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blurstoftimes 's review for:
Smashed: Junji Ito Story Collection
by Junji Ito
By this point, Ito has become one of the most renowned manga artists in the world, and an innovator for the horror genre as a whole. So it’s a good thing that this collection of 13 stories—which range from demented to just downright dreary—are an excellent showcase of his skills in storytelling, dark, gruesome canvases, and, of course, the art of the scare.
There are some clear classics that have stained my mind with their originality and looming horror details. “Earthbound” was the first to lock me into Ito’s world, with its engrossing protagonist and the unnerving concept of being fixed firmly to the ground without exit. Another good one is the surprisingly gory “The Mystery of The Haunted House”, as its reinvigoration of a tired horror trope works so well given the innocence of the townie main characters and the evil that lies at the end.
“Roar” “Bloodsucking Darkness”, and “Death Row Doorbell” are more enthralling in their plot and ingenuity than anything else. I loved them because not only did these keep me on the edge of my seat, they were quite ambitious as far as short stories go. But there were stories that did none of that and merely just took up time and effort to read. “In Mirror Valley” actually dragged on so long that the horror elements felt deflated by the end. Another laughable story was “Library Vision.” If you couldn’t guess by its banal title, it’s basically about a guy who can’t stop reading books; it’s the worst of the bunch.
Thankfully, these less-developed narratives just make the larger and more robust ones stand out stronger. As a collection of short stories go, these are pretty solid, and when they’re not, they are still subverting old bits of folklore or “be careful what you wish for”-type stories for a new and bold
perspective that seems to be paying respect to the simplistic catch of fables. Ito’s noir-stained panels are also iconic and, if all else fails, should do more than the narrative will to grab your attention. And that’s why we’re here folks. This isn’t Shakespeare, it’s visceral, spooky fun.
There are some clear classics that have stained my mind with their originality and looming horror details. “Earthbound” was the first to lock me into Ito’s world, with its engrossing protagonist and the unnerving concept of being fixed firmly to the ground without exit. Another good one is the surprisingly gory “The Mystery of The Haunted House”, as its reinvigoration of a tired horror trope works so well given the innocence of the townie main characters and the evil that lies at the end.
“Roar” “Bloodsucking Darkness”, and “Death Row Doorbell” are more enthralling in their plot and ingenuity than anything else. I loved them because not only did these keep me on the edge of my seat, they were quite ambitious as far as short stories go. But there were stories that did none of that and merely just took up time and effort to read. “In Mirror Valley” actually dragged on so long that the horror elements felt deflated by the end. Another laughable story was “Library Vision.” If you couldn’t guess by its banal title, it’s basically about a guy who can’t stop reading books; it’s the worst of the bunch.
Thankfully, these less-developed narratives just make the larger and more robust ones stand out stronger. As a collection of short stories go, these are pretty solid, and when they’re not, they are still subverting old bits of folklore or “be careful what you wish for”-type stories for a new and bold
perspective that seems to be paying respect to the simplistic catch of fables. Ito’s noir-stained panels are also iconic and, if all else fails, should do more than the narrative will to grab your attention. And that’s why we’re here folks. This isn’t Shakespeare, it’s visceral, spooky fun.