Deserter: Junji Ito Story Collection
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- Create Date：2021-12-24 02:21:27
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Junji Ito
- ISBN：1974719863
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Summary
An ever-increasing malice。 A mind-numbing terror。 The seeds of horror are sown in this collection of Junji Ito’s earliest works。
A vengeful family hides an army deserter for eight years after the end of World War II， cocooning him in a false reality where the war never ended。 A pair of girls look alike， but they aren’t twins。 And a boy’s nightmare threatens to spill out into the real world…
This hauntingly strange story collection showcases a dozen of Junji Ito’s earliest works from when he burst onto the horror scene， sowing fresh seeds of terror。
A vengeful family hides an army deserter for eight years after the end of World War II， cocooning him in a false reality where the war never ended。 A pair of girls look alike， but they aren’t twins。 And a boy’s nightmare threatens to spill out into the real world…
This hauntingly strange story collection showcases a dozen of Junji Ito’s earliest works from when he burst onto the horror scene， sowing fresh seeds of terror。
Reviews
Katie Steele
，
This one had some of my new favorites！ Definitely loved Where the Sandman Lives， Scripted Love， and A Father’s Love
Zumie
，
Junji Ito's story collections can be a bit hit or miss， but fortunately this one is a hit。 It consists of a lot of his earlier work， and there is a lot more genre exploration than what you typically see later on。 The art style also fluctuates a bit and the stylization can really add to the pieces。 Really good collection of creepy pieces。 Junji Ito's story collections can be a bit hit or miss， but fortunately this one is a hit。 It consists of a lot of his earlier work， and there is a lot more genre exploration than what you typically see later on。 The art style also fluctuates a bit and the stylization can really add to the pieces。 Really good collection of creepy pieces。 。。。more
Mark
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LJ 146 （12）， December 2021
Ben
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This was probably the scariest so far！
Katie Mac
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I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。3。5。 Like other Junji Ito works I've read recently （besides Uzumaki， which horrified and enthralled me）， this is hit-or-miss in terms of the story quality。 I also feel like the art style has gotten more minimalist， though that may be because there's less body horror。 （I did appreciate some of the more psychological/mythical elements to these stories--they felt a little more substantial than the ones in Sensor。） Highl I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。3。5。 Like other Junji Ito works I've read recently （besides Uzumaki， which horrified and enthralled me）， this is hit-or-miss in terms of the story quality。 I also feel like the art style has gotten more minimalist， though that may be because there's less body horror。 （I did appreciate some of the more psychological/mythical elements to these stories--they felt a little more substantial than the ones in Sensor。） Highlights include "Face Thief，" "Scripted Love，" "Bullied，" and "Deserter。" 。。。more
Gaby
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Actually ended up being a reread since I previously read "Museum of Terror， Vol。 3: The Long Hair in the Attic。" Still fun reading for the second time！ Actually ended up being a reread since I previously read "Museum of Terror， Vol。 3: The Long Hair in the Attic。" Still fun reading for the second time！ 。。。more
Daniel Naysnerski
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Thank you to Netgalley / Viz Media for the ARC。 Junji Ito's latest short story anthology collects a dozen of his earliest， lesser-known works （and it shows）。 The primary strength is the artwork， which is fantastic， showcasing a realistic style that is atypical for manga。 Much of the horror in Junji Ito's work comes from the visuals rather than the narrative， with his realistic style being juxtaposed with detailed images of body horror， gore， or generally unsettling imagery。 While the artwork is Thank you to Netgalley / Viz Media for the ARC。 Junji Ito's latest short story anthology collects a dozen of his earliest， lesser-known works （and it shows）。 The primary strength is the artwork， which is fantastic， showcasing a realistic style that is atypical for manga。 Much of the horror in Junji Ito's work comes from the visuals rather than the narrative， with his realistic style being juxtaposed with detailed images of body horror， gore， or generally unsettling imagery。 While the artwork is great， the stories themselves are very much a mixed bag varying in quality from forgettable to pretty ok， but never reaching the heights of his more popular stories。 There are some highlights， such as "Scripted Love" and the titular "Deserter"， but even these stories that I enjoyed aren't enough to make the collection as a whole a satisfying read。 In comparison to his longer works and his other short story collections， I would not recommend this particular collection to people wanting to explore Junji Ito's work for the first time。 For existing fans hoping for a collection of hidden gems， they might be able to salvage a diamonds in the rough。 。。。more
