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4.13 AVERAGE
4.13 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Collectively, a 3.16 star average. My favorites were Slug Girl and The Bloody Story of Shirosuna. Like with most Junji Ito collections, lots of misses and few hits for me. My biggest disappointment was Washed Ashore because it was such wasted potential for a cool story.
great as always! favorites were tombs, washed ashore, and the window next door. i just wish some of these were longer! washed ashore is definitely my favorite story from this collection, just my kind of horrror!
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Junji Ito is a goddamn, magical treasure to horror. Ito's imagination seems to come from some otherworldly place outside of anything we are accustomed to--As soon as I saw this was available to review on NetGalley I smashed that request button and jumped into it immediately upon approval.
Here's the TOC and some very light, non-spoilerly reading experience notes:
TOMBS-- classic Ito body horror. A tragedy. A small, unusual town with a supernatural twist.
CLUBHOUSE--Excellent ghost story
SLUG GIRL--Body horror with an image that will never leave my brain
THE WINDOW NEXT DOOR--this one was funny actually (and gross)
WASHED ASHORE- ew, gross. And tapped a fear of mine with sea creatures
THE STRANGE TALE OF THE TUNNEL--creepy ghost story
BRONZE STATUE--a disturbing story about vanity and narcissism.
FLOATERS--this was the most unusual/original story. Super weird hairballs that tell secrets.
THE BLOODY STORY OF SHIROSUNA--very, very gory and disturbing once again, Ito shows us a small town that experiences supernatural phenomena
I plan on buying everything from Junji Ito--new horror author collection and I'm obsessed with the artwork.
Here's the TOC and some very light, non-spoilerly reading experience notes:
TOMBS-- classic Ito body horror. A tragedy. A small, unusual town with a supernatural twist.
CLUBHOUSE--Excellent ghost story
SLUG GIRL--Body horror with an image that will never leave my brain
THE WINDOW NEXT DOOR--this one was funny actually (and gross)
WASHED ASHORE- ew, gross. And tapped a fear of mine with sea creatures
THE STRANGE TALE OF THE TUNNEL--creepy ghost story
BRONZE STATUE--a disturbing story about vanity and narcissism.
FLOATERS--this was the most unusual/original story. Super weird hairballs that tell secrets.
THE BLOODY STORY OF SHIROSUNA--very, very gory and disturbing once again, Ito shows us a small town that experiences supernatural phenomena
I plan on buying everything from Junji Ito--new horror author collection and I'm obsessed with the artwork.
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
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:
Yes
I really enjoyed this short story collection from Junji Ito. The majority of the stories were absolute winners, but overall the entire collection was enjoyable and varied in the type of horror represented.
The first story, Tombs, is my favorite of the collection. Two siblings visit a bizarre town where tombs are placed almost randomly. It's creepy and compelling, with some horrifying imagery. The story is neatly wrapped up and I love the concept.
Clubhouse was an okay short story, though not my favorite. Three girls investigate an old haunted house and it all goes awry. It's fairly predictable, but the ending panel is cool.
Slug Girl is a 5-star story. This is some of the bizarre Junji Ito storytelling I love - akin to Gyo and Uzumaki in short form. Gross yet compelling, poor slug girl ends on a bleak note that gives me shivers from imagining it in reality.
The Window Next Door, while not a particularly compelling story, has some of the best Junji Ito art in the book. Creepy and gross are the adjectives I would use for this poor woman.
Washed Ashore is another creepy story that encompasses Junji Ito's penchant for gore and weirdness. Some gorgeous artwork in this story is a great contrast to the horrifying fate of the people. Also, I just love the deep sea as a horror setting.
The Strange Tale of the Tunnel was a short I've read before, though I can't remember where. This one is less supernatural and more sci-fi horror, with an interesting concept of cosmic radiation causing tears in reality.
Bronze Statue was just funny to me - a good story about karma.
Floaters is one I enjoy as well. Can you imagine all your inside thoughts, all those intrusive moments, all your secrets floating around and screaming out for all to hear? Yikes.
The Bloody Story of Shirosuna is a fitting end to this collection. A rural village gets a new doctor to treat their mystery illness...which is not an illness at all. Creepy, bloody, and with a fitting end.
Overall Tombs is a collection worth picking up and reading and would be a great introduction to anyone new to Junji Ito as it covers a range of horror topics and gives glimpses into his extreme style.
Horror Hodgepodge Blog post here!
The first story, Tombs, is my favorite of the collection. Two siblings visit a bizarre town where tombs are placed almost randomly. It's creepy and compelling, with some horrifying imagery. The story is neatly wrapped up and I love the concept.
Clubhouse was an okay short story, though not my favorite. Three girls investigate an old haunted house and it all goes awry. It's fairly predictable, but the ending panel is cool.
Slug Girl is a 5-star story. This is some of the bizarre Junji Ito storytelling I love - akin to Gyo and Uzumaki in short form. Gross yet compelling, poor slug girl ends on a bleak note that gives me shivers from imagining it in reality.
The Window Next Door, while not a particularly compelling story, has some of the best Junji Ito art in the book. Creepy and gross are the adjectives I would use for this poor woman.
Washed Ashore is another creepy story that encompasses Junji Ito's penchant for gore and weirdness. Some gorgeous artwork in this story is a great contrast to the horrifying fate of the people. Also, I just love the deep sea as a horror setting.
The Strange Tale of the Tunnel was a short I've read before, though I can't remember where. This one is less supernatural and more sci-fi horror, with an interesting concept of cosmic radiation causing tears in reality.
Bronze Statue was just funny to me - a good story about karma.
Floaters is one I enjoy as well. Can you imagine all your inside thoughts, all those intrusive moments, all your secrets floating around and screaming out for all to hear? Yikes.
The Bloody Story of Shirosuna is a fitting end to this collection. A rural village gets a new doctor to treat their mystery illness...which is not an illness at all. Creepy, bloody, and with a fitting end.
Overall Tombs is a collection worth picking up and reading and would be a great introduction to anyone new to Junji Ito as it covers a range of horror topics and gives glimpses into his extreme style.
Horror Hodgepodge Blog post here!
medium-paced
The hollowed out human head as a snail shell... he was cooking