Lovesickness: Junji Ito Story Collection
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- Create Date：2021-04-14 10:31:29
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Junji Ito
- ISBN：1974719847
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Reviews
Devann
，
I received an ARC copy of this book from EdelweissThis collection really only has four stories in it since two of the stories are extended ones that I assume were originally published in different volumes over many years。 The Lovesickness story takes up the first 250 pages and is decent but ultimately went on a little bit too long for my personal taste。 The next story is about 100 pages long and is the siblings one mentioned in the summary。 This one definitely wasn't for me and I skimmed most of I received an ARC copy of this book from EdelweissThis collection really only has four stories in it since two of the stories are extended ones that I assume were originally published in different volumes over many years。 The Lovesickness story takes up the first 250 pages and is decent but ultimately went on a little bit too long for my personal taste。 The next story is about 100 pages long and is the siblings one mentioned in the summary。 This one definitely wasn't for me and I skimmed most of it。 The last 50 pages include two shorter stories that I think are by far the best part of this collection [unfortunately， since they also take up the least page space]。 I think that Ito's best works are really his shorter stories because they have to be succint and really drive a horrifying point home in a short amount of time， and the ones that have several 'chapters' are never as good to me and seem to wander and ramble slightly。 。。。more
Amanda Hudgins
，
This book is my first outing with Ito， and it was as creepy and unsettling as I was led to believe his work would be。 The first half is the titular story， Lovesickness， and is definitely the strongest of the manga overall， creating its own kind of arc about fate and the potentials of redemption， etc。 It's really interesting as well as being， y'know， suitably horrifying。 The back end of the book is unrelated to the first half， but this is a story collection; it strikes me as fairly standard among This book is my first outing with Ito， and it was as creepy and unsettling as I was led to believe his work would be。 The first half is the titular story， Lovesickness， and is definitely the strongest of the manga overall， creating its own kind of arc about fate and the potentials of redemption， etc。 It's really interesting as well as being， y'know， suitably horrifying。 The back end of the book is unrelated to the first half， but this is a story collection; it strikes me as fairly standard among short stories at least to be split up in this manner。 Most of the shorter works are solid， except the final poop-themed one that closes out the collection， though I appreciate it as a kind of narrative palette cleanser， a chance to return to the normal world where no one is trying to tear your bones out from your skin or fall in love with you until they die。 Received as an ARC。 。。。more
Dianna
，
So this was my first time reading Manga and I have decided that it isn't for me。 It's not that it was bad， just really bizarre。 However， my son told me that this is what Manga is like。 Knowing that， I think that someone who likes Manga would like this book so I am going to give it three stars。 I liked the idea behind the story， so if you like Manga you should give this one a try。 So this was my first time reading Manga and I have decided that it isn't for me。 It's not that it was bad， just really bizarre。 However， my son told me that this is what Manga is like。 Knowing that， I think that someone who likes Manga would like this book so I am going to give it three stars。 I liked the idea behind the story， so if you like Manga you should give this one a try。 。。。more
Lindsay ⭐ [TrulyBooked]
，
The actual lovesickness storyline is so eerie and the underlying chills remind me of some of my favourite Junji Ito books。 While nothing else packs quite the same punch， the other stories are fun as well。 There is a very bewildering last story which feels like humour I don't get or an inside joke that I'm not part of， but I still love the collection overall。 Lovesickness is up there with some of my favourite stories from Ito now。 The actual lovesickness storyline is so eerie and the underlying chills remind me of some of my favourite Junji Ito books。 While nothing else packs quite the same punch， the other stories are fun as well。 There is a very bewildering last story which feels like humour I don't get or an inside joke that I'm not part of， but I still love the collection overall。 Lovesickness is up there with some of my favourite stories from Ito now。 。。。more
lark benobi
，