Gabrielle Carrie
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So far this is my favourite story collection
Trevor Incogneato
，
thats a wrap on 2021
BooksintheBelfry
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I struggled badly with this collection。 The more I read of these collected works the less interesting I am。 Junji Ito is famous as the master of horror Manga and a crafter ofBody horror but i struggle to find any spark of this genius in his recent works。 Some of his older stories are hailed as classics but I think your best off sticking to those old favourites rather than attempt to read these cookie cutter bland attempts at horror。 Not one story made my skin crawl and I found myself bored befor I struggled badly with this collection。 The more I read of these collected works the less interesting I am。 Junji Ito is famous as the master of horror Manga and a crafter ofBody horror but i struggle to find any spark of this genius in his recent works。 Some of his older stories are hailed as classics but I think your best off sticking to those old favourites rather than attempt to read these cookie cutter bland attempts at horror。 Not one story made my skin crawl and I found myself bored before I ever got to the end。Sad but true 。。。more
Classless Classicist
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Like we’ve come to expect from these Ito collections， “Deserter” contains stories ranging from so-so to phenomenal。 Pacing is quick with loads of twist endings。 As usual， trigger warnings abound…too many to individually list。 But， it’s horror manga at it’s finest。 Why the hell hasn’t someone bought the rights to these and created a horror anthology tv series？？？？？？？？
Adam
，
The latest Ito translation is a collection of some of his earliest work -- and unfortunately it shows。 The art is still impressive but not as finely detailed as it would grow to be。 His voice comes through， but he spends too much time playing with aspects of horror that clearly don't interest him as much of his favorite themes of obsession and body horror。 His usual weaknesses （goofy dialogue， rushed endings） are amplified as well。 It's still a good collection with a few strong stories， some typ The latest Ito translation is a collection of some of his earliest work -- and unfortunately it shows。 The art is still impressive but not as finely detailed as it would grow to be。 His voice comes through， but he spends too much time playing with aspects of horror that clearly don't interest him as much of his favorite themes of obsession and body horror。 His usual weaknesses （goofy dialogue， rushed endings） are amplified as well。 It's still a good collection with a few strong stories， some typically imaginative premises， and mostly very good art， but it's not at the level of his later work overall。 。。。more
Joanna
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3。5 stars。 This collection of 12 Junji Ito stories is a bit hit and miss。 I appreciate that there are some stories beyond the usual body-horror fare that I typically associate with Ito （if body-horror is your thing though， there’s plenty of gross imagery to go around， especially in “Where the Sandman Lives”）。 As other reviewers have mentioned， some of the endings are a bit abrupt and awkward， but all in all， it was a fun， twisted read。 My favorites from this collection are “Scripted Love，” “Bull 3。5 stars。 This collection of 12 Junji Ito stories is a bit hit and miss。 I appreciate that there are some stories beyond the usual body-horror fare that I typically associate with Ito （if body-horror is your thing though， there’s plenty of gross imagery to go around， especially in “Where the Sandman Lives”）。 As other reviewers have mentioned， some of the endings are a bit abrupt and awkward， but all in all， it was a fun， twisted read。 My favorites from this collection are “Scripted Love，” “Bullied” （a fairly simple story， but somehow also the most creepy） and “Deserter。”Disclosure: I received an e-ARC copy of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Suppi
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Every single time I think I've seen it all from this man I find something new。 Even though these were his earliest stories they're so fucked up？ One of them is legitimately a psychological horror and wow。 Man。 This do be hitting as well。 Every single time I think I've seen it all from this man I find something new。 Even though these were his earliest stories they're so fucked up？ One of them is legitimately a psychological horror and wow。 Man。 This do be hitting as well。 。。。more
Audrey
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A short story collection of wildly uneven story quality， with many ending up weirdly funny instead of truly frightening。 But the art is， as always， impeccably creepy。
