Some books entertain you.
Others make you uncomfortable.
And then there is Figuisch.
In this collection of short stories intended for an adult audience, Kōtarō Ōkoshi explores a strange territory where several genres collide: psychological horror, the dark eroticism inherited from the Japanese eroguro (erotic grotesque) tradition, surreal fantasy… and a sharp sense of black humor that appears exactly when you least expect it.
Each story feels like a small narrative detonation.
Situations twist, bodies transform, and emotions shift constantly between unease and fascination. Yet behind the disturbing imagery and unsettling situations lies a deeply ironic perspective on human absurdity.
Ōkoshi moves effortlessly between dreamlike, almost hypnotic sequences and much harsher, sometimes shocking visions, echoing the spirit of Japanese underground comics. The stories can be macabre, grotesque, tragic… and suddenly darkly funny.
This tension is precisely what makes Figuisch so unique: a book capable of creating laughter and discomfort on the same page.
Japanese critics have praised the visual intensity and dramatic density of the collection. Despite their strangeness or violence, these stories carry a genuine artistic weight, combining the aesthetics of shock with a deeply tragic and melancholic sensitivity. Figuisch is disturbing, darkly humorous, and utterly singular — a book that moves between nightmare, satire, and macabre poetry.
Format: 164 B & W pages + 8 Color pages, 17 x 24 cm, softcover with flaps, printed on a creamy paper. Hot Gold Stamping on cover , spine and back cover.