The autumn leaves are changing and the cold air incoming always leaves me wondering how I should celebrate in Japan. The context of Halloween is much more fun and cute when cosplayers, students and kids go out to party, a much newer and exciting western holiday. The decorations emphasize cuteness and is something many companies capitalize on with limited edition Halloween drinks and snacks, so to get you into the holiday spirit, you should watch Junji Ito, one of the most acclaimed horror writers and mangaka.
Junji Ito has been in the industry for decades, most well known for his longer running series like Tomie. He has dozens of short stories depicting strange, macabre creatures and body horror. His art has nuance and a level of detail that is unmatched and hard to replicate. For fans of horror and suspense, please read his work instead of watching the netflix adaptation “Tales of the Macabre.” The “Uzumaki” anime will release later this year with a much more accurate stylization, hopefully.
Since the age of four he has been interested in horror as a genre while living in the countryside of Nagano. Going to the bathroom in the dead of night was scary as the toilet was outside and it was possible for centipedes and crickets to crawl over you. In the ‘70s there was a revival of the horror genre with famous urban legends becoming popular, such as “Kuchisake Onna” (slit mouth woman), “Hanako san” (toilet ghost) and “Aka Manto” (Red Cloak). Other mangaka like “Kazuo Umezu” and “Shinichi Koga” include western influences like H.P. Lovecraft, Frankenstein and Dracula. American movies like “Jaws” and “The Exorcist” are also involved in many of his stories. See recommendations below.
“Gyo” is set in modern Japan and the effects of chemical warfare are coming to bite humanity in the back. There are direct references to “Jaws” as sea creatures invade Japan and are able to mechanically walk on land; the “stench of death” gives these mysterious creatures their power. “Gyo” comes from Junji Ito anti-war sentiment and mixes science fiction with alien-like imagery and body horror.
“Uzumaki” is one of the most Lovecraftian works to date. It works episodically as Junji’s strength is creating short stories with horrific elements. “Uzumaki” lets him create those episodic short stories while weaving it into the greater narrative of the quiet town of Kurouzu-cho as supernatural events involving spirals keep occurring. The quiet town being invaded by supernatural elements is overcome by a band of kids- i.e “Stranger Things.” In “Uzumaki” the spiral is something everyone gets sucked into and even the body becomes disfigured to match the spiral pattern; there is no escape and the only thing left is spirals.
Junji Ito’s “Cat Diary” is the series that changes Junji the author from stern and serious to wholesome and sweet. The pivot towards comedy sounds ridiculous but horror and comedy are two sides to the same coin. In this autobiographical diary he depicts himself as a ghoulish figure with his wife, but the comedy comes from how mundane and strange his cats can be. The cats are drawn in this strangely cute way and with exaggerated motions rendered realistically. If you have ever had pets, it is an extremely relatable read.
Image from Junji Ito via Amazon.com
