For the anime community, top-notch horror and Junji Ito are synonymous. The mangaka has established himself within the genre so well that he began collecting awards for his works internationally as well.
As horrific and gut-wrenching his stories are, horror fans possibly can’t get enough of them, leading his works to become popular and well-known anime.
The adaptations of his works are always looked forward to, and his upcoming ‘Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre’ is no different. Given Junji’s and his works’ popularity, Netflix took on the deal to stream the much-anticipated anime.
Netflix has revealed four new stories that will be included in ‘Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre.’ The titles are as follows:
- Ice Cream Bus (Ice Cream Truck)
- Bohyō no Machi (Tomb Town/ Tombs/ Gravetown)
- Zōsho Genei (Library Vision or Library of Illusions)
- Kubi no Nai Chōkoku (Headless Statue or Headless Sculptures)
The anime will also include over 20 stories that have never been animated before. These tales will be taken from some of Ito’s most notable works and volumes, like Tomie, Sōichi, The Hanging Balloons, and more.
‘Junji Ito Maniac’ will also include one of the mangaka’s most underrated stories, ‘Where the Sandman Lives’ (Suima no Heya).
Netflix further revealed the cast members that will be joining the team:
| Story | Character | Cast | Other Works |
| Ice Cream Bus | Sonohara | Ryotaro Okiayu | Byakuya Kuchiki (Bleach) |
| Ice Cream Bus | Tomoki | Sara Matsumoto | Towa Higurashi (Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon) |
| Ice Cream Bus | Ice Cream Man | Takatsugu Chikamatsu | – |
| Gravetown | Tsuyoshi Yoshikawa | Ryohei Kimura | Kōtarō Bokuto (Haikyu!!) |
| Gravetown | Kaoru Yoshikawa | M.A.O | Iris (Fire Force) |
| Gravetow | Izumi Murakami | Aya Uchida | Sylph (Black Clover) |
| Library of Illusions | Goro Shinozaki | Yuuki Kaji | Eren Jaeger (Attack on Titan) |
| Library of Illusions | Koko Shinozaki | Tomoe Hanba | Maki Amakasu (Iketeru Futari) |
| Headless Sculptures | Rumi | Fumiko Orikasa | Kyūbei Yagyū (Gintama) |
| Headless Sculptures | Shimada | Takashi Kondō | Keisuke Tsukidate (Backflip!!) |
‘Junji Ito Maniac’ will premiere on Netflix on January 19, 2023, to give you a horrifyingly thrilling head start into the new year. I won’t explain much about the stories as their titles are scary enough to give you an idea.
It’s October, but the spooky season for otakus will come later, so get your subscriptions renewed before that.
About Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre
Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre is an upcoming anime that will be released in 2023. It features a collection of some of Junji Ito’s best horror works.
Some of the stories include Unendurable Labyrinth, The Long Hair in the Attic, Bullied, and others. Even some stories from Tomie, Soichi and The Hanging Balloons have been included.
Source: Netflix Anime’s Official Twitter
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