You Can’t Miss This New Horror Manga— Ghost Story Loop

Azusa Yuunami doesn’t believe in ghosts or curses — but a fateful visit to an abandoned well lands her right in the middle of her own terrifying ghost story.

A horror-filled modern twist on the classic Japanese ghost story. Review by JC Hallows.

Azusa Yuunami doesn’t believe in ghosts or curses — but she’s more than willing to photograph supposedly haunted locations for her brother’s website collecting local spooky folklore as long as he keeps bribing her with sweets. A fateful visit to an abandoned well, however, lands her right in the middle of her own terrifying ghost story. Tracking the mysterious figure appearing in her photographs reveals the true nature of her curse — she must relive the same day over and over again, and her only hope might be the mysterious exorcist who has seen the gruesome ends that await her.

Ghost Story Loop starts out with a setup that should be familiar to any fans of horror — malevolent spirits lurking in various haunted locations waiting to curse unwary interlopers, and a protagonist who dismisses the supernatural only to fall straight into its clutches. Azusa Yuunami, a high school girl with a knack for photography, has been drafted by her brother into taking pictures for his popular website archiving tales of the supernatural from around their hometown of Yokohama. Azusa’s job is made easier by the fact that she simply doesn’t believe in ghosts or curses — none of the spooky stories she documents bother her all that much. This doesn’t last, however, as Azusa soon realizes that a mysterious figure is appearing in her photographs, signifying that she has fallen victim to a curse.

Rintarou, a self-described exorcist who emerges from the shadows to come to Azusa’s aid.

At first, Ghost Story Loop follows a very recognizable series of story beats — even including a smitten childhood friend — but within a few chapters it throws a major curveball in the form of Rintarou, a self-described exorcist who emerges from the shadows to come to Azusa’s aid. Soon after that, the nature of Azusa’s curse becomes clear — she must relive the same day over and over again, with a gruesome death awaiting her at the end of every loop. Rintarou, who is experiencing the same time loop, has dedicated himself to helping her break the curse.

The central twist — a truly horror-themed take on the time loop — puts the more traditional supernatural elements in a different light that feels fresh and interesting in a genre that can often fall back on tried-and-true scares a little too readily. The art is excellent — while everyone has probably seen the classic long-haired apparition emerging from an abandoned well, the hollow expression and indistinct silhouette of Ghost Story Loop’s rendition will likely still elicit a shudder. Especially inspired is Rintarou’s method of exorcising the supernatural scourges he calls “bugs” — he literally eats them in a viscerally gory ritual so messy he has to don a raincoat.

While everyone has probably seen the classic long-haired apparition emerging from an abandoned well, Ghost Story Loop’s rendition will likely still elicit a shudder.

Overall, Ghost Story Loop is off to an extremely strong start, and should be well worth checking out for any horror fans looking for a modern twist on the classic ghost story.