You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.13 AVERAGE
4.13 AVERAGE
Junji Ito changed the ending of the titular story - from previous editions which was a nice surprise. It's a decent collection.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Junji Ito is masterful at depicting horror and there were several times that I felt genuinely creeped out. I cannot wait to read more from him.
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
One of the better Junji Ito story collections. It was still hit or miss, but there were a good amount of hits.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
I feel like you can't go wrong with Junji Ito's short stories. He's an absolute master of cosmic/body horror and he's mastered the art of the jump scare using the turn of a page. It's a unique experience. I prefer his short stories over his longer format series, generally, so this was a fun book to start the year off with. The art is fantastic.
Tombs: A brother and sister get in a traffic accident on their way to meet in a friend in a mysterious town where tombstones exist in the most random places. 5/5 stars. This one was dark, bizarre, and hhad some of the most interesting art.
Clubhouse: The dynamic of a trio of friends changes after two of them enter an abandoned haunted house. 3/5 stars. This one started strong but I felt that the dread I felt in the beginning wasn't maintained at the ending.
Slug Girl: A girl who lives on a property with an unusual amount of slugs begins to lose the ability to speak. 4/5 slugs. This one isn't really scary, but it's super weird and the ending surprised me.
The Window Next Door: A young man moves into a new house with his parents in which his bedroom window faces the one belonging to his reclusive neighbour. 5/5 creepy old lady stars. The design of the neighbour is fantastic and the ending was incredibly chilling.
Washed Ashore: A giant sea creature washes up on the shore. 4/5 lost soul stars. Not particularly scary, but I have a soft spot for giant unexplained sea creatures.
The Strange Tale of The Tunnel: An old train tunnel draws people inside. 4/5 science stars. This wasn't at all what I expected it to be and I appreciate that, always.
Bronze Statue: An aging woman has her youth recaptured in a statue. 5/5 bronze stars. This one feels like a horror movie - a lot happens within the short story.
Floaters - Strange little hair balls full of secrets begin floating around. 3.5/5 hairy stars. This was a super unique idea and we get to see how multiple characters are affected by this event, but I wish it was a little less bleak.
The Bloody Story Of Shirosuna - A doctor takes a job in a small town isolated from the rest of the world in which all it's inhabitants appear ill. 5/5 anemic stars. This was fun. I loved the setting and the character design. This idea could have easily been a full length novel and I would have loved that, however the author accomplishes all he needs to in the short story format.
Tombs: A brother and sister get in a traffic accident on their way to meet in a friend in a mysterious town where tombstones exist in the most random places. 5/5 stars. This one was dark, bizarre, and hhad some of the most interesting art.
Clubhouse: The dynamic of a trio of friends changes after two of them enter an abandoned haunted house. 3/5 stars. This one started strong but I felt that the dread I felt in the beginning wasn't maintained at the ending.
Slug Girl: A girl who lives on a property with an unusual amount of slugs begins to lose the ability to speak. 4/5 slugs. This one isn't really scary, but it's super weird and the ending surprised me.
The Window Next Door: A young man moves into a new house with his parents in which his bedroom window faces the one belonging to his reclusive neighbour. 5/5 creepy old lady stars. The design of the neighbour is fantastic and the ending was incredibly chilling.
Washed Ashore: A giant sea creature washes up on the shore. 4/5 lost soul stars. Not particularly scary, but I have a soft spot for giant unexplained sea creatures.
The Strange Tale of The Tunnel: An old train tunnel draws people inside. 4/5 science stars. This wasn't at all what I expected it to be and I appreciate that, always.
Bronze Statue: An aging woman has her youth recaptured in a statue. 5/5 bronze stars. This one feels like a horror movie - a lot happens within the short story.
Floaters - Strange little hair balls full of secrets begin floating around. 3.5/5 hairy stars. This was a super unique idea and we get to see how multiple characters are affected by this event, but I wish it was a little less bleak.
The Bloody Story Of Shirosuna - A doctor takes a job in a small town isolated from the rest of the world in which all it's inhabitants appear ill. 5/5 anemic stars. This was fun. I loved the setting and the character design. This idea could have easily been a full length novel and I would have loved that, however the author accomplishes all he needs to in the short story format.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, Pandemic/Epidemic
This is a horror novel and there's a ton of body horror but it's not horribly graphic in a way that makes your cringe. There's a lot of death. No nudity.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
It's Junji Ito. Of course it's gonna be 5 stars.
Standouts: Tombs, Slug Girl, Washed Ashore, The Bloody Story of Shirosuna
Standouts: Tombs, Slug Girl, Washed Ashore, The Bloody Story of Shirosuna
Aika perus Junji Itoa, ei mitenkään erityisen mieleenjääviä tarinoita, joskaan ei myöskään huonoja - erittäin vahvasti siis 3/5. Parhaat tarinat olivat Floaters ja Bronze Statue, osan olin jo nähnyt Netflixin Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre -sarjassa (joskin tarinoita oli paikoin lyhennetty).
Ito osaa kehokauhun vallan mainiosti, mutta muutamiin tarinoihin haluaisin vielä ripauksen enemmän selityksiä, esimerkiksi tässä kokoelmassa viimeisenä olevassa The Bloody Story of Shirosunassa olisi voinut avata maailmaa vähän lisääkin. Joskus tietämättömyys on paras tapa luoda kauhua (kuten Washed Ashoren tapauksessa), toisinaan puolestaan asioiden auki selittäminen syventää tunnelmaa ja antaa kuvitelmalle uskottavuutta.
Ito osaa kehokauhun vallan mainiosti, mutta muutamiin tarinoihin haluaisin vielä ripauksen enemmän selityksiä, esimerkiksi tässä kokoelmassa viimeisenä olevassa The Bloody Story of Shirosunassa olisi voinut avata maailmaa vähän lisääkin. Joskus tietämättömyys on paras tapa luoda kauhua (kuten Washed Ashoren tapauksessa), toisinaan puolestaan asioiden auki selittäminen syventää tunnelmaa ja antaa kuvitelmalle uskottavuutta.
this was my first book from him i now have 8 of them
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I don’t always like horror or spooky things but Junji Ito always has the right balance to keep me hooked and entertained enough with the weird and scary, without being too repulsive (at least for this one haha)
As with all the illustrations in his works I’ve read before, I found it hard to peel my eyes away from the images in this book. The story too is interesting and though they’re short stories, they all revolve around the same characters who are visiting their friend in a weird town filled with tombs. As they go around town, they discover that the souls of the dead are intricately connected with the town.
Like all his other works, I sometimes find myself still thinking of the images in this book, as they are already imprinted in my mind, and shall appear once in a while unbidden.
Recommended!