Typically, horror in anime tends to skew toward the supernatural. Shonen series like Jujutsu Kaisen, Yu Yu Hakusho, and Black Clover dive into the magical side of the aisle while injecting some horror into its proceedings. While manga horror series like Uzumaki, Perfect Blue, and Devilman Crybaby will focus on the psychological and the macabre, there is one horror genre that often gets overlooked. There are few examples of manga that present unique takes on slasher villains, with no equivalent of Jason Voorhees, Freddy Krueger, or Michael Meyers to be found. For those looking for a slasher manga, Freak Island is one of the best, and most disturbing, examples of a gruesome campfire tale.
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Freak Island, aka Kichikujima, first arrived in 2013 from creators Hokazono and Masaya, garnering twenty-four volumes for its manga. The story itself focuses on what appears to be a deserted island, as some university students find themselves trapped in this locale and unfortunately discover that it is anything but deserted. Learning that the island is effectively a dumping ground for the Yakuza, the protagonists find themselves in a fight for survival against a family of killers that look to be ripped straight from Texas Chainsaw Massacre, with each member of this clan harboring some dark secrets and darker motifs.
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The Freakiest Island
Each member of “The Family” in Freak Island almost represents a different style of slasher. Perhaps the most striking is Kaoru, a character who looks reminiscent to Texas Chainsaw Massacre’s Leatherface albeit wearing a pig mask rather than the face of his victims. Harboring a series of deadly weapons, including a chainsaw of course, along with inhuman strength, the oldest son of the family is the introduction to the terrifying scenario that the university students now find themselves in. While Karou seems like one of the least malicious members of his clan, he still wreaks serious havoc in the manga.
Joining Karou is his older sister Mari, a villain who has a design that pays homage to Nightmare on Elm Street. Holding a knifed glove along with a terrifying, distorted visage, the eldest child clearly has a lot of fun when it comes to her duties as a seasoned killer on the island. Of course, neither Mari nor Karou seems like the most evil of the brood as the father, Yoshikazu, not only delights in killing but spurns on his children to do the same. This evil family would be scary enough from these descriptions but Freak Island adds another major twist to its story.
Unfortunately for the protagonists of the series hoping to survive, the family of slashers are immortal. Thanks to a mysterious power on the island, each member of the clan can spring back forth almost instantaneously from any injuries they receive, even to the point where they can still come back from losing their heads. The fact that the family cannot be killed is presented as one of the biggest mysteries of the manga and the reveals as to why help present some mind-shattering revelations.
Freak Island’s Horror Levels
Aside from creating bloody horrific scenarios that would give Jason, Freddy, and Bubba runs for their money, there are other creepy aspects of the series that help make it a must-read for horror fans. There is plenty of body horror to be found within the manga’s pages as one of the main protagonists has to go through some serious “changes” to help survive the fight against the family. The story from creators Hokazono and Masaya also dives into some wild aspects such as exploring isolation, religion, hopelessness, and more.
Of course, this manga is not for the squeamish. As the title of our article suggests, we cannot see a world wherein Freak Island will actually receive an anime adaptation as the blood and gore rose to such levels that it can be downright uncomfortable. Still in a world where horror manga are few and far between, especially in the slasher genre, Kichikujima is a series that should be on horror fans radar.
Want to stay afloat on the horror anime world in the future? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on Freak Island and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.
