the translator of Orochi , molokidan, to see what he might want to do in the future. I hope you all enjoy Yuuichi's trip to the "Stage!"

Orochi Chapter 5 (Manga Release)

Finally, it's done! It took forever, and I ended up having to do most of the pages twice, but it's finished and here for you to enjoy. In this chapter, a little boy tells a ton of lies. When he sees something horrible, no one believes him. What will he do when he is chased by a murderer and his cries for help elicit only laughs and condemnations?

I'm 99% sure there is no difference between the high quality and the low quality, but I'm still gonna give you the option of downloading one or the other. Because I'm crazy.

Low quality:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=9OCBOAUR
http://www.mediafire.com/?2tnmqyomtmd

High quality:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=H5R06XM4
http://www.mediafire.com/?tt2nzqmtmmt

This is the end of the second kanzenban. Expect the first chapter of volume three within two weeks, hopefully less. After that, there will only be one chapter left until I'm out of stuff to scanlate. There have been talks of getting the fourth volume, but I don't have a working scanner right now (though I may be able to get it working soon). Anyways, I'll start figuring stuff out after I finish chapter 6. Enjoy "Key"!

Getting Back to Business

I got a new computer. This one is a lot better than my old one; however, it is very different, and I'm not very used to it. For some odd reason, when I use the paint program (Windows 7, by the way), it makes Anime Ace, the font I've been using, look like complete shit. I have no idea how to make that not happen. Granted, I just started using it, but I don't want to spend a week getting acquainted with the program and trying to figure out how to make Anime Ace look normal. So, I'm going to do chapter 5 in a different font, probably Comic Sans because it doesn't look odd or out of place (and I don't know many fonts). What does this mean to the average reader? Nothing, except that the words in this chapter won't look like the words in the latest chapter of Bleach or Naruto. If I can get Anime Ace to look good, I might go back to it for chapter 6, but I might not. It depends on how I feel about Comic Sans after finishing this chapter.

I'm going to try to hurry through this chapter, so I can put it behind me as soon as possible, and not seem like I'm giving up on the project. I can't promise I'll get it done within a week, but I'm sure as hell going to try.

Now, here's a page I've been testing on to show how weird Anime Ace looks and what Comic Sans looks like:

Bad News

My computer died. I am typing this on my Wii with the remote. My arm already hurts. I am looking into getting a new computer, but I will be out of commission for a few days. I'll probably have to redo all of chapter 5, too. I only had 7 pages left. :( So, it won't be released for a while. Sorry, but thems the breaks. I'll try to update this as things progress.
PS: Thank God I read Bleach, Naruto, and One Piece this morning. I'm glad I at least didn't put that off.
PSS: This took me only 14 minutes with the Wii Remote. That's a damn good time (I think).

Orochi Chapter 4 (Manga Release)

4th chapter of Orochi - "Hometown." A man goes back to his hometown and finds that things have changed quite a bit. A creepy kid, a dark secret, and a lot of sound effects!

I'm starting to think that there's no difference between the PNGs and JPEGs, but I'm still going to release two versions, just in case I'm wrong. My eyes do suck, after all.

Low-quality:

http://www.mediafire.com/?zntzuznonln

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=0H9EL8Q8

High-quality:

http://www.mediafire.com/?zwy3emmtzzj

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=GN9L55V8

I'll probably spend a bit more time on the next chapter. The odd weather in my area is affecting my sinuses and making me feel under the weather. (*cough* And I just got a Wii. *cough*) The wait shouldn't be too long, but don't sit on your thumbs waiting for a new chapter next weekend. (What the fuck did I just say?)

Orochi Chapter 3 (Manga Release)

Here's the third chapter of Orochi, titled "Prodigy." This is a story about family, how people can change, and especially, a mother and son's perception of each other and how it warps them.

Once again, two versions because, why not?

Low-quality:

http://www.mediafire.com/?54mmmdqnzhz

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=GURMAIJF

High-quality:

http://www.mediafire.com/?oh5m43dmfa4

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=NRHSKFYC

Links of interest:

Group page at MangaHelpers

You can subscribe to Orochi and see when I upload a new chapter there. Also, there's a read-online feature.

My Twitter page

I'll say stupid shit and how I'm doing on the latest chapter (that's the important part).

I'd also like to let everyone know that you can upload this wherever they please, as long as you leave the credits page in, to give myself and molokidan the credit we deserve. Thanks for reading! Chapter 4 will hopefully be finished in about a week.

NOTE: It's been brought to my attention that a page is missing from chapter 2. It doesn't add anything to the story, so if you've read the chapter without it, there's no need to worry, but I have added the page to the release post so everyone can get it. Sorry for the trouble. Thanks for catching that, js.

Orochi Chapter 2 (Manga Release)

Shaggy Horror's first release! The first of many to come, hopefully.

This is the second chapter from the first kanzenban volume of Orochi, by Kazuo Umezu. (A kanzenban is like an ultimate volume - really big.) This completes the volume. The first 90 pages or so were done by a group called [Kurokishakai]. Much thanks goes to the group, who also did the first chapter of Orochi. You can find that on their blog.

