Japanese Tales of the Macabre Reveals All 20 Titles

With only a little more than a month to go, we’ve got some big news to pass along regarding Junji Ito & Netflix’s anime, Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre. First up, we have some creepy-cool key art for the season (which you can check out below). We also have some new casting additions, with Shoko Nakagawa as Mayumi Santo, Mie Sonozaki as Mitsu Uchida (“Whispering Woman”), and Tomoko Kaneda as Coron (“Soichi’s Beloved Pet”). And since we already mentioned two of the titles being adapted, let’s take a look at all 20 titles. “The Strange Hikizuri Siblings,” “The Story of the Mysterious Tunnel,” “Ice Cream Bus,” “Hanging Balloon,” “Four x Four Walls,” “The Sandman’s Lair,” “Intruder,” “Long Hair in the Attic,” “Mold,” “Library Vision,” “Tomb Town,” “Layers of Terror,” “The Thing that Drifted Ashore,” “Tomie・Photo,” “Unendurable Labyrinth,” “The Bully,” “Alley,” “Headless Statue,” “Whispering Woman,” and “Soichi’s Beloved Pet.”

Check out this clip that was released last month, followed by a look back at the opening & a previous clip from Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre (featuring “Paranoid”), set to hit Netflix on Thursday, January 19, 2023:

The genius Junji Ito has long been at the forefront of the Japanese horror manga world. Featuring a selection of 20 macabre masterpieces brimming with his original worldview and fascinating characters drawn in his stunning style, including popular titles such as “Hanging Balloon” and fan-favorite characters Tomie and Soichi, this animated series will totally immerse viewers in the maniacal charm of Junji Ito. Earlier in the summer, viewers were introduced to the upcoming Netflix series via a behind-the-scenes look at the project. In the following featurette, viewers learned some of the works getting the anime treatment, as well as a first-look preview at some of the early character designs.

Based on Junji Ito Masterpiece Collection, Fragments of Horror, Junji Ito: A Study From the Abyss of Horror (published by Asahi Shimbun Publications), Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre is directed by character designer Shinobu Tagashira and a screenplay penned by Kaoru Sawada. With Studio DEEN handling production, Hozumi Goda is serving as sound director with music supplied by Yuki Hayashi.