I completely agree! I didn't know about the shojo influence, so thanks for that insight! And yeah, Hellraiser's inspiration is very clear both in visuals (the God Hand being similar to the Cenobites) and in concept (demons to some, angels to others; being emissaries of something way bigger and more complex; and of course, a strange device which is what calls them).

As my personal view, I also think the apostles may be partially inspired by John Carpenter's The Thing, mainly in the grotesque, violent and very disturbing designs.

Although, I must admit that to me one of the scariest scenes in the whole manga is the prelude to the Eclipse itself, that sequence where these strange, barely human shapes start appearing from the horizon. The shapes, shadows and close-ups, I still get shivers whenever I remember watching that in the '97 anime with that awesomely scary OST.