Japanese horror is very unique because it is derived from their popular culture, it mostly depends on the local ghost stories and the cursed places, it is also inspired by various psychological fears and can be very tense. Find here the top japanese horror series and go on an adventure.
Ju-on: Origins (japanese horror drama series)
A japanese horror drama series produced by Netflix, created by Takashige Ichise, directed by Shô Miyake, and starring Yoshiyoshi Arakawa, Yuina Kuroshima, Seiko Iwaidô, Brock Powell, Dorah Fine, Koki Osamura, Cristina Valenzuela and Kaho Tsuchimura.
Series Plot
The story about a paranormal investigator who investigate a group of crimes that happened between 1958 – 1997, all of them related to the same house. He revealed a lot of secrets and incidents that happened during these 40 years, and the horrifying events that deeply affect anyone who come across it, whether in the past, the present, or even the future.
Series Time: 6 episodes – 30 minutes / episode.
Series Type: Drama, Horror and Mystery.
The great horror family
A top japanese horror series created by Jun’ya Katô, and Kôsuke Mukai, directed by Takashi Shimizu and starring Issey Takahashi , Asuka Shibuya, Moro Morooka, Shunji Fujimura, and Shigeru Muroi .
Series Plot
Kiyoshi Imawano moved with his family members to a new house but unfortunately, the new house is haunted, so all of them got the ability to see ghosts and talk with them except their father who is ironically obsessed with the occult.
The family starts seeing all kinds of ghosts and spirits related to monks, aliens, governmental agents, and so on, now Kiyoshi had to know why all of them came to the house and how he can protect his family from them.
Series Time: 13 episodes – 25 minutes / episode.
Series Type: Drama, Horror and Comedy.
Love You as the World Ends
Another one of the japanese horror drama series created by Natsuko Ikeda, directed by Mitsuru Kubota, and starring Marie Iitoyo, Ryoma Takeuchi, Ayami Nakajô, Shô Kasamatsu, Naho Yokomizo, Toshihito Kokubo and Makita Sports.
Series Plot
The story about a young guy whose name Hibiki Mamiya, he is an optimistic and nice person, he live with his girlfriend Kurumi Ogasawara and works as a car mechanic.
Hibiki Mamiya plans to propose to his girlfriend, but at the same day he falls down in a tunnel and spends four days inside it, when he finally gets out of the tunnel he finds that everything changed. The street is damaged and there is blood everywhere, he is trying to understand what could’ve possibly happened to the world in four days?
Series Time: 27 episodes – 1 hour / episode.
Series Type: Action, Horror and Mystery.
Crow’s Blood (japanese horror drama series)
Another one of the japanese horror drama series created by Yasushi Akimoto, directed by Ryo Nishimura , and starring Cristina Valenzuela, Sakura Miyawaki, Mayu Watanabe, Yuki Kashiwagi, Yui Yokoyama and Anna Iriyama.
Series Plot
The series discusses the ethical dilemma of playing the role of creator and reproducing the people we love using cloning.
Series Time: 6 episodes – 39 minutes / episode.
Series Type: Drama, Horror and Sci-fi.
Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness
A famous japanese horror drama series created by Hiroyuki Kobayashi, directed by Eiichirô Hasumi and starring Nick Apostolides, Stephanie Panisello, Ray Chase, Jona Xiao, Joe Thomas and Doug Stone .
Series Plot
Leon S. Kennedy is a secret service agent, working for the United States president. He is a survivor from an epidemic of the T- Virus that spread years before in Racoon City.
After a cyber attack on the white house, he and his colleges found themselves in a tough mission to save the president from a zombie attack.
Series Time: 4 episodes – 26 minutes / episode.
Series Type: Animation, Action and Horror.
Death Cash (japanese horror drama series)
Another one of the top japanese horror series created by Kiyoshi Kurosawa, directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa and starring Kyôko Koizumi, Hazuki Kimura, Manatsu Kimura, Kyôka Shibata, Asumi Kikuchi, Chizuru Ikewaki, Erika Komata, and Eiko Koike.
Series Plot
The story about a small japanese village that witnessed a young girl’s murder. The girl’s name is Emili, and she was playing with her four classmates before the murder.
Emili’s mother Asako did not believe the girls when they said they cannot remember the criminal’s face, and she feels so angry, she cursed all of them, and when they become adults they suffer from a series of tragic incidences due to the curse.
Series Time: 6 episodes – 4 hours 30 minutes.
Series Type: Crime, Mystery and Horror.
Rasen
Another one of the top japanese horror series created by Mitsuharu Makita, directed by Jun’ichi Tsuzuki and starring Gorô Kishitani, Akiko Yada, Takami Yoshimoto, Yûka Nomura, Seiichi Tanabe, Risa Junna and Toshihide Tonesaku.
Series Plot
The story about a high school teacher called Mitsuo Ando. He and his wife lost their kid one year earlier, and his wife suffered from a nervous breakdown and is currently under medical supervision in a mental hospital. She think that her child is still alive.
Mitsuo Ando has a student, she is the only survivor from a mysterious accident where all of her colleagues got heart attacks and died at the same time.
The police men suspected her and investigated everything she is doing, until one day she discovers a CD-Rom containing a copy from the tape of Sadako Yamamura, which causes certain death to anybody that watches it within 13 days.
Series Time: 13 episodes.
Series Type: Horror.
Tokyo Vampire Hotel
Another horror series created and directed by Sion Sono, and starring Ami Tomite, Kaho, Hirotatsu Terabayashi, Megumi Kagurazaka, Shinnosuke Mitsushima, Yumi Adachi and Ami Fukuda.
Series Plot
Manami is a young woman, celebrating her 22nd birthday, but her party turned into a disaster when two vampires attack her (K from the Dracula clan, and Yamada from the Corvin clan).
She tried her best to escape them, but Yamada catches her and imprisons her in a glamorous Hotel, which the vampires were planning to use as a human blood farm. Could she find her way out?
Series Time: 10 episodes – 6 hours 30 minutes.
Series Type: Drama and Horror.
Ring: The Final Chapter
One more japanese horror drama series Created by Mitsuharu Makita, directed by Yoshito Fukumoto and starring Toshirô Yanagiba, Tomoya Nagase, Kotomi Kyôno, Akiko Yada, Yûta Fukagawa, and Hitomi Kuroki.
Series Plot
It is another telling of the story of the cursed video tape which kills anyone that watches it. This time its from the point of view of Asakawa who is working as a journalist and becomes a witness to the death of a biker who died at the same time as his niece.
Series Time: 12 episodes – 54 minutes / episode.
Series Type: Drama, Mystery and Horror.
Tokyo Ghoul (japanese horror drama series)
An animation and a japanese horror drama series created by Aaron Dismuke, directed by Shûhei Morita and starring Natsuki Hanae, Austin Tindle, Brina Palencia, Sora Amamiya, Clifford Chapin, Sean Hennigan, Mike McFarland, Lara Woodhull and Christopher Sabat.
Series Plot
A horror fantasy story featuring the flesh-eating “ghouls” who spread in the streets of Tokyo and terrorize everyone in the city, and how these “ghouls” affect the love story between two young people, Kaneki and Rize.
Series Time: 12 episodes – 24 minutes / episode.
Series Type: Drama, Action and Animation.
