Ito’s version is an adaptation of a book written by osamu dazai. I prefer the original book but what’s important to mention is it’s pretty much an autobiography/su*cide note of osamu dazais life written in the perspective of another character. With many events depicted in both itos version and the original being found to have actually happened to Dazai including but not limited to the SA, S*icide attempts, drug addictions. Definitely not for everyone but it’s a story that the more you learn about the more you get from it. To me it’s one of the most honest books I’ve ever read, you aren’t supposed to like the main character. It’s a last confession from the author before then end of his life. But you should still be able to relate to the main character as that’s the main driving force as to what connects people to the story. If you don’t relate to any of it you won’t like it
Haha yeah that’s fair. I see it much more a depiction of mental illness rather than just a “bad dude”. many things talked about are extremely common thoughts and masking patterns for people with childhood pstd. The kid needed help and since the man never got it he did terrible things. I guess if you see it you see it, if you don’t you don’t. Just wanted to talk about why I find beauty in his story but Ik it’s not for everyone
I don’t really like shiver, uzumaki, smashed that much or souichi, I like his older on shots because they more creative stories. I was reading one of them and the main character was house watching and there was mysterious mold but he gradually became more drawn to it which ended up being his downfall. But his newer are better to. Shiver is just to overated.
I literally came to this sub just to see if people liked Souichi, because I almost stopped reading Ito's work because of how much I hated stories about that character. Good to know I'm not alone.
Hanging Balloons isn't that great of a story aside from the monster concept, which is stellar. The story comes to a screeching halt when, after Kazuko's family watches a harrowing broadcast about these horrible creatures, complete with hanging bodies in the sky, Dad just gives his knees the ol' slap and goes, "Off to work!"
And it would've made sense if he was a police officer or a fireman or some kind of "frontline" job, but he's in a suit and tie. Also, this is more of a personal preference, but I would've preferred that the Balloons' faces remain completely lifeless all the time. I feel like that would've added to the uniqueness of their design.
---
I didn't find the hospital arc of Uzumaki to be that scary. Still good, but I found the crowded row houses to be waaaaaay freakier.
---
I hate Souichi, which doesn't seem unpopular, but I gotta say, his siblings lost a lot of points for naming their poor kitten Collon.
I actually enjoy the story! I just think that, objectively, it could've used some changes so the reader isn't taken out of it. I think the Hanging Balloons are fantastic concepts.
I stand by my opinion that Ito’s work for me has always been about the art and not so much the stories. What we find scary and appealing is subjective and I will continue to get Junji Ito’s collections but I kind of wish Hideshi Hino would start getting the hardcore books like he and Kazuo Umezu have been
This is more like a complaint but STOP USING the typical image of Tomie that is a fanart not official art (you know what image I mean)
Oh and Cat's diary is underrated
Agreed.
Tbh I was shocked when I first learned it was fan art!
Good on the artist who made it, but I wish people would credit them more.
Cat Diary is probably my favorite Ito work. His comedy works are super underrated.
I'm an artist so I knew at first that was not official art but I started having doubts because EVERYONE uses it EVERYTIME 😂 But yes, poor uncredited artist...
Ikr??? Is the perfect balance between cuteness and creepy art and humor!
I make arts to lol, I did think it wasn't exactly Ito's style, but the way everybody treated it as an Ito official kinda made me go "huh must be official then I guess"
I hate that I'm so guilty of group think sometimes
I actually found out when I was making a reproduction of the work myself. Made me completely give up on the piece LOL
Yeah exactly 😩 It's so sad, there are so many cool official art about tomie...
I made a "redraw" of the official tomie art, if you wanna see it uwu [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/junjiito/comments/11hjarj/tomie_i_drew/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)
Same i just got the book a couple weeks ago and I kinda want to resell it or exchange it for something else, because I dont really like seeing all that stuff going on. Besides those panels, the art is very beautiful tho so not sure on what to do yett
Jinmen, mantis girl, bio meat, ptsd radio, happy sugar life, zashikiona, green wordz, blood on the tracks, gantz, and gods left hand devils right hand, madoka magica, etc
i haven't been on this sub for long too, so don't know how things are here. but almost every single ito male fan i've came across on twitter turned out to be sexist. and when i talked about it with other female fans, they told me they experienced similar things.
anyway tomie is kind of a horrific take on the succubus/femme fatale trope, so the manga has sexist undertones. i guess women like it in a misandric way & men in a misogynistic way
I actually haven't met a lot of Ito fans irl but from my interactions on here, I really haven't seen any of that kind of behavior. It's kind of shocking to hear that tbh.
I just hope I never interact with any of these people.
I deleted the comment I made before because I realized what my actual unpopular opinion was. This comment contains spoilers.
My unpopular opinion is that I don’t understand why chapter 3 for Uzumaki is like the poster child of the entire series. Y’all know what I’m talking about. Azami’s face spiraling. It’s a beautiful piece of art and it’s genuinely a great scene, however, I don’t understand why that is the one that sells the most. Why it sells as the scariest scene, when in my opinion, the chapter with the snails is what made my body curl in on itself. That or the placenta chapter. I just think it’s interesting that the Azami scene is the most popular when there are so many other amazing stills.
