Are you ready to experience 72 forgettable ten second stories?
The stories are so short that there is absolutely no build up of suspense. What is horror without suspense? Each story goes about like this...
Pg. 1 ) Location, date, and character. Reference to spooky face.
Pg. 2 ) Plot.
Pg. 3 ) Abrupt ending with spooky face.
The art is great, but most of the stories would have been equally enjoyable without any story at all.
 Alternative TitlesSynonyms: Seeds of Anxiety Japanese: 不安の種 InformationType: Manga
Volumes: 3
Chapters: 72
Status: Finished
Published: Oct 19, 2002 to Mar 19, 2005
Demographic:
Seinen
Serialization:
Champion RED Authors:
Nakayama, Masaaki (Story & Art) Statistics Ranked: #109472 2 based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded. Popularity: #1101
Members: 18,372
Favorites: 252 Resources | Reviews
Filtered Results: 22 / 22
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Jul 30, 2008
Well ladies and gentlemen people say no one dose horror like the Japanese and after reading this manga that may actually be an understatement. Firstly don't let the idea of the stories being too short put you off this actually adds to the chilling factor as the scares comes think and fast and to re-litigate this manga actually scares and borderline makes you jump which is not small task for a bunch of words and pictures. The only criticism i find is that the last volume was not scary as the others and a couple of the stories did not seem to make sense
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Jun 26, 2010
Is there a monster in your closet...? What's under your bed...? What does the darkness hide...?
In a nutshell, Fuan no Tane is a compilation of common (and not so common) fears and traumatizing experiences from people in manga form. This manga illustrates how these fears have a certain grip over society and why. There is no central story in this manga, which may come as unorthodox to some readers, but give it a chance if you have to. The purpose isn't to per se create a central story, but rather to combine many stories with a central intention. If ... 
Apr 28, 2016
Story:
Short, but that's the point of it being folk-tales. "Did you hear about that ghost in X? Yeah, I hear he does Y." That's what you get, and it's all that's needed to be spooky. This isn't terrifying, but it can be creepy and reminds you that it's always possible there's something else nearby that disrupts the status quo. Chapters are divided into sections that follow a theme, be it 'sinister double-takes' in which you think you saw something, and you know you shouldn't look again but that itch needs to be satisfied. It's basic, simple, and for the time it takes to read, it's worthwhile. Art: Your ...
Jan 24, 2017
I'm going to preface this review by saying that this largely could be a case of a work simply not being for me. The horror genre as a whole has never been something I've gotten too into and this has been especially true for comics and manga. The few horror comics I have gotten into (Preacher, Hellboy, Sandman) were largely due to me liking the story itself as opposed to the horror elements. However, a friend of mine recommended Fuan no Tane to me and here we are.
To be rather blunt, I kind of think the idea of these books, a series of horror shorts ... 
Dec 31, 2018
I think the main criticisms for this manga are that the stories are too short and there isn't enough time for character development and yes these are true however, I find the stories are more like camp fire ghost stories that are meant to be short but entertaining and I personally think it does that really well. Approach the stories like short campfire ghost stories and you'll enjoy it better
Definately one to read before bed when you need a small dose of horror but not something you want to spend all day on as it doesn't need too much of your concentration One negative about the ... 
Nov 15, 2017
I am writing this for whoever comes across this manga and feels immediately discouraged, even though this review might never make it up to anyone's eyes.
While the top reviews can be said to hold truth, as one can easily mistaken it as a straight out horror collection like Ito's work, looking at the title of this collection (Seeds of Anxiety) and considering its content, I am more inclined to say that the author's intention with most of the shorties was to picture little and naive anxities or paranoia of our daily lives routines rather than to build up atmosphere for a ghost story; like when, ... 
Sep 3, 2017
Fuan no Tane (Seeds of Anxiety) brings forth 72 supernatural occurrences of varying calibre. The stories therein are reminiscent of urban legends or personal experiences shared by friends; some with more closure than others. If you were a child of the 90s, think "Freaky Stories" but with adult imagery (and obviously... in manga format).
The lack of preamble or conclusion invites readers to build their own. Some chapters will raise questions, a few are heartwarming, some are harrowing and some will have you rolling your eyes (yes, it can be formulaic/repetitive). Look deeper, and you may find that the series explores themes of everyday ... 
Aug 24, 2019
I heard this was one of the scariest manga out there, which was the reason why I was drawn to it.
I read this whole thing in one sitting, not because I loved it....but because some of the stories were so short. Short as in some were a single page and the longer ones had little to no dialogue. The first story drew me in and I was looking forward to a collection of scary stories, come to realize the good ones were pretty outnumbered by the ones were basically nothing happened. The art work was pretty good so some of the scary moments creeped me out. Though the ... 
Oct 27, 2009
I originally found this series on 4chan's /x/ board. Snippets of it being posted here and there. Took me quite sometime to find it all, but when I did, I found I had an amazing little series on my hands.
