I really need to get into the habit of researching a book before reading it. I think I’ve been lucky so far which is why I haven’t disciplined myself.

This manga is most likely a one shot or in other words a single volume, according to my online research. Also the content of this volume isn’t limited to volume one of the light novel. It’s actually a selection of stories that highlight key points across the overarching plot in the light novel series. So yes, it’s a bit of a spoiler if you haven’t read the light novel series yet. Unfortunately I only read the first volume so it was a spoiler for me.

That said, the manga captures the main premise of the overall series well. Each chapter is based on an urban legend and executed mysteriously and relentlessly. Since it’s one chapter each, we don’t get too attached to the characters or receive much lore regarding the urban legend. It’s actually just a quick lapse of events where the inevitable will happen. It feels quite fast and disconnected altogether because the lore are not related to each other or a specific theme.

That said, the stories are connected to the overarching plot where our protagonist, Fushigi collects the urban legends in a book to find the whereabouts of his sister. Fushigi doesn’t involve himself with the individuals impacted by the urban legends but he does sometimes drop hints or advice. He’s an interesting character because while his sister creates the urban legends into reality, Fushigi collects them. I also wonder about their pasts because not much is mentioned about how this situation came to be, so it’s hard to understand.

There are quite a few supporting characters which are honestly quite forgettable. Personally, I think only four characters are important in this story, which are Fushigi, his sister, the person helping Fushigi’s sister, and Jimmy. Jimmy is an interesting addition and I feel like he adds the much needed dialogue in this story.

The artwork is stunning although this manga’s main theme is horror. I liked the details put into depicting the urban legends. There is a good use of lighting where the shadows and dark, distorted images depict these supernatural phenomenon. The manga also uses a nice balance of detailed backgrounds depicting various locations. The supporting cast is evidently more expressive than our main characters, however that just adds to the overall horror and urgency.

Overall this was a good read but it felt more like a summary of events. It was fast paced and covered a lot in one volume, which left a lot of questions unanswered. I’ll definitely be watching out for volume two but in the meantime, I’ll be picking up the light novels again to continue this story!

The idea was really neat. I just really struggled getting into the story. I do think my students might enjoy it more than I did. Honestly, I am not sure what didn't work for me.

3 stars

An entertaining collection of horror stories aimed at a younger audience. Each stand alone story is connected by a central character who is a young boy but we are not told who or what he is. Each story is well drawn and sufficiently creepy to hold the reader’s attention and I enjoyed this. Intriguing and definitely one to follow.

Copy provided via Netgalley.

I loved the art and the concept! Scary stories and legends come to life, people start to disappear, and only one person actually knows what’s happening.
The human-faced dog was so funny though…

A young boy travels the land and tries to head off horrors that are preying on people. As he finds them, he collects them into a special book designed to contain them. These horrors set curses on people, make them act in strange ways, and even endanger their lives at times. The young boy follows clues and online chatter to discover new urban legends and ghost stories to sift out these curses and ghosts as they find new victims.
The first two chapters of this story started as a monster-of-the-week capture story, and the narrative pace was a little inconsistent. However, once things became established in the third chapter and the mangaka settled on a storyline with a clear objective for our Hero in the Hood and an antagonist, everything became more interesting. Pacing was not fully resolved, and there is the authors have given into intrigue over character development, so we know very little about our Hero by the end of this volume. Still, this could be a good recommendation for readers who are interested in Japanese folklore and ghost stories, a subject that still fascinates modern Japanese readers.

Sara's Rating: 7/10
Suitability Level: Grades 5-10

It was interesting seeing all the different stories!! I got hooked from the very first one! I wish he would help them out but otherwise it was very interesting!

"Urban legends are coming to life. You just haven't met one yet." Those words drew me to the HORROR COLLECTOR manga. The premise of following several urban legends come true, meeting the unwitting victims, and the young main character trying to stop them held up - to a point. There are five stories with an arc connecting them to the core characters: a sibling duo and their sidekicks. It's geared toward the Middle Grade crowd.

I'd call this manga "horror lite." In the five presented stories, each manage a low level of spookiness and tension, but it's appropriate for the target demographics. "The Boy in the Red Hood" is the opening tale, and it had the strongest potential to be explored in a more fleshed out context (like novel length). It drew my interest with the mysterious "Wriggler" legend (or "Blank"). The art did a fantastic job supporting the otherness of the creature/being. The other story I felt could stand on it's own if fleshed out was "The Running Man," at least up until the big reveal.

