Week 12: Junji Ito

For this weeks presentation I took the time to read 2 stories by Junji Ito.

Travelogue of a Succubus:

In chapter 1, Angel Hair, we follow a young woman's journey passing through the mountains. Kyouko's path is stopped when a man who knows her name stops her and leads her to his village to which he tells her about the God that they worship. During the entire trek through Kyouko notices several strands of golden hair flowing through the wind and later finds the village is enveloped in it. The story continues to show the villages cult attitude in worshipping this "Hair God" who in reality is a demon in disguise..?

Now trying to describe this chapter is a point I'd like to make towards Ito's work. As creative and gruesome as his work is I find that the stories he writes are too short in their individual chapters to actually develop lore to the story. This genre of manga is one I find difficult to follow and generally speaking isn't my cup of tea although I can appreciate its artistic merit. So it isn't to say that I disliked the manga but rather that I don't feel attached or immersed into it enough to properly convey a review or analysis on the topic. Junji Ito's work has the talent to produce amazing work but I find that most of his stories lack the patience in development.

Ito Junji's Cat Diary:

On the opposite side of the psychological horror spectrum we have this work, Ito's love letter to his cats. Now here's a masterpiece I can get behind, and any at owner can relate to Ito's reluctant fondness of his cats. Portrayed as absolute gremlins Yon and Muu exist to spite Ito in his chase for loving them. I think what makes this manga so enjoyable to read is the artist's style throughout the manga. The cats are elongated, intensified, creepy, and overall exaggerated to show their true nature and it serves to entice the reader to continue.