Trigger Warning Database
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Trigger & Content Warnings:Child abuseSuicideMurderInfanticide
Caitlin Wilson
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Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced reader copy！This was my first Junji Ito read and I will absolutely be picking up more。 I am a fan of quick short stories and that made this a fast read。 The artwork was incredible and the gore in Where the Sandman Lives was top notch。
Beatriz
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Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a copy for an honest review。 I enjoyed this collection on Junji Ito's work more than I have of his more recent works， I feel like his newer stuff is more tame compared to what it used to be？ That may just be me though。 Anyways this had great individual stories filled with body horror which I enjoyed。 Definitely would recommend this to everyone。 Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a copy for an honest review。 I enjoyed this collection on Junji Ito's work more than I have of his more recent works， I feel like his newer stuff is more tame compared to what it used to be？ That may just be me though。 Anyways this had great individual stories filled with body horror which I enjoyed。 Definitely would recommend this to everyone。 。。。more
Ab
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Junji Ito is a master horror graphic novelist， and these early works are all pretty interesting。 While this isn't my favorite collection of short stories， The Reanimator's Sword， Unendurable Labyrinth， and Village of the Siren were all pretty good。 Can't go wrong if you love Ito's works。 Junji Ito is a master horror graphic novelist， and these early works are all pretty interesting。 While this isn't my favorite collection of short stories， The Reanimator's Sword， Unendurable Labyrinth， and Village of the Siren were all pretty good。 Can't go wrong if you love Ito's works。 。。。more
Beth for BPL Teens
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This graphic novel was everything I love in a horror book。 It was dark， there was gore （so much so that I had to look away at times）， and there were great stories captured within it。 This collection had stories that varied in nature， but were terrifying and unsettling at the heart of them。 I always think I learn something about human nature when I read books like this and this is a collection I will be thinking about， even long after I've finished reading it。 The art was beautiful and dark， and This graphic novel was everything I love in a horror book。 It was dark， there was gore （so much so that I had to look away at times）， and there were great stories captured within it。 This collection had stories that varied in nature， but were terrifying and unsettling at the heart of them。 I always think I learn something about human nature when I read books like this and this is a collection I will be thinking about， even long after I've finished reading it。 The art was beautiful and dark， and the stories matched。 I really enjoyed this。 Not a book for teens， probably， but as an adult reader/lover of horror， I really thought it was great。 。。。more
Dave
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So far Ito is the only manga I have read。 I really enjoyed this forthcoming work， especially the beginning stories and it ends on a strong note with the title the book is named after。 I will definitely recommend this one upon its release and thank you to the publisher for providing me with this drc available through netgalley。
Monica
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While this book is a collection of older Junji Ito works， it was new to me。 I've been reading more of his newer works and I can see the difference in approach。 His newer works tend to have generally happy endings， but this collection was not that at all。 These stories left me with an unsettled feeling I greatly appreciated。 If I am reading horror， then I want to feel horrified。 I think these stories did just that。 The art was great -- creepy and gory -- as usual。 While this book is a collection of older Junji Ito works， it was new to me。 I've been reading more of his newer works and I can see the difference in approach。 His newer works tend to have generally happy endings， but this collection was not that at all。 These stories left me with an unsettled feeling I greatly appreciated。 If I am reading horror， then I want to feel horrified。 I think these stories did just that。 The art was great -- creepy and gory -- as usual。 。。。more
destiny ♡⚔♡ [howling libraries]