Most people who read my reviews aren't aficionados of horror manga and I'm hoping to convert some of you to the unique and compulsively creepy world of Junji Ito， and to convince you to give his work a try。 Ito's stories always center on a strange compulsion that takes over one person， and then a whole lot of people at once: be it an obsession with spiral shapes （"Uzumaki"）， or an obsession with the cracks in the side of a mountain （"The Enigma of Amigara Fault"） or， in this latest collection "L Most people who read my reviews aren't aficionados of horror manga and I'm hoping to convert some of you to the unique and compulsively creepy world of Junji Ito， and to convince you to give his work a try。 Ito's stories always center on a strange compulsion that takes over one person， and then a whole lot of people at once: be it an obsession with spiral shapes （"Uzumaki"）， or an obsession with the cracks in the side of a mountain （"The Enigma of Amigara Fault"） or， in this latest collection "Lovesickness，" an obsession with following a stranger's cryptic love advice to the most horrific and self-destructive outcomes possible。 There is always a feeling of eerie dread in Ito's stories。 Sometimes the feeling builds to some shocking revelation when you turn a page， but soon the shock will be followed by a panel or scene that's almost-hopeful。 In the way of the best eerie stories the moods shift under your feet and you never know what to expect next。 Like Ito's story "Uzumaki"--which I'm guessing is the most widely known in the English-speaking world of Ito's works--"Lovesickness" anchors its many-faceted story by returning frequently to the story of a young couple who seem braver and better than the other characters， and who give hope， to the reader， that maybe not all is lost。 It's a lovely human way to tell a supernatural story even if you know from the beginning that， being a horror manga， the heroes are also doomed in the end。No review would be complete without mentioning the art--so effective and evocative here， as always， with Ito's style， where panels of inchoate lines representing fog and shadow add beats and suspense between the action and dialogue， in such a perfectly paced way。 I also love the artfully big letters of sound-words， sprawled across a given panel， for the way they add an onomatopoeic representation of very creepy noises in your mind's ear， as you read along。 It's a wonderful and unique reading experience。 Many thanks to VIZ media for giving me an early look of this latest Ito collection。 。。。more
Laura
，
Not as gnarly as his other stuff， save for the Rib Woman， but still unsettling and weird。 Special props to "Memories of Real Poop" because duh。 Not as gnarly as his other stuff， save for the Rib Woman， but still unsettling and weird。 Special props to "Memories of Real Poop" because duh。 。。。more
Blair
，
The first half of Lovesickness is the five-story cycle， also known as ‘Lovesick Dead’， that gives this collection its title。 In ‘The Beautiful Boy at the Crossroads’， teen Ryusuke and his family move back to their hometown of Nazumi， where the ‘crossroads fortune’ is a popular pastime: a person stands at a crossroads and asks the first stranger that passes to tell their fortune （usually， what they actually want is an answer to a question about their love life）。 Ryusuke is haunted by a childhood The first half of Lovesickness is the five-story cycle， also known as ‘Lovesick Dead’， that gives this collection its title。 In ‘The Beautiful Boy at the Crossroads’， teen Ryusuke and his family move back to their hometown of Nazumi， where the ‘crossroads fortune’ is a popular pastime: a person stands at a crossroads and asks the first stranger that passes to tell their fortune （usually， what they actually want is an answer to a question about their love life）。 Ryusuke is haunted by a childhood incident in which he dismissed a woman seeking her fortune; he believes that by doing so he inadvertently caused her suicide。 Following Ryusuke’s return， many fortune-seekers encounter a mysterious figure – the ‘beautiful boy’ of the title – whose answers are always cruel， and a new wave of suicides begins。 The story progresses through ‘A Woman in Distress’， ‘Shadow’ and ‘Screams in the Night’; Ryusuke， sometimes joined by his would-be girlfriend Midori and friend Tejima， attempts to identify the ‘beautiful boy’， and is eventually suspected of telling the fateful fortunes himself。 He doesn’t appear in ‘The Boy in White’， which is instead narrated by a man who comes to the city having heard rumours of its multiple suicides。As much as I enjoy Junji Ito， and will keep reading these collections as they get translated， I never quite get used to just how abrupt some of the stories’ endings are。 ‘Lovesickness’ is especially galling in this respect， as it spends a whole multi-story arc creating a detailed and intriguing world， only for much of that to be waved away with what’s effectively a deus ex machina。 Several elements of the plot get no payoff whatsoever。 I liked it， and the illustrations are， of course， great， but it’s not satisfying， nor is it the author’s most innovative work。Two standalone stories， ‘The Mansion of Phantom Pain’ and ‘The Rib Woman’， are the high point of the book。 The latter – about a girl who has ribs removed to achieve a perfect waistline， only to find herself haunted by plaintive music – is particularly gripping and creepy。 It also does a wonderful job of bringing together seemingly unrelated phenomena in dramatic， terrifying style。