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A review by reaperreads
Dissolving Classroom Collector's Edition by Junji Ito
3.0
This collection is more hilarious than it is frightening. The concept of someone being able to melt people's brains through the power of apology is peak horror comedy.
Also, it's very heartwarming to see a brother and a sister existing in symbiosis, even if they're wacky, devil-worshiping, slightly cannibalistic fiends.
Now, for my actual thoughts: Even though "Dissolving Classroom" is the titular story and "Dissolving Apartment" is responsible for the cover art, I think the strongest story in this collection is "Interview with the Devil." It has a fantastic twist and a bit more of a thematic message than the rest of the stories. You can't read it in isolation from the rest of the stories, however; so if you do decide to read this collection, don't skip around because each story, in one way or another, builds on the last. Junji Ito wrote a similar arc with the Oshikiri stories collected in the Frankenstein volume, so if you enjoyed those or like to see vignettes that follow the same characters in short story collections, you might enjoy this even if it isn't widely considered one of Junji Ito's best. Despite my low rating, I really do consider "Interview with the Devil" one of the best stories I've read by Ito Sensei to date--the rest of the collection just feels like silliness without much of a point. I laughed, I enjoyed, but it didn't make me think. Like I've said about some other horror comics recently, this is good popcorn, nothing deep but nothing terrible either.
For fans of: Junji Ito's less serious works, Horror that focuses on siblings like Ginger Snaps (2000), and Horror Comedy more generally. If you thought this collection was so-so and want to read something that explores similar themes but is more literary, I highly recommend picking up Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova.
Also, it's very heartwarming to see a brother and a sister existing in symbiosis, even if they're wacky, devil-worshiping, slightly cannibalistic fiends.
Now, for my actual thoughts: Even though "Dissolving Classroom" is the titular story and "Dissolving Apartment" is responsible for the cover art, I think the strongest story in this collection is "Interview with the Devil." It has a fantastic twist and a bit more of a thematic message than the rest of the stories. You can't read it in isolation from the rest of the stories, however; so if you do decide to read this collection, don't skip around because each story, in one way or another, builds on the last. Junji Ito wrote a similar arc with the Oshikiri stories collected in the Frankenstein volume, so if you enjoyed those or like to see vignettes that follow the same characters in short story collections, you might enjoy this even if it isn't widely considered one of Junji Ito's best. Despite my low rating, I really do consider "Interview with the Devil" one of the best stories I've read by Ito Sensei to date--the rest of the collection just feels like silliness without much of a point. I laughed, I enjoyed, but it didn't make me think. Like I've said about some other horror comics recently, this is good popcorn, nothing deep but nothing terrible either.
For fans of: Junji Ito's less serious works, Horror that focuses on siblings like Ginger Snaps (2000), and Horror Comedy more generally. If you thought this collection was so-so and want to read something that explores similar themes but is more literary, I highly recommend picking up Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova.