326 – Manga in Motion 45 – Promare
We’re a year late to the zeitgeist but this episode the hosts review the 2019 hit anime film Promare! Also Morgana also talks about Junji Ito’s Remina and dakazu gushes about Ousama Ranking!!!
Continue readingVenus in the Blind Spot
A collection of horror stories by Junji Ito.
We discussed this on a recent episode.
This book is the latest Junji Ito story collection put out by VIZ. I liked this collection better than Smashed: Junji Ito Story Collection as it has fan favorite stories of The Enigma of Amigara Fault and Human Chair. However the titular story didn’t have the same horror flair Ito is usually known for.
The other stories don’t quite stack up to the hits in Shiver: Junji Ito Selected Stories but this book also contains beautiful color pages that include illustrations from Ito’s adaptation of No Longer Human. Overall, this is another great book for Junji Ito fans to own.
~dakazu
318 – One Shot 31 – Venus in the Blind Spot
We’re wrapping up October Extravaganza with the master of manga horror himself, Junji Ito! We’re reviewing his latest collection of spooky stories in Venus in the Blind Spot! Join us as we discuss our favorite stories from the book and share our admiration for Ito himself!!!
Continue reading
A collection of Junji Ito‘s horror comics.
Another Junji Ito collection from VIZ. It’s good but I think I prefer the overall group of stories in Shiver: Junji Ito Selected Stories more. This book contains a lot of comics revolving around one of Ito’s reoccurring characters, Soichi. These stories are tonally comedic and more irreverent compared to Ito’s more horrific works. They seem heavily inspired by Kazuo Umezz‘s works like The Drifting Classroom that are targeted for younger readers, and in that sense they don’t appeal to me compared to Ito’s other works.
~dakazu
317 – Triple Dip 44 – Chainsaw Man, Blood on the Tracks, Super-Dimensional Love Gun
For our next October Extravaganza we have a trio of horror series perfect for Halloween! We’re checking out Super-Dimensional Love Gun, Blood on the Tracks, and Chainsaw Man! dakazu also talks about some new anime and we revisit the dark history behind the creator of the recently licensed Kirby Manga Mania!!!
Continue readingShiver: Junji Ito Selected Stories
A collection of Junji Ito‘s horror comics.
This is a great collection of Junji Ito manga. You get a wide selection that even include some of his most iconic works, like Fashion Model and The Long Dream. I love that Ito did a bonus follow with Fashion Model: Cursed Frame. Some of the other stories aren’t that scary but Greased is the stuff of absolute disgusting nightmares. Actually, if you have trypophobia you should really just avoid this book like the plague. Otherwise I’d fully recommend this to fans of Junji Ito who want to read more of his shorter one-shots.
Available from VIZ.
~dakazu
Remina
A horror manga about a mysterious planet that gets named Remina after the daughter of the astrologist who discovers it. When the planet reveals itself as a planet eating monstrosity headed towards Earth, people’s fears turn them into a vicious mob blaming Remina and her father.
This is an absolute banger from Junji Ito. It might be one of his few science fiction themed horror series but it’s fantastic. There’s some real cosmic horror stuff happening with the design of the hell planet Remina, terrifying mobs revealing the ugliest of humanity, and strangely comedic world ending situations as Remina escapes hundreds of pursuers pushed by winds and low gravity. The only scenes that bothered me a bit were some extended torture scenes of Remina being restrained and whipped. Still, I personally think Remina is fantastic and might be my go to recommendation for Ito’s work, only second to Uzumaki! It will be available soon in English from VIZ!
~dakazu
Dissolving Classroom
A collection of horror stories revolving around a young man named Yuuma Azawa and his sister Chizumi.
This is an enjoyable newer Junji Ito work. The majority of the stories involve Yuuma and Chizumi causing people around them to dissolve. There’s a great dynamic between the creepy Chizumi who wants to suck brains and her quiet apologetic brother Yuuma. Both siblings blame each other for the horrors that befall people around them but it can also be interpreted that neither of them is innocent.
Ito delivers a lot of visuals of humans dissolving as viscous fluids flow out of eyes, noses and mouths. If you’re sensitive to those kinds of visuals I would suggest skipping this book. Otherwise this is another entertaining horror manga from Junji Ito that I would recommend.
Available from Vertical Comics.
~dakazu
Gyo
A horror manga about aquatic animals rising from the sea using metal legs powered by a death stench who terrorize the lands.
This is another classic series from Junji Ito. I personally rank it fairly low compared to Ito’s other works. While the horror of the device powered shark is terrifying, Gyo pretty much can be summed up as an extended fart joke. It’s definitely unique and horrific but I would recommend Uzumaki over this one.
Available in English from VIZ.
~dakazu
Tomie
A collection of various horror stories about a femme fatale named Tomie.
We’ve discussed this on an older episode.
Tomie is Junji Ito‘s debut work and in that sense it isn’t his greatest. Most of his stories aren’t supernatural or even that scary. However this series definitely established Ito on his journey into the master of horror he is today. I recommend it to fans of Junji Ito who want to see where he got started.
Available in English from VIZ.
~dakazu