There’s also a pair of manga about ‘the strange Hikizuri siblings’ – ‘Narumi’s Boyfriend’ and ‘The Séance’ – which have to rank among my least favourites of all the Ito I’ve read; this type of humour either works for you or really doesn’t， and I’m in the latter camp。 （The loose ends left by ‘The Séance’ led me to assume there are further Hikizuri tales， but that doesn’t seem to be the case， making this another case of an oddly inconclusive ending。）Finally， there’s ‘Memories of Real Poop’ （yes， really – also known as ‘A Shit to Remember’， which is a much better title， come on！）， and it’s one of those short slice-of-life stories that sometimes make their way into these collections; a （possibly autobiographical？） account of a boy obsessing over buying fake plastic shit。Taken together， the stories in Lovesickness don’t fit particularly well as a collection。 It’s hard to avoid the feeling that the guiding principle was， ‘hmmm， ‘Lovesickness’ is a bit short to publish by itself， what else can we cobble together to make this a full book？’ I enjoyed it， but I stand by my previous recommendations of Shiver and the complete Tomie as better places to start for Ito newbies。I received an advance review copy of Lovesickness from the publisher through NetGalley。TinyLetter | Linktree 。。。more
Madyson
，
Junji Ito， once again， has created a horror manga masterpiece。 The first half of this book focuses on our main character， Ryusuke， as he moves back into his hometown where his past comes to haunt him。 The second half of the book is made up of short stories that terrify the reader just the same。 I recommend this to any horror or manga fan in need of a good fright。
Katie Mac
，
I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。Classic Junji Ito spookiness， with plenty of body horror， supernatural elements， and other eerie aspects to make your skin crawl。 The first part of the book centers around the first story （Lovesickness， in which teenagers get their fortunes told at a deadly crosswalk）， and for me that was the most enjoyable。 The few standalones at the end were mostly enjoyable as well， though the very last story about poop was out of I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。Classic Junji Ito spookiness， with plenty of body horror， supernatural elements， and other eerie aspects to make your skin crawl。 The first part of the book centers around the first story （Lovesickness， in which teenagers get their fortunes told at a deadly crosswalk）， and for me that was the most enjoyable。 The few standalones at the end were mostly enjoyable as well， though the very last story about poop was out of place and seemed pointless。If， like me， you've been on hold for Uzumaki at your library for about six months with no sign of getting a copy， give this a try。 。。。more
Michael Rank
，
If you love Junji Ito， you know what you're getting with this newest collection。 There's plenty of body horror， existential dread， and unnatural creepiness to get under your skin。Lovesickness， a tale about teenagers seeking to get their fortunes read， takes up the majority of the book。 Next up are a few stories about the Hikizuri siblings， a terrible group of people leading to these stories probably having the most humor I've seen in Ito's writing。 To finish up the book are a couple of stand-alo If you love Junji Ito， you know what you're getting with this newest collection。 There's plenty of body horror， existential dread， and unnatural creepiness to get under your skin。Lovesickness， a tale about teenagers seeking to get their fortunes read， takes up the majority of the book。 Next up are a few stories about the Hikizuri siblings， a terrible group of people leading to these stories probably having the most humor I've seen in Ito's writing。 To finish up the book are a couple of stand-alone stories， with Rib Woman providing the best "physical" scare。It's another great read from Ito。 。。。more
Jenn Marshall
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An collection of horror stories where innocent love becomes a bloody hell。 At first I thought the stories were connected and that they were all about a crossroads fortune。 But that was just a longer story。 I was expecting several stories that were only 20 or 30 pages long， but the first story was over 100 pages。 It was so creepy。 I loved it！ It was impossible to put down。 The crossroads story was my favorite， but each one was creepy and the art was perfect for a horror story。 Even when things we An collection of horror stories where innocent love becomes a bloody hell。 At first I thought the stories were connected and that they were all about a crossroads fortune。 But that was just a longer story。 I was expecting several stories that were only 20 or 30 pages long， but the first story was over 100 pages。 It was so creepy。 I loved it！ It was impossible to put down。 The crossroads story was my favorite， but each one was creepy and the art was perfect for a horror story。 Even when things were scary it was beautiful。4 stars。 。。。more
Lilia
