Ito’s work is popular across the globe, but especially in the United States, where his influence can be seen in many contemporary artists’ works. Ito is also often referenced in Western pop culture. For instance, his work was referenced in the TV show Steven Universe, when characters go into human-shaped holes. There is also an author’s notes at the end of each story, explaining abit about the creative process and thought behind each of them. Also, there is some concept art sketches. I liked this further insight into how these horrifying tales came to be. If there is one Junji Ito manga that best encapsulates his Lovecraftian inspiration, it’s this one. Lovecraft understood just how vast and unknowable the spaces above and below us are.

Of all the stories in Shiver, “Greased” is by far the most memorable for me. This is mostly because of how based in sensory reality the core of its horror is. Fun and creative as Ito’s more supernatural works can be, it’s hard to top the sheer unpleasantness of tactile disgust. The Long Dream: el miedo a la muerte entrelazado a sueños largos y tetricos. La perdida del espacio y tiempo. Body horror extremo. 3/5 Shiver is a collection of short horror stories that really highlight why Junji Ito is considered to be a master of the horror genre.

Shiver” is the second story in Junji Ito’s Shiver and it’s a story that will linger with you. Not only because of the terrifying imagery it implores, but because this story will literally make you shiver. It puts you in the headspace of the lead character and introduces a concept that is impossible, yet is easy to fathom. Ohhh yess , I promised myself that I will read a lot of JUNJI Ito books in 2021 , and here's the first part of that promise. I am all set to get disgusted and horrified again. AGAIN. You can’t talk about horror mangawithout mentioning Junji Ito. He’s a modern master. Since 1987, he’s been disturbing readers with short and long-form stories that blend several subgenres, such as psychological and body horror. Both of these horror legends share an uncanny approach to the impossible, the unknowable, the otherworldly.

Got to admit that the unflinching focus on schoolgirl or teenage girl protagonists seemed very pervy, eventually (but he does draw them beautifully!) No Longer Human is a novel inspired by Dazai’s own life, experiences, and behaviours. It shows us a man who feels as though he exists outside of the human experience. The Long Dream (from The Story of the Mysterious Tunnel,トンネル奇譚 Ton'neru kitan), a story about a man who claims that the length of his dreams are becoming longer and longer and about how he begins to change as his dreams extend farther and farther.

This is the last story on this list to feature in the Shivershort story collection. But that book is full of gems that really show off the strength of Ito’s art and plotting. In “Shiver,” the story that gave the collection its name, a boy is fascinated by the reclusive girl who lives next door and has porous holes all over her body. She more resembles a sponge, and she’s not the only person he’s come across who has this issue. What makes the body horror of The Long Dream so unique is that it doesn’t come in the usual form of explosive and monstrous change (think werewolf transformations from old horror films).

Painter (from Tomie), a story about a strange but beautiful woman named Tomie who wishes for an artist to accurately capture her beauty, and all the misfortune that happens as a result... Also included are brief commentary pieces for each story, along with notes and sketches. They add a little something to each as Ito illuminates how each story was conceived and I thought it was really interesting to see how he outlines his stories. There’s a sense that these writers dare to describe what should never be described. What takes Junji Ito’s manga one step beyond even the stories of H.P. Lovecraft is that he dares to draw them as well as write them. Speaking of imagination, Junji Ito’s influence stretches from other horror manga legends like Kazuo Umezu, author of the infamous Orochi: Blood, all the way to the previously mentioned originator of eldritch horror literature H.P. Lovecraft.That night, Hideo, now completely hollowed out with holes breaks into Yuuji's room. On the day they found the diary, he went looking for the jade statue in the bushes outside Rina's house. He took a chance with the curse because he knew the jade must be valuable; but then the holes began to open up in his body. He is now possessed by the statue and can't throw it away, although he has tried many times. He says that the doctor is the curse's "messenger", who appears wherever the jade is. Suddenly, the doctor appears and Hideo runs screaming from him. Imagine your balloon headed doppelgangers hunting you the moment you step out of your house? i cant imagine , i am already shit scared. The concept was exceptional. Again i cant with this man , his brain is just wired differently then rest of us.