Fuan no Tane ( Seeds of Anxiety) is a three volume series that complies a multitude of creepy shorts. When I say shorts I really do mean short, as most of the stories do not exceed five pages. I found most of these stories incredibly creepy for the simple reason that they are somewhat realistic. We've all ... 
Feb 2, 2019
I picked this up after searching "scariest manga" on google. After reading first story, I had an unexpected laugh of pure disappointment. Garbage build up, abrupt and retarded conclusions with no suspense at all. It earns 3 points because of the comedic points and 1 more point for including Don Chinjao's(one piece) unofficial cameo.
A decent horror should include some suspense, develop some sort of sympathy to the characters to make us care about the fate of the characters. This is just straight up pathetic, I'm sure not even a prepubescent child who shits himself from every small completely natural event possible would appear to be ... 
Mar 4, 2016
Story: 8/10
Fuan no Tane is a collection of horror short stories, that go from ghosts, to urban legends to superstitions. The stories are quite short and there's not real explanation for what is happening and I think that is what makes this manga so good. The feeling of uneasiness that each story gives you. Art: 8/10 The art is really good. All the ghost are made in very disturbing way, some are just shados, some don't have faces... each ghost that appears is different from the other and it is scary in its own particular way. Character: 7/10 There aren's main characters in this manga since they are just ... 
Apr 4, 2014
Fuan no Tane is a bit different to the other horror manga I've read. It's still a collection of short stories, like most of them, but it doesn't feel as oriented towards the consumption of individual chapters. The individual parts may not amount to much, some being around 3 pages long, and very occasionally some of them seemed genuinely nonsensical, but the collection is greater than the some of it parts.
In compilation the stories all contribute to a sense of mounting tension to a degree far exceeding any similar works I've read. It feels strange to talk about pacing in regards to segments so short, ... 
Jul 22, 2014
Incredibly atmospheric collection of horror stories.
Fuan No Tane doesn't have a framing story in any way. All it has is several chapters, all with a different theme, such as ''school'', ''in your house'', and ''visitors''. Sometimes, there's gore, sometimes, simply a weird-looking face. Sometimes it's just a shadow. Fuan No Tane is a compelling horror manga, because it never tries to get in your face with how spooky it all is. Stories tend to be two pages long, and it almost never explains itself. Often, the stories don't even have an ending: the spooky stuff just happens and then leaves. Like it or dislike ... 
Mar 20, 2019
Fuan no Tane is a unique entry into the horror genre. The manga is comprised of a series of vignettes featuring regular people coming into contact with the paranormal. All of the stories are extremely short, some comprising of no more than two pages. The books are divided into small sections with a cluster of stories relating to a central theme. A few examples include invasion, being followed, and shadows spied from the corner of your eye.
I’ll be direct in saying that this collection, initially, seemed lackluster to me. While many of the concepts are very good it felt like the execution could have been ... 
Apr 25, 2019
largely, I found Fuan no Tane to be very hit or miss. the overall idea and concept of the manga is interesting, but the great majority of the short stories were underwhelming and unimpressive. despite this, to fans of Ito-esque visual horror and horror fans in general, I can't say I don't recommend it.
in a sea of forgettable stories, a few stand out as very well-executed glimpses of what short-form horror manga is capable of. in particular, 'The Giant' and 'The Door Opens' really hit the sweet spot for me of being vague enough to prompt the stewing paranoia you find in well-written horror, and ... 
Jan 29, 2025
Seeds of Anxiety by Masaaki Nakayama, sharing your experience reading three volumes. Most of the stories made you laugh, even when they were meant to be serious, except for two that actually made you think. You highlight the funniest moments and those two surprising stories.
You also mention how Nakayama ends the manga by thanking people for their ghost story and sharing his own experiences. Instead of spoiling anything, you encourage viewers to read it themselves. Finally, you ask if they want a sequel review and remind them that liking and subscribing is free. DeadComet wrote this in third person. 
Mar 12, 2025
Fuan no Tane is a collection of mini-horror stories. I started reading it because of a particular panel that was really cool and well-drawn. I started reading it thinking that the stories would have some specific context, or something to tie them together. But no, they're just single stories, and that in itself isn't a problem, the problem is that there's no build-up to the stories, they're just specific events that have the potential to become a complete story. Every story I read and found interesting I thought: “Imagine a game of this!” “This would be good in a movie” “I wish there was a
...
May 17, 2017
A series of short vignettes reminiscent of urban legends, which is not a bad idea on its face. Usually a horror story contains a pattern of rising tension -> scare -> more rising tension with no drop-off -> bigger scare until you hit the conclusion. In a short vignette you may only have one scare, but you usually trail off into an implication of a grisly conclusion to leave the audience with something to take away from that scene.
This manga's problem is that it abruptly ends its stories right at that point when the tension ramps into the scare, without letting the whole ... |