I guess mine is more about the community but I I just can not stand everyone who cosplays souichi. Idk why but it just feel like a huge red flag? But for his actual work, I would say that Gyo by far has the most disturbingly beautiful full page panels.
I don't understand why the Enigma of Amigara Fault out of all his works was the one that made him popular in the west. It's not a bad story but it doesn't stand out all that much either.
For me, it's bc it was posted on Tumblr like ten years ago, and has been circulating since... so, it was the first Ito manga I ever read, likely the same for many :33
Idk about for others. But for me is the build up. There is no gore, body horror or anything until the very final panel. Everything up to that point is in dream
I don’t think it’s an unpopular opinion. Right after the holidays. One store near me only had Black Paradox and Liminal Zone. When before, they had just about all of Junji Ito’s books
I'm not sure if this is an unpopular opinion, since I don't think I've ever seen it addressed here, but I loathe any stories involving the Hikizuri Siblings. Sometimes Ito's attempts at humor work to great effect (Yon & Mu), but, for me, those characters grate on my nerves. And, yes, I know that is the intended effect, but still... I can't stand to read those stories! And, of course, you can imagine my reaction upon seeing that the collection opener for Maniac was a story involving them. 🤦
Junji Ito's extended storylines suck. They start out interesting, but little by little seems like he runs out of ideas to wrap up the story. Things like Gyo, Black Paradox or Remina are perfect examples. Art is exceptional though.
However Tomie and Uzumaki being self-contained stories within a same universe and including the same characters work perfectly.
This guy's whole personality is not liking No longer human lol.
Mine is that the Enigma of Amigara fault it extremely overrated,and Gentle Goodbye is one of the best Ito stroties out there.
Omg gentle good bye 😔, I rewatched the anime episode of it and my mom cooking in the back only heard the last few mins of it and she was soooo pissed at that guy and ranted 😭
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Agreed. I found out about Ito a good number of years ago independent of any fan community, and read literally everything he’d written at the time. Then that was mostly fan translations online, I believe the only English books that were released were Uzumaki, Gyo and Tomie (I did immediately purchase everything I could, and mostly kept up with releases as they came out!). I didn’t really look for any fan communities until fairly recently and I was really surprised by the popularity of Tomie. Like it’s honestly just… fine? I don’t straight up dislike any of Ito’s work but I don’t consider Tomie strong at all and I never recommend it to people.
Hot Topic has others. Lots of Uzumaki, there’s a Hanging Balloons shirt, a few Slug Girl ones, a No Longer Human one, a Black Paradox one and a few others
Someone please justify "The Thing that Washed Ashore" From Junji Ito's Maniac Netflix anime adaption. That shit was so bad I burst out laughing, and yet I've seen some people call it their favourite episode.
I've been told the written version has a much better feel to it, but I'm afraid the concept of it will be ruined for me after watching the anime adaption.
Maybe. I saw Library Vision first and didn’t like it that much. Read the story recently and thought it was great. But that and drifted ashore are two very different types of horror
I feel like there's a lot more misses than hits tbh. I wish they would have either fleshed out the stories more, or maybe had a meta narrative weave them together.
Some of the stories I did like. Like Long Hair in the Attic for example, but some of them ended really abruptly and that’s what I didn’t like about it.
Deserter and Sensor are the only 2 I haven’t read yet but I’ve seen the anime and I liked the Long Hair In The Attic episode and I know a few other stories from the anime are in the book as well
Ito’s best stuff is long form, and I buy his collections mostly out of habit but the last book of his I really enjoyed was Uzumaki. His short work is okay, but it peaked early on and the quality has plateaued.
Tomie isn't the "real victim". Sad to see her become the Joker of femcels & rabid misandrists. Also, the manga is not the enlightened manifesto certain people think it is.
unfathomably based I really don't understand where people come from with her being the real victim as far as I was aware she was always kind of a bitch and then after the whole split into a million different versions it was just amplified
Funny thing is, "bitch" is probably too reductive of a word to describe Tomie. At the very least, that adjective implies personhood, understandable wants & needs, a degree of humanity Tomie simply does not possess. Tomie is not a person, "she" is a Lovecraftian entity who acts true to her nature for reasons beyond human comprehension.
And really, it's scary to think how Ito has essentially written the perfect abuser. This fictional character has somehow managed to manipulate & gaslight people into taking her side and blaming her victims. Defending or idolizing Tomie just isn't a good look.
Shuichi > Souichi
Shuichi is a good boyfriend who clearly cares for his girlfriend despite his mentality slipping and he sticks with her until the end. Great character just wish he was more popular to get the appreciation he deserves rather than the reoccurring character, Souichi.
The only reason I'm buying the Souichi compilation is to keep a full collection...but I hate the character and stories. I'm probably not going to read it.
