helterskelliter's review
5.0
A beautiful collection of Junji Ito’s art across works and mediums. It was a compelling experience to see how his work has evolved over the 30 years he’s been a manga artist. Also, I enjoyed the opportunity to see some of his paintings. (I can’t believe he couldn’t sell them??) it’s interesting to see how his sense for horror is conveyed across different artistic mediums.
Reading about how Junji Ito approaches his writing was also deeply fascinating. I relate to his need to have an image or a “concept”, as he calls it, to latch onto before the story can truly start. Making monsters from scratch is, like he said, very hard and giving monsters stories is also a challenge, especially if you can’t “see” some part of the monster before you start the project. I also greatly enjoyed hearing Junji Ito talk about what materials and formats he likes for creating his manga. (Since I don’t really know much about the technical aspects of manga writing.) Truly did not believe the grain of paper could be so engaging!
Overall, I really enjoyed this look into who Junji Ito is as an artist and I could read through his body of art every day and be horrified in a new way each time! Definitely would recommend checking out!
Reading about how Junji Ito approaches his writing was also deeply fascinating. I relate to his need to have an image or a “concept”, as he calls it, to latch onto before the story can truly start. Making monsters from scratch is, like he said, very hard and giving monsters stories is also a challenge, especially if you can’t “see” some part of the monster before you start the project. I also greatly enjoyed hearing Junji Ito talk about what materials and formats he likes for creating his manga. (Since I don’t really know much about the technical aspects of manga writing.) Truly did not believe the grain of paper could be so engaging!
Overall, I really enjoyed this look into who Junji Ito is as an artist and I could read through his body of art every day and be horrified in a new way each time! Definitely would recommend checking out!
lilybearillini3's review
dark
mysterious
4.5
Junji Ito never disappoints with his beautiful, yet horrifying, art. This book is like a coffee table book that features large prints of art from his various stories and exhibitions. There's an interview with him on horror manga techniques where he talks about his materials and inspirations. The index also has the titles of the artwork and a brief description. The artwork spans from early works to his latest works and more. I am particularly drawn to image on page 128, Ratai to Yuugu Doroshibai Ni Sanka No Shi: Shikkoku No Gi, for the sukekiyo 2016 performance.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, and Gore