Introduction
Tucked away in the darkest depths of this world, tales of the bizarre and the supernatural quietly unfold. These inexplicable stories are chronicled throughout the pages of a certain strange encyclopedia, sheltered within a crumbling, decrepit building. Do you dare to open its cover and experience the horrors firsthand?
Each of the macabre tales held within the book's pages details some unusual, surreal experiences that often come to a gruesome end. A man searches for his adulterous wife, only to find himself at the mercy of otherworldly visitors; a boy befriends a snowman who harbors a sinister secret; crop circles suddenly form on a family farm, created by some unexpected visitors; hidden in plain sight, menacing mechanical beings continue on undetected. In all of these horrifying stories, nothing is as simple as it seems, revealing a terrifying darkness that perhaps might have been best left alone.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
Audience reviews
7 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
GarlandReese
I was really in the mood for some non-sequitur, anthology horror anime like I had enjoyed in "Pet Shop of Horrors" but in this bizarre presentation, I watched 13 episodes of what can't even be called anime. This is a collection of stories, each about 4 minutes long, that are just storyboard drawings of various style and quality. The tales range from supernatural to science fiction, touching on many classic works and themes from noted authors in each genre. Each short is supplemented with a narrator and some voice acting for the characters- and I would love to mention some names, but I can't find a single credit for this series!
The tales themselves are predictable, even hokie. Many times I was left throwing my hands up and exclaiming, "That's it?!" in both surprise and disgust. Despite th…
Read at the sourcexdvr
I'm on the search for good horror in all format, and this one was on the list...
As many others have said - it's not necessarily bad - it's obviously achieved what it was aiming for: short stories put to screen with a very restrictive budget.
It's almost an automated book for you - which they obviously know with the start/end credits showing a book being turned.
There are some interesting stories in here but I suspect the very low budget approach will put many off.
And finally if you correctly find clowns weird and think they should all be set on fire be warned there's an episode with a clown... that should be set on fire.
Read at the sourceIzzyMarrie
First and foremost, I must mention that this is NOT meant to be an outright horror anime in the typical sense. Its presentation is almost storybook-esque, but with a more informative style to it. It's a ga-anime, which is extremely niche, but means you can expect a slideshow presentation instead of animation. There's still ambience and a little music, limited voice acting, but also a narrator. It can also be watched in bite-sized segments due to the fact the episodes are just over 4 minutes long, which benefits the show as the simplistic stories never feel like they overstay their welcome.
Now, here's the kicker about the show: it's MEANT to be hokey as all heck in honor of old horror flicks, and so you got a wide variety of extremely wacky scenarios played off as serious. The result is a…
Read at the sourceSidewinder51
Rate a 6
English subtitles
Story
Not sure of the exact origin of this show. I suspect it derives from old folk tales. Although none of them you except one or two of them you might not. The others are folk tales that you do know of like red riding hood but with a slight twist here and there.
The message of the show is not make you run under the covers but to educate you on danger. Think of it this way if something goes wrong from an action you take you tend not to it again. Like touching fire for too long. If you do you will be burned. Rather than learning these lessons first hand i applaud what we call horror films. For this is our free pass on life to learn these lessons. Sure it is not exactly first hand but it certainly can feel like it.
Ending was a real treat and a mystery. By endi…
Read at the sourceJs_Mindscape
I actually enjoyed this anime. Though I would not call it the best anime ever, it was nice just for a quick little binge of 70's horror. So if you're looking for a good scare, this is not necessarily for you. However if you're looking for something creepypasta-ish, then you're in the right place.
There is no real connecting force with these stories, they are just kinda random, which I think is what puts a lot of people off this anime. So that's just a small warning I guess. The stories themselves are pretty predictable, but that's oldie horror for ya. Some are a bit too quick with their pacing in my opinion, but, then again, the episodes are very short.
There's nothing really to say about the characters, the episodes are too short to get attached to them, but I guess if you're a really…
Read at the sourceAnaSilva
Story
Each episode tells a different story. For me in that aspect is interesting because I never knew what to expect. The stories were not complex or very long because the episodes are in average 3-4 minutes long but they are in no way confusing or predictable. Also, even though the episodes are really short, I never got the feeling that anything was rushed. It was fairly entertaining.
Art
The art is not the usual one so I guess plenty of people just drop out the show because of it.
However, since every episode was different I was always expecting to see something that surprised me.
I also think the director was trying to achieve the supernatural and horror mood of these stories, and that can explain the animation.
I think if fit every story perfectly. So no complaints about that.
S…
Read at the sourcererorine
If you're looking for a horror anime, Sekai no Yami Zukan is not the one you're looking for. It's more like a documentary than a thriller. Am I literally the only one who gets that?
According to Anime News Network (and MAL before they changed it) "The anime seeks to evoke the retro atmosphere of pulp horror stories that were popular in the 60s and 70s in magazines".
It is not made to make you feel scared. It's made to inform you about the horror stories from 40 years ago. Now I'm not exactly a fan of them, but from the little I know, it is a pretty accurate representation. If you watch it, you should definitely keep that in mind.
I really enjoyed the different art style in every episode. It made me look forward to the next one every week. About the voice acting, I admit that it could ha…
Read at the source