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PTSD Radio Vol. 4 Review

Manga and Anime

PTSD Radio Vol. 4 Review

PTSD Radio has been one of the strangest yet most rewarding horror stories I’ve ever read. Its episodic chapters deliver interesting new scares and monsters while an underlining story about an ancient and vengeful god continues to be fleshed out. The series also finds horror in everyday scenarios like waiting for the bus, or enjoying a cup of coffee in a cafe.

So what’s it about?

The official summary reads:

…gulp………ptch……zrsh…zrr……mwAH…lat…ShAdows…BAblrrRRRRAAAoooOOOHHH………eyes………huff…huff……ashes of……ac…cident……doll…ll..llaaaAAAHHH……sever……t’s he……WHUD………polycythemia……taboo……ptch……sksh…sksh sksh sksh……grah…geh…gabLEh…… This is AERN-BBC, PTSD Radio. No tuning nece…ssary.

Why does this matter?

A simple shadow could be your end. A whisper in a park can be a creature playing a game as it hunts you. This series is seriously scary.

Read our reviews of vol. 1, vol. 2, and vol. 3.

Fine, you have my attention. What’s good about it?

PTSD Radio Vol. 4 Review
Dude, run!
 

This latest volume has some seriously freakish stories. Masaaki Nakayama continues to mix things up with each story be it a mysterious shadow hauntingly embodying a potential suicide that draws the interest of man, or an old man’s story about creatures in the night. Both deliver on the jump scare moments–always well-timed with the turn of a page–and both will linger with you hours and days later. Nakayama has a way of drawing you in just like the protagonist of the stories so you aren’t quite sure what will happen. Then a monster sticks its head through a door, or a freakishly smiling person lingers behind a character. If you’ve ever been alone in an apartment you’ll recognize the unease these stories embody.

This volume also progresses the story of the vengeful god totem. It’s not quite the scariest of stories, but it does a good job establishing what was once a good and gracious god. The story takes place in ancient Japan and seems to link itself to the growing belief that God (or any god) is not real.

Each story has a level of realism that makes the horrors all the more freakish. Nakayama will draw an office in painstaking detail with every monitor and chair photorealistically created. That way when a shadowy blob appears it stands out and looks even more horrific. Nakayama’s ability to create jumpscares is quite something considering this is a static format of entertainment. You also get a growing sense of darkness and brooding when reading this manga that only strengthens the freakishiness of the creatures and scares.

PTSD Radio Vol. 4 Review
Oh Jesus, do not look at your phone!

It can’t be perfect can it?

A story or two run on a bit long or don’t bring the terror like most do. A story about a doll whose face changes is more of an explanation than a creepy story. In another, a paranormal professional explains to a couple that their table is cursed. The story is interesting, and there’s a creepy image of nails attempting to find their victim, but it runs on so long and delivers so little. It’s worth noting, again, that the backstory of the vengeful god isn’t very scary at all. I kept expecting a twist or murder but instead it just runs along like a fairy tale.

Is It Good?

Another great installment in a series I can’t put down. The imagery is striking and the overall quality is perfect in its horror.

PTSD Radio Vol. 4 Review
PTSD Radio Vol 4
Is it good?
A strong fourth chapter continues the journey of monsters, mayhem, and vengeful gods.
Continues to develop the vengeful god story
Excellent art that mixes the detailed world with the fantastical weird
Inventive and everyday horror stories
A few stories are more explanatory than scary
8.5
Great

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