Reviews tagging 'Suicidal thoughts'

Deserter by Junji Ito

5 reviews

haleybre's review

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challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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gabriel_dingle's review

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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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obnoxiousseagull's review

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

Not my favorite of Junji Ito's collections, but it was a fun afternoon read. Especially the titular story "Deserter" at the very end. I really enjoy Junji Ito's storytelling and lack of explanation for what is going on. You are left wondering "How?" and "Why?" and your imagination fills in the rest of the details. 
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breezer's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

Deserter is my favourite Junji Ito work to date. Containing some of his earlier short stories along with his older art style, it had some absolute gems. My favourite stories include;

Biohouse: The first in the collection and the best! It has a badass heroine, bug horror, mind control and satisfying acts of vengeance.
Where the Sandman Lives: This was brilliantly creepy and felt like a mix between The Sandman by Neil Gaiman and Nightmare on Elm Street.
A Father's Love: Explores the lengths a father will go to help his children succeed. Although fantastical, it mirrored reality with sad clarity.

I would recommend this is a great jumping in point for new Ito fans (as usual please check out the content warnings before diving into this collection) as well as seasoned readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and VIZ Media for an advanced readers copy. 
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jakeduffie's review

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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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