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Fuan no Tane + #4
不安の種+ 4
More collections of chilling short stories dealing with urban legends, ghosts and superstitions all organized around a specific theme (School, Visitors etc.).
168 pages, Paperback
First published June 6, 2008
6 people are currently reading
219 people want to read
About the author
Masaaki Nakayama
48 books221 followersMasaaki Nakayama (中山昌亮) is a horror manga artist, and author of the series Fuan no Tane (Seeds of Anxiety).
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
January 4, 2023
Finally, the book that inspired me to read the whole series—I had read somewhere that it is an overlooked gem—turned out to be both partially and half untrue. Nevertheless, it was a positive encounter.
August 20, 2012
ALL I CAN SAY IS, THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST HORROR MANGA EVER! :)
http://www.goodreads.com/starryfields
http://www.goodreads.com/starryfields
May 11, 2023
I consider Fuan no Tane Plus and Fuan no Tane to be basically the same series, so here's what I wrote for FNT here as well. When I read one, I also have to read the other.
It's my 3rd or 4th time re-reading this series. I love it, from the stories to the art to the "urban legend" feel.
P.S. Erin Megan just mentioned the author's other series, PTSD Radio, so I figured I might as well re-read Fuan one more time before delving into that one, which I've never read before.
It's my 3rd or 4th time re-reading this series. I love it, from the stories to the art to the "urban legend" feel.
P.S. Erin Megan just mentioned the author's other series, PTSD Radio, so I figured I might as well re-read Fuan one more time before delving into that one, which I've never read before.
March 29, 2014
Creepy and fantastic. These stories (like the first Seeds of Anxiety books) are a little repetitive at times, but still completely disturbing. The thing is, I think the repetition makes all the sense in the world, they are superstitions, urban legends and personal horror stories, and people tend to be scared of very similar things. It makes it a little more real and personal. I know the worst and creepiest feeling in the world (for me) is glancing out my window and thinking I see something looking back in at me.
June 24, 2017
Not as scary as I expected, and the stories are way too short and have no proper ending. Disappointing.
January 21, 2025
Listo, terminada toda la colección en una tarde, con eso creo que ya dejo bien claro que me han gustado todos los números de estas semillas +. La calidad de los 4 tomos es muy similar, quizás este último me ha gustado un poco más ya que se nota un ligero incremento en la violencia y además cuenta con un epílogo donde el autor sale como personaje y se despide contando una historia de su niñez bastante entrañable. He puntuado todas las entregas con 4 estrellas porque aunque son buenos a la hora de perturbar y de dejarte pensando en los efectos macabros de las apariciones, siempre hay alguna minihistoria floja o poco inspirada, así que como no es una obra que deje el listón continuamente en lo alto no puedo considerarla una obra maestra.
ENGLISH
Done. I finished the entire collection in one afternoon, with that I think I have already made it clear that I liked all the numbers of these seeds of anxiety +. The quality of the 4 volumes is very similar, perhaps I liked this last one a little more since there is a slight increase in violence and it also has an epilogue where the author comes out as a character and says goodbye telling a story from his childhood quite endearing. I have rated all the installments with 4 stars because although they are good at disturbing and leaving you thinking about the macabre effects of the apparitions, there is always some weak or uninspired mini-story, so since it is not a work that continually sets the bar high I cannot consider it a masterpiece.
ENGLISH
Done. I finished the entire collection in one afternoon, with that I think I have already made it clear that I liked all the numbers of these seeds of anxiety +. The quality of the 4 volumes is very similar, perhaps I liked this last one a little more since there is a slight increase in violence and it also has an epilogue where the author comes out as a character and says goodbye telling a story from his childhood quite endearing. I have rated all the installments with 4 stars because although they are good at disturbing and leaving you thinking about the macabre effects of the apparitions, there is always some weak or uninspired mini-story, so since it is not a work that continually sets the bar high I cannot consider it a masterpiece.
January 8, 2023
This one was amazing. Again though, just like the previous ones, this had its ups and downs but there were so many good ones that I can't even remember the bad ones.
I really enjoyed this last one most likely because there were a couple more stories that seemed more grounded in reality. Overall the 4 volumes were a good solid experience and pretty scary for someone that is starting to get into this type of horror.
I really enjoyed this last one most likely because there were a couple more stories that seemed more grounded in reality. Overall the 4 volumes were a good solid experience and pretty scary for someone that is starting to get into this type of horror.
January 2, 2023
Fantastic short story manga series, inspired by urban legends and real places.
