What do you mean? Manga about horror and romance? Listen, we like horror manga, and we like romance manga. What’s to say that combining the two wouldn’t result in even more fabulousness? However, romances between humans and supernatural creatures abound in Japanese folklore. One is about a man who marries a kitsune, or fox spirit, and raises a family with her. Or the one in which a man matches a crane masquerading as a woman. Of course, neither of these cases ended happily, but the romance remains, as does the terrifying moment when the husband uncovers his wife was never mortal. Similarly, manga is rife with affairs between humans and mythical creatures.
Mermaid Saga:
Rumiko Takahashi, best known for her romantic comedies Ranma 12 and Inuyasha, shows off her horror skills in this film. According to Japanese folklore, eating the flesh of a mermaid grants you immortality. Can you guess what this manga is about? Yuta, the immortal who has lived for centuries after eating mermaid flesh, is sick of it. He hopes to find another mermaid in the hopes of reversing his immortality by consuming her meat. I know. Just go with the flow. Instead, he encounters Mana, a human sacrifice forced to eat mermaid flesh to restore youth to a village of aging immortals.
Love and Heart:
Again, not every monster is supernatural. Some are very human. Yagisawa, a college student, is having a difficult time. She just caught her boyfriend cheating and now has a new male roommate named Haruma. Even more perplexing, her new roommate claims they were neighbors and childhood friends. While her mother confirms this, Yagisawa has no recollection of their shared history. Haruma, on the other hand, appears to be helpful and kind, so everything should be fine. Right? This is only the beginning of this horror romance manga’s lies, deception, and emotional manipulation.
Future Diary:
Have you heard of the yandere trope regarding love and murder? Long-time anime and manga readers are probably familiar with the term “yandere,” but here’s a quick definition for those unfamiliar. A yandere appears to be loving and supportive of the object of their affections but takes it to an obsessive level, often becoming destructive, murderous, and all-around terrifying. The progenitor of this character archetype, Yukako Yamagishi from JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Invincible, was created by Hirohiko Araki, but Yuno Gasai from Future Diary cemented the yandere archetype. What does she do to help her beloved Yukiteru win the contest to become the God of Space and Time’s heir? Gosh.
Domestic Girlfriend:
Whereas Domestic Girlfriend contains some lighthearted comedy, the show is primarily a romance, albeit a complicated one. Because his teacher will not acknowledge his emotions, a man sleeps with a girl. After his father remarries, that girl and her sister, the above-said teacher, become his stepsisters. Once this is revealed, the romance does not end. It only gets more complicated when two sisters compete for this guy who must have candy-flavored boy parts. Natsuo Fujii is hopelessly in love with Hina, his teacher. In an attempt to move on, he agrees to a mixer. He meets a strange girl named Rui Tachibana, who invites him to smuggle out.
Mysterious Girlfriend X:
This series isn’t as dark as it could be in dark romances. Indeed, the darkness stems from the realistic drama. As you watch the girlfriend herself go through a transformation, the main character realistically jumps from many different emotions about his odd girlfriend. The story revolves around Akira Tsubaki and Mikoto Urabe’s relationship. Urabe is a transfer student who just started at Tsubaki’s school. Tsubaki becomes addicted to Urabe’s drool after a series of strange events. She claims the addiction is due to love sickness, and the relationship progresses slowly, focusing on the peculiar bond that results from the drool attachment. The two’s relationship deepens into genuine love as the story progresses.
There’s nothing wrong with a beautiful mushy romance, but that’s not how most relationships go. Sometimes you just want something a little more robust. Maybe you want a romance that veers between working out and being shattered by drama. Perhaps you’re looking for that heady mix of violent horror and pheromones. These are some excellent options if you’re looking for a dark romance anime. These examples, of course, soften the horror we associate with the supernatural. Not all methods work. On the other hand, not all horror romance manga focuses on human-monster relationships. After all, how humans treat one another can be the terrifying thing of all.
