As an avid comic book reader and beginning horror fan I was delighted to discover Ibitsu, a horror comic centered around a disturbing lolita antagonist.
The story begins as a young man, Kazuki, leaves his apartment at midnight to take his rubbish out to the trash heap. Upon arriving he notices a haggard, corpse like lolita slumped eerily before the pile of garbage. Creeped out, Kazuki tries to leave before she notices him, but before he gets the chance to run away the strange lolita asks him a question, "Do you have a little sister?". Almost immediately after he answers frightening things begin happening to both Kazuki and his loved ones. Is the lolita girl a frightening stalker or something much more sinister?
Ibitsu is a pretty short series, I was able to finish all thirteen chapters in a little over an hour so it's good if you are looking to read something in one sitting. Personally I found the story entertaining but I didn't find it very scary (to be honest I found the two side stories more frightening). Certain parts were rather unnerving, and there were definitely moments where I cringed, but at the end of the night I was still able to go to sleep with the lights off. Just because I failed to find the plot scary though does not mean that I didn't find it interesting! Throughout the story I found myself rooting for the main character and dreading the appearances of the deranged lolita, if only for his sake. Though the story was short and sweet I became emotionally invested in the main characters and their well being. I even liked the lolita character despite her evil inclinations, but perhaps my closet is making me biased!
The comic does feature some swearing and brief nudity (in one scene breasts are exposed) so I wouldn't recommend reading it at work or school. The violence is not very graphic but the implications of violence still might be too much for children and younger teenagers so I would suggest using your discretion.
What drew me to Ibitsu was purely the use of a lolita villain, however upon reading it thoroughly I have decided that I would still like the comic regardless of whether a lolita was included or not. Though the comic is not ground breaking it is still enjoyable. For fans of lolita fashion who also enjoy spooky stories I would say that Ibitsu, by Ryou Haruka, it definitely worth your time.
I'm a similar lover of comics, graphic novels and manga and also starting out on the road to appreciating horror. A friend just made me watch the Grudge yesterday which might have been a mistake, so I was really glad to come across this post and read Ibitsu. Chilling but not terrifying, horrifying at times but never making me want to throw a blanket over my head and clutch a pillow, this was a very good read. Thank you for suggesting it!
ReplyDeleteBeing a relatively new reader, I haven't had a chance to scan through all your archives and see whether lolita inspired movies or comics are a theme. But if not, I would love to know where to look for more lolita-ness in modern culture.
Yes, I have some blog entries about various media featuring lolita. They are few and far between so I like to report the ones I like! <3
ReplyDeleteOh yes, I just went through and read them. I've actually read most of the other Bed Time Stories suggestions which made me pretty happy. Especially since your reviews match up with my experiences!
ReplyDeleteOoh, I'll have to look into this! Thanks for the recommendation.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for posting this! After I read this post I stayed up reading the whole comic. It was so good and the side stories were even better than the actual story in my opinion. I would love to find more horror comics. :D
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