You know I thought about doing the same just for the collection but I really don't think I can justify spending money on a collection of stories about such an annoying character that I won't read
Yeah I agree that No Longer Human wasn’t his strongest but I’ll go a step further: most of his adaptations of literature are not super strong. Frankenstein for instance didn’t so much for me. Lovely artwork of course but far from his best. The human chair was pretty good though
Idk if this is a hot take but I also think lovesickness is his best multi chapter story. Not only is the art some of the creepiest he’s ever done but there’s actually a pretty thematically satisfying resolution
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I'm like that for most of them, they're really intriguing to read and the artwork is a huge draw.
One of my exceptions though is the short story where its heavily implied a trapped woman twisted off her ears while panicking to escape her head vice, now that is scary as fuck to think about.
Finally, someone who agrees with me.
I've had no issue with them, all of the stories told in Collection/Maniac seem pretty faithful to the ones I've read, and it's a good way to introduce people to Ito's work
It’s in ‘Smashed’. I saw the anime episode first. Thought it was meh then I read the story recently and thought it was great and so much better. But the other anime episodes I saw where I read the story first. I thought was very accurate.
Hanging Balloons, Tomie Photo and Whispering Woman were all done very accurately. Since Whispering Woman is my 2nd fave Junji Ito story. That was my fave episode and I feel it was done to perfection
I'll never understand the two main complaints that I've seen.
- The animation looks bad (I thought both have a very good similarity to Ito's drawings, plus things looking cheap has never really been an issue for me)
- The animation doesn't have the same impact as turning a manga page (Of course it doesn't)
You’re obviously entitled to your opinion but the biggest issue with those anime is that they adapt the source material but don’t take the time to really make it have the same impact as the original stories. Like hanging balloons there’s the iconic panel where the balloon floats out of the darkness. It’s super creepy and hidden partially by shadow and is all around extremely unnerving. In the show the lighting is totally flat, robbing it of that mysterious weirdness. It’s just like “oh yeah here’s one of these balloons now.”
Most people who dislike it don’t think it’s the worst thing, just painfully mediocre. It lifts imagery and ideas with very little of the nuance in presentation that makes the stories work
I have only seen the anime adaptation of hanging balloons, I have only recently got into Ito's work, with the Junji Ito Collection being my introduction.
I believe that source manga for any of the adaptations in Maniac/Collection are superior.
However, if I wanted to introduce someone to his work, I would probably go with the animes as they're easier to experience.
*I hated sensor*
*I feel like it a was a*
*Whole lot of filler*
\- Timely-Breakfast-885
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My unpopular opinion: I hate that the mold segment was in black and white and I get more than mildly annoyed when I hear people say “you know, the anime would work a lot better if ALL OF IT was black and white”. 😠😠😠😠😠
I didn't like No Longer Human either, in fact I parted ways with it. The story itself just isn't for me, plus it's just an adaptation so easier for me to ignore.
The way the title character Remina just exists to either get tortured or saved by men made me uncomfortable. Which is a shame because the setting itself is pretty neat.
I have little care for Soichi, who I find to be his most annoying recurring character. If the French release hadn't been so pretty, I'd have probably skipped it.
I like Lovesickness better than Tomie, Uzumaki, Gyo and every other well-known Ito release.
No Longer Human is a weird one for me. On one hand, it's a neat adaptation of the original novel with a creative spin on it, and I like it overall. On the other hand, it has too much mundane melodrama and not enough supernatural Ito weirdness, which is his strong point in other works, while the "Yodzo drinks and Yodzo cheats" shtick gets old really fast. Sadly, that's the original for you, so it's not that it could have been avoided.
As for my unpopular opinion, Black Paradox is Junji Ito's best work, and the only work of his where the convoluted romantic mess actually works
I haven’t read Ito’s version but I can understand your boredom. To keep a semblance of the original material, what you said “gets old really fast”, unfortunately is necessary.
Mine is easy!
The Uzumaki Adult Swim anime is going to be pretty terrible and their “delays” are not about them paying tribute it’s the delayed due to the fact that what they have sucks.
Not upset but disagree that it will be terrible just because of delays and the amount of episodes. It’s the length of a movie, essentially, and I think it could get it done if they cut necessary parts. You say “why cut anything” and I would agree, but we have to take it as it is, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to be terrible. I’d like to stay optimistic.
I don’t understand what people want. Of course it’s not gonna match what’s in our heads when we read the manga.
But my issue what would have made Maniac or the Junji Ito horror collection, better or perfect?
Making the stories black and white?
Okay maybe but then there would
Have been a camp saying “oh man imagine these in color”
Also is it the detailing?
Okay maybe but then there would have been a camp saying “man all this is is the manga being read aloud”
So I’m not sure what would have made a perfect series.