Highly recommend to fans of visual horror and creepy urban ghost stories. The artwork is beautifully drawn, with some truly unnerving and creepy imagery. The 3rd and 4th volumes are my favourite entries in this Fuan No Tane + series.
Highly recommend to fans of visual horror and creepy urban ghost stories. The artwork is beautifully drawn, with some truly unnerving and creepy imagery. The 3rd and 4th volumes are my favourite entries in this Fuan No Tane + series.
May 7, 2017
I think the effectiveness of the scares depends on the readers state of mind. Reading this on a spring morning didn't spook me like out did on a winter night.
You can tell within twenty pages of fuan is your thing. Some stories as short as two pages.
You can tell within twenty pages of fuan is your thing. Some stories as short as two pages.
May 11, 2020
Some of these stories were chilling. Some of them were random. Other times it wrapped up in another short story. But it’s absolutely fun.
January 24, 2021
Pretty bad and weird “horror” manga, many couple pages pointless short stories with no story or makes sense 😴😴👌❤️
April 28, 2023
Mais engraçado do que os outros 3. Talvez por ter lido uma boa parte à noite. Talvez pelas histórias serem por vezes maiores ou continuações de histórias anteriores.
June 21, 2023
Pretty good series
June 27, 2016
Some truly freaky and disturbing short vignettes of modern Japan's urban myths and legends, most wholly invented by Masaaki, some based on pop culture creepy tales from today's Japan.
This is not a 'horror manga' for people who prefer long story arc comic book form manga. The stories, if they can even be called that, are mere pages long, and don't offer a beginning or end or backstory. The stories are snapshots of moments in time when one is suddenly confronted with 'The Other' -- supernatural events, beings, creatures, dangers, seen and unseen, all unknowable.
There are no running or recurring characters, so there is no attempt at backstory or motivation; this work is simply a collection of standalone, one shot, little campfire jump scares and creepy shivers.
And it works.
It works frighteningly well -- especially for those who understand (either academically or intuitively) the concept of the supernatural and horror in Japanese culture, because there IS a real and significant difference in how Western and Eastern cultures tend to view the supernatural; while this isn't the place to lay out all of that difference, knowing it exists is important. As such, I do think the few reviewers who don't like it, simply don't get it.
I don't mean the reviewers who think some of the ghosts were drawn by a two-year-old (though even THAT is part of a cultural distinction and was *intended* to be odd and childish for effect). I mean, if you just don't like something, you don't like it, and we all have those things. One is NOT right or wrong to have their opinion, of course, but one IS wrong in telling others that one's opinion means it IS terrible and no one else will like it either, as if it was an objective fact rather than a personal opinion (reached, I hasten to add, by ignorance of the subject matter in the first place).
If you are only into longer form Junji Ito-type manga (which I love!), or fast-paced action/crime/thriller manga, or swords-and-sorcery-filled fantasy manga (some of my favorite!) you will not get Fuan No Tane, likely any of it. That doesn't make you stupid, it just shows some ignorance, which is otherwise corrected by looking into Japanese culture. It won't necessarily change your liking or disliking it, but it will give you the proper foundation from which to draw your opinion.
The stories aren't stories but scenes. Many do tell a small story all their own, but most are simply vignettes, snapshots of daily, routine life suddenly becoming wrong, corrupted, unreal, almost offensive in its unmaking of what we call reality: a child is skipping and jumping from rain puddle to rain puddle along her town's roads, seen from a distance the entire time... until we see a close up of her reflection, looking down into one of the puddles, is a barely visible but creepy deformed clown-like face, freaky and smiling and not at all something that should exist.
Is it evil? Good? Is it a child or a grown but diminutive monster? There's no story and no character but the 'girl' and the town itself, shown in different panels as she jumps into puddles in front of various places there. It's a kind of subtle backstory -- this is a normal, modern neighborhood after a rain and a normal, happy little girl is enjoying it but then we see she is not normal, not at all... yet she is there. Why? Who is she? What has she done, if anything? What might she do, if anything?
If it reads as unexciting, well, blame my rambling words here. Reading its wordless, balloon-less few panels to the end is quite unsettling.
Its effects range from subtle unease to horrific shock (I'd not once, ever, jumped in terror from reading... until I began reading this work!) and if there aren't at least a few scenes that cause you to ponder what you're seeing and why it's there and what it means to do, well, you're not trying enough... or you just won't get it.
Black and white has rarely been this atmospheric and contrasting. Every scene has in common the modern Japanese city and lifestyle, but beyond that the tales are unrelated to each other. There's no arc to follow, you just take a bit and wonder. It's like a manga finger foods. Finga? Minger foods?