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Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced reading copy of this book。I'd seen aspects of Lovesickness in the Junji Ito Collection Anime， but to read the story as a whole really brought out the full depth of the Crosswalk story。 These stories are lighter in horror content than usually found in Ito's books， although 'The Strange Hikizuri Siblings' was a Ito horror highlight！It's quickly become my favourite collection of Ito's work despite the stories not being as varied as like those within Smashed or Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced reading copy of this book。I'd seen aspects of Lovesickness in the Junji Ito Collection Anime， but to read the story as a whole really brought out the full depth of the Crosswalk story。 These stories are lighter in horror content than usually found in Ito's books， although 'The Strange Hikizuri Siblings' was a Ito horror highlight！It's quickly become my favourite collection of Ito's work despite the stories not being as varied as like those within Smashed or Shiver。 。。。more
Heather
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This was creepy， but not scary per se。 I found the artwork to be perfect for the writing， and oftentimes the writing was unnecessary because the artwork was so well done。If you’re into horror at all， highly recommend reading this one。
Nessa
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TW: Suicide， gruesome images， gore， violence， throat slitting， …this manga is just full of dark things so FYI。 Thank you Edelweiss and Viz Media for the eARC！ Y’all this book was creepy AF。 It almost gave me nightmares。 Ito’s artwork never disappoints on the creepiness scale。 I read this at night and all the scary dead women were giving me goosebumps。 I thought the story of the crossroad fortunes was so unnerving and it ended so abruptly which left me wanting more。 The other stories in the book TW: Suicide， gruesome images， gore， violence， throat slitting， …this manga is just full of dark things so FYI。 Thank you Edelweiss and Viz Media for the eARC！ Y’all this book was creepy AF。 It almost gave me nightmares。 Ito’s artwork never disappoints on the creepiness scale。 I read this at night and all the scary dead women were giving me goosebumps。 I thought the story of the crossroad fortunes was so unnerving and it ended so abruptly which left me wanting more。 The other stories in the book were so messed up and creepy as well especially the one about the Hikizuri siblings。 The last story was very random but it added some humour to the end of the book which was probably the reason why I was actually able to fall asleep instead of staying up the entire night with the fear of the dead crossroad fortune girls coming for my soul 😂 Overall this is an amazing manga as always and I am super excited to read more of Ito’s work！ 。。。more
Megan
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Fantastic！ Stories are creepy， and very detailed。 The characters in these stories are feel like true legends to beware。
Emily
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CW: suicide， miscarriage， body dysmorphia（Advanced copy courtesy of Viz and Netgalley。）A student returns to his hometown and is haunted by a choice he made ten years before。 Six strange siblings wreak havok on each other and anyone unlucky enough to cross their paths。 A young boy surrounded by pain。 A young girl uncomfortable with her body。Junji Ito's newest story collection is full of images that will stay with me for a while。 It is suspenseful， creepy， and a book I struggled to put down。 The l CW: suicide， miscarriage， body dysmorphia（Advanced copy courtesy of Viz and Netgalley。）A student returns to his hometown and is haunted by a choice he made ten years before。 Six strange siblings wreak havok on each other and anyone unlucky enough to cross their paths。 A young boy surrounded by pain。 A young girl uncomfortable with her body。Junji Ito's newest story collection is full of images that will stay with me for a while。 It is suspenseful， creepy， and a book I struggled to put down。 The last story is a very short story about poop， which doesn't feel like it fits the rest of the collection but I'm still thinking about it so I guess it did its job。 As this is horror， you would naturally expect some disturbing content but in particular be aware that there are a lot of suicides， a miscarriage， and some body dysmorphia。 。。。more
Kim
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This is the second book I've read by Junji Ito， and it is by far the better of the two。 The stories in this book are well-written and creepy。 I enjoyed the characters， and look forward to reading more by this author。 This is the second book I've read by Junji Ito， and it is by far the better of the two。 The stories in this book are well-written and creepy。 I enjoyed the characters， and look forward to reading more by this author。 。。。more
Helen
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I will be thinking about the poop story until the day I die。
Stephanie
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Welp， that was certainly a Junji Ito book！ 😂 Ito deals in body horror， jealousy， paranoia， and general wtf-ery， and Lovesickness is absolutely oozing with those themes。 Not for the faint of heart， this collection of stories is textbook Junji， and I am here。 For。 IT。Thanks to Netgalley for the spiffy digital ARC！ 💕
