Orochi Vol. 4 continues the anthology tales of Orochi, the strange and supernatural woman who inserts herself into the difficult lives of the people around her, sometimes introducing extra havoc, but always trying to help the best she can.
In the first story, Eyes, the main character is blind and bears blind witness to a murder by a local mobster. Terrified, she tries her best to help, but nobody believes her apart from the young boy who helps her with errands. It’s a tense read, calling back to a lot of the scares underlying the magnificent Wait Until Dark starring Audrey Hepburn.
The second story Blood, reads like Poe. A chronic under-achiever younger sibling (who is only an under-achiever because her older sibling is such a beast) struggles to find her identity, and struggles even more getting the love of her abusive parents. In the middle of this story, Orochi suddenly falls asleep, suggesting she needs to sleep for many years on a cyclical cadence, and we get some sort of hint as to what is her nature as a supernatural being. Once awoken, she’s shocked to find that she isn’t herself anymore, but a relation of the adult versions of these two sisters who are locked in their cruel contest. Skullduggery ensues.
Orochi continues to be okay, but not as great as Junji Ito’s work. If you like horror manga, give it a read as it’s well-executed, just a little weird.
