NYRB to Publish Cute/Horror Manga ‘Nekojiru Udon’

NEWS
NYRB TO PUBLISH CUTE/HORROR MANGA ‘NEKOJIRU UDON’
First Complete Collection in English of Cult Classic from ‘Garo’
Posted by Brigid Alverson on October 1, 2026 @ 8:25 am CT

New York Review Books will publish Nekojiru Udon, by Chiyomi Hashiguchi, an alternative manga that ran in Garo magazine in the 1990s and attracted a cult following in Japan. The stories in the collection follow two cute cartoon cats, Nyaako and her little brother Nyata, through a dreamlike landscape filled with cruelty and horror. The NYRB edition is the first English-language collection of the complete three-volume series. The 448-page paperback will be released on January 12, 2027, with an MSRP of $29.95.

Hashiguchi, who died in 1998, was a self-taught artist married to a professional manga writer, Yoshiaki Yoshinaga, who wrote the first script for the manga. Despite its age, the darkly comic series is likely to appeal to fans of South Park as well as American horror stories such as Patrick Horvath’s Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees and Jay Stephens’ Dwellings and manga such as Yen Press’s Toxy Noxy Foresty Forest and Junko Mizuno’s works.

Hashiguchi’s work, under her pen name Nekojiru, was included in an online version of Garo that was set up in 2001 (see “The Japanese ‘Raw’ Tries Online Sales”), and the anime Cat Soup, based on Nekojiru Udon and described as “Hello Kitty on Acid,” was licensed by Central Park Media in 2003 (see “Cat Soup DVD Set for September Release”).

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Brigid Alverson
Contributing Editor. Alverson has been writing about comics since she launched MangaBlog in 2005. She wrote the Comics A.M. column for Robot 6 (now part of CBR), and currently edits the Good Comics for Kids blog at School Library Journal. In her earlier life, she had roles at magazine and book publishers.
MORE COMICS

‘Absolute Batman’ Hiatus and Return
December Impact – Nearly 500,000 Fewer Copies Sold
October 1, 2026
The absence of an Absolute Batman issue in December takes almost 500,000 copies out of comic store sales for the month.

‘J. Scott Campbell’s Danger Girl Artist’s Edition’ Coming to Retail in June 2027
After Racking Up $500K in Pledges on Kickstarter
September 30, 2026
The Artist’s Edition was funded on Kickstarter with over $500,000 worth of pledges from over 1,500 backers.
MORE NEWS

‘Pokemon TCG’ Moves Right On to ‘Mega Evolution – Delta Reign’
Prerelease Dates Announced, Pokemon Center Opens Preorder and Sells Out Fast
October 1, 2026
The Pokemon Company International updated details on the release of Mega Evolution – Delta Reign.

WizKids Reveals New ‘Marvel HeroClix: Secret Wars Map and Terrain Kit’
Comes with Two Limited Edition Miniatures
October 1, 2026
WizKids revealed Marvel HeroClix: Secret Wars Map and Terrain Kit, a new miniatures set.