Why Horror Manga Is Always Better Than Anime

There’s one thing that most horror anime fans can agree on: the manga is always better. Considering the endless possibilities of 2D animation, you’d think anime adaptations would fare better; yet here we are. So why does animated horror miss the mark so often?

Unlike anime, manga has earned a great reputation among fans of all things creepy. From Junji Ito’s nightmare-inducing tales to the subtle creepiness of Masaaki Nakayama’s art, there’s plenty of variety in the genre. This means the problem isn’t with the source material: it’s with the medium.

Horror is all about psychology; it’s your imagination playing tricks on you. In manga, each panel tells a thousand words. The mangaka paints a picture, and your mind fills in the gaps, making the imaginary monster come to life and adding elements of realism to the story. Manga puts you in charge of your own horror. In anime, things just happen on their own.

This problem is eliminated in live-action adaptations of manga and original films, where the feeling of horror is produced through the so-called uncanny valley effect – an eerie sensation you get when something that looks like a human doesn’t act like a human. Think of something like a mannequin moving in the periphery of your vision, or your reflection in the mirror blinking at you.

Horror scenarios re-enacted by real people can achieve that effect. Anime, on the other hand, is too stylized and quite often toes the line between scary and comical. It’s not realistic enough to make the audience empathize with the heroes of the story and put them in their shoes. You have to invest in high-quality animation, or your creepy moving dolls will turn into extras from a goofy slapstick comedy.

Another factor that most likely plays the role here is time restrictions. Building up the tone and ambiance to the kind of horror that makes your heart race in a 20-minute slot is an arduous task few animation studios would want to undertake.

Which leaves us with the question: can anime successfully pull off horror at all? Yes, but only in the right hands. Anime studios’ best bet is making psychological thrillers with horror elements like Perfect Blue or Higurashi, which immerse you in the events unfolding on the screen and rely on the atmosphere rather than the graphics. The demand is there, so their efforts would definitely pay off.