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Most of the stories in this collection ranged from just fine to really good， with a few falling into the range of being downright boring or unenjoyable。 I wish I'd written down ratings for each piece of the collection individually as I was reading through it， but this was one of those times where I was more in the mood to just zone out with the manga rather than take notes， and it wasn't good enough to want to re-read it for more thorough reviewing purposes （sorry！）。 That said， this would probab Most of the stories in this collection ranged from just fine to really good， with a few falling into the range of being downright boring or unenjoyable。 I wish I'd written down ratings for each piece of the collection individually as I was reading through it， but this was one of those times where I was more in the mood to just zone out with the manga rather than take notes， and it wasn't good enough to want to re-read it for more thorough reviewing purposes （sorry！）。 That said， this would probably be a good intro collection for someone brand new to Junji Ito's works because it covers a wide range of his storytelling styles - some more fantastical， some bizarro， and some downright sad and scary - and would give a new reader a really good idea of what to expect。It's more of a 3。5-star read for me， but I don't feel right about rounding the rating down。✨ Content warnings for: （view spoiler）[violence， murder， mental illness， suicide， infanticide， child abuse （hide spoiler）]———twitter | booktok | bookstagram | blog 。。。more
Alicia
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Ito is a fan favorite at our HS because of his dark and disturbing manga/graphic novel tales especially when they're collections like this of fantastically dark short stories。 I was excited to receive a copy of this to review from Edelweiss。 And just like any collection of course you have your favorites however again， the whole thing is a masterpiece in Ito's signature way。 This does not deviate and it's what fans have come to expect and love about his work。 My favorites included "Bio House" whi Ito is a fan favorite at our HS because of his dark and disturbing manga/graphic novel tales especially when they're collections like this of fantastically dark short stories。 I was excited to receive a copy of this to review from Edelweiss。 And just like any collection of course you have your favorites however again， the whole thing is a masterpiece in Ito's signature way。 This does not deviate and it's what fans have come to expect and love about his work。 My favorites included "Bio House" which was right at the beginning featuring the eating of interesting items of which now a man is pushing his blood onto the girl who is enjoying the fare。 There was another "Bullied" that was powerfully abusive in a girl who used to bully a boy and has reconnected with him and hasn't been rid of the tendencies of power and domination。 I will continue to seek out his stories and buy a handful for our library because they're so darn popular and so darn good- especially as a way to enhance the collection when we have a cool senior course called Horror Fiction and Film。 。。。more
Justine Cucchi-Dietlin
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Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC。I always love me some Junji Ito， and this wasn't an exception。 It was great to see some of his earlier work in translation for once。 I think it's fascinating to witness the artistic evolution of an artist， and you can definitely see the beginning of his signature style in this collection。 Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC。I always love me some Junji Ito， and this wasn't an exception。 It was great to see some of his earlier work in translation for once。 I think it's fascinating to witness the artistic evolution of an artist， and you can definitely see the beginning of his signature style in this collection。 。。。more
Rebecca
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3。5， rounded down because a couple of stories left a bad taste in my mouth even for horror。 I have to hand it to Junji Itoh - he always gives me new fears that I didn't know I had。 That said， the two final tales in the volume， both of which deal with forms of bullying， were a bit too on the nose with their casual cruelty。 Gore？ Fine。 Lots of tiny holes？ Bring it on。 Tormenting a child？ Um。。。 3。5， rounded down because a couple of stories left a bad taste in my mouth even for horror。 I have to hand it to Junji Itoh - he always gives me new fears that I didn't know I had。 That said， the two final tales in the volume， both of which deal with forms of bullying， were a bit too on the nose with their casual cruelty。 Gore？ Fine。 Lots of tiny holes？ Bring it on。 Tormenting a child？ Um。。。 。。。more
Blair
，
