In “The Enigma of Amigara Fault,” people flock to a fault in the mountains uncovered by an earthquake, pulled by an inexplicable urge. Usually, there’s no explanation for the horrors - but none could add to their powerful impact. Ito’s stories often start in familiar settings, and lurch into bizarre, skin-crawling territory. Ito’s acknowledged influences include horror manga artists (one short story in the collection is an autobiographical love letter to manga horror artist Kazuo Umezz), as well as H.P. As such, it also wouldn’t be a bad place to start for those new to his work. The collection showcases the type of horror story Ito has perfected in manga form. Venus in the Blind Spot will please readers who are already fans of Ito’s work. It’s safest be a shut-in, alone at home - like the main character has been for most of his life.Įven though the story was written in 2002, the new English translation, presented alongside nine other stories by Ito in the collection Venus in the Blind Spot, has an eerie resonance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Couples stay in separate rooms, parents separate from their children. Soon, the whole town realizes it’s too dangerous to gather in groups. We’re all friends! Let’s all hold hands!” They are signed by a mysterious “Billions Alone club.” Groups of people start going missing, and reappear days later stitched together in gruesome configurations.Īn airplane drops flyers that read: “Everyone, come together! Being by yourself’s boring. This anthology is a treat to delight and haunt the horror connoisseur.In “Billions Alone,” the short story that opens manga artist Junji Ito’s newest collection in English translation, corpses start appearing in a town stitched together, their flesh pierced with fishing line. Themes of the uncanny tie Ito’s work together, but there are a number of different modes on display, from body horror to macabre romance and even cheeky autobiography. Even when things get graphic, there’s a measured elegance to the visual style that creates an emotional impact that would be lost with a more splattery approach (not that there’s anything wrong with a splattery approach, mind you). There’s something deeply effective about Ito’s deliberate-yet-delicate illustration style the brings an eeriness to his outrageous subject material. Venus in the Blind Spot is another terrific entry in Viz Media’s ongoing series of Ito translations, lovingly presented in hardcover with color inserts. Fortunately for cranky skeptics like me, Ito’s short story work has become more widely available in English translations and damn folks, this gnarly shit hits the spot (provided your idea of “the spot” includes obsession, disease, and necrophilia). The film adaptations of Junji Ito’s Uzumaki and Tomie are solidly… fine… but never inspired me to delve into his comics. I’ll confess that I haven’t got the special love for late-90s J-horror that many folks seem to have.

Venus in the blind spot