Eko Eko Azarak Reborn Volume 1 Manga Review (Spoiler‑Free)

Synopsis

There’s a new girl in town named Misa Kuroi. She’s polite and beautiful, but strange happenings seem to follow her everywhere. Flocks of crows, disappearances, and even deaths. The truth is that Misa is a witch. And not just any witch, but a witch that has been reawakened after several dormant decades. Still appearing to be high school aged, she uses her charm and her knowledge of the black arts to grant wishes and fight evil. That said, she’s not quite what one might call a “good” witch…

The Elephant in the Room

Eko Eko Azarak Reborn is in an interesting spot in the current manga environment. It’s a reboot of a cult classic horror manga from the 1970’s by Shinichi Koga that was never released in English. Aside from Reborn, that original manga also spawned two sequel series by Koga, seven live action movies, two live action TV drama series, a Playstation game, and a two episode anime OVA. Of all of that, only four of the live action movies have been released in English. They weren’t total flops in western markets but they were eclipsed by other products of the late 90’s/early 00’s J-horror boom, like The Ring and The Grudge. All this to say that the sticker on the front cover of Reborn that reads “The reboot of the manga that inspired the hit series and films!” likely doesn’t mean much to the average reader.

So the real question then is, does Eko Eko Azarak Reborn hold up if you know nothing about the source material? Luckily, the answer is yes. This new manga does make a few allusions to Misa’s past, but you don’t need to know any specifics to understand this version. Author Jta Yamada smoothly introduces the basics within a few pages, then lets all hell break loose.

The Good

Misa is less an actor and more a force of nature in this story. She doesn’t get directly fleshed out much. Instead, Yamada lets her actions, or lack of action, speak for itself. She grants wishes but doesn’t spare people from the consequences when those wishes go wrong. She saves people from demons, but uses demons to deliver punishment just as often. She’s not exactly amoral or heartless, but she’s callous in a way that many protagonists aren’t. She’s not a deep character, but she is fun to watch.

Most chapters are self-contained stories, with only a handful of recurring characters and the barest hint of an overarching plot by the end of this volume to glue it all together. I think this works in its favor. It lends the book a freewheeling, dreamlike quality that suits its magical themes, and avoids relying on prior knowledge or having to overexplain for newbies.

This dreamlike quality is supported by some really great art. Other than a general description of Misa’s look and outfit (black hair and a black school uniform) the character designs bear very little resemblance to Koga’s original creation. They’re much more in line with modern styles. They’re nice but aren’t the main draw. The highly detailed backgrounds, wispy representations of magic, and intricate, inventive paneling is. Every time Misa casts a spell or a demon appears, the page fills with swirls of darkness and smoke that lead the reader’s eyes between panels with unusual shapes, undefined edges, and painting-like frames.

The Debatable

All this lovely art is also used in the service of violence, gore, and nudity. None of it is especially graphic. Titan Manga, the publisher, does not seem to include an age rating, but in other publishers’ rating systems Eko Eko Azarak Reborn would probably get a Teen or Older Teen. However, the violence in particular is present in every chapter, and elements of it might not sit well with everyone. Two chapters depict the aftermath of a suicide. Some of the violent moments are slightly sexualized.

Overall though, the sexual content is much less frequent than the violence and less integral to the plot. It is used in a “sex sells” sort of way, popping in occasionally to jazz up an otherwise dull ritual scene, for example. However, some of it does have a significant yuri element, which might be a draw for certain readers. Fans of the movie series, which also had some yuri action, won’t be disappointed.

The Verdict

In fact, I don’t think anyone who knows what they’re getting themselves into will be disappointed. Eko Eko Azarak Reborn is a fast, fun, pulpy series for anyone who likes supernatural horror. Though it differs from the 70s source material in a lot of ways, I think it captures the spirit of the original, and of the 70s, very well. If you enjoy giallo movies and splattery slasher films, I think you’ll find a lot to like here. But there’s plenty for fans of more modern horror and modern manga too, as long as you’re not looking for a complex plot.

You can purchase Eko Eko Azarak Reborn Volume 1 from Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and Bookshop.

If you like Eko Eko Azarak Reborn, you may also like:

• The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service by Eiji Otsuka and Housui Yamazaki
• Soichi by Junji Ito
• Mansect by Shinichi Koga

Credits:

Manga: Jta Yamada
Original Story: Shinichi Koga
Editor: Louis Yamani
Designer: Matt Bookman
Translation: Andria McKnight
Lettering: Skylar Rutan
Published in English by Titan Manga.

Thank you to Titan Manga for supplying us with a review copy. Receiving a free copy in no way affected the content of this review.

Article edited by: Cynthia Caraturo