I just finished reading Hino Horror #12, Mystique Mandala of Hell by Hideshi Hino. It's a simple tale involving a demonic girl, an eyeball from hell, a bloodsucking crow, and runaway hair. I found it enchanting.
One of my favorite parts of the story is the adventure of the runaway hair. In the course of events, a young girl is badly hurt in a bicycle accident. We see her lying unconscious, her face badly scarred. Then the hairs on her head begin to detach, cluster, and start to move as one. In the image I've reproduced here, you see the hair starting to climb up the side of a house. Note how stealthily it moves towards the window. I won't spoil it for you by saying more.
Another interesting element is the face-off between the demonic girl and the bloodsucking crow. In fact, this is meant to be a symbolic battle between the demonic forces of the West (crow) versus those of the East (girl), who are vying for control of the underworld. The character differences between the two demonic sides were very distinct, with the forces of the West seeming very self-important and impressed with their own capacity for evil, while the forces of the East seemed more fun-loving and just out for a destructive good time.

Comments (1)
That is very cool and spooky all at the same time. I like the conflict depicted between east and west. Perhaps I'll read this, sounds intriguing.
Posted by The Cute Little Redheaded Grrlfriend | February 24, 2008 8:10 PM
Posted on February 24, 2008 20:10