The art is good and the concepts of the stories are great. They just kinda fell short for me, the conclusions felt rushed and more for shock value than anything. The first two and the last stories were okay for a horror anthology, they also displayed a bit of humor. That third story was an uncomfortable and unnecessary sexualization of a highschool girl that turned into a disgusting incest joke. I believe that incest and sexual assault can be done in an appropriate way to add to a horror story, this was not.

Thank you NetGalley for the e-arc!

Easy read, similar to Junji Ito when it comes to horror manga but women are very sexualized it's very weird especially in the third story.

Not for that faint hearted but if you like a bit of body horror and a lot of gore with well fleshed out short stories, you're in the right place.

Every story was uniquely terrifying and grotesque but somehow leaves you with something to think about.

Brain Damage is a manga volume with four creepy stories. In this review I will go through each story individually, because the quality of story telling really differs each story.

The first story felt as if it changed its storyline halfway through, making it feel a bit incohesive. But I still liked it for what it was.

The second story gave me Ringu vibes at first, which is one of my favourite horror stories ever. It was different enough to feel like another story, but the similarities definitely were there. I really liked the twist at the end, which completely changed the story. I don’t think I would have liked it as much if it didn’t do the twist.

I have some issues with the third story. It oversexualized a teenager, and even started victim blaming. It knocked down the rating a whole star for me. I don’t mind social commentary, but it has to be done with tact. The tact definitely was missing in the 3rd story. It also distracted from the main story and made the creepy aspect of the horror much less impactful. I really didn’t like this one, the sexualization felt so out of place.

The 4th story was a fun one and very easy to read! I really liked that one. It felt a bit illogical at times, but that didn’t bother me too much. I would have rated this manga much higher if the other stories were more like this one!!

*I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.*

I really liked the first two short stories, especially the second one (it felt more original and unique). Unfortunately, I wasn't enjoying the third one that much 'cause it sexualised a minor, but I get that it's supposed to be creepy (which it was, but I was actually more grossed out than anything). It felt very unnecessary to me to include incest as well as sexualising a minor, that's why I wasn't able to enjoy it.

Anyway, the short stories were all interesting to read about and I was glad that they had that weird vibe going on which I was looking for (+ it was somewhat funny). The art work was great as well, most of them had a dimmed light atmosphere, which gave me a mix of creepy and cosy at the same time, which suited the weird stories.
My favourite part about these stories were that most (if not even all of them) had a twist at the end, which didn't make them predictable. As someone who doesn't like predictable plots (unless it's done to serve some purpose) it felt refreshing to not always know how it will end.

Labyrinth Quartet: 3/5
Curse room: 4/5
Family portrait: 1/5
Blood Harvest: 3/5
Overall score: 2.75 ≈ 3



Thank you NetGalley and Fantagraphics Books for the advanced reader copy of Brain Damage by Shintaro Kago.

Started the book: 7. July 2025
Finished the book: 7. July 2025
Wrote the review: 7. July 2025

I don't want to include possible spoilers because I think going in somewhat blind of the content is important to get the most out of it:

Labyrinth - Nice twist at the end, I would definitely like to go back and re-read this one a few times

Curse room - My favourite in the collection, a nice little twist in the middle and then it went between slightly funny and horrifying.

Family portrait - This one was a little disturbing. An interesting story but there were disturbing elements that I would prefer to not revisit.

Blood harvest - Story different from anything I've read before, definitely creepy and will have to go back to it again some time

Overall an enjoyable collection!

Brain Damage is a collection of four short stories that seamlessly blends macabre, darkness, terror and scare. The titles of the each story will definitely make you curious as to what will happen. ( Labyrinth Quarter, Curse Room, Family Portrait, Blood Harvest.)

Brain Damage doesn't shy away from putting the minute details of gory, horror and violence. The very first story that you need is a prime example of the same. I was absolutely shocked at the well executed storyline that felt like watching a horror episode where a person survival largely depends on the sanity of the situation. The fact that the ending is unpredictable and i had take a few minutes to wrap my head around what just happened, made me immensely enthralled with the rest of the manga.

I think this manga in all its entirety will a tremendous hit amongst all the dark, grim and horror readers. Shintaro Kago's unique way of expressing vivid horror is unbeatable.

Spooky yet fun little short stories! The illustrations were great and the stories were gripping. Perfect for a late night chill

Yeah I dunno. The first two stories were decent while the latter two made me regret even picking this up. I don’t find sexualization of young girls funny so there wasn’t really anything humorous for me. Didn’t really feel thought-out enough to be satirical either. I expected some black comedy per the description but those scenes just felt ignorant.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a free e-manga in exchange for an honest review.

I thought maybe Kago's work might be similar to Ito's as there is similar artwork and creepy intent with the stories. However, this manga fell quite short of expectation. The artwork is good, so that is one thing that I liked about it. However, the stories were not very cohesive. The plot of the story would change midway for some, especially the first one, and things definitely still need to be edited which I understand the idea of an arc, but some things errors were a bit much. I also did not like the oversexualization of women, teens, and incest thrown into the third story as it just seemed completely unnecessary. I'm not sure if I would pick anything else up by the author, so I can't really recommend this one.

3.25*

I haven't read much horror manga before so was excited to be given the chance to with 'Brain Damage' by Kago. I enjoyed the ideas behind each of the chapters with the second one being my favourite. I really liked the beginning of the third chapter and its concept was interesting however I thought the ending was ruined with the inclusion of incest and it almost made me stop reading altogether. With all that being said, the style of the illustrations were really nice and for the most part I enjoyed not knowing which direction the stories would go in. Overall I think I would recommend this graphic novel but with a warning as I don't think some of the topics covered are fro everyone.

