CBR18 Bingo – Friends: because it’s about an abusive toxic friendship.
Her Frankenstein by Norikazu Kawashima is a fun little horror story. Kawashima had a brief career doing horror manga in the 80s. His work is classic and beloved and simultaneously forgotten. The volume has a nice overview of his obscure career. Although it can’t be that obscure if it got officially translated to English.
The story is about Tetsuo. He can’t function if he doesn’t have a mean woman belittling him for her own frail ego. He sees the ghost of a bloody girl in the bathroom and flips out. His wife bitches at him for seeing ghosts and not being a man. (Because men don’t see ghosts? Or they don’t react to the spectre of bloody children? I don’t know, but either way, his wife doesn’t care.)
His parents don’t like him. His wife doesn’t like him. His therapist doesn’t even seem to like him.
As a child he befriended a spoiled mean girl named Kimiko (who didn’t seem to like him). Due to her chronic illness, she’s allowed to be as spoiled and mean as she wants. Which is very.
She also loves Frankenstein. And by Frankenstein, I mean some violence thug in a bolted Boris Karloff mask.
Tetsuo makes a Frankenstein mask to entertain Kimiko and, at her command, he terrorizes other children. Because he’s Frankenstein and that’s what Frankenstein does. Or at least her Frankenstein.
As an adult, it’s unclear how much he remembers her. But she is the bloody child ghost haunting him.
Like I said, it’s a fun solid story. At least that’s my read because that’s what I wanted. If someone is looking for more depth and meaning, it’s easy to find. I’d recommend starting with the sexism.