The chapters of Orochi are separate tales, connected only by the existence of a strange girl named Orochi. You absolutely do not need to read the first story to understand the second. This chapter is titled "Bones" and is about a woman with a bad childhood, her husband, and a spell gone wrong.

After I finished the chapter, I saw that it was over 180MB, so I saved the files as JPEGs to reduce their size. The result was two versions of the chapter, with one of slightly less quality. Both are easy to read though. And it is 215-pages long, so 180MB isn't too crazy a number. Anyways, here are the download links.

Low-quality:

http://www.mediafire.com/?g1xnrammznj

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=G6JHKPF6

High-quality:

http://www.mediafire.com/?kmavefdokmt

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=0ZCKNT61

Big thanks goes to molokidan for translating this and again, [Kurokishakai] for starting this. I'm going to start working on the first chapter of volume 2 now, and it will hopefully be out before Valentine's Day. Tell all your friends about me!

NOTE: A page is missing from this chapter. It doesn't further the story, so don't fret if you've already read the chapter - you didn't miss anything big. It just sound effects (UUUUUUUUUU). Still, here's the missing page so everyone can get it:

News that Actually Matters

Yeah, this post is actually important. Amazing.

Two things - 1) I got my first follower. Hi, horrorfangirl! It's great to know someone may really be reading these entries. 2) I've started a makeshift scanlation team, if you can call it that. On MangaHelpers, I found that someone had translated a bunch of stuff by Kazuo Umezu, a very famous (in Japan, at least) horror manga author, and no one had scanlated it. In other words, no one took the translations and put them on the pages so English-speaking people could read it. I decided that, since I have nothing but free time and love horror manga, I would do it.

I decided to start with Orochi, a series that had been started by a group last year but never finished. In fact, they only released one chapter and did half of another. About four days ago, I started scanlating the second chapter, where the other group left off. It's a lot of work, because the chapter is over 200 pages long. Thankfully, the other group did about 90 pages, so that saves me quite a bit of work. I've halfway through the rest of the chapter right now. It shouldn't take me more than a week to finish it.

I have some experience doing this sort of thing, but I'm no expert. I can't make the pages look great, but my goal is to get it out there, so other fans can read and enjoy it. There's a lack of Umezu in English, and that's a shame because he is a big name that's influenced a lot of people. I may not do a perfect job, but I'll at least get it out there. Here's a taste of the chapter (and my work):

I'm not really sure what to do once I finish it, but I'll deal with that once I'm done. I guess upload it to MangaHelpers and every site I think would appreciate it, paranormal imageboards and the like. If people seem to like what I've done (or at least not hate it), I'll keep doing more.

Fuan no Tane (Manga)

This is a very well-known series among people who visit paranormal imageboards, but I guess I can't expect everyone to have wasted a year's worth of their life on a chan site.

Fuan no Tane is a three-volume series that illustrates Japanese urban legends. Each chapter is very short, some of them only being two pages long. This greatly helps it. Each story jumps right into the freaky thing. There's no continuity to worry about and no characters to keep up with. Just weird shit that will creep you out.

Since the stories are based on Japanese stories, not all of them will make sense, and the ones that do make sense to an English-language reader probably won't hold the significance that they would to a Japanese reader. But I think that's a good thing. If someone tries to tell me about Bloody Mary, I scoff, because I've heard it before. I imagine that's how a Japanese person would react to some of these stories. "Kids on a sign come to life and cause a car wreck? Heard it - it's not true." But non-Japanese people won't know the stories and will be amazed at them. "A human-like lizard crawling across the top of a skyscraper? Damn, that's scary."

Also, because there are so many stories, you're sure to find something you like, something that unsettles you. Always been afraid of ghosts? Got it. Monster babies? Got it. Strange attackers that defy reason? Got it. And the art fits it all perfectly. It's simple but can be very detailed. It's like it lulls you into a sense of peace, right before it throws some horrifying thing at you.

This series has not been licensed or released in English (which makes sense as the stories are about Japanese urban legends), but it has been scanlated into English and posted across the internet. It's not hard to find, and I highly recommend it.

Note: There is a Fuan no Tane + (Plus) that has more stories, but only four chapters of it have been scanlated, due to bad raws.

Ghoulies (1985) & Miner's Massacre (2002)

Two movies in this post because neither one is worthy of a full post.

Ghoulies has a very misleading title. It makes you think you're going to see little creatures running around and causes havoc, but really, what you see is a story imitating a Lovecraft imitation. Some guy inherits a mansion, and while he's exploring it, he feels the need to practice black magic, because his dad was a great magician or something. Bad shit happens, and the ghoulies spend about ten minutes killing his friends. Then, the movie ends with an "OH SHIT!" moment that shows that the creators have a sequel planned. Hope the monsters actually do something in that sequel.

