Humans are typically the top of the food chain. We eat to survive, but because of rising numbers and a lack of resources, Japan faces a crisis. In BioMeat: Nectar scientists have created a solution to that dilemma: BM or BioMeat, a biological entity that eats anything but glass and vinyl but when it eats it allows more food to be produced creating a vast amount of resource. However, one day one of the BMs escapes the facility. Now Japan faces the realization that they aren’t on the top of the food chain anymore with this creation running amok.

BioMeat: Nectar created by Mangaka Fujisawa Yuki shows us a new type of fear, the fear of a food we eat trying to eat us. While BioMeat: Nectar is a horror manga, there are other elements that make for an interesting story. Our main character Maaya Kan isn’t one to just allow himself to be eaten and he fights to survive. This type of character allows for BioMeat: Nectar to have some interesting action scenes and Shounen-like elements in how humans refuse to be devoured by the bio engineered creation that is BM. If you want an interesting take on a weird concept like Gyo, BioMeat: Nectar has you covered.

Gyo horror is sometimes very classic in terms of using just pure horror in terms of the unknown to scare its readers. Enter Ibitsu by Mangaka Ryou Haruto, which describes a tale of a young teen who gets thrown directly into the unknown. One day when doing the simple chore of throwing out the trash, he runs into an odd and strange thing. Sitting beside his garbage cans is a young Lolita who asks him if he has a sister. After he responds, Itou Kazuki our teenager, runs back to his home to see that the Lolita disappeared. The question who was that Lolita and what fate awaits him now.

Ryou Haruto does a fantastic job in this short horror story building up creepy tension with every flip of the page. Ibitsu, as we learn is the Lolita girl, is a creepy element of the story as readers will wonder who or what she is exactly. Her smiles and creepy body movements harken to older Japanese horror films and it makes for a quick but pleasant read. Gyo’s strongest element outside the actual fish walkers is the original unknown of how they even got the ability to walk on land. Ibitsu’s strength is that same unknown of the Lolita girl and her intentions. Bottom line is maybe you shouldn’t talk to strange girls sitting beside your trash cans.

When Shou Takamatsu enters school one day, his usual ideals of causing mischief and mayhem go out the window when something very odd befalls his school. A seemingly normal earthquake takes Shou’s school and transports him and the rest of his peers into a strange dimension. The crisis starts when not only do they realize their food source is running low but weird creatures are the other inhabitants of this dimension. How will Shou and his class survive when they aren’t adults but mere kids? Hyouryuu Kyoushitsu by Mangaka will taunt you with horror and mystery as you read each volume to see the struggle that befalls a bunch of sixth graders.

Horror is terrifying even when people have the means to fight back. However, when the horror is odd shaped creatures and the ones fighting them aren’t even in Junior high yet that’s when the horror ramps up to a new level. Hyouryuu Kyoushitsu clearly uses Itou’s ideal of having victims fight against insurmountable odds but in many ways Umezu Kazuo takes that and brings it up several notches. Fans of Itou’s work will be inclined to check out Umezu Kazuo’s work that is Hyouryuu Kyoushitsu. Boasting a very creepy art style and a little bit of mystery and sci-fi to round it out, this will be a fun read to those who enjoy the survival genre of usual adults being thrown for a loop when it’s kids doing the surviving.

Chickens are typically something no one fears. Most of us eat chickens and they are typically a docile creature. That docile line goes out the window in Fourteen where one particular chicken becomes more than just simple food. In the year of 2200 through some strange events, a chicken gains super mutant abilities and gets out of his confinement at a chicken manufacturing plant. Now going by the name Chicken George, our odd protagonist goes off into the world. What will he do next? You’ll just have to read and find out.

Let’s be honest, if you find this premise weird, you’re not alone. We here at Honey’s Anime feel the exact same way. Umezu Kazuo’s weird creation that is Fourteen is so odd and off-putting it fits exactly in this list like a perfect puzzle piece. Chicken George’s odd adventures during this twenty volume series are usually him facing odd encounters with regular civilians and other creatures that have become mutated like him. In many ways each pages has a very older horror element, mimicking movies from the old black and white days. Surprisingly this leads to some surreal moments when a creature is introduced or even a character has to deal with a fight against a mutated enemy. If you’re a fan Ito’s work in the surreal and odd themes, Fourteen has you covered.

Sometimes we forget that the most deadly creatures are the ones that look perfectly normal and seem harmless. Emerging by Mangaka Hokazono Masaya makes sure the reader doesn’t forget that. When a strange outbreak hits Japan the questions start coming in. Will we survive, what caused the outbreak and what do we do next? Spread via some unknown means our stories shifts to focus on several people trying to figure out what to do. Emerging is the reality of what could happen if a virus hit a major city like Japan and how humans would react.

While not as weird as Gyo clearly, Emerging has the same element that the main characters of Gyo face. Unable to combat something that you can’t see or comprehend is one of the greatest fears of mankind and Hokazono captures that incredibly well in this two volume work. A very engaging story and some incredibly well done art that feels realistic leaves Emerging as a true horror manga in every way possible. If you loved Gyo’s more mental horror attacks, you’ll enjoy Emerging completely. Just don’t let the fear of someone coughing on you next time you’re walking about get to you too much…

Wrapping this list is Jagan wa Gachirin ni Tobu by Mangaka Fujita Kazuhiro. While not in the same venue as the others on this list, notice the horror genre missing, don’t fool you into believing Jagan wa Gachirin ni Tobu is not horrifying it in its own weird way. The mountain gods decide to punish the people of Japan by throwing an Owl named Minerva to curse any who gaze upon it. If unlucky enough to do so, your eyes will bleed till you meet an unfortunate death. Going up against the demon is a hunter named Uhei who almost defeats the owl but the American government steps in and captures Minerva for study. Thirteen years later Minerva escapes and that leaves Uhei the only one capable of stopping this creature before it kills anymore people of Tokyo.

Jagan wa Gachirin ni Tobu is a simple one volume story about man versus mythical beast. However, every moment of this story is filled with creepy moments of seeing an owl, a harmless bird of flight, killing people just by being looked upon. While not filled with horrific creatures or odd demons, the sheer weirdness of an owl being the main enemy is in itself both almost laughable and shiver inducing. Gyo had an odd ideal too; fish with legs and yet that turned to be one of the creepiest stories ever. That’s why we say you’ll surely want to read this short story just to enjoy something can rival Gyo in a weird way.