The Fall 2023 Manga Guide

Betwixt

What's It About? 

Ryo Hanada (creator of Devils' Line), Aki Shimizu (creator of the Suikoden III (manga), and Shima Shinya (creator of Lost Lad London and co-writer of Star Wars: The High Republic, The Edge of Balance) each tell uniquely Japanese tales of ghosts and creatures who exist alongside us. American creative duo Becky Cloonan and Michael Conrad (co-writers of Wonder Woman and Batgirls) along with duo Leslie Hung (co-creator of Snotgirl) and Sloane Leong (creator of A Map to the Sun) and up and coming creator Hua Hua Zhu round out the anthology with tales that would make anyone paranoid about who they may encounter.

Betwixt includes cover art and an introduction by Junji Ito. The English translation is by Satsuki Yamashita and Mayuko Hirao. Published by Viz Media (October 10, 2023).

Is It Worth Reading?

Rebecca Silverman

Rating:

The best reason to buy this half-OEL, the half-manga collection, is because Shima Shinya has a short story in it. You may recognize that as being the name of the creator of Lost Lad London, and while this is a ghost story and not a murder mystery, “The Window” has the same sort of undertones. The nameless protagonist and his sister talk about a purported ghost lurking in the yard next door to his apartment, and when he recounts the various tales he's heard, his sister points out that most female ghosts are victims of men. She suggests that turning these women into scary stories is just another way the world has done them wrong, and she announces her intention to look out the so-called forbidden window. The story is compelling because the creator can make us think about the nature of what scares us and come to no solid conclusion. It's a standout piece because it plays with what we think we know about ghost stories as a genre. If you like it, I'd recommend reading it alongside A Haunted History of Invisible Women by Leanna Renee Hieber and Andrea Janes.

My unabashed love for that particular creator aside, this really is an interesting short story collection. Junji Ito fans may be sad that he only drew the covers and wrote the (quite interesting) introduction, but the blend of tales is enough to sell the book even without that. It's also a great chance to look at the differences between Japanese and American horror – on the whole, the Japanese stories in the volume are more oblique and have a tinge of bittersweetness, especially Ryo Hanada's “Kamei.” Hanada blends the genre's more graphic elements with a sad story of a girl and a kappa who make the best of a bad situation. Along with featuring the grossest kappa I've ever seen, it talks about what, if anything, we owe the dead and how our attitude towards it can shape our experiences with them. “Never Left,” by Michael W. Conrad and Beckey Cloonan, also plays with this idea, but in a much less settled manner, drawing instead from Nordic dark fiction. On the American side, my favorite is Huahua Zhu's “Shadow,” which uses the idea of no good deed unpunished and how what we think is bringing us comfort may hurt us the most.

It's also worth mentioning that while all six artists have a nice variety of styles, all the American pieces have a distinct, trying-too-hard OEL look that most manga-inspired art used to have. Each has its style, and while we can see the manga influence, it isn't grating. Zhu and Shima have the most distinct art styles, but they are all interesting and creepy in their own ways. It's a solid collection, and if it isn't perfect – “Mirror, Mirror” and “Film Ephemera” both fall a bit short, and I don't love “Never Left” – it's still a good spooky read.

MrAJCosplay

Rating:

A collection of short stories from well-known horror authors? Sign me the hell up! Betwixt is a collection of one-shots from various authors, all of which vary in quality. However, unlike many other collections, this one is an example of authors making the most use of their real estate. None of these stories drag on too long and are quite insightful. Many focus more on the psychological and spiritual aspects of the living rather than a villainous supernatural entity or disgusting force.

The uniting theme is looking inward rather than projecting outward. Sometimes, a character is left with guilt over a potentially harmful action in a confusing situation, or a kind soul appears at the right place at the right time to correct a wrong. Sometimes, when a central character stares into an abyss, it wants to get closer and get a good look back.

Some of the stories lack a conclusion or a little anticlimactic, but not in a cheap or frustrating way. Returning to what I said before about the authors making proper use of the real estate they were given, every story ended precisely when it wanted to without trying to be overly indulgent. This does hurt the book's replay value, but each tale is easily digestible. If you're a horror fan, this is worth at least one read, and if the stories tickle your brain, maybe a second one to pick up on the little stuff you might've missed!