Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre Review [ENG-ESP]
Hello, friends of The Anime Realm! It's a pleasure to greet you and share with you a new review. Today I want to give my opinion about another anime belonging to the horror genre; it's Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre, an excellent adaptation of several horror stories by the praised writer Junji Ito, published in the year 2023.
Already the fact that we know who the author is tells us a lot about the quality of this anime. Some time ago I shared with you in this same showcase a review of another work by this creator, Junji Ito Collection, released in 2018, so we could say that Maniac is a continuation of Collection.
¡Hola, amigos de The Anime Realm! Un placer saludarles y compartir con ustedes un nuevo review. El día de hoy deseo dar mi opinión sobre otro anime perteneciente al género de horror; se trata de Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre, una excelente adaptación de diversos cuantos de terror del alabado escritor Junji Ito, publicada en el año 2023.
Ya el hecho de saber quién es su autor nos dice mucho sobre la calidad de este anime. Hace un tiempo compartí con ustedes por esta misma vitrina un resumen de otra obra de este creador, se trataba de Junji Ito Collection, lanzada en 2018, siendo así, podríamos decir que Maniac es una continuación de Collection.
On that occasion I told you that the collections of stories by the master Ito range from the beyond the grave to psychological horror and the dark arts. In the case of the anime I'm sharing with you today, it can be said that the stories told are mainly focused on psychological horror and the bizarre or inexplicable. The animation manages to cause constant tension in the viewer, and this is in my opinion a highlight that manages to hook us into the series.
The plots focus on the creepy and, as I said before, on the bizarre and enigmatic. In some episodes we have the character of Soichi Tsuji back, a component that I consider important in the anime, due to his strange, dark and intriguing personality that keeps us waiting for what his next move will be, and also makes us wonder what motivates him to have these behaviors or if there is definitely something special about him.
En esa oportunidad les comentaba que las colecciones de cuentos del maestro Ito van desde la ultratumba al terror psicológico y las artes oscuras. En el caso del anime que les comparto hoy se puede decir que las historias contadas van principalmente enfocadas al horror de tipo psicológico y a lo bizarro o inexplicable. La animación logra causar constante tensión en el espectador, y este es a mi parecer un punto resaltante que logra engancharnos a la serie.
Las tramas se centran en lo tétrico y como dije anteriormente en lo bizarro y enigmático. En algunos capítulos tenemos de vuelta al personaje de Soichi Tsuji, un componente que considero importante en el anime, debido a su extraña, sombría e intrigante personalidad que nos mantiene a la expectativa de cuál será su próxima movida, y del mismo modo nos hace preguntarnos qué lo motiva a tener estas conductas o si definitivamente hay algo especial en él.
Each episode consists of 2 short stories in most cases, with a total of 12. The episodes that caught my attention by far were The Hanging Balloons, The City of Graves and The Whispering Woman, which I consider masterpieces, and it is not for nothing that Junji Ito has won several awards as a writer for his horror manga.
The anime also deals with sensitive topics such as suicide, mental disorders, murder and physical and psychological abuse of children, so the stories are not for all audiences.
Cada episodio consta de 2 historias cortas en la mayoría de los casos, con un total de 12. Los episodios que más llamaron mi atención fueron por lejos Los Globos Colgante, La Ciudad de las Tumbas y La Mujer Susurrante, las cuales considero obras maestras y es que no por nada Junji Ito ha ganado varios premios como escritor por sus mangas de terror.
El anime también llega a abordar temáticas delicadas como pueden ser el suicidio, los trastornos mentales, el asesinato y el maltrato físico y psicológico a niños, así que las historias no son para todo tipo de público.
Official Trailer
The mangaka Junji Ito has been able to develop the horror genre in a masterful way, as I have been able to confirm after seeing two adaptations of his works. His stories are short but shocking, and he also uses the resource of paradox to capture the audience's attention, and he really succeeds.
I recommend you to watch the two anime that represent an ode to creepiness, especially the latter, which is undoubtedly my favorite. Both series are available on platforms such as Crunchyroll and Netflix. So much for this review, thanks for your time and attention. See you guys soon!
El mangaka Junji Ito ha sabido desarrollar el género de terror de una forma magistral, esto lo he podido constatar después de ver dos adaptaciones de sus obras. Sus historias son cortas pero impactantes, de igual manera utiliza en buena medida el recurso de la paradoja para captar la atención del público y verdadera logra su cometido.
Les recomiendo que se animen a ver los dos animes que representan una oda a lo espeluznante, especialmente este último, que es sin lugar a dudas mi favorito. Ambas series están disponibles en plataformas como Crunchyroll y Netflix. Hasta aquí esta reseña, gracias por su tiempo y atención. ¡Hasta pronto!
Credits/Créditos:
Created by: Junji Ito
Director: Shinobu Tagashira
Studio: Studio Deen
Official Website
Translation: Deepl
I've only heard positive things about Junji Ito, his macabre stories seem to have an element that sets them apart from other anime in the horror genre, however, I find that not for everyone. I'll give it a chance as soon as I can.
Thanks for sharing. Regards!
Certainly this type of horror genre anime is not for everyone. But those who want to give it a chance will not regret it.
Thanks for stopping by.
Just looking at these drawings makes me realize how bizarre and scary it can be 👀
I'm disturbed by those drawings haha so on the visual side I think it does the job of terrifying 😲
Yes, we can imagine what the series is about just by looking at this terrifying graphic art.
I'm glad you visited.
I'm not really one with the stomach for horror but I do like to keep my tastes versatile😂😂😂
Thanks for the recommendation, I'll try to check it out✨
You're welcome! Many thanks for passing by.
se ve interesante no es del estilo que veo pero suena bueno jeje, excelente post!
looks interesting not the style I see but sounds good hehe, excellent post!
Yes, it's really interesting, although it's not for all people.
Thanks for passing by.
Coincidentally, I talked about this same anime a few weeks ago and mentioned how much I am fascinated by Junji Ito's works. Their stories and characters are so unique and disturbing that they seem not from this world.
Excellent review.