10 Essential Manga You Need To Read Before You Die

9. The Drifting Classroom (Kazuo Umezu)

20th Century Boys Manga
Shogakukan

If you love horror and manga, and you haven't read this story, then you should drop whatever you're holding right now (so long as it's not soup or a baby) and rush to your nearest bookstore to pick up a copy. You won't regret it!

The story of this manga shows a school that gets mysteriously transported into the future, forcing the children and teachers to survive a harsh and brutal post-apocalyptic world.

Drifting Classroom strikes you with a two-pronged attack of terror. The first comes from the dread and horror of how we deal with dire situations. Watching the characters lose their grip on sanity and revert to primal instincts makes you question just what you'd do in a similar case, which isn't something you'll want to think about.

The second aspect of terror it brings is through the illustrations. There's an uncanniness to the world that's brought out with striking images that play with a sense of scale and isolation. Also, there are some monster designs in this book that will haunt your dreams. You will no doubt be considering a nightlight after you're done reading this one.

 
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Michael is my name, overanalysing comedy is my game! Anime, wrestling, TV, movies and video games all live in my head rent free!