Ibitsu

Lain542 May 7, 2012

7

Its been a while since I've read something that I like so much. The creepy loli woman was a perfect incarnation of madness; I couldn't figure her out. She seemed to be aware but at the same time lost in her own contorted world. The way she killed and maimed her victims was creative and interesting to look at. Also, the victims had the perfect reactions to her twisted actions. Although the setting was a little cliché(i.e. average, small town; school; insane asylum)the idea that it happened in an average town made it all the more scary. Finally, the ending was great. Nothing was resolved.  Overall even though story didn't scare or disgust me, I thought almost every aspect of it was perfect for what it was. I would love to read more like it. 

Bardokeeper Jan 2, 2019

4.5

From my tumblr: Navegando entre las páginas Primero, antes que nada; Ibitsu es un manga de terror creado y dibujado por Ryou Haruto, no hay demasiado que decir del autor, ya que esta sería la obra que se le conoce y una de las pocas (si tiene más material no sabría decirles, en MyAnimeList aparece este manga y otro de un único tomo). En el segundo paso debería hacer un resumen o una idea de que se trata este manga, pero no hay mucho que decir, se basa en una leyenda urbana de una muchacha que está sentada en mitad de la noche cerca del basurero y te pregunta si tienes una hermana pequeña. Al otro día te va a seguir hasta dónde vives y va a querer lavar su peluche. Para ello, entra a la fuerza a tu casa y a tu vida. Desde ahí todo empeora para nuestro protagonista. Yo creo que recomendaría este manga como una mínima base del género. Tiene un par de puntos a favor como la vibra media creepy. Pero solo eso. A mi particularmente no me pareció mucho (ya habiendo leído a Junji Ito o Suehiro Maruo te pone la barra muy alto). Entiendo que el autor le quiso dar unas vueltas a la trama, pero a mi parecer me parecieron bastante trilladas (stalking, pasados trágicos y oscuros, secuestros, asesinatos clichés). ¡Y casi me olvidaba! Tiene un par de side storys. En sí no aportan absolutamente nada a la trama principal, pero si le añade ambiente para que se vea más aterrador la historia principal. Quizás calificarlo como “terror” es mucho, sino sería algo más “creepy”. Pero como dije antes, habiendo leído a Suehiro Maruo o Junji Ito es como un OK.

Twinkietaem Jun 18, 2021

9

Read: February 12th 2019Read for MAL's Manga Reading Challenge - Read a series with one to five volumesRecommended on a list of top horror mangas to read, I added Ibitsu to my to read list a short while ago; seeing a challenge to read a manga series that was only 1-5 volumes, I very happily headed over to Ibitsu, settled down and started reading it.The artwork on the cover was what originally drew me to this; it's unsettling, it looks creepy enough and I was actually prepared for this to let me down - many horror mangas with unnerving covers tend to be weak with a snazzy cover to draw readers in.However, the standard of artwork in this is something I thoroughly enjoyed. The work on the Lolita girl, especially her eyes, struck something in me that gave me goosebumps and made me shiver once or twice.The plotline is something that I think many people will find weak. It's very similar to a lot of cheap B-rated slasher horror films that have come out in the years - I think Ryou manages to work with this, however, and make it into something chilling even with the overuse of such tropes in modern horror mediums. None of the story felt rushed and I think that two volumes were the perfect amount for this manga.The characters were well developed and I really enjoyed the backstory and reveals that were to be found across the story. Each character felt like Ryou had sat down and planned them out to a tee, but they also felt realistic and not as though they had been planned and they were enjoyable.  One-ShotsThe Corridor of Dolls is the first one-shot present in this manga, found at the end of Volume 1. This was something taken straight out of my nightmares as someone terrified of the uncanny valley and of dolls in general. The plotline in this was wonderfully wicked, was created and portrayed well and the artwork really finished it off. The characters aren't as strong as I would like for a one-shot but they're still developed well and I can't complain. The twists and turns in this were absolutely wonderful. I noted some people say that the ending of this one-shot was a little rushed but I think Ryou finished it off splendidly. This one-shot alone is a real A class piece of horror.The Mysterious Tale of the Editor is the second one-shot of Ibitsu, found at the end of Volume 2. Although not as obviously horror until about a quarter of the way through, there's no real sense of foreboding for a short while - after Ibitsu and The Corridor of Dolls, it felt like a little bit of a letdown. The artwork was still up to par but the characters didn't feel as developed as I would have personally liked them to have felt. If this had been a stand-alone one-shot I probably would have only given it five or six stars which is a bit of a shame. It's not a bad story, it just feels very different from the tone of the other stories present in this series.Overall, this was a really good trope ridden plot that Ryou knocked out of the park for me. It's been a while since I read and enjoyed something so cliche and ridden with horror tropes, but I really think Ryou has a bit of a knack for storytelling that made this so much more enjoyable for me.If you like cliche horror that would work as a cheap B-rated horror film, then go ahead and indulge in the urban legend of the Strange Lolita.