Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

Lovesickness: Junji Ito Story Collection by Junji Ito

10 reviews

wends_nblw's review

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? It's complicated

3.0

I am once again disappointed by Junji Ito's work. Reading this after Uzumaki is like having leftovers when last night you were at a nice restaurant. It's okay, but it's just not the same. In fact, I would say that I enjoyed Deserter more than this collection. 

Aside from the comedic ending of this story, I found the other pieces to be lackluster. I'm not sure why, but it felt like it was missing something. The Lovesickness story was good, though I wasn't fond of the reveal. The other pieces weren't as good.

I think this collection comes off as more comedic than dark. I snorted quite a few times while reading. 

I will continue with my Ito journey, but I'm unsure if anything will top Uzumaki. (And I might be regretting selling my copy of Deserter.)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Death, Self harm, Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, Stalking, Child death, Body horror, Blood, Bullying, Gore, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, and Violence

Moderate: Pregnancy, Infidelity, and Miscarriage

Minor: Mental illness

angryoppossum's review

dark tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Gore

Moderate: Pregnancy, Murder, Infidelity, and Miscarriage

doomluz's review

dark mysterious tense 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Suicide attempt, Gore, Death, Body horror, Bullying, Murder, Child death, and Child abuse

Moderate: Infidelity, Miscarriage, Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Excrement

totsfions's review

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

5.0

I think this is the best Ito collection I've ever read. The title story, "Lovesickness" is a sort of slow-burn horror where the reader is never totally sure of what is happening, and that tension keeps you hooked on the story. The emotional dynamics between the characters are also more fleshed out than they are in some of Ito's other works, which makes the impact of the story even harsher. It's definitely one I feel I would get more from on a re-read, and one that has a lot of metaphorical resonance waiting to be taped. The duology of stories about the Hikizuri siblings is a really interesting take on toxic family dynamics. The stand-alone stories at the end of the book are all excellent, though the final story is more silly than anything else. "The Rib Woman" in particular is a really insightful commentary on the nature of feminine beauty standards in modern society. As always with Ito's work, the illustrations are chilling in a beautiful way. The character designs in this collection, and particularly in "Loveless" are some of Ito's strongest and most compelling. The haunting beauty of the characters adds so much dimension to the eerie nature of the story. I think this and "Amigara Fault" will be my go-to Junji Ito recommendations for a long time to come. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Death, Vomit, Self harm, Suicide, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Abortion, and Gore

Moderate: Gaslighting

Minor: Infidelity and Excrement

kashila's review

dark tense medium-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit, Gore, Suicide, Excrement, and Body horror

Moderate: Infidelity, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Violence

Minor: Domestic abuse

mir_frog73's review

challenging dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexism, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Violence, and Vomit

mydearwatsonbooks's review

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Gore, Suicide, and Abortion

Moderate: Excrement, Infidelity, Fire/Fire injury, and Bullying

Minor: Domestic abuse and Alcohol

lilybear3's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Murder, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Child death, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Body shaming, Death of parent, Dysphoria, Kidnapping, Mental illness, and Infidelity

Minor: Excrement

kelseyr713's review

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

3.5

I really LOVED the first half of this collection (the stories that make up Lovesickness). The villain/monster is great, and it’s set in a very off-kilter, foggy town. Perfect Junji Ito mood. The Hikizuri sibling stories and the three stand alones are fine.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Body horror, Child death, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Self harm, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Vomit, Chronic illness, Confinement, Infidelity, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy

Minor: Excrement

ysra's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? No

2.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Gore, Grief, Mental illness, Murder, Stalking, and Suicide

Moderate: Abortion, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Self harm, and Violence