Horror DNA
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At this point， I'm experienced enough in manga to know that anything with Junji Ito's name on it is a must buy。 Lovesickness is another solid entry in the creator's library。 Ito plunges the knife in with a shocking moment and then continues to twist it with each chapter， sending the story into unparalleled levels of terror。You can read James' full review at Horror DNA by clicking here。 At this point， I'm experienced enough in manga to know that anything with Junji Ito's name on it is a must buy。 Lovesickness is another solid entry in the creator's library。 Ito plunges the knife in with a shocking moment and then continues to twist it with each chapter， sending the story into unparalleled levels of terror。You can read James' full review at Horror DNA by clicking here。 。。。more
Alexander Peterhans
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The best horror bypasses your critical and/or intellectual faculties， pushing psychological buttons， some you may not even know you have。 And that's what Junji Ito's work tends to do for me。His horror is eerie， uncanny。 It builds and builds。 Oh sure， there's bloody gore now and then， but that's not what unnerves me。 It's the drawn faces， hungering for something that can't possibly fix them。In this collection， the largest part is dedicated to the Lovesickness storyline。 There's a town， with a cur The best horror bypasses your critical and/or intellectual faculties， pushing psychological buttons， some you may not even know you have。 And that's what Junji Ito's work tends to do for me。His horror is eerie， uncanny。 It builds and builds。 Oh sure， there's bloody gore now and then， but that's not what unnerves me。 It's the drawn faces， hungering for something that can't possibly fix them。In this collection， the largest part is dedicated to the Lovesickness storyline。 There's a town， with a curious old custom - you stand at an intersection， and you ask the first person that comes along a question about your future。 That person can then choose to answer you， and tell you your fortune。Lately， school children have been following the custom。 Sadly， some of those children have also been committing suicide - supposedly after having their fortunes told by an ethereal， dark haired， beautiful boy。And there the madness begins。 Swathes of the town's schoolgirls become obsessed with the dark haired boy。 Our 'hero'， a schoolboy called Ryusuke， returns to the town， and he is afraid he has a possibly supernatural connection to the beautiful boy。 And so it all starts to spiral out of control。I love the claustrophobic ramping up of the madness。 If I have any criticism， it's that this storyline ends quite suddenly， and not completely satisfyingly。 I'm not expecting any answers， but it could've done with a more meaningful full stop。Also included are several stories about the ghastly Hikizuri siblings， with some of the more disturbing characterisations I've seen from Junji Ito。Another couple of stories fill out the book， including an especially weird one about a boy who is in constant pain， the pain being part of the house he lives in。If your brain buttons are anything like mine， you'll love this book。（Thanks to VIZ Media for providing me with an ARC through Edelweiss） 。。。more
Luna
，
Thank you VIZ/NetgalleyThe stories in Lovesickness all take place in a town where people ask for fortunes at crossroads。 The first part of the story is focused on Ryusuke， who has moved back with his parents。 The crossroads custom is escalating and recently there has been a suicide。 A “beautiful” boy has been telling fortunes and those who have received them are consumed。 Each new chapter has a story but then link together and these stories build and build。 The first part of the books ends drama Thank you VIZ/NetgalleyThe stories in Lovesickness all take place in a town where people ask for fortunes at crossroads。 The first part of the story is focused on Ryusuke， who has moved back with his parents。 The crossroads custom is escalating and recently there has been a suicide。 A “beautiful” boy has been telling fortunes and those who have received them are consumed。 Each new chapter has a story but then link together and these stories build and build。 The first part of the books ends dramatically but that is not the conclusion of the hauntings of the town。 In part two the stories focus on residents instead of having Ryusuke at the centre。 Having now had the time to think about my review I prefer the individual stories in Lovesickness。 Some were more effective than others， but all had a way of getting under the readers skin in their own way。 。。。more
Sammi
，
