Spoiler free review:

⭐⭐⭐/5

About A Place in the Kinki Region by Sesuji started as a viral free Japanese webnovel, and slowly made its way into the English speaking world through it's 2025 film adaptation by prolific found footage director Koji Shirashi.

I purchased my copy off Amazon so I paid a premium for the shipping because I really wanted to read the hard copy. Try taking a look at the webnovel translations online before committing to get the physical version, as that's what I did before I got a physical copy.

In terms of reading experience, it was alright. It's interesting to read, if you're a fan of horror manga and are already interested or familiar with Japanese horror because otherwise, I feel like it will fall flat of expectations. The POV will shift around a lot and it take a bit of effort to keep track of the course of events. 

The visually scary things are in the "Source Material" section, which i found very cool as you'll have to rip the side to uncover the pages within. However, as the text on some of the "materials" were translated into English, the shocking effects of it were less I assume than in it's original language.

I don't regret reading or purchasing a hard copy, and I fairly enjoyed the experience of trying to put it together but it was less of a horror story for me and more of a subtle thriller. Perhaps it was because it was my second time reading it after going through the fan translation, but otherwise, I'd give a beginner horror fan this as a recommendation.







A Short Review: About a Place in the Kinki Region by Sesuji