At any rate it IS, by its own connection and inspiration from Masaaki's native culture, a solid, unsettling work with fine pen and ink illustrations and clearly (if only by sheer volume of vignettes, though there are myriad examples) a labor of love for the artist.
Well... maybe love isn't quite the right word.
Worth every penny, worth every difficult sleep... and I must add that Masaaki *knows* how to draw a truly freakishly frightening face.
Don't look for conventional content, nor approach with any expectations... and you will enjoy some of the best and creepiest story-telling ever published.
This is not a 'horror manga' for people who prefer long story arc comic book form manga. The stories, if they can even be called that, are mere pages long, and don't offer a beginning or end or backstory. The stories are snapshots of moments in time when one is suddenly confronted with 'The Other' -- supernatural events, beings, creatures, dangers, seen and unseen, all unknowable.
There are no running or recurring characters, so there is no attempt at backstory or motivation; this work is simply a collection of standalone, one shot, little campfire jump scares and creepy shivers.
And it works.
It works frighteningly well -- especially for those who understand (either academically or intuitively) the concept of the supernatural and horror in Japanese culture, because there IS a real and significant difference in how Western and Eastern cultures tend to view the supernatural; while this isn't the place to lay out all of that difference, knowing it exists is important. As such, I do think the few reviewers who don't like it, simply don't get it.
I don't mean the reviewers who think some of the ghosts were drawn by a two-year-old (though even THAT is part of a cultural distinction and was *intended* to be odd and childish for effect). I mean, if you just don't like something, you don't like it, and we all have those things. One is NOT right or wrong to have their opinion, of course, but one IS wrong in telling others that one's opinion means it IS terrible and no one else will like it either, as if it was an objective fact rather than a personal opinion (reached, I hasten to add, by ignorance of the subject matter in the first place).
If you are only into longer form Junji Ito-type manga (which I love!), or fast-paced action/crime/thriller manga, or swords-and-sorcery-filled fantasy manga (some of my favorite!) you will not get Fuan No Tane, likely any of it. That doesn't make you stupid, it just shows some ignorance, which is otherwise corrected by looking into Japanese culture. It won't necessarily change your liking or disliking it, but it will give you the proper foundation from which to draw your opinion.
The stories aren't stories but scenes. Many do tell a small story all their own, but most are simply vignettes, snapshots of daily, routine life suddenly becoming wrong, corrupted, unreal, almost offensive in its unmaking of what we call reality: a child is skipping and jumping from rain puddle to rain puddle along her town's roads, seen from a distance the entire time... until we see a close up of her reflection, looking down into one of the puddles, is a barely visible but creepy deformed clown-like face, freaky and smiling and not at all something that should exist.
Is it evil? Good? Is it a child or a grown but diminutive monster? There's no story and no character but the 'girl' and the town itself, shown in different panels as she jumps into puddles in front of various places there. It's a kind of subtle backstory -- this is a normal, modern neighborhood after a rain and a normal, happy little girl is enjoying it but then we see she is not normal, not at all... yet she is there. Why? Who is she? What has she done, if anything? What might she do, if anything?
If it reads as unexciting, well, blame my rambling words here. Reading its wordless, balloon-less few panels to the end is quite unsettling.
Its effects range from subtle unease to horrific shock (I'd not once, ever, jumped in terror from reading... until I began reading this work!) and if there aren't at least a few scenes that cause you to ponder what you're seeing and why it's there and what it means to do, well, you're not trying enough... or you just won't get it.
Black and white has rarely been this atmospheric and contrasting. Every scene has in common the modern Japanese city and lifestyle, but beyond that the tales are unrelated to each other. There's no arc to follow, you just take a bit and wonder. It's like a manga finger foods. Finga? Minger foods?
At any rate it IS, by its own connection and inspiration from Masaaki's native culture, a solid, unsettling work with fine pen and ink illustrations and clearly (if only by sheer volume of vignettes, though there are myriad examples) a labor of love for the artist.
Well... maybe love isn't quite the right word.
Worth every penny, worth every difficult sleep... and I must add that Masaaki *knows* how to draw a truly freakishly frightening face.
Don't look for conventional content, nor approach with any expectations... and you will enjoy some of the best and creepiest story-telling ever published.
March 15, 2017
One word: unsettling.