I have a love affair with Junji Ito。 I want to read everything he has ever written。 I love his twisted creative mind and everything that unfolds from him onto a page。 The first thing I read by Ito was Uzumaki many years ago and it was then that I feel head-over-heels in love with Ito， his style， his stories， his mind。 When I received a copy of Lovesickness I was beyond myself with excitement。 I knew I was going to have a good time。 I was going to be pushed， creeped out， disgusted and I was going I have a love affair with Junji Ito。 I want to read everything he has ever written。 I love his twisted creative mind and everything that unfolds from him onto a page。 The first thing I read by Ito was Uzumaki many years ago and it was then that I feel head-over-heels in love with Ito， his style， his stories， his mind。 When I received a copy of Lovesickness I was beyond myself with excitement。 I knew I was going to have a good time。 I was going to be pushed， creeped out， disgusted and I was going to love it。 I was correct。Lovesickness is a collection of some of Ito's short stories， the stand out being Lovesickness and it's sequels， of course。 Lovesickness is the story of a town where there is a lot of fog， and on those foggy days if you go to a crossroad and wait with a question， the first person who comes along will tell you your fortune。 There is also a myth of a boy， dressed all in black， who roams those streets during the fog， giving fortunes。 I don't want to say much more because it is deliciously wonderful and I consumed this book very quickly in an hour or so。 It was strangely beautiful and explored a lot of conversations about human kindness。 Of course going into Ito you have to be aware it could be pretty triggering or gruesome， so keep that in mind and look up trigger warnings if you are interested in this one。I'll definitely be thinking about this one for a long time， fondly。 Thank you so much to the publishers and NetGalley for providing me with an early copy of this book in exchange of an honest review。 。。。more
Teresa
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Thank you to NetGalley， VIZ Media， and Junji Ito for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review。Junji Ito is quite the iconic horror mangaka in Japan。 I have read many of Ito's other volumes， and the VIZ hardbacks make a beautiful part of any collection。This volume is just over 400 pages。 The majority features the story "Lovesickness，" which is broken down into parts。 A strange handsome man gives fortunes at the crossroads。 Mostly women seek their fortunes about love， tho Thank you to NetGalley， VIZ Media， and Junji Ito for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review。Junji Ito is quite the iconic horror mangaka in Japan。 I have read many of Ito's other volumes， and the VIZ hardbacks make a beautiful part of any collection。This volume is just over 400 pages。 The majority features the story "Lovesickness，" which is broken down into parts。 A strange handsome man gives fortunes at the crossroads。 Mostly women seek their fortunes about love， though others have sought carious fortunes from the stranger。 Any fortune told becomes a sort of sick， twisted truth--and curse--leading those who sought fortunes to die a horrific， untimely death。 Surely someone can solve the mystery of the prince at the crossroads， right？There were a few other， shorter stories to make up the latter 150 pages of the book， though certainly not quite as interesting as Lovesickness。 Each has its own aspect of horror compiled with Ito's unique and recognizable art style。 This is a must read for Ito fans and classic horror lovers alike。 。。。more
kerrycat
，
I feel so icky after finishing this collection - in the very best way。 this is lovely Ito work， both in image and storytelling。
Marcy Thomas
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Thanks to Netgalley for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review。Junji Ito is a legend in horror manga。 His imagination is vivid， he creates the most unsettling imagery that is haunting and disturbing， and the build up of his horror is gradual and terrifying in its pay off。 However， the only issue I have with his storytelling at times is the lack of explanation in his tales。 Sometimes it works to his benefit。 Sometimes it leaves me unsatisfied。This is broken up into two: one large story Thanks to Netgalley for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review。Junji Ito is a legend in horror manga。 His imagination is vivid， he creates the most unsettling imagery that is haunting and disturbing， and the build up of his horror is gradual and terrifying in its pay off。 However， the only issue I have with his storytelling at times is the lack of explanation in his tales。 Sometimes it works to his benefit。 Sometimes it leaves me unsatisfied。This is broken up into two: one large story called Lovesickness， and two short stories， and honestly the first story is the only one worth remembering。 Lovesickness was wonderful。 It exemplifies everything Ito is famous for and， just when you think the horror has reached it peak， it gets better and better in freaking you out。 I only wish Ito focused on it more and spent more time developing it， because the ending felt unsatisfactory in that too much was left unexplained， and it felt a bit disconnected to the rest of the story as a whole， but it was still a great read。I can’t really say that for the other stories， because they were pretty forgettable。 It was such a let down to how good the first story was， so moving on to the sibling story annoyed me。 It felt more slapstick than horror， and I couldn’t wait for it to finish it。 The last short story was just weird。If you’re going into this because you’re an Ito fan， then the story Lovesickness is the best one。 It’s grotesque and chilling， and it’s one I still thought about long after I finished it。 Excellent！ 。。。more