I’m afraid I’m finding these Junji Ito collections to be a case of diminishing returns。 Deserter collects ‘a dozen of Junji Ito’s earliest works from when he burst onto the horror scene’， though when that was， and where/how they were published， and in what order， is never clarified （more on that later）。Of the 12， there are four really good stories。 ‘Scripted Love’ I thought was excellent – it’s about a sleazy man who records a video of himself to ‘console’ his ex-girlfriend， only for this to bac I’m afraid I’m finding these Junji Ito collections to be a case of diminishing returns。 Deserter collects ‘a dozen of Junji Ito’s earliest works from when he burst onto the horror scene’， though when that was， and where/how they were published， and in what order， is never clarified （more on that later）。Of the 12， there are four really good stories。 ‘Scripted Love’ I thought was excellent – it’s about a sleazy man who records a video of himself to ‘console’ his ex-girlfriend， only for this to backfire when she prefers the scripted version to the real thing。 There’s a similar streak of dark humour in ‘Bullied’， in which a woman reconnects with a man she used to torment when they were kids。 ‘A Father’s Love’ works well because it’s one of the longer stories， and takes plenty of time to flesh out its tale of a tyrannical patriarch who has a unique hold on his children。 Finally， ‘Deserter’ is a sort of twisted historical ghost story about a family who take revenge on their shared enemy by convincing him the Second World War never ended。The others are hardly vintage Ito， and tend to display the hallmarks of his weakest work: abrupt/inconclusive endings， plots that seem to be missing key points， infodumps in dialogue。 In ‘Bio House’， a typically gruesome story about people with fetishes for eating bizarre things， there’s a particularly egregious example of the latter when a man says to a cricket， ‘you’re the only mutant camel cricket left in this world after an accident in the middle of a gene-switching experiment’。 Talk about ‘as you know， Bob’！ Never before have I been so tempted to use the ‘lol’ emoji in a book review。Because these are early stories， the illustrations aren’t always up to the standards of Ito’s later work。 In ‘Face Thief’， the simple art combined with the premise （there are two unrelated girls who look identical） results in a lot of confusion; I didn’t know who was supposed to be who half the time。 ‘The Devil’s Logic’ introduces a great concept – a ‘philosophy of death’ so powerful it makes people instantly suicidal – but the ending is such a cop-out as to be laughable。I think a collection of Ito’s earlier manga is a worthwhile idea。 But I’d have found Deserter far more interesting if there had been some notes from the author or editor to contextualise the stories （the first of these collections， Shiver， featured not only commentary from Ito， but also reproductions of his original notes with translations）。 I’d like to know when， and in what context， they were first published; what， for example， is the background of ‘The Reanimator’s Sword’， which leans more towards fantasy than horror and seems like an outlier here？ Some of the stories seem to prefigure his better-known work， and could perhaps be seen as earlier versions， or am I imagining that connection？ Without any additional info， I’ll never know。I received an advance review copy of Deserter from the publisher through NetGalley。TinyLetter | Linktree 。。。more
Ace
，
As always Ito has cemented his title as the master of horror manga， each tale somehow managing to be creepier than the last。To be able to see and experience his earlier works gives new perspective on other much loved takes of his like Uzamaki and Remina。 Vengeance is a common theme running through Japanese horror in general， but I'll be the first to admit that it's not always done well。 Ito retains perspective and realism in his work despite weaving fantastical tales of terror， this is what sets As always Ito has cemented his title as the master of horror manga， each tale somehow managing to be creepier than the last。To be able to see and experience his earlier works gives new perspective on other much loved takes of his like Uzamaki and Remina。 Vengeance is a common theme running through Japanese horror in general， but I'll be the first to admit that it's not always done well。 Ito retains perspective and realism in his work despite weaving fantastical tales of terror， this is what sets his work apart。 I was previously only familiar with his recent and more established works， to be able to see where his career started and to trace back the way his art has developed makes the rest of his work much more enjoyable for me。 。。。more
Bexa
，
This collection of short stories will give a reader a lot of insight into the work of Junji Ito。 While I enjoyed the spooky， creepy stories in the book， they all felt unfinished。 This is probably because Junji Ito intentionally leaves it open-ended， you can assume what happens to the characters， but there is no real resolution。 I like the collection， but if you're not a fan of his work already， I don't think you would enjoy this。 There is too much in too short of a time period。 Still very much i This collection of short stories will give a reader a lot of insight into the work of Junji Ito。 While I enjoyed the spooky， creepy stories in the book， they all felt unfinished。 This is probably because Junji Ito intentionally leaves it open-ended， you can assume what happens to the characters， but there is no real resolution。 I like the collection， but if you're not a fan of his work already， I don't think you would enjoy this。 There is too much in too short of a time period。 Still very much in line with his work and even for his early stuff， well done。 。。。more
Tim Joseph
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