Many have complained that these stories were not 'scary' but I don't think that's what the mangaka intended. These stories leave you questioning, what would you do if you were in a similar situation? It shows those moments where we truly second guess ourselves--- that random flash of light you thought you saw, the feeling that someone is following you when you're walking alone, the darkness that's creeping in the corner of your bedroom--- and what happens when your worst guesses happen to be right.
Many have complained that these stories were not 'scary' but I don't think that's what the mangaka intended. These stories leave you questioning, what would you do if you were in a similar situation? It shows those moments where we truly second guess ourselves--- that random flash of light you thought you saw, the feeling that someone is following you when you're walking alone, the darkness that's creeping in the corner of your bedroom--- and what happens when your worst guesses happen to be right.
February 6, 2017
I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. The art style was detailed indeed and there were some really spooky short stories, but I felt like there wasn't much substance in them, many of the stories ended questionably and left too many possibilities of what could happen. I am a fan of misterious endings which put your imagination to work, but this left too many blank spaces.
April 15, 2017
I guess I liked it. But it doesn't have much depth. Its like a million mini one-shot comics. The quality varies. Only one or two really stuck out as excellent. Mostly it was just average vaguely eerie or creepy situations. If each one had a story attached to it, it might be better, but often the stories here are like "A guy saw a dark shape"... ok?
Reread it. Still agree with prior review, but i have a slightly more positive view of it than the first time.
Reread it. Still agree with prior review, but i have a slightly more positive view of it than the first time.
September 23, 2015
This was recommended to me.. and described as a great horror, super creepy, one of the scariest, spooky manga there is.
Well, it is NOT.
Not even close. It's a bunch of short stories, most of them 4-5 pages, that don't even have an end? I don't know why, but 9 out of 10 stories end and you're like "that's it?". Sure, some of them are creepy, but not something to get excited about or scared. Most of the stories are just there with a linear story to tell. Every single character is the same, talks and acts like a robot.
Every story goes something like this: - Oh? What's that over there? Oh, probably an illusion. I shouldn't care. Maybe I should check it out. Hmm my mind is playing tricks on me. Ok I can't get it out of my head now, I have to check it out. *a ghost appears that looks the same damn way another billions of ghosts did in every single previous page* then the character freaks out. Then nothing happens to him/her while thinking how scary that was and that she/he can't forget about it.
Facepalms all over the place. Cringe-worthy scenes and nothing more to it.
Gets one star cuz I liked the artwork even though there wasn't really much to show since we got to see different ghosts lookin all alike again and again.. and oh wait-- yet again. One more star because some of the stories were good. Don't get your hopes up though, we're talking for maybe 1 in every 20 stories. And that's it.
Well, it is NOT.
Not even close. It's a bunch of short stories, most of them 4-5 pages, that don't even have an end? I don't know why, but 9 out of 10 stories end and you're like "that's it?". Sure, some of them are creepy, but not something to get excited about or scared. Most of the stories are just there with a linear story to tell. Every single character is the same, talks and acts like a robot.
Every story goes something like this: - Oh? What's that over there? Oh, probably an illusion. I shouldn't care. Maybe I should check it out. Hmm my mind is playing tricks on me. Ok I can't get it out of my head now, I have to check it out. *a ghost appears that looks the same damn way another billions of ghosts did in every single previous page* then the character freaks out. Then nothing happens to him/her while thinking how scary that was and that she/he can't forget about it.
Facepalms all over the place. Cringe-worthy scenes and nothing more to it.
Gets one star cuz I liked the artwork even though there wasn't really much to show since we got to see different ghosts lookin all alike again and again.. and oh wait-- yet again. One more star because some of the stories were good. Don't get your hopes up though, we're talking for maybe 1 in every 20 stories. And that's it.
July 28, 2016
Fue un muy buen manga, el autor sabe utilizar muy bien los colores y momentos, para hacer que la impresión de sus trazos se vean aún más miedosos e incluso de cierta forma, realistas. El menciona que estas son historias y relatos de otras personas y cuando se acaba la historia, pone la foto del lugar donde aquel suceso aconteció. Los fantasmas son muy horribles. .El arte en sí es bastante sorprendente. Su poder contrasta una, no notable atmósfera (utilizado en la vida diaria) con un ambiente muy oscuro y misterioso (utilizado normalmente en las escenas cuando está ocurriendo algo extraño). La cantidad de detalle es típica mente grande.
No hay ninguna historia central en este manga, el propósito no es de crear una historia central, sino más bien para combinar muchas historias con un propósito central, el causar terror en los lectores, cosa que con migo, logró muy bien. Los personajes eran escasas… pero eso es porque no eran el foco. En todo caso, el manga nos pide que ponernos en los zapatos de sus personajes. Este manga fue hecho para examinar los miedos de la sociedad en su conjunto, no examinar los temores de una sola persona.
