Gigi Murakami demonstrates how horror manga can channel Black girl nightmares

New Yorker Gigi Murakami is known for being able to traverse between the intersections of horror media, alternative nerd culture, and cinema. The Ignatz Award-nominated Murakami draws influence from manga, vintage grindhouse picture posters, and pulp comics, breathing fresh air into the horror  genre while approaching the fearful experiences of descendants of the African diaspora and, most significantly, the fears and nightmares of dark-skinned women.

Darkness, drama, and fantastical narratives permeate Murakami’s tales, where she performs skillfully with traditional ink, color illustrations, and manga-style art. In a genre that has its “pope” in the form of Ito Junji, Murakami is the “nun” who works her nightmares into this profane church, as seen in the manga series RESENTER (2022) where Rippers, agents of death, help those who endured unfair fates to fulfill their vengeance and find justice.

The American mangaka has been climbing the literary ladder, with her talent and experience securing the role of manga artist for The Sinister Sisters (2025). In this book, written by New York Times bestselling author Roseanne A. Brown, Murakami found herself unraveling and exploring her own Ghanaian ancestry.

In an interview with Anime Feminist, Gigi Murakami discussed how it is to work in this field as a freelancer, stay active in her role, ways to deal with the creative process, and habits that are useful to help go the distance in this environment that can be grueling and beautiful at the same time. 

How and when did manga and anime first enter your life?

At seven years old, the first manga I ever read was Hideshi Hino’s Panorama of Hell! It scared me so badly; I couldn’t forget it (laughs). My first anime was probably Project A-ko or Devil Hunter Yoko. I was probably around seven or eight at that time, too.

When did you realize that you could turn it into a profession?

Since I was in middle school, in the early 2000s, I always thought that I, as an American, couldn’t create manga because I wasn’t Japanese. I didn’t even know about artists like Felipe Smith who were working and being published in Japan at that time. When I decided to start making manga in 2018, I wasn’t sure if I could get anywhere for sure, but my resolve was set on trying to make it happen.

What are the hardships of operating as an independent artist in current times?

As someone with ADHD, time management can be challenging to wade through. Even though I try my best to be on top of everything, I always fall behind on something.

Your work blends influences ranging from vintage grindhouse posters to pulp comics. Considering these two subcultures, which elements of them are most noticeable in your art?

That’s hard to say! The compositions of grindhouse posters are so much fun to play around with and look at, but sometimes my enjoyment comes from drawing a pretty girl screaming in fear, (laughs).

Grindhouse pictures had their heyday from the 1970s to the early 1980s, and in the current landscape, they are represented by names like Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez. Where do you see intersections between the American grindhouse genre and manga and anime?

That’s a great question! I’m always on the lookout for great, more obscure manga works that have that same feeling of vintage grindhouse films. I definitely think some of my favorite mangaka, such as Katsuhiro Otomo, Satoshi Kon, and Junji Ito fit that interaction quite well. There’s also my friend Eldo Yoshimizu whose work still reflects the geki-ga style of the ‘70’s, so it really feels like a grindhouse film. I also recently discovered Atsushi Kaneko and Keiichi Koike’s work, and I think they both fit within that intersection as well.

Pulp comics started near the dawn of the 1900s and declined in the 1950s, with pulp heroes like Flash Gordon and The Shadow pre-dating modern superheroes such as Superman, Batman, and Spider-Man. Manga also originated in the late 19th Century. Where do you see connections between these cultures besides their timetable?

Despite the difference in country and language, it feels like the mediums were free to experiment creatively.

Junji Ito is arguably the most well-known name in Japanese horror manga. How do you evaluate his work, and why do you believe it resonates with enthusiasts from outside Japan? 

I love Ito-sensei’s work! It’s a pleasant blend of scary and silly. I’m always impressed with his horror work and his ideas. I think international fans also enjoy it as well.

In your work, you tell stories of African-American and African characters inspired and based in culture and lore. What goes into bringing these stories and characters to the manga medium?

Definitely their look. I worked really hard to try to translate Black features into a style that could represent manga. While I’ve been enjoying myself so far, I’m looking forward to branching out and drawing all types of different African faces. 

The book The Sinister Sisters is based on the streaming horror franchise Are You Afraid of the Dark?. It comes with three stories based on Ghanaian urban legends and folktales written by Roseanne A. Brown, a New York Times bestselling author. What was it like to collaborate with your art based on the writing of an acclaimed author? What was the process of working on a project based on Ghanaian culture?

