Gender: Female

Although the works of writer/artist Chie Watari appear in magazines for general girls’ fiction, her stories definitely fall under the category of horror. She writes only short pieces, which may limit the chance for character development, but doesn’t keep her from interesting character portrayals or from complex storylines. It also provides an opportunity for an unusually wide range of characters and subjects, which she uses to great advantage.

Like most girls’ horror authors, Watari tends to the "creepy" rather than to the gory. Her works are aimed at a primarily teenage audience, but contain little graphic material. This, along with the fact that any one of her volumes can be read independently, makes her a good choice for readers new to girls’ horror.

NB: For some reason, the "e" in "Chie" often appears in lists written with different characters, 江, 絵 . I’ve seen no actual evidence that her name was ever written differently, but if anyone has any information about it, please let me know.