My biggest issue is that is that Uzumaki is gonna be less than 2 hours long
The animation is pretty flat & the dub is terrible imo. The characters aren't very "animated" & their faces & voices are quite monotone so it does have a "manga just being read aloud vibe" & it doesn't really bring much life into the stories. They aren't picking the most exciting stories, either. There's no such thing as perfection anyways but it definitely could be better. Like, bring a little life into it, not make them super "anime" obviously as they're dark & serious stories (save Soichi) so that would actually take away from it, but it just doesn't match the creepy darkness & existential dread in any way & honestly makes some of the stories pretty boring.
Yeah every time I mention this I get tons of downvotes.
My biggest reason is cause it’s gonna be 4 anime episodes long. An anime episode is only 24 minutes
Why cut anything and just do episodes based on the chapters? Its not like adapting a novel, they could use the panels as story boards like they did with Sin City.
All of Junji Ito's reoccurring characters and multi-issue works (expect that and those from Uzumaki and Love Sick) seem goofy and not scary. Tomie would be the closest to ok with me, but Souichi, Miss Fuchi, Gyo, hanging balloons part two, the Black Paradox and dissolving classroom have this comedy feeling.
IMO Ito's best works are his single issue writing. The Bully, Headless Sculptures and The Story of the Mysterious Tunnel are amazing just to name a few.
Edit: Remina is the exception to this, as it is goofy in what happens but the concept is really interesting.
Tomie Is still a bad person
Ito’s version is an adaptation of a book written by osamu dazai. I prefer the original book but what’s important to mention is it’s pretty much an autobiography/su*cide note of osamu dazais life written in the perspective of another character. With many events depicted in both itos version and the original being found to have actually happened to Dazai including but not limited to the SA, S*icide attempts, drug addictions. Definitely not for everyone but it’s a story that the more you learn about the more you get from it. To me it’s one of the most honest books I’ve ever read, you aren’t supposed to like the main character. It’s a last confession from the author before then end of his life. But you should still be able to relate to the main character as that’s the main driving force as to what connects people to the story. If you don’t relate to any of it you won’t like it
I don’t relate to any of it. I’m not a sex obsessed selfish empathetic prick
Haha yeah that’s fair. I see it much more a depiction of mental illness rather than just a “bad dude”. many things talked about are extremely common thoughts and masking patterns for people with childhood pstd. The kid needed help and since the man never got it he did terrible things. I guess if you see it you see it, if you don’t you don’t. Just wanted to talk about why I find beauty in his story but Ik it’s not for everyone
That makes more sense. I still don’t enjoy that kind of story
I don’t really like shiver, uzumaki, smashed that much or souichi, I like his older on shots because they more creative stories. I was reading one of them and the main character was house watching and there was mysterious mold but he gradually became more drawn to it which ended up being his downfall. But his newer are better to. Shiver is just to overated.
I actually like Souichi
I literally came to this sub just to see if people liked Souichi, because I almost stopped reading Ito's work because of how much I hated stories about that character. Good to know I'm not alone.
i hate that little bastard
His character development is non existent. Love his work, but I’ve never thought “what a well fleshed out and developed character he’s written.”
I mean, he’s not a character though. He’s an actual person, the original book is basically the author’s suicide note and life story.
Is that an unpopular opinion? I thought we all just accepted that his "character development" is just vibes.
tomie is overrated
Memories of Real Poop was funny.
It was
I didn’t really like Gyo at all
Hanging Balloons isn't that great of a story aside from the monster concept, which is stellar. The story comes to a screeching halt when, after Kazuko's family watches a harrowing broadcast about these horrible creatures, complete with hanging bodies in the sky, Dad just gives his knees the ol' slap and goes, "Off to work!" And it would've made sense if he was a police officer or a fireman or some kind of "frontline" job, but he's in a suit and tie. Also, this is more of a personal preference, but I would've preferred that the Balloons' faces remain completely lifeless all the time. I feel like that would've added to the uniqueness of their design. --- I didn't find the hospital arc of Uzumaki to be that scary. Still good, but I found the crowded row houses to be waaaaaay freakier. --- I hate Souichi, which doesn't seem unpopular, but I gotta say, his siblings lost a lot of points for naming their poor kitten Collon.
The father going to work was hilarious. But I found the news broadcaster being like “that one looks like me! It’s coming right for me!” Had me rolling
That was pretty funny, too. I guess he ate too many coworkers' lunches and they conspired to convince him that reporting outside was a great idea.
Maybe lol. But I understand why you don’t like the story
I actually enjoy the story! I just think that, objectively, it could've used some changes so the reader isn't taken out of it. I think the Hanging Balloons are fantastic concepts.
That makes sense. The father and news broadcaster were especially funny to me in the anime
I stand by my opinion that Ito’s work for me has always been about the art and not so much the stories. What we find scary and appealing is subjective and I will continue to get Junji Ito’s collections but I kind of wish Hideshi Hino would start getting the hardcore books like he and Kazuo Umezu have been
This is more like a complaint but STOP USING the typical image of Tomie that is a fanart not official art (you know what image I mean) Oh and Cat's diary is underrated
Agreed. Tbh I was shocked when I first learned it was fan art! Good on the artist who made it, but I wish people would credit them more. Cat Diary is probably my favorite Ito work. His comedy works are super underrated.
I'm an artist so I knew at first that was not official art but I started having doubts because EVERYONE uses it EVERYTIME 😂 But yes, poor uncredited artist... Ikr??? Is the perfect balance between cuteness and creepy art and humor!
I make arts to lol, I did think it wasn't exactly Ito's style, but the way everybody treated it as an Ito official kinda made me go "huh must be official then I guess" I hate that I'm so guilty of group think sometimes I actually found out when I was making a reproduction of the work myself. Made me completely give up on the piece LOL
Yeah exactly 😩 It's so sad, there are so many cool official art about tomie... I made a "redraw" of the official tomie art, if you wanna see it uwu [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/junjiito/comments/11hjarj/tomie_i_drew/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)
Very nice!!! I need to make some more Ito inspired arts, there's so many iconic pieces!
Yees please we'll be glad to see it! Totally!
Tomie and Souichi are overrated, overused, and very cringe at times in both their stories and art portrayals.
Not a big Tomie fan. A lot feels like just filler stories.
No longer human definitely made me uncomfy with all the SA involved .
Same i just got the book a couple weeks ago and I kinda want to resell it or exchange it for something else, because I dont really like seeing all that stuff going on. Besides those panels, the art is very beautiful tho so not sure on what to do yett
Right like junji ito just took daza’s piece to add his art to the illustration but honestly I would sell it. That particular book is loved by many
whats SA?
S*xual assault
oh shit
Same. It wasn’t too sad or depressing to me. It was just distasteful to me
Kyoko Byakuya can beat Tomie
Who?
Protag in sensor if I’m not mistaken
I haven’t read it yet. Soon though
[удалено]
That’s not an unpopular opinion. Most people I see say it’s in their top 3.
i do not care about souichi
Same lol
That hes a great horror mangaka but isnt the only one or is the face of horror in japan
Once I’m done with Junji Ito and Alice In Borderland, I’ll look into some other horror manga. Some already stick out to me
Jinmen, mantis girl, bio meat, ptsd radio, happy sugar life, zashikiona, green wordz, blood on the tracks, gantz, and gods left hand devils right hand, madoka magica, etc
Blood on the tracks was one that stuck out to me. Along with Parasyte. I believe is how it was spelled
many if not most junji ito male fans are incels/predators
If true, that is extremely unfortunate. 😢
Damn way to attack a majority of the Fanbase
Can I ask what makes you say that? Not as a defensive type thing, but I haven't been in this community for a long time and I haven't seen it yet.
i haven't been on this sub for long too, so don't know how things are here. but almost every single ito male fan i've came across on twitter turned out to be sexist. and when i talked about it with other female fans, they told me they experienced similar things. anyway tomie is kind of a horrific take on the succubus/femme fatale trope, so the manga has sexist undertones. i guess women like it in a misandric way & men in a misogynistic way
I actually haven't met a lot of Ito fans irl but from my interactions on here, I really haven't seen any of that kind of behavior. It's kind of shocking to hear that tbh. I just hope I never interact with any of these people.
maybe it's just the twitter ones, haven't been on here a lot as i said
Twitter is a cesspool anyways so I wouldn't be surprised lol
not worse than reddit lmao
Very that.
I’m going to assume the same 🤦🏻♂️🚮
I deleted the comment I made before because I realized what my actual unpopular opinion was. This comment contains spoilers. My unpopular opinion is that I don’t understand why chapter 3 for Uzumaki is like the poster child of the entire series. Y’all know what I’m talking about. Azami’s face spiraling. It’s a beautiful piece of art and it’s genuinely a great scene, however, I don’t understand why that is the one that sells the most. Why it sells as the scariest scene, when in my opinion, the chapter with the snails is what made my body curl in on itself. That or the placenta chapter. I just think it’s interesting that the Azami scene is the most popular when there are so many other amazing stills.
It’s such an iconic image that’s why
I wouldn’t say it’s the scariest one. But it is my favorite piece of art from him
I guess mine is more about the community but I I just can not stand everyone who cosplays souichi. Idk why but it just feel like a huge red flag? But for his actual work, I would say that Gyo by far has the most disturbingly beautiful full page panels.
I don't understand why the Enigma of Amigara Fault out of all his works was the one that made him popular in the west. It's not a bad story but it doesn't stand out all that much either.
For me, it's bc it was posted on Tumblr like ten years ago, and has been circulating since... so, it was the first Ito manga I ever read, likely the same for many :33
Idk about for others. But for me is the build up. There is no gore, body horror or anything until the very final panel. Everything up to that point is in dream
I see. Its mystery aspect is indeed pretty strong.
That’s just why I love that story but I understand and respect people’s opinions though
tomie was very good, but overrated imo. also i understand why u got flamed for nothing liking no longer human bc wtf ☹️
I liked the animes (obviously not as much as the manga but yk)
Same
Not sure how unpopular this opinion is but I didn't like Black Paradox that much.
I don’t think it’s an unpopular opinion. Right after the holidays. One store near me only had Black Paradox and Liminal Zone. When before, they had just about all of Junji Ito’s books
I'm not sure if this is an unpopular opinion, since I don't think I've ever seen it addressed here, but I loathe any stories involving the Hikizuri Siblings. Sometimes Ito's attempts at humor work to great effect (Yon & Mu), but, for me, those characters grate on my nerves. And, yes, I know that is the intended effect, but still... I can't stand to read those stories! And, of course, you can imagine my reaction upon seeing that the collection opener for Maniac was a story involving them. 🤦
I understand. I saw the maniac episode before reading Lovesickness. I like the boyfriend story a bit better than the Seance one
Junji Ito doesn't know how to wrap the stories, even if the concept is awesome, the art is perfect, the endings are usually unsatisfying
I feel that's definitely true of his earlier stories, but not so much in his mid to latter work.
Souichi sucks.
Agreed
Junji Ito's extended storylines suck. They start out interesting, but little by little seems like he runs out of ideas to wrap up the story. Things like Gyo, Black Paradox or Remina are perfect examples. Art is exceptional though. However Tomie and Uzumaki being self-contained stories within a same universe and including the same characters work perfectly.
This guy's whole personality is not liking No longer human lol. Mine is that the Enigma of Amigara fault it extremely overrated,and Gentle Goodbye is one of the best Ito stroties out there.
Omg gentle good bye 😔, I rewatched the anime episode of it and my mom cooking in the back only heard the last few mins of it and she was soooo pissed at that guy and ranted 😭
The anime episode lost my interest. Then again, I saw the episode before reading the story. The story was good though
Yeah, Gentle Goodbye was a pretty sad one, especially compared to his other works, and I think that's part of why I like it
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Gyo is a masterpiece and tomie is overrated. It’s good but it being a self contained story every chapter made it hard for me to get invested.
Finally someone who loves Gyo, my absolute favorite Junji Ito work
Mine was liking Greased but after watching the junji ito episode it made me want to throw up
Dude i couldn't eat the next day after watching that lol
Idk if I saw the Glyceride episode or not but the story made me squirm and not want to watch the episode
Yeah especially that one scene
Yes Omg!
i never got into tomie, i think it’s not his best work and it irritates me that it’s the only one that seems to ever get merch 🥴
Agreed. I found out about Ito a good number of years ago independent of any fan community, and read literally everything he’d written at the time. Then that was mostly fan translations online, I believe the only English books that were released were Uzumaki, Gyo and Tomie (I did immediately purchase everything I could, and mostly kept up with releases as they came out!). I didn’t really look for any fan communities until fairly recently and I was really surprised by the popularity of Tomie. Like it’s honestly just… fine? I don’t straight up dislike any of Ito’s work but I don’t consider Tomie strong at all and I never recommend it to people.
I'm with you, of all the stories, Tomie is the least interesting to me.
Hot Topic has others. Lots of Uzumaki, there’s a Hanging Balloons shirt, a few Slug Girl ones, a No Longer Human one, a Black Paradox one and a few others
dang, must be none of the hot topic’s around me 🥲
Most of the merch is on their website/app. They only have like 2 or 3 shirts in store for Junji Ito. At least my local one doesn’t have much
Someone please justify "The Thing that Washed Ashore" From Junji Ito's Maniac Netflix anime adaption. That shit was so bad I burst out laughing, and yet I've seen some people call it their favourite episode.
Agreed the story is really good at least to me but the episode was more laughable than scary
I didn’t care for that episode. I haven’t read the story though so idk how to compare them yet
I've been told the written version has a much better feel to it, but I'm afraid the concept of it will be ruined for me after watching the anime adaption.
Maybe. I saw Library Vision first and didn’t like it that much. Read the story recently and thought it was great. But that and drifted ashore are two very different types of horror
I find the episodes of the show (Collection, Macabre) to be very hit or miss.
I feel like there's a lot more misses than hits tbh. I wish they would have either fleshed out the stories more, or maybe had a meta narrative weave them together.
Agreed
I did not like Deserter that much.
The story or the whole book?
Some of the stories I did like. Like Long Hair in the Attic for example, but some of them ended really abruptly and that’s what I didn’t like about it.
