Watches
January 12, 2023
Rumiko Takahashi was one of the more famous mangakas of the 80s, someone who helped popularize the harem comedies (think Urusei Yatsura and Ranma). She also did some horror work, which found its way to the screen in the form of short OAVs. Laughing Target is one of those films, and it's good fun as long as you don't expect too much from it.
Yuzuru and Azusa are best friends growing up, but when Yuzuru moves away their paths diverge. Yuzuru moves on with his life, but then Azusa's aunt dies, and she decides to seek out Yuzuru and claim what she feels is rightfully hers. Yuzuru already has a girlfriend though, but that doesn't stop Azusa, who has some frightful powers she can use.
The animation is a bit limited and the horror is pretty classical in nature. Don't expect anything outrageous, Laughing Target is more focused on mood and obsession (the Rampo-kind of horror). The short runtime and pleasant pacing help to keep things interesting and while I felt I'd seen it all before, I didn't really dislike revisiting these horror tropes once again. Solid filler.