The power of urban legends seems to be quite resistant to the winds of change. Be it by word of mouth, message board creepypastas, or by social media, these unreliable narratives mix fact and fiction to give monsters and curses the chance to pretend they’re real. It all hinges on public belief. The more these short tales get passed around, the stronger their hold over a community.
The new anime series Horror Collector fully understands what urban legends are capable of, and it makes for a great watch. Based on the Japanese horror children’s novel series by Norio Tsuruta, it follows a boy called Fushigi Chino and his talking, hoodie-wearing dog as they travel around Japan looking for urban legends that have stepped into reality.
The person responsible for this rise in the supernatural is Fushigi’s twin sister, Himitsu. She’s capable of bringing urban legends to life. As such, each episode centers on a small cluster of victims that are haunted by a Japanese spirit that hails from a world built on rumor and conjecture.
Fushigi and Himitsu are largely kept to the sidelines in the episodes released thus far (two of them as of the time of this writing). The story is driven by the people who come face to face with the entities that latch on to them. Fushigi only appears when the threat gets dangerously close to the afflicted. Himitsu has even less screentime, though her presence is felt throughout.
The series, produced by Studio Palette, does an excellent job of capturing the viral nature of urban legends. They’re relentless and ever-present once they make themselves known, moving fast once someone falls into their curse trap (think the ghost girl from Ringu, who calls by phone those who watched her cursed tape to tell them they’ll die in seven days).
These aren’t the type of ghosts that haunt houses, that take their time breaking people down with fear. Instead, these phantoms depend on the curiosity of the living to become real. They have to be invited in by someone who gives them the benefit of the doubt by willingly going through the small but deeply consequential rituals that summon them.
The ritual can require something as simple as looking out a window at three in the morning for a set amount of time without blinking or perhaps uttering a haunted word five times in front of a mirror. Once the condition is met, a dark link ties spirit and person together. Then, it’s all a matter of waiting for the spirit to make its final move.
The anime goes for a more grounded sense of horror. There’s spectacle to be had whenever Fushigi goes against a spirit, but the supernatural sequences that lead up to it are more methodically paced. Each episode lets the urban legend unravel at its own pace, respecting the rules that govern it. Those who prefer their anime a bit more serious will appreciate this. Horror Collectoris not interested in comedy or lightheartedness. It prefers to free up as much space for dread and terror instead.
Horror Collectoris currently streaming on Crunchyroll. It’s the perfect time to pick up on this new horror anime and follow its weekly release schedule. It’s not just a strong genre offering. It’s also a timely one that confronts our willingness to believe in the supernatural when it’s presented within the realm of plausibility, and it’s all the scarier for it.
