Nothing is as it seems in this J-horror manga. My Husband Is Asleep In The Freezer is our horror manga of the week, and this one was good enough for a midnight binge! Nana’s dealing with a complicated and abusive relationship with her husband, and when she’s finally pushed past her breaking point, not even the reader will be able to tell truth from fiction. Let’s dig deeper into this mind bender together with this horror manga review!
What Is My Husband Is Sleeping In The Freezer About?
Nana’s husband is hurting her. On the night of a local festival, Nana does what any reasonable woman would do: she drugs him, strangles him, and then hides his body in the freezer. But husbands in freezers rarely stay dead. Because the next time she wakes up, Ryo is alive. Or, she thinks Ryo is alive. Because somehow, her husband’s corpse is still in the freezer. So then what the hell is the thing that’s cooking her breakfast?
My Husband Is Asleep In The Freezer is everything I’ve come to love about horror manga. It’s beautifully drawn, it makes you question everything you’ve read, and it’s got an ending that drives me absolutely crazy. This short series takes you from a crazy beginning to an absolutely pyschotic end, and I’m here for every minute of it!
What Works
A powerful Story
There’s so many things about this manga that I just found perfect. My Husband Is Asleep In The Freezer is one of the prettiest manga I’ve seen in a while, and I think it’s unique that it didn’t shy away from the awful parts of this story. For those who need trigger warnings, you will see snippets of sexual assault, domestic abuse, and gore. The story does a great job or making you feel the panic and pain Nana lives with on a daily basis. We’re just as scared of Ryo as she is, and through the story, we get a taste of what many victims go through. Every time Nana comes home, we’re not sure what kind of Ryo she’ll get. We never know when she’s safe. And we never know who to trust. The writing and the artwork together form such a powerful connection for the reader that you won’t be able to put the book down.
Amazing Characters
The characters are beautifully crafted. Nana is so easy to relate to, but she’s also broken. She knows she killed Ryo, but when she sees him smiling the next day, she begins to doubt everything. Throughout the story, she continues to check on him in the freezer (and even turns him into a lovely little bento). But she’s still not sure of anything. And as a reader, neither of we. But it’s not just Nana who’s crafted with love. Ryo is absolutely terrifying to me. I knew this thing couldn’t be human, but to see it acting so ordinary really left me uneasy. The creators do such a great job of keeping you waiting for the next big disaster, and it makes for an addictive read.
… And What Doesn’t
I’ve developed a bit of a love-hate relationship with horror manga over the years. I started learning Japanese in 2023, and with a digital library card for the Japan Foundation Toronto’s library, I checked out as much horror as I could. It’s been a difficult ride! Some of my absolutely favourite stories have come out of Japan, and while I’ve found a lot of horror manga I adore the premise of, I feel like they lose me at the end. My Husband Is Sleeping In The Freezer is one of these. Nana’s story is powerful. The art for this manga is absolutely gorgeous, and her expressions are enough to make my heart ache. I can see her pain whenever she deals with this thing that looks like her husband. But the ending felt like it just took away some of that.
Here’s my OBLIGATORY SPOILER WARNING. Within the last few chapters, the reader actually learns the thing she’s been living with isn’t a demon or some ghost. It’s Ryo’s twin brother, and somehow, her mother and her neighbour have all been in on this scam. The whole thing just felt strange and rushed. Which is really disappointing considering how much I loved the mind game that this manga started out as.
To be honest, the ending left such a sour taste in my mouth that I knocked off a whole star. The premise was amazing, but the ending fumbled it for me.
Final Thought
My Husband Is Asleep In The Freezer is a wonderful little horror manga that’s not afraid to dive into the dark depths of domestic violence. I was invested in Nana’s story from the moment I opened the book, and this story will stick with you long after it’s done. The ending left something to be desired for me, but the fantastic cast of characters more than make up for it.
Have you read My Husband Is Asleep In The Freezer? Let me know what you thought of it, and check out some of my other reviews!