Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

Deserter by Junji Ito

5 reviews

ellislilylovestoread's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Physical abuse, Suicide, War, Body horror, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Gore, Mental illness, Murder, Self harm, and Toxic relationship

gabriel_dingle's review

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

As this is a collection of Ito’s earlier works, it is expected that they will be slightly lower quality than his more recent works, so I was a bit lenient with my rating (3.75 -> 4). There are some really good classics in here, as well as some forgettable and predictable stories. The story the manga is named after, Deserter, was a little disappointing, however the twist was rather clever. I just wish Ito did a little bit more with the twist. Overall, there are many great short stories in here that make reading Deserter worth it, especially if you are a fan of horror manga.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Murder, Gore, Blood, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Mental illness, Violence, Self harm, Bullying, Suicide, and Body horror

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Child death, Physical abuse, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Car accident

valerie127's review

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

"I don't want any stolen beauty"

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Blood, Bullying, Mental illness, Murder, Body horror, Cannibalism, Emotional abuse, Grief, Suicide, Death, Gore, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

raychelbennet's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I’ve lost count of the number of Junji Ito collections I have read and I think point I don’t think I can definitively say if I’ve enjoyed any of them. I agree with the common perception that Junji Ito is a master of the horror manga genre. But even more so for me—he is a master of the uncomfortable. Everything about his books make me uncomfortable: from the art style to the plot and *especially* the characters. The characters in particular always make my skin crawl and this is true for Deserter. As I mentioned, I didn’t enjoy this but it did its purpose. I was discomfited, uneasy, and on edge. And even though I keep being made uncomfortable, I keep reading Junji Ito’s graphic novels, so I think that says more about him really than I ever could. 

 

**Big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC copy in exchange for an honest review. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Mental illness, and Body horror

Moderate: Child abuse

Minor: Cursing

jakeduffie's review

dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Another creep-fest from Ito. Like any collection of stories it’s a mixed bag. But, they’re all fast, readable and have some great twist endings 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, and Violence