Orochi 2: The Perfect Edition

Volume 2 of Orochi, surprised me. With how tense and brutal the stories were. I'll start with the first story, Prodigy. I won't spoil anything for this story or the others. So I will try to keep it brief. I'm going to say it's heartbreaking, to see Yu( the protagonist) abused by his parents, his classmates, etc.But that's not what makes this story heartbreaking. There is a horrible truth that his parents won't tell him and the reader. Yu finds out a part of it and the panel that shows his reaction afterward was pure hate and sadness that you could not believe a small child can produce. Kazuo's art has always been able to show facial expressions masterfully and this is a great example.The rest of the story felt like a powder keg waiting to explode. The truth has to come out one way or another. One of Kazuo's best works.Next up is Home. Here's a summary. A man wants to go home to his childhood village and he tries desperately to go back, but the village has something evil lurking in it. That's all I'm going to say. When you start reading, something feels off, like you're reading a horrible dream, and when you get to the village the feeling becomes much more apparent. Home is immersive and times shocking. When it starts to pick up, Home grabs on and doesn't let go. To me, that's a sign of a great story. Another hitter from Kazuo.Finally the last story, Key. I'll keep this short. It's fine. Coming off from Home, Key fell flat. If this was the middle story of this collection, I would give it a break. But putting away my bias. Key was fine, not memorable as the first two, but it can still hold its own. To finish this. I'd recommend this to any horror or manga fan. Great stories, and great art. Solid book from the great Kazuo Umezu.