No hay ninguna historia central en este manga, el propósito no es de crear una historia central, sino más bien para combinar muchas historias con un propósito central, el causar terror en los lectores, cosa que con migo, logró muy bien. Los personajes eran escasas… pero eso es porque no eran el foco. En todo caso, el manga nos pide que ponernos en los zapatos de sus personajes. Este manga fue hecho para examinar los miedos de la sociedad en su conjunto, no examinar los temores de una sola persona.
January 25, 2020
This was wonderfully creepy! Not all of the stories, of course, since there were some that felt more like fantasy (and some made me feel sorry for the "ghosts"), but that only made the mood when the really creepy parts came up better.
There is a bit of a cultural barrier here, I think, since none of the urban legends are explained (just like most people online these days never bother to explain what Slenderman is exactly), but it doesn't hurt the stories overly much.
Just be prepared of there being no endings. All the stories end abruptly, usually just as the creepy things as starting to happen. That worked for me, but it might not for everyone. It's a book of snapshots of ghost encounters, pretty much.
Huge bonus plus for the art! Some of the images sent more chills down my spine than the stories themselves.
There is a bit of a cultural barrier here, I think, since none of the urban legends are explained (just like most people online these days never bother to explain what Slenderman is exactly), but it doesn't hurt the stories overly much.
Just be prepared of there being no endings. All the stories end abruptly, usually just as the creepy things as starting to happen. That worked for me, but it might not for everyone. It's a book of snapshots of ghost encounters, pretty much.
Huge bonus plus for the art! Some of the images sent more chills down my spine than the stories themselves.
October 4, 2023
The sequel series to Fuan no Tane is *almost* as wonderful as the original. The final volume is pretty weak, missing some of the existential fear that is in the original and earlier volumes of the sequel. The jumpscares all feel the same after awhile when it feels like there's nothing deeper behind them.
The epilogues to the original and the sequel both endeared me toward the author. I don't recall Junji Ito ever opening up in his own manga about his relationship with fear and the unknown; Nakayama, on the other hand, is able to trace his idiosyncrasies from childhood experiences. That, along with his dark sense of humor, makes him one of my favorite writers. I dream of having a hardcover of this on my bookshelf one day.
The epilogues to the original and the sequel both endeared me toward the author. I don't recall Junji Ito ever opening up in his own manga about his relationship with fear and the unknown; Nakayama, on the other hand, is able to trace his idiosyncrasies from childhood experiences. That, along with his dark sense of humor, makes him one of my favorite writers. I dream of having a hardcover of this on my bookshelf one day.
June 30, 2025
A collection of stories that feel completely random—without rhyme or reason. Some will leave you baffled. A few even come with photos of the supposed locations where the stories took place. There’s no clear beginning or ending, just snapshots of moments. It’s like a friend texting you, “I ate fried chicken,” with no follow-up. Instead of asking questions, you just go with the flow. Sometimes, ignorance really is bliss.
December 20, 2014
Con esta segunda tanda de narraciones de terror seguimos con una atmósfera espeluznante, con nuevas aventuras que harán las delicias de los amantes del género. Sigue con esa continúa sensación incómodamente escalofriante, con su toque bizarro y ese clima que pone en riesgo nuestra cordura y totalmente perturbador.
August 23, 2012
urban legends of Japan, as reported by locals. Most are just a couple pages, with few words, allowing the panels to tell the stories. Very brief-many leaving you wanting some more details. All in the last 20 years.
August 15, 2016
Just the right amount of horror that I was in the mood for. The art style and stories were amazing. You just gotta love Japanese horror stories, folklore, legends, and myths. They really get me scared but amazed at the same time.
December 23, 2013
untuk ukuran manga jepang lumayan ngeri sama nyeremin sih.
apalagi hantu-hantu nya cocok diliat sebelum tidur malam :)
apalagi hantu-hantu nya cocok diliat sebelum tidur malam :)
March 13, 2014
Horrifying and unsettling. It's a bunch of very short stories. This is the sequel to Fuan no Tane.
March 2, 2015
Rating: 2.5
Each chapter is on an average 4 pages long. It did have some minor thrills, definitely spooky.
Though the 'ghosts' look like they've been drawn by a 2 year old.
Each chapter is on an average 4 pages long. It did have some minor thrills, definitely spooky.
Though the 'ghosts' look like they've been drawn by a 2 year old.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews