Fragments of Horror (Junji Ito)

Junji Ito is amazing. His stories are actually creepy and weird, and interesting. I mean, they will creep you out! He himself cites H. P. Lovecraft as one of inspirations and it shows, but not at all in a pandering or derivative way (as some fans of Lovecraft can sometimes be). His stories in this collection are vignettes of terror, and while reading them I was reminded of watching episodes of Tales From The Darkside when I was a child, with the main difference being that these tales are never really corny or cheesy. Some are actually a little gory and adult or sophisticated in tone. There are certainly some 'episodes' that are scarier than others. 'Magami Nanakuse' is of a seemingly less serious tone, or is maybe simply less frightening than 'Futon' for example. 'Gentle Goodbye' is melancholy and alienating, and 'Dissection-Chan' and 'Blackbird' are outright disturbing. But I'm sure you'll have your own favorites. I think the thing that makes Ito's works so appealing is that the artwork - the expressions - as well as the human dialogue and reactions are very realistic and believable. Through his talent, he allows the reader/viewer to actually ACCEPT situations that are insane and horrifying, which is something that is very much lacking nowadays in modern American cinema and literature. The reader is pulled in from the very beginning, from the opening line the tone and believability is set, and this is carried through at a steady and proper pace until the story reaches it's crescendo. It's never heavy-handed or excessive, though - in true horror story fashion - many of the endings are startling twists or peaks of terror. I was describing some of the stories to friends of mine (who had told me that they weren't planning on reading these - I never give away spoilers otherwise), and they all always react with a disturbed grimace or an expression of disgust. So you know this is good. :) Junji Ito is a good artist and a wonderful storyteller, and this collection won't disappoint. If you're looking for a collection of modern horror stories that are actually unique and different and completely unpredictable, this is the book to get.

In the Afterword of this book, author Junji Ito wonders if his horror instincts have returned after his eight-year break. After reading through "Fragments of Horror", I want to reassure him and his readers that his creative mind is just as fantastic as it ever was. This collection is great! As usual, Junji Ito's stories blend bizarre, unnerving scenarios with dark images and occasional eroticism. Even the cover is impressive and beautiful. Be sure to peek under the colorful dusk jacket for a different, yet equally cool image. I felt that the first two stories, "Futon" and "Wooden Spirit" were a tad weaker than the rest plot-wise. They're more weird than scary, but they do contain some pretty crazy visuals. "Magami Nanakuse" was more like a dark comedy than a horror tale. It really makes you wonder how in the heck Ito can come up with something so completely... insane. "Gentle Goodbye" isn't a horror story at all, though it does contain supernatural elements. I found it to be sad and sweet. The rest of the tales are Junji Ito's work at its finest again. Creepy, violent, gruesome and captivating. "Red Turtleneck", "Dissection-chan" and "Whispering Woman" were all terrifying and contained unexpected twists and turns to surprise the reader. My personal favorite is "Blackbird", which actually left me with a sick and shaky feeling at the end. Nightmare fuel for sure. Fans of Junji Ito or of horror manga in general will love this. Do yourself a favor and read it alone in the dark!

So Junji Ito ... my wife is addicted to his writing and manga ... so when he was at SDCC ... I knew I was in trouble. So we went to his speaking engagement and the man is really brilliant (honestly I had no idea who he was prior to this) ... I felt bad for him because his hands are very badly gnarled because of years of drawing. But no one can take away the horror he inspires with everything he writes and draws. He creates horrors that give nightmares horrors ... the things he writes and draws is amazing and terrifying and beautiful at the same time. The stories are all enthralling and tell tales that will give you nightmares but you will soon realize that even your nightmares pale in comparison to the nightmares he is writing. It's truly awe inspiring to be honest. One day we will lose this horror genre master but for now, I recommend everyone buy his books and be both inspired and terrified.

Anthology series and short stories has always been my favorite medium for horror whether it be literature or comics/manga. This is hands down one of the best anthologies of comics, each containing a unique story, I have ever owned. The stories are very Lovecraftian in a sense that they read more like weird tales, since some of them are so bizarre, are not overly gorey, and leave you with a very unsettling feeling. This book was Junji Ito's return to horror, for he had not had a horror book released for American audiences since Gyo which originally came out well over a decade ago. Nearly every story in this book is 5 out of 5, which such a wide range of topics and some are so bizarre that they are hard to describe in a review. The book is greatly priced and should be on the shelf of any horror or manga fan. The book has a lot of re-read value too since the art is so beautiful and some of the stories so short and poignant. Highly recommended.

After an 8 year Hiatus, Junji Ito returns to horror. He was anxious about it, but it's excellent. Is it equal to Museum of Terror Vol 3? Maybe not, but his one shots are strong. The best one in my opinion is Blackbird, about an injured mountaineer, who while completely immobile, is inexplicably fed chewed up food by a woman passing by. She literally pours it down his throat, like a bird. Hence the title. The twists after that I will not say. Not only intriguing plots, but his art style is incredibly detailed. Even the worst story (in my opinion) Magami Nanakuse, has an incredibly disturbing facial disfigurement portrayed that makes it all worth it. Ito has a good sense of humor that translates well. You're guaranteed to have fun. The bar for some manga is low to the point where any one that has characters that are above 12 and aren't little girls, are trying something different.

Junji Ito has been on hiatus for far too long and I am personally glad to see him back, because there's something about the weird and/or macabre tales he crafts coupled with his unique art style that appeases some inner horror need in a way only those black-and-white love letters can. I had recently watched Tokyo Fish Attack! (again) and read Gyo not too long before (again) and was thinking how some Ito would be great, then I stumbled across Fragments of Horror. It seemed like providence, or some 224 page horror equivalent anyhow. One of the issues we have always had in the US is getting Ito translated and especially for random shorts, so I personally love these types of collections and think that a lot of Ito's work would benefit from the same treatment. Here, you have some work that reminds me of a few of his older entries collected in things like the Museum of Terrors, or like some of the shorts such as Blood Bubble Bushes. (FYI, you can find the uncollected works translated by some caring fans online if you are so inclined, plus you can purchase several collections.) For those unfamiliar with his works, you can check out more Uzumaki (this can be purchased in 3 books, or in a 3-in-1 volume), Gyo (this was also made into the anime film, Tokyo Fish Attack!, and has two parts), Museum of Terror 1 - 3, Tomie (which is located in several shorts and has spawned numerous movies), Hellstar Remina, Voices in the Dark, and much more. Why Ito? Because he explores horror in sometimes terrible, oftentimes bizarre, and sometimes unnerving ways. Things like Uzumaki have a Lovecraftian feel to them, which Ito credits as the inspiration for some of his work. There are times when I think, "that is an amazing twist," and others when I think, "how did you think of that?" I always come back and I always buy what I can procure, and that is because of the unique way everything is presented. Honestly, I never thought black-and-white would be unnerving, but he sometimes takes the opportunity to prove me wrong. For fans, this is a good addition and something waited for. For those considering Ito for the first time, this woudl not be the thing I would initially reocmmend. Try out some Uzumaki or one of the Museum of Terror collections, take your time and set the mood, actually injesting the imagery along the wording and moments, and enjoy. Very worth it.

This book starts off really weak with the first two stories falling short of my, admittedly high, expectations. The first one "Futon" I felt lacked any build up or impact from both its ending and the two page spread page it shows off. Definitely my least favorite here. The second story "Wooden Spirit" is a little better than the first, but still left me unsatisfied. It was strange, but not in a way that left me interested or feeling chills. After these two, I was pretty apprehensive about the rest of the collection. Luckily though, Ito works out the kinks from his eight year break from writing horror and the remaining stories are much better. While not all of them are up to his old standard the best ones really do shine and the lesser ones are still at least interesting with enough build up to give the shocking images some impact. My favorite from this collection "Red Turtleneck" is a great mix of tension and humor with some imagery that had me squirming in my seat. "Blackbird" is also the most horrifying story on offer here with a sense of mystery shifting to impending doom as the story unfolds. While this isn't the best collection Junji ito has put out, in fact I think some of the stories here may be among his weakest. This book is still a great collection of his unique brand of horror with the same graphic and delightfully twisted art that he's known for. If you're already a big fan of Ito than this book is a must buy if only for the great dust cover alone. If you've never read an Ito story before I don't think this would be a horrible introduction.

Very nice