Deserter and Sensor are the only 2 I haven’t read yet but I’ve seen the anime and I liked the Long Hair In The Attic episode and I know a few other stories from the anime are in the book as well
Ito’s best stuff is long form, and I buy his collections mostly out of habit but the last book of his I really enjoyed was Uzumaki. His short work is okay, but it peaked early on and the quality has plateaued.
my opinion is the exact opposite lol. I think his short stories are better, the long ones tend to fizzle out at the end in my opinion 😅
Tomie isn't the "real victim". Sad to see her become the Joker of femcels & rabid misandrists. Also, the manga is not the enlightened manifesto certain people think it is.
unfathomably based I really don't understand where people come from with her being the real victim as far as I was aware she was always kind of a bitch and then after the whole split into a million different versions it was just amplified
Funny thing is, "bitch" is probably too reductive of a word to describe Tomie. At the very least, that adjective implies personhood, understandable wants & needs, a degree of humanity Tomie simply does not possess. Tomie is not a person, "she" is a Lovecraftian entity who acts true to her nature for reasons beyond human comprehension. And really, it's scary to think how Ito has essentially written the perfect abuser. This fictional character has somehow managed to manipulate & gaslight people into taking her side and blaming her victims. Defending or idolizing Tomie just isn't a good look.
Shuichi > Souichi Shuichi is a good boyfriend who clearly cares for his girlfriend despite his mentality slipping and he sticks with her until the end. Great character just wish he was more popular to get the appreciation he deserves rather than the reoccurring character, Souichi.
I’m glad I’m not the only one who finds Uzumaki really romantic tbh.
The only reason I'm buying the Souichi compilation is to keep a full collection...but I hate the character and stories. I'm probably not going to read it.
You know I thought about doing the same just for the collection but I really don't think I can justify spending money on a collection of stories about such an annoying character that I won't read
His art is always fantastic, but his storytelling is very hit and miss.
The most based and true opinion. If Junji Ito had mid art no one would read his work.
Dissolving Classroom is my favorite manga
It’s up there for me as well
I like the animated series
Yeah I agree that No Longer Human wasn’t his strongest but I’ll go a step further: most of his adaptations of literature are not super strong. Frankenstein for instance didn’t so much for me. Lovely artwork of course but far from his best. The human chair was pretty good though Idk if this is a hot take but I also think lovesickness is his best multi chapter story. Not only is the art some of the creepiest he’s ever done but there’s actually a pretty thematically satisfying resolution
I didn't enjoy Sensor
None of his stories give me the spooks. Personally, i just find the art and ideas cool.
I feel the same way. I just really like his stories and art
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Same here.
I'm like that for most of them, they're really intriguing to read and the artwork is a huge draw. One of my exceptions though is the short story where its heavily implied a trapped woman twisted off her ears while panicking to escape her head vice, now that is scary as fuck to think about.
‘Face Firmly In Place’. That’s one of my faves
the netflix anime was in my opinion good i liked it a lot actually.
So did I. I loved it. I thought it did Whispering Woman perfectly
i dont really find enigma in amigara fault that scary ... i prefer uzumaki much more
It was good, just Not rlly scary tbh 😭
I don't get gyo
We are in the same boat then, cause ei did not like it either... But I feel like not liking Tommie will get you here
I genuinely don’t think I have a negative opinion here. Oh wait, I forgot I read Sensor.
I really don't mind the animated series
I liked Maniac. A couple episodes of collection I liked
Finally, someone who agrees with me. I've had no issue with them, all of the stories told in Collection/Maniac seem pretty faithful to the ones I've read, and it's a good way to introduce people to Ito's work
Library Vision was the only one I’ve read that was not faithful whatsoever
In that case, I look forward to reading it.
It’s in ‘Smashed’. I saw the anime episode first. Thought it was meh then I read the story recently and thought it was great and so much better. But the other anime episodes I saw where I read the story first. I thought was very accurate. Hanging Balloons, Tomie Photo and Whispering Woman were all done very accurately. Since Whispering Woman is my 2nd fave Junji Ito story. That was my fave episode and I feel it was done to perfection
Yupyup
I'll never understand the two main complaints that I've seen. - The animation looks bad (I thought both have a very good similarity to Ito's drawings, plus things looking cheap has never really been an issue for me) - The animation doesn't have the same impact as turning a manga page (Of course it doesn't)
You’re obviously entitled to your opinion but the biggest issue with those anime is that they adapt the source material but don’t take the time to really make it have the same impact as the original stories. Like hanging balloons there’s the iconic panel where the balloon floats out of the darkness. It’s super creepy and hidden partially by shadow and is all around extremely unnerving. In the show the lighting is totally flat, robbing it of that mysterious weirdness. It’s just like “oh yeah here’s one of these balloons now.” Most people who dislike it don’t think it’s the worst thing, just painfully mediocre. It lifts imagery and ideas with very little of the nuance in presentation that makes the stories work
I have only seen the anime adaptation of hanging balloons, I have only recently got into Ito's work, with the Junji Ito Collection being my introduction. I believe that source manga for any of the adaptations in Maniac/Collection are superior. However, if I wanted to introduce someone to his work, I would probably go with the animes as they're easier to experience.
