Reviews tagging 'Vomit'

Lovesickness by Junji Ito

13 reviews

danimacuk's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Gore, Self harm, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Grief, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, and Dysphoria

Minor: Body shaming, Child abuse, and Abortion

awalsh1212001's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Deadnaming, Death, Gore, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Medical content

Minor: Alcohol

semisinful's review against another edition

dark funny reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Junji Ito really is a master of horror. His ideas and his ability to execute those ideas are so flawless. I was a little disappointed by Tomie by Lovesickness, The Strange Hikizuri Siblings and the shorter works of The Mansion of Phantom Pain and The Rib Woman to all have unique ideas and characters. Despite lacking in scares, The Strange Hikizuri Siblings was darkly comedic in a way I didn’t expect and even the last story, which I’m not going to name because I was so surprised by it, it was really funny honestly. What a weird and fascinating guy Junji Ito is. Love this man. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Toxic friendship

deathmetalheron's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Lovesickness - 4/5
The Strange Hikizuri Siblings - 2/5
The Mansion of Phantom Pain - 5/5
The Rib Woman - 3/5
Memories of Real Poop - 4/5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Vomit, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Excrement

jackiepreston's review against another edition

challenging dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Horror isn't a genre I normally read, so this collection would probably work better for someone else. I read this book for a reading challenge , and if I had known that there were other short stories and that it wasn't only the Lovesickness story I might have skipped this one.

I did really enjoy Lovesickness out of this collection. It was an interesting premise that was executed well. I just didn't really care for any of the other stories in the collection.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Self harm, Suicide, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Stalking, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Infidelity and Pregnancy

adventurouspotato's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

lovesickness: ★★★★☆
the strange hikizuri siblings: ★★★★☆
the mansion of phantom pain: ★★★★★
the rib woman: ★★★☆☆

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Self harm, Suicide, Abortion, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, and Abortion

Minor: Confinement, Toxic relationship, Excrement, Vomit, Stalking, and Death of parent

nevermoregothic's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Suicide, and Violence

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Murder, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Vomit

totsfions's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I think this is the best Ito collection I've ever read. The title story, "Lovesickness" is a sort of slow-burn horror where the reader is never totally sure of what is happening, and that tension keeps you hooked on the story. The emotional dynamics between the characters are also more fleshed out than they are in some of Ito's other works, which makes the impact of the story even harsher. It's definitely one I feel I would get more from on a re-read, and one that has a lot of metaphorical resonance waiting to be taped. The duology of stories about the Hikizuri siblings is a really interesting take on toxic family dynamics. The stand-alone stories at the end of the book are all excellent, though the final story is more silly than anything else. "The Rib Woman" in particular is a really insightful commentary on the nature of feminine beauty standards in modern society. As always with Ito's work, the illustrations are chilling in a beautiful way. The character designs in this collection, and particularly in "Loveless" are some of Ito's strongest and most compelling. The haunting beauty of the characters adds so much dimension to the eerie nature of the story. I think this and "Amigara Fault" will be my go-to Junji Ito recommendations for a long time to come. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Self harm, Suicide, Vomit, Abortion, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Gaslighting

Minor: Infidelity and Excrement

minbyrnes's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

It’s the inks. The way Junji Ito inks really gets to me. Love the artwork and when he chooses to draw beautiful people they’re stunning. But his art also creeps me out. 

In terms of story, I think my favorite was The Mansion of Phantom Pain. 

Lovesickness: I really liked it but the ending felt a bit lacking to me. I kind of wish that last chapter wasn’t a thing. 3.5⭐️

The Strange Hikizuri Siblings: I liked the first story more than the second one. These kids are twisteddddd. 4⭐️ and 3⭐️

The Mansion of Phantom Pain: loved it. It’s the kind of scary that gets to your head. Not that visual. Just the way I like it. 5⭐️

The Rib Woman: eh. It was ok. I wish it was more… supernatural? 2⭐️

Memories of Real Poop: what even was that? 1⭐️

Mathematically, it’s less than 3.25 overall but in my heart I want to give the collection 3.5 stars. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Gore, and Suicide

Moderate: Self harm and Vomit

Minor: Abortion and Death of parent

kashila's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Suicide, Excrement, and Vomit

Moderate: Infidelity, Miscarriage, Violence, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Pregnancy

Minor: Domestic abuse