Miner's Massacre, also known as Curse of the Forty-Niner, is a ripoff of Leprechaun, except instead of a chatty, sometimes funny little person, we get a silent hulk. When his gold is taken, an angry miner returns from the dead to kill all those who have it. Seriously, it's fucking Leprechaun. Plus, the deaths are quick and unsatisfying, and the acting sucks. A completely pointless movie.

Doomed (Comic)

Doomed is a four-issue comic published by IDW, which is known for doing comics about zombies, horror, and TV shows. Thanks to this series, I looked into IDW and found a treasure trove, some of which I'll hopefully discuss in the future.

The series takes stories by noted horror authors and illustrates them. Each issue has four illustrated stories, based on works by four authors (each author has one story in each issue). There's Robert Bloch, who deserves more recognition than he gets, seeing as he wrote the famous book Psycho on which the movie is based; F. Paul Wilson, who's best known for his Repairman Jack character; David J. Schow, well-known in the splatterpunk genre; and Richard Matheson, author of the often-filmed I Am Legend. The average person will probably have only heard of one of those authors (I admit I didn't know any but Matheson before picking up the comic), but after reading these comics, every horror fan should want to seek out all they can find by any of them. (Or at the least, three out of the four.) The stories give you a taste of what horror fiction that isn't King or Rice is like, while providing good art that enhances the stories. As is common for IDW, the art isn't typical; it can look uneven and messy, but it parallels the stories, which feature humans, and the world itself, as an uneven and strange and hostile place.

There's also more to these comics than just the stories. Within each issue is something about the four authors, lengthy reads that provide insight to the minds of the writers and the horror genre itself. Furthermore, there are short stories (just text, no pictures) that give you even more to read. Each issue will take a few hours to get through, making it well worth the money spent.

If you see Doomed somewhere, grab it. If you don't know much beyond mainstream horror, it'll teach you a lot, and if do know more, you'll be pleased to see these authors getting the attention they deserve.

Mister Frost (1990)

I found this movie while going through Comcast's many free On-Demand movies. I had never heard of it before, but it starred Jeff Goldblum and was about the devil, so I figured I'd give it a shot. What I got was an above-average horror movie, which unfortunately makes for only an average movie, independent of genres.

That is more a critique of horror movies as a whole than praise for Mister Frost. No, this movie doesn't deserve praise. It's simply better than a lot of the other crap that's out there.

Jeff Goldblum plays a mass murderer that claims to be the devil. He admits to having a dead body on the premises when a police inspector shows up one day and offers no resistance whatsoever as the police dig up his yard and find the many corpses. He is smug, as if he is untouchable. This is pleasant for the first half of the movie, as we see him interact with the other characters, but as the film goes on, and the mystery and intrigue fade, it becomes boring. Goldblum, as the devil, does nothing himself but sit and talk, and he only talks to one person, a female psychiatrist will who supposedly help him regain his grasp on the world. The movie makes up for this by having a lot of things happen, interrupting the many conversations between Goldblum and the doctor, but once everything is out of the bag, and it's clear what's going to happen, you just don't care. All interest is lost, because even the plights of the other characters mean nothing. It all goes back to the devil and the doctor, and there's no suspense there.

However, like I said, this is an above-average horror movie. The first half of it is really good. If you get bored after forty minutes, turn it off and make up your own conclusion. It'll probably be better than the actual end of the movie.

Neglected No More

God, it's been a while since I've posted here. I'd feel bad about that, if anybody read this. But maybe people will actually read it now, since I've decided to start linking to it as I make my various journeys across the internet.

I haven't stopped loving horror, of course, but I did take a break for about a month and a half. In October, I decided that I wanted to watch one horror movie a day (or average that, at least), and I accomplished that goal. Unfortunately, a lot of the movies I saw were crap. (Thanks, FEARnet!) Thanks to that, I got sick of watching horror movies. Even though I tried to go in with no expectations whatsoever, I still ended disappointed, and often yawning before the movie had even reached the halfway point. So, in October, I watched thirty-one movies, and in November and December combined, I watched six. Bad way to end the year.

I went on a horror comic binge for a while, reading some very good things that I hope to eventually share here, but I got tired of that before too long. I live my life in waves, it seems. Something will intensely hold my interest for a while, but then the tide will pull back, and I'll move on. But the tide always returns, and with it, my devotion. Really, all I can hope to do is not let years go by before I let the tide of horror wash over me again.

My love was rekindled recently by new horror manga translations, thanks to a fellow named Daniel Lau. He scanlated some Junji Ito stuff, and I lapped it up. I've found a fair bit of horror manga out there, but none of it has struck me the way Ito's stuff has. (Except for Fuan no Tane, but there isn't a lot of that, and the author's other works aren't horror.) There's a lot of Ito stuff that isn't available in English, and it looks like Mr. Lau is the best shot we have of getting it.

Inspired by Ito's gruesome work, I've started watching horror movies again, and I'm planning to start reading the horror comics I've had on my computer for the past couple of months. I'm jumping back into the pit. I'll share my thoughts here, so people with similar tastes can be satiated and not have to go through the trouble I do.