I actually didn’t get a chance to talk to Rosie while working on the project. We did talk afterward during the promotion, though. Rosie and all my other artist collaborators were great. It was a fun project. I have Ghanaian ancestry, but I haven’t been to Ghana, nor do I have much knowledge on the country, but I’ve wanted to learn more. This project has been so nice because I get to connect my love for horror and an IP I’ve loved since I was a kid to my ancestry. It was a really lovely experience. 

In your original manga, RESENTER, you present the reader with a world where Rippers (agents of Death) help those who perished recently to seek vengeance, and in the course of the story, one of these Rippers discovers a fate worse than dying. What was the creative process that brought this story to life? Also, did you intend the story to serve as an allegory for current and modern events in our world?

RESENTER started as a bit of a thought experiment I was having with myself. During the pandemic, I was feeling frustrated with the state of my interpersonal relationships and reflecting on situations that made me feel like I deserved some kind of retribution that I ultimately never got. RESENTER was a way for me to settle those feelings in a more productive way than just ruminating. I never intended RESENTER to serve any other purpose than that.

I think that the fact that people are able to relate to RESENTER in both the ways I intended, but also in ways that I didn’t predict, is incredible to me. We all really are insanely connected.

Media has portrayed not only lore and horror stories based on African culture but also original creations, such as the horror blaxploitation picture Blacula (1972). Do you believe these stories, including yours, can cross the racial barrier?

Absolutely! I think horror has been having a strong comeback over the past few years. Especially Black horror, with the success of Jordan Peele and his company, Monkey Paw Productions. While RESENTER’s fans have strongly been in the Black community, other races of people have engaged with it and have been looking forward to its completion. I’m working hard to ensure that my future work can continue this trend of crossing through global and racial barriers.

What separates your work from other manga that have women as protagonists?

I think my work isn’t afraid to show multi-dimensional women in their values and expressions. My female characters can be vulnerable, pretty, manipulative, ugly, and complicated. I try really hard to have my female characters feel like real people.

How do you integrate social issues into your art and narrative?
I love subtext and metaphor! I love sneaking in commentary in my stories and illustrations in a way that entertains the reader or viewer before they have to consider the big picture.

Manga and anime have considerable Blerd (Black nerd) fandoms. Why do you believe they appeal to this specific niche of nerd culture?

We really do seem to be huge fans of manga and anime! I don’t know about the wider Black nerd community, but in America, a lot of our parents and elders watched a lot of blaxploitation films with Black leads who mixed fighting and martial arts with the coolness of the ‘70’s. I saw a recent video that also explained how the generation that grew up watching those films, would discover anime and go on to reference it in hip-hop, which continued to fuel the next generation and so on. It seems like for a lot of the Black nerd community in America, anime and manga really reached us through osmosis.

You are a Black female artist presenting stories featuring Black female characters. How do you see the evolution of Black female characters in manga and anime, and where do you think it will go from here?
I think there’s so much more room to grow! Just by existing in this space, I’ve been able to do so much! I’m grateful to be able to create complex Black female characters that all types of people can relate to. My hope is that it’ll be enough to inspire my peers and the industry to create and celebrate fresh stories that expand the idea of what Black womanhood is in both manga and comics and in life.

Do you believe it is important for artists from different backgrounds to work with manga and anime?
I do! I think manga, in particular, has a special way of focusing more on the humanity of the characters as opposed to world-building, which is the opposite of how American comics generally operate. I think it’s a great way for artists of all backgrounds to share their humanity with readers through their characters.

D’ART Shtajio Studio is an African-American and Japanese studio, and Viola Davis, through her JuVee Productions, is partnering up with Japanese studio N Lite to produce “Afro-Anime Films.” What do you think about this confluence of Black creatives in anime production spaces?

I think it’s incredible! Also really inspiring. 

Do you believe your stories can crossover to anime or even live-action features?

Absolutely! My motto has always been: “How did we get on the moon?”

If we roll back the veil of daily life and really think about the world around us, everything is man-made. If we can send people to the moon, then surely an American mangaka getting an anime or live-action feature isn’t stuck in the realm of imagination.

Writing and drawing can be exhausting. What are your habits that help you do these two creative activities?

I have a lot of habits actually. I rotate between reading manga, watching movies, and gaming, but this year, I started journaling/memory-keeping and studying more diligently in Japanese. 

For those interested in Gigi Murakami’s art there is more material on her professional site.