![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Kaori’s insecurity is intense from the outset. Beneath the gross creatures, the relentless hopelessness that often comes associated with any Ito storyline comes a tale about insecurity, and how it can also consume. This latest Junji Ito omnibus is yet another must-read, and not just for its horror. After finding the source of the smell in the beach house – a human-size fish creature with mechanical legs – they both find out this is just the beginning. After a scuba diving excursion where sharks are repeatedly getting close to Tadashi, his girlfriend Koari aggressively complains of the smell of something dead. The setup of Gyo is very much in the same mould: Tadashi and Kaori are on holiday at Tadashi’s uncle’s beach house in Okinawa. It is the only way I can describe it something so disturbing its too hard to turn away. The concept is so addictive to read and consume its like you’ve become addicted to the very same curse. My first experience of Junji, like many, was through Uzumaki – a town initially affected but ultimately consumed by the effects of a supernatural curse related to the spiral symbol. And yet I won’t be the first to admit that they are also works that are totally engrossing as much as they are gross. Almost the entirety of his 35-year career are manga works that are gross, often graphic, and downright absurd in nature. I’m convinced that Junji Ito suffered horrific night terrors as a child. ![]()
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