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sapien85's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
khazbin's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
_serena_'s review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
I really enjoyed the Weeping Woman story.
The second one was kind of weird and not my favorite, but I enjoyed the overall art style.
I have no idea what happened in the third one. Definitely the weirdest, but still fine.
I liked the fourth and final story too.
These stories base their horror off their creepy nature and unsettling happenings. There is hardly any explanation as to why any of this is happening and I’m perfectly fine with that. Just short one off creepy stories.
The second one was kind of weird and not my favorite, but I enjoyed the overall art style.
I have no idea what happened in the third one. Definitely the weirdest, but still fine.
I liked the fourth and final story too.
These stories base their horror off their creepy nature and unsettling happenings. There is hardly any explanation as to why any of this is happening and I’m perfectly fine with that. Just short one off creepy stories.
whoisshelby's review against another edition
3.0
Weeping Woman Way: 5/5
Madonna: 4/5
Spirit Flow: 3/5
Slumber: 2/5
Overall: 3.5/5
Clearly, the collection started off strong but really lost traction as it went along in my opinion.
Madonna: 4/5
Spirit Flow: 3/5
Slumber: 2/5
Overall: 3.5/5
Clearly, the collection started off strong but really lost traction as it went along in my opinion.
harrowclare's review against another edition
4.0
The Liminal Zone is a collection of four short horror stories, Weeping Woman Way, Madonna, The Spirit Flow of Aokigahara, and Slumber. While the stories themselves are pretty out there and have little to no explanation - simply being strange, creepy, and otherworldly in their own right - they are still quite interesting, and I was never able to predict what would happen next.
Weeping Woman Way is the story of a young couple who come across a town that still uses the weeping woman (professional mourner) tradition, and the girlfriend suddenly finds herself inexplicably sad. I was captivated by this story, especially by the artwork, and could not stop studying each frame before eagerly turning the page. This was a very strong opener for the collection, and easily my favorite story of the four.
Madonna is a tale rich with Catholic creepiness as the main girl discovers someone is next in line to be the priest's new virgin Mary. I really had to suspend my disbelief for some aspects of this story, but it was extremely on par with horror featuring religious trauma, and I did enjoy it.
The Spirit Flow of Aokigahara introduces us to a couple who travel to the suicide forest after the boyfriend is diagnosed with a terminal illness and decides to end things on his own terms. Only, once they arrive, they find something truly remarkable. I did not, at any point, know what was happening in this story. It was all vibes. But I was fascinated, to say the least.
Slumber tells of a man who keeps dreaming about committing serial murders that are actually happening, and despite having no motive to kill, he begins to spiral. Again, this one was purely vibes and so strange, but the artwork was incredibly haunting.
The stories themselves probably land at around a 3-star rating overall for me, with some standing out more than others, but the artwork blew me away at times. I absolutely loved the imagery in all four stories, but as mentioned, Weeping Woman Way and Slumber, in particular, had imagery that I expect will stick with me for a long time.
I highly recommend for anyone looking for a breezy afternoon read that is strange in all the ways one can expect from Junji Ito. Pick it up for art, alone!
Weeping Woman Way is the story of a young couple who come across a town that still uses the weeping woman (professional mourner) tradition, and the girlfriend suddenly finds herself inexplicably sad. I was captivated by this story, especially by the artwork, and could not stop studying each frame before eagerly turning the page. This was a very strong opener for the collection, and easily my favorite story of the four.
Madonna is a tale rich with Catholic creepiness as the main girl discovers someone is next in line to be the priest's new virgin Mary. I really had to suspend my disbelief for some aspects of this story, but it was extremely on par with horror featuring religious trauma, and I did enjoy it.
The Spirit Flow of Aokigahara introduces us to a couple who travel to the suicide forest after the boyfriend is diagnosed with a terminal illness and decides to end things on his own terms. Only, once they arrive, they find something truly remarkable. I did not, at any point, know what was happening in this story. It was all vibes. But I was fascinated, to say the least.
Slumber tells of a man who keeps dreaming about committing serial murders that are actually happening, and despite having no motive to kill, he begins to spiral. Again, this one was purely vibes and so strange, but the artwork was incredibly haunting.
The stories themselves probably land at around a 3-star rating overall for me, with some standing out more than others, but the artwork blew me away at times. I absolutely loved the imagery in all four stories, but as mentioned, Weeping Woman Way and Slumber, in particular, had imagery that I expect will stick with me for a long time.
I highly recommend for anyone looking for a breezy afternoon read that is strange in all the ways one can expect from Junji Ito. Pick it up for art, alone!
zero_consistency's review against another edition
3.0
Definitely not the most mind blowing of Ito's work, but I still found it incredibly easy to read and there were definitely some particularly compelling panels. I can easily recommend people read this, just don't expect to be wowed.
eiwex's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
4.5
LOVE the depiction of Mary and that story and the weeping women