Reviews with content warning for Pregnancy - Venus in the Blind Spot

Reviews tagging 'Pregnancy'

Venus in the Blind Spot by Junji Ito

12 reviews

rezmaged's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: N/A

I am a long time fan of Ito. Some of these gave me the creepy crawlies, as the gods intended.

Content Warnings

finchwing's review against another edition

4.5

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I wish a couple of the stories had been a little longer/developed more, but most of them were incredible. This was my first Junji Ito book and I am excited to read all the others.

Content Warnings

nosferatofu's review against another edition

3.75

dark emotional funny lighthearted sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

As always, I will be reviewing these stories individually and the overall rating will be based on the calculated average.

Billions Alone - 4.5
The Human Centipede Lite

The Human Chair - 4
They really matched each others’ freak huh

An Unearthly Love - 3
Good for her I guess?

Venus In the Blind Spot - 4

Felt slightly unsettling knowing her father was the one fighting off all those men with the transparency solution,

but I thoroughly enjoyed the story and significance.

The Licking Woman - 4
WHAT THAT TONGUE DOOOOOOO

Master Umezz and Me - 3
It was sweet getting a little peak into Ito’s inner world and past experiences but I still found the story to be a little boring. Sorry.

How Love Came to Professor Kirida - 2
Boring tbh I didn’t really understand it

The Enigma of Amigara Fault - 5
Probably my favourite of all the stories. Weird as hell and super original

The Sad Tale of the Principal Post - 5
Second favourite story, even if it was only a few pages. Fucked up and kinda sad

Keepsake - 2
Ew. No thanks.

Content Warnings

danimacuk's review against another edition

4.25

dark funny 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: No

Content Warnings

c3nnyzip's review against another edition

3.5

dark emotional funny tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

A very satisfying and well-rounded short story collection--good for first readers of Junji Ito's work since it includes many of the more surreal, campy, and erotic themes prescient in his popular stories. Although Ito does include a lot of his signature body horror as well as some disturbing, implied sexual assault (watch out for "Venus in the Blind Spot" and "How Love Came to Professor Kirida"), he does not do it in a way that makes it the entire point of the story--but rather an extension of the unnatural world in which the story takes place. Nor are these elements included as a sign of how edgy or shocking Ito is. For me, the real allure of these stories lies in their characters and the incredibly empathetic way in which they and their real-life struggles are often portrayed. I found new favorites in the touching "Billions Alone" and clever "Keepsake". My biggest complaint was that the semi-autobiographical story "Master Umezz and Me" kind of halted the flow mid-book since it wasn't a horror story and was actually kind of funny. It's also important to take note of how Ito writes/utilizes his female characters (something I can't get into without making this review even longer). That, in particular, might not be for you (and I could fully understand why). But for me (and, I hope, for you), the stories remained worth reading.

Content Warnings