Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre is now streaming on Netflix.
Junji Ito is celebrated as a horror icon. His work in manga, which is composed of surreal tales that are embellished by his impressive artwork, has led to multiple awards and a sizable cult following. Netflix’s Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre is an attempt to showcase his talents in a new light. Unfortunately, this animated collection of short stories fails to reach the same horrific heights as Junji Ito’s original work.
Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre isn’t the first adaptation of Ito’s work. There have been several live-action films as well as a previous collection of animated shorts released back in 2018. While the merits of each iteration can be discussed at length, they all struggled to reproduce the same harrowing experiences found in Ito’s various manga/graphic novels. Tales of the Macabre is no exception. Out of the 20 short stories present, very few of them are good and even less are memorable.
Still, Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre has a lot of the right elements. The animation features a classical look, with strong line work and a subdued color palette that’s reminiscent of Ito’s original black and white illustrations. Creepy sound effects are layered within an eerie soundtrack. This is bolstered by strong voice acting that helps in selling the horror; the assorted cast is believable even when their characters make the most implausible decisions. Nearly every short offers a bizarre happening that ends in a violent death or a wild display of body horror. That said, the goal is to disturb rather than frighten. There are some nightmare-inducing segments for the uninitiated but nothing that’ll make them jump out of their seat.
Essentially, every short starts on good footing with strong audio and visuals. It’s the odd editing and weak storytelling that mars things. Some of the stories are outright boring. The conflicts either go nowhere or end in an anticlimactic fashion. Others start off decent but then end abruptly with no sense of closure. This might be due to the medium at hand; a powerful one shot of a disturbing scene works better in a manga, where the viewer’s imagination can fill in the blanks. As soon as some of the stories end here, the show jumps right into another, forgoing any time spent pondering on what happened. No time for shock and awe. Just move on to the next short.
Some of the featured tales struggle because they are pulled from a bigger story. Take Tomie’s Photos for example: the story deals with the manipulative nature of a monstrous young high schooler and how her actions lead to violence. It doesn’t, however, explain her distressing relationship with male students or why she’s depicted a certain way in photographs – information that’s present in earlier entries from the Tomie manga. This makes the ensuing conflict between her and the protagonist feel hollow. There’s nothing to chew on save for the randomness of their encounter. And while newcomers could chalk that up to the way this series manufactures issues between characters in general, this sort of thing isn’t saved by just being strange.
Worst still, Tomie’s Photos has reason to be ill received by longtime fans. The episode is nearly identical to the manga in most aspects, and fans will understand the what and why of it all. That said, the short ends before the story concludes. Moments after blood is split the credits roll, leaving a ton of notable events on the preverbal cutting room floor. There’s just not enough here to shore up a good story. In this way, Tomie’s Photo proves to be disappointing for newcomers and fans alike.
One would be better off finding Junji Ito manga collections.
Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre does have some highlights. Hanging Balloon is as disturbing as it is hilarious. Ice Cream Bus and Layers of Terror have some twisted segments. And The Bully proves to be rather unsettling despite having nothing to do with the paranormal. It just isn’t enough to save the entire collection from its more mundane and forgettable shorts.
Netflix’s Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre features solid voice work, strong animation, and twisted body horror that will appeal to most Ito fans. Newcomers might even enjoy some of the surreal events and offbeat characters. Unfortunately, this animated collection is mired by a poor selection of stories, bad editing, and lackluster frights. One would be better off finding Junji Ito manga collections. Though dated, they should offer more of a thrill.