2.5 stars

As a fan of Junji Ito, I was excited to try out this collection of short stories. The artwork was good and captured the body horror elements well. Three of the four stories also had interesting plotlines (although they were sometimes a bit disjointed). However, my overall experience was tainted by the inclusion of a disturbing sexual scene in one of the stories. It really took me out of the story and made it difficult to continue as it felt totally unnecessary for the plot.

There are four horror short stories in here, the drawing style is so good, the horror elements were drawn very clear and as a whole, this was very captivating. From the first story on I knew I would love this. The first story was so weird and scary. It’s good that we have some type of explanation at the end for each story, about what provoked the author to create them. Out of the four, I am struggling to pick my favorite, but I know which one has some issues - the “Family Portrait” story has a type of sexualization that was pretty disgusting and to be honest, unnecessary. I believe this will be an issue for almost every reader. The idea of dementia and how was represented, was interesting, but the impact was lost by the end, becoming something more comical that horrific.
My individual ratings are:
Labyrinth Quartet – 5
Curse Room – 4.5
Family Portrait – 4
Blood Harvest – 4.5
Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for granting me the wish to read this ARC.

Brain Damage is a wild, grotesque, brain-melting ride—and I mean that in the best way possible. Kago doesn’t just break the fourth wall; he shreds it, sets it on fire, and then builds a shrine to the chaos left behind. This is body horror as social commentary, absurdism dialed up to eleven, and pure, unfiltered imagination unbound by any rules.

From page one, I knew I was in for something unhinged. The visuals are visceral, surreal, and deeply uncomfortable—but intentionally so. Every twisted panel forces you to reckon with how fragile the body is, how slippery identity can be, and how deeply strange our everyday world actually is when you tilt it just slightly off-kilter.

There’s a dark intelligence running through the madness. It’s not weird just to be weird—there’s something being said here about media, control, consumerism, the human condition. But don’t expect a tidy moral or straightforward plot. Brain Damage is a puzzle box soaked in ink and guts, and it’s up to you to decide if you’re horrified, enlightened, or both.

If you love your horror experimental, philosophical, and unapologetically weird, Kago delivers. This book is disturbing, brilliant, and unlike anything else on my shelf.

I believe the biggest positive this collection has going for it is both the fantastic art style, as well as the initial concepts given to the stories.

The low rating is due to the unnecessary and uncomfortable sexualization present of a highschool girl, that culminates into an explicit incest joke, in the third story - Family Portrait. As someone who generally enjoys dark content, I felt like these pages were both uncomfortable and potentially triggering. With details that would not be out of place in a pornographic manga, as opposed to a horror manga, I didn’t feel like they were appropriate. Sexual assault and incest can be something added to a horror novel in ways that I feel are appropriate - I love gothic horror, so such topics don’t immediately turn me away. However, the inclusion in this manga is - in my opinion - more to both arouse the viewer and make it a joke in a “I can’t believe that happened, that’s so funny” kind of way. Which - considering the subject matter - did not sit right with me.

Also, I cannot state enough how explicit and out of place those pages felt. I very strongly feel you could take pages 116-118 and seamlessly add them into a manga intended to be explicitly sexual, and no one would notice a thing.

It was a huge shame as well, since the concept of the story and the curse was something that could have been handled well, if not for the strange sexual perversion it focused on.

The other stories - Labyrinth Quartet, Curse Room, and Blood Harvest - I felt had strong ideas that fell short of a satisfying conclusion. In many ways while reading these I felt like an abridged version, as opposed to the entire thing. Finally, while I enjoyed them for the most part, I felt like much of the story was done in such a way simply to end in a “shocking/surprise” ending that the rest of the story didn’t fully support. I do strongly feel like, with the interesting concepts and artistic skill level, that - if some more care is given to the story and the removal of the weird sexualization of teenage girls - many people who love horror manga would flock to this.

Thank you to Netgalley and Fantagraphics Books for providing me this copy.

Not as disturbing as i was expecting, it being compared to Junji Ito's style. But i liked it. The stories were short enought to get through them in one seating, but not too short to be rushed. Creepy and nonsensical, i liked the art style, good for the gore.

Brain Damage is exactly what it promises: a jarring, graphic, and deeply weird collection of horror manga that gets under your skin in the most unexpected ways. Translated for English readers, this volume features four short stories that dive headfirst into Kago’s signature blend of grotesque surrealism and pitch-black satire—think clones, zombies, a vampire car, and a grandfather with Alzheimer’s in a reality-warping spiral. It’s unsettling, thought-provoking, and at times completely absurd.

Each story is brief but packs a punch, offering just enough nightmare fuel to linger after the page turns. “Blood Harvest” was my favorite—it starts as a mystery and descends into absolute madness, which is honestly the most fun kind of horror. The only miss for me was “Family Portrait,” which veered into deeply uncomfortable territory with the sexualization of a young girl, disturbing in a way that felt more exploitative than thoughtful. Still, as a whole, Brain Damage delivers exactly what fans of bizarre, cerebral horror manga are looking for: stories that make you laugh nervously, recoil slightly, and then think about them for days.

What was even this? Seriously, what the hell did I even just read? The Grandpa story was really crazy. Like ... my thoughts are all over the place. If you like gory, weird, and perverted stories you may enjoy this one.

Thanks NetGalley, the author, and the publisher!

I read through this sooo quick! Like damn this was deep but really good and I am going to go buy a physical copy when it comes out, just to have! Thank you for granting my wish and sending me this! I truly appreciate it!

Thanks Netgalley and publisher for giving me this free manga to review..

Stories are pretty crap, I feel that Junji Ito got the spot first tbh with horror short stories….