Although I'm not the target reader for this manga, I felt the stories didn't spend much time with the actual urban legends or the victims. At most, readers get a page or two of supernatural-beings-behaving-badly, and then poof; they're gone. Yet I do want to see more of this world and the main characters. What's up with Fushigi and Himitsu? The fifth story introduced some intriguing hints!

Big thanks to NetGalley and Yen Press for the review copy of HORROR COLLECTOR.

This was a really interesting book. It had a great concept. That main character was very interesting and cool, but the idea was really great. It was. easy, simple to understand and fun. I love the art style and where this series could go and im ready for volume 2 .

I really wanted to love this manga. It had everything I want in my books. But somewhere along the line it became lackluster. Why? Primarily it was because of how disjointed it felt at times accompanied by the lack of depth in the characters. I did enjoy most of the storylines explored in this one and thought the world building was fun. I'd probably pick up the next volume but with trepidation.

Great collection of scary stories that are truly creepy. The suggested audience is young adult, but use your own knowledge of what your kid can handle. To me the horror is very mild on the fear level but I am over the age specified.

The illustrations are excellent and I look forward to reading more.

Thanks to @netgalley and Yen Press/ JY for Kids for the opportunity to read this eArc in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion

I scare easily but still enjoyed reading this manga. The illustrations are well done and it was a fun way to learn more about urban legends.

Thank you NetGalley for the e-Arc and I did end up purchase a copy of the ebook.

I loved the concept of this book. It is a captivating book in which each story is collected by the main character. I can’t wait for further installments!

This manga series is a series of interconnected short stories based on urban legends and Internet creepy pasts for a middle grade audience. It is also a Japanese Light Novel, which is a novella size prose novel with some really cute illustrations interspersed with the text, perfect for younger readers easing novels from primarily graphic novels and manga.

I didn’t realize this was a collection of the past previous volumes into one? But luckily I saved this download and read it. The illustrations loved it and the stories was a bit creepy but I am mediocre in creepy things now so it was great for this model age lady.

I love the twist of using Urban Legends, and we are seeing characters who are the makers of them. I enjoy scary stories like these. I'm excited to know what happens in the next volume.

I love the eerie atmosphere of this manga! I love the twists and turns and the determination to rid the curses from existence! Honestly I can’t wait to read the next issue! Highly recommend!

I enjoyed reading this horror manga. It has five connecting horror stories. The artwork is creepy for the monsters. Fans of Japanese horror and fans of Goosebumps will enjoy reading this one. I would read more horror manga about the Horror Collector.

This manga is really fun to read! I love the premise, with the horror stories themed around the curses and sibling rivalry!!!

With how cute the art style is, I didn't expect this to be that scary, and it wasn't.
There just wasn't much substance to the stories. Although they were short stories that did kind of intertwine, I finished it thinking that I didn't gain anything from reading it. I didn't get scared, smile, or feel much of anything other than thinking that the art itself was nice.
Unfortunately, I would have to say this wasn't that great of a read.

An interesting premise that I wish was explored deeper. Horror Collector is a collection of different urban legends that are told in each chapter. The story was enjoyable and interesting with cute artwork. I would have enjoyed if each urban legend was explored on a deeper level.

Thank you to NetGalley and Yen Press for the free eARC.

A Japanese horror manga collection that's suitable for younger readers. The chapters focus on a variety of mostly middle school age characters who get involved with different urban legends like faceless people or wish-granting telephones. It's a good premise for a manga, and I think it pretty much caught the vibe of these urban legends that are told in schools. The creepiest thing for me was this human-faced dog though, and I think he was actually supposed to be a cute sidekick (he was not). But there also is an overarching plot about a boy collecting the legends in his notebook and him looking for one specific legend. And yeah, that whole part went nowhere. It says volume one in the title, but it seems like this series was cancelled almost immediately. The manga was adapted from a light novel with multiple volumes, but it probably didn't sell well in manga format. It is a weird choice for an English translation in my opinion. The first volume was alright, but why bother if there isn't more to it?

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Yen Press for providing a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.