Well, as promised, just in time for Halloween, here comes my review of Be Very Afraid of Kanako Inuki, her latest English-translated release here in the US for no doubt decades by this point.

 

To start off, I would like to discuss the packaging that the book came in.  I can't remember if the back cover was all that special (and can't check), but the front cover was quite artfully done.  As you see above, a distorted, doll-like face grins up at us from a sea of innocent pink roses.  It is almost too on-the-nose in that regard; that is pretty much what you're getting when you pull back the cover.  Initially, I had been expecting a thick hardcover book, more along the lines of a Junji Ito collection.  I got a small and thin paperback.

 

The book does begin with a table of contents but also, strangely, a set of introductions and profiles of the characters we would meet going forward.

 

Only 12 hours later do I realize that this "collection" is indeed a collection: a sampling of short stories from various horror series that the author has done in her lifetime.  And these people are her various recurring protagonists and villains of said multiple series.

Anyway this collection contains stand-alones from Inuki's Presents, Bukita-Kun, Big Sis Sasori, The Haunted Examination Room, Fulfilled Wishes and The Mysterious Tatari-Chan.

 

Each selection had its own subtitle, the title of the story from each series, but I had forgotten my notebook when I left for the bookstore last night, and had to take my initial review notes down on my phone.

Thankfully, the free Amazon preview I just found just happened to contain the title page, including the subtitles, in their entirety.

"The Birthday Present" from Presents: There’s an old saying that it’s not the passage of time that makes you older on your birthday; it’s the “extra years” hidden inside your presents.  Is that why Mayuko’s old classmate Kurumi, who has never gotten any presents, has remained a child all these years, while Mayuko has grown old?

 

"Lolita" from Bukita-Kun: Little Marimo wants to grow up and become an adult.  When she encounters teen Bukita, she finds a way to get her wish, but it may wind up being more than she can handle…

 

"The Sasori Doll" from Big Sis Sasori: When bullied little sister Sanagi prays to Santa for a doll that her mean eponymous sister cannot break, both horror and warm fuzzies are found inside her stocking the next day.

 

"Lovesickness" from The Haunted Examination Room: The serious Dr. Kanawa narrates for us a case involving a bullied young girl taking refuge in her delusions of a fictional romance.  And, as it turns out, the perfect man does exist only within her heart…literally…

 

"Happiness Hidden in the Dark" from Fulfilled Wishes: In a fantasy kingdom, a blind princess has everything that she could wish for, except sight.  She learns of a demon-summoning ritual that can grant her wish, but she soon learns to be careful what she wishes for…

 

"Friends at the Smiling Gate" from The Mysterious Tatari-Chan: When bully boy Noroi sticks a worse-than-usual “Kick Me” sign on the back of shy Tatari, it unleashes the fury of an angry mob on the hunt for a scapegoat.

 

Now, don’t get me wrong: Inuki’s works in this book do qualify as horror.  But, so far, it’s sort of a Goosebumps meets Junji Ito meets Kazuo Umezu thing, with a shoujo manga twist.

 

The stories are all centered around children, a la R. L. Stine, but that doesn’t make them any less unsettling.  The cruelty and selfishness of children is on full display here, and played for all the creepiness it is worth.  The artwork is reminiscent of Umezu: decidedly unsettling, particularly with it all being printed on stark white paper with stark black ink.  And Ito’s influence can be seen in how it is often the darknesses and madnesses lying deep within ordinary people that winds up doing them in.  Wishes are twisted in this series.  The cruel and the greedy are always punished in these stories, so you readers should probably be prepared for a definite preponderance of Downer Endings.

 

But this is fair, as it really plays into the “horror” aspect of tragedy, by definition.

 

To paraphrase Oscar Wilde, there are two great tragedies in this world.  One is not getting what you want, and the other is getting it.

 

And don’t get me wrong: the artwork is definitely unsettling, but I am glad to report that it was nowhere near enough to ever make me stop reading or want to slam the book shut and look away.  (Kind of hard to slam a paperback shut.)  That is often the problem I’ve had with Junji Ito-due to his extreme attention to detail, his artwork can often be a little TOO unsettling for my tastes, no matter how good the writing is.  And while there is thankfully very little graphic blood and gore, that only helps to make it stand out even more when it does show up.

 

There are also short descriptions of the origins of each story posted beforehand, as well as several horror-related Top 5 lists that help give us a deeper insight into the author.  And they do add something to our understanding of the works.

 

But, finally, there is one thing I don’t 100% understand.  The child-friendly descriptions and “getting to know the author” stuff, plus the simplistic notes before each one that explain how to use the Japanese honorifics within (which all seasoned fans of anime and manga already know) seem to point to the series being targeted towards children.  But there is blood, mentions of adult situations, and plenty of creepy imagery that they might find too disturbing.  The labels on the back of the book say Ages 16+, so that’s another wrinkle to it.

 

But, as an adult who has literally just turned 34, I’d say that this work is definitely worth reading, for those who can handle it.

 

And, as R. L. Stine would say, have a scary day, everyone!

 

(And a scary rest of the year.  Good night, Seattle, we love you!)

 

(References.)