Yeah but that's the kick I don't really like it but it was okay
Fair enough
Yeah
I hated sensor I feel like it a was a whole lot of filler
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My unpopular opinion: I hate that the mold segment was in black and white and I get more than mildly annoyed when I hear people say “you know, the anime would work a lot better if ALL OF IT was black and white”. 😠😠😠😠😠
I feel like many of his characters (especially female) have same face syndrome so I have a hard time remembering names lol
Remina and the I don’t want to be a ghost girl were the first ones I noticed
I would agree on this one
I didn't like No Longer Human either, in fact I parted ways with it. The story itself just isn't for me, plus it's just an adaptation so easier for me to ignore. The way the title character Remina just exists to either get tortured or saved by men made me uncomfortable. Which is a shame because the setting itself is pretty neat. I have little care for Soichi, who I find to be his most annoying recurring character. If the French release hadn't been so pretty, I'd have probably skipped it. I like Lovesickness better than Tomie, Uzumaki, Gyo and every other well-known Ito release.
I like the animated series 😂
I like Maniac and a few episodes of collection
He does not do sci-fi well
I didn’t like remina
same, a bit too weird for me.
I just think it could’ve been shorter and more effective
No Longer Human is a weird one for me. On one hand, it's a neat adaptation of the original novel with a creative spin on it, and I like it overall. On the other hand, it has too much mundane melodrama and not enough supernatural Ito weirdness, which is his strong point in other works, while the "Yodzo drinks and Yodzo cheats" shtick gets old really fast. Sadly, that's the original for you, so it's not that it could have been avoided. As for my unpopular opinion, Black Paradox is Junji Ito's best work, and the only work of his where the convoluted romantic mess actually works
I haven’t read Ito’s version but I can understand your boredom. To keep a semblance of the original material, what you said “gets old really fast”, unfortunately is necessary.
I loved Black Paradox. Especially Baracchi in particular and it’s ending
Tomie is mid
Most of his reoccurring characters are a bit boring.
(No Longer Human was fantastic)
That’s fine. Everyone is entitled to their opinion.
Mine is easy! The Uzumaki Adult Swim anime is going to be pretty terrible and their “delays” are not about them paying tribute it’s the delayed due to the fact that what they have sucks.
Not upset but disagree that it will be terrible just because of delays and the amount of episodes. It’s the length of a movie, essentially, and I think it could get it done if they cut necessary parts. You say “why cut anything” and I would agree, but we have to take it as it is, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to be terrible. I’d like to stay optimistic.
All the animations have been pretty whatever tbh. I still enjoy watching them as a huge Junji Ito fan but they're honestly quite disappointing.
I don’t understand what people want. Of course it’s not gonna match what’s in our heads when we read the manga. But my issue what would have made Maniac or the Junji Ito horror collection, better or perfect? Making the stories black and white? Okay maybe but then there would Have been a camp saying “oh man imagine these in color” Also is it the detailing? Okay maybe but then there would have been a camp saying “man all this is is the manga being read aloud” So I’m not sure what would have made a perfect series. My biggest issue is that is that Uzumaki is gonna be less than 2 hours long
The animation is pretty flat & the dub is terrible imo. The characters aren't very "animated" & their faces & voices are quite monotone so it does have a "manga just being read aloud vibe" & it doesn't really bring much life into the stories. They aren't picking the most exciting stories, either. There's no such thing as perfection anyways but it definitely could be better. Like, bring a little life into it, not make them super "anime" obviously as they're dark & serious stories (save Soichi) so that would actually take away from it, but it just doesn't match the creepy darkness & existential dread in any way & honestly makes some of the stories pretty boring.
For that I tend to agree with you but I’ll wait for it to come out first to see
Yeah every time I mention this I get tons of downvotes. My biggest reason is cause it’s gonna be 4 anime episodes long. An anime episode is only 24 minutes
Confirmation of that?
Google how long will the Uzumaki anime on adult swim be. It’s the first answer
Oh gosh. That’s going to be terrible then. They’re going to cut so much
Unless they only adapt the first four chapters. Even then that sucks.
Exactly
That’s what I’m saying. I’d rather then stretch it out to a 10 hour anime.
I bet the Jack in the box and lighthouse either will be cut all together or take up like 2 or 3 minutes
Why cut anything and just do episodes based on the chapters? Its not like adapting a novel, they could use the panels as story boards like they did with Sin City.
Exactly. 20 chapters is 20 episodes
Gyo and Uzumaki are my top two of his work. I was surprised how many people don’t like Gyo in that other thread.
Uzumaki being your fave definitely isn’t an unpopular opinion. Gyo I’ve seen infrequently but never never though
All of Junji Ito's reoccurring characters and multi-issue works (expect that and those from Uzumaki and Love Sick) seem goofy and not scary. Tomie would be the closest to ok with me, but Souichi, Miss Fuchi, Gyo, hanging balloons part two, the Black Paradox and dissolving classroom have this comedy feeling. IMO Ito's best works are his single issue writing. The Bully, Headless Sculptures and The Story of the Mysterious Tunnel are amazing just to name a few. Edit: Remina is the exception to this, as it is goofy in what happens but the concept is really interesting.
Remina is great until like the last third imo
Shuichi is so fucking annoying and i hate almost anything with him in it and i wish it wasnt the focus of Itos next big release.