Through Junji Ito’s manga, he forces us to confront the demons of his imagination, and it seems like he enjoys it. While his stories of terror share much in common with Lovecraft, Umezu, and even writers like Kobo Abe and Stephen King, it’s Ito’s distinct ability to bring what he imagines to life in staggering, chilling detail. The fact that Ito is a mangaka is the at the core of his uniqueness and his ability to stand out.

Lovecraft is that he dares to draw them as well as write them. What takes Junji Ito’s manga one step beyond even the stories of H.P. There’s a sense that these writers dare to describe what should never be described. Lovecraft.Īfter reading such Junji Ito manga stories as The Thing That Drifted Ashore and The Enigma of Emigara Fault, the Lovecraft influence can be seen as clear as day.īoth of these horror legends share an uncanny approach to the impossible, the unknowable, the otherworldly. Speaking of imagination, Junji Ito’s influence stretches from other horror manga legends like Kazuo Umezu, author of the infamous Orochi: Blood, all the way to the previously mentioned originator of eldritch horror literature H.P.

It took a little more time before he was able to break free of the 9-5 grind and dedicate his time, efforts, and imagination fully to his manga creation. Here’s a writer that lives and breathes horror and terror.īefore becoming a full-time writer, and during the writing and release of Tomie, Junji Ito worked as a dental assistant. That’s Ito’s style, and it’s what sets him apart from the rest. Unlike other popular Japanese writers like Haruki Murakami, whose debut works are often overlooked today, Ito’s earlier works are still treasured.Įverything that Ito publishes is in the form of manga which he writes and draws himself.Įven the Junji Ito manga that doesn’t fit neatly into the horror genre still has elements of the uncanny and the unsettling in its illustration. This horror manga was published when Ito was only 24 and, despite it being his debut publication, it remains one of his most popular manga. His debut horror book - which we’ll discuss below - was Tomie. While Japan has a strong history of crime and mystery writing, as well as horror writing, Junji Ito still stands head-and-shoulders above the rest. Inside and outside of his home country, Junji Ito’s manga is celebrated as the best of Japanese horror writing.

Fragments of horror junji ito manga