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Pikotaro's Lullabies are quintessential Takashi Taniguchi - wry, a little clumsy and rather silly (maybe even downright stupid).

Not to be taken seriously, these 3-minute shorts offer an alternative perspective to classic fables/folktales from around the world. Aside from the opening and closing, there is minimal/no music and - true to Taniguchi's style - all sound effects are depicted by voice. The characters are often awkward and have tenuous interactions with Pikotaro (Kosaka Kazuhito), and the art is what one might find in a picture story book or web comic.

Overall, these may be great for anyone who has a penchant for pineapple apple pens, thinks ... Shigeo is handsome, joined Charlie on his journey to Candy Mountain, empathise with beached whales and/or can't stop mumbling, "Snape, Snape, Se~~~verus Snape".

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 ... life in everyday places, with subtle commentary on attitudes toward isolation, loneliness, mental illness, suicide...

I was particularly fond of the photographs of real locations peppered throughout the volumes. To think that these unsettling events may have happened onsite added to the suspense (cf "based on a true story"). After all, Nakayama does suggest that "sometimes, there is some truth hidden in an urban legend".