Eule Luftschloss
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trigger warning（view spoiler）[ trauma， grief， suicide， self harm， setting yourself on fire， miscarriage， child murder， kidnapping， mental illness， bullying， mass hysteria， gore， mass suicide， being force fed （hide spoiler）]In a small town， teenagers are into fortune telling。 When the mist rises， you stand at a crossroad and ask the first person who walks by you your question， and whatever they'll say is your fortune。 But what if you meet more than just humans？We have two bigger stories， with mo trigger warning（view spoiler）[ trauma， grief， suicide， self harm， setting yourself on fire， miscarriage， child murder， kidnapping， mental illness， bullying， mass hysteria， gore， mass suicide， being force fed （hide spoiler）]In a small town， teenagers are into fortune telling。 When the mist rises， you stand at a crossroad and ask the first person who walks by you your question， and whatever they'll say is your fortune。 But what if you meet more than just humans？We have two bigger stories， with more than one chapter， and two very short ones。 If my file had a working content list with links to the chapters， I would have broken off reading about the second set of characters because I didn't see the point。 While the first set of stories was kinda beautiful， the second had so many tropes I dislike - like ugly people are ugly to show their badness， up to a nearly comic level， if the topics that were mentioned were not so serious。 In general， I have had the impression that the author likes to juggle with sensitive topics， not caring about his readers at all - this is not the way you should work with these things in 2021， which made this collection feeling kind of backward。Or， say， retro horror-y。This is the first thing by Junji Ito I've ever read， but I am。。。 torn。 I wanted to like this so badly， but I don't。 If you need them， be sure to look up content warnings before taking this on。The arc was provided by the publisher。 。。。more
Etienne
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4，5/5。 Junji Ito！！ Am I the only one who always yell this name in my head with a weird Japanese accent？ Probably。。。 Anyway， he is the master of horror manga and you should read him if you love horror， even if not a huge manga fan， or not at all， this author is worth the detour！ The 2/3 of the book provides stories in the same "line" kind of a continuity starting kind of normally and becoming really weird in some sort of crescendo like Ito often does。 The last ones are just short stories on their 4，5/5。 Junji Ito！！ Am I the only one who always yell this name in my head with a weird Japanese accent？ Probably。。。 Anyway， he is the master of horror manga and you should read him if you love horror， even if not a huge manga fan， or not at all， this author is worth the detour！ The 2/3 of the book provides stories in the same "line" kind of a continuity starting kind of normally and becoming really weird in some sort of crescendo like Ito often does。 The last ones are just short stories on their own， and honestly some are very average two are good enough， but the first part is definitely the best。 Junito Ito （again just yelling in my head！） is now a sure read for me for anything new he will publish and I still have some back reading to do of his "less" noticeable work。 I should get back to it then！ 。。。more
Kgl
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I don't know what I expected but it sure wasn't this。 I'm a huge Junji Ito fan。 I've read lots of other books of his， and yet it's been a while so I was just floored by the art in this。 Gorgeous， graphic， glorious gore that had me gasping on just about every page。 The title story， Loveickness was undoubtedly my favorite and the one with the siblings after was a bit slapstick for me but Lovesickness was just glorious。 Just beautiful。 I'd say it's now probably my favorite story of his， but the oth I don't know what I expected but it sure wasn't this。 I'm a huge Junji Ito fan。 I've read lots of other books of his， and yet it's been a while so I was just floored by the art in this。 Gorgeous， graphic， glorious gore that had me gasping on just about every page。 The title story， Loveickness was undoubtedly my favorite and the one with the siblings after was a bit slapstick for me but Lovesickness was just glorious。 Just beautiful。 I'd say it's now probably my favorite story of his， but the others in the book I didn't like super love so I gotta give it a bit less stars for that especially the final one。 Like。。。not sure why that was the final story？ It seemed to not fit the others at all。 Still this is worth picking up for the title story， you won't regret that。 Just amazing lovely images of gore and guts that makes me want to go back and reread it again。 Thank you to NetGalley and Viz Media for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
The Artisan Geek
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