It isn’t hard to see that Junji Ito isn’t shy about using a mixture of horror tropes/themes from around the world in his works. For example, the first episode of Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre is called The Strange Hikizuri Siblings, which feels like an odd take on The Addams Family—minus, Thing—where a family of siblings tries to survive together after their parents died. But, those who know of Junji Ito and his version of horror equally know this is a man who doesn’t like clichés and often tries to make works that are so outrageously different that you won’t find them elsewhere.

Hanging Balloons—as innocent as it sounds—follows a woman whose life is turned upside down when her friend kills herself and is seen as a literal balloon head, and is one of many trying to kill their represented human counterparts. Yes, Ito’s stories are outlandish and often just plain insane but that is what makes each story so watchable. They might not all inflict a level of extreme horror but they will still creep you out and isn’t that a form of horror in itself?

We own and have read quite a bit of Junji Ito’s various manga and what grips us even more than the stories and unique characters, is the incredible—and very graphic—art that shocks and awes us. Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre captures the art style of its manga counterparts perfectly while still retaining that anime feel. We commend Studio Deen—Higurashi and Hell Girl to name a few of their horror works—for not undoing Ito’s detail all while still making this an anime adaptation that feels like a moving version of his manga creations.

What we loved most about Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre is that this isn’t just a bunch of the stories most manga fans know but some of the more obscure ones like “Mold” and “Tomb Town”. Yes, there are the legendary Tomie tales, which will always be one of our favorite characters/stories from Ito-san. And everyone’s favorite oddball/mischief maker Soichi returns but we know most of those tales and wanted to see some of the lesser works in anime form. Some of these have been altered slightly—which may anger/annoy some fans—but we loved watching “The Sandman’s Lair” in anime format as it was just a spooky and unnerving tale that might make some people never want to sleep again.

Horror enthusiasts probably want to know the million-dollar question: is Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre actually scary? The answer to that is…not really. Yes, the stories can be truly unnerving at times and equally might make you never want to see another ice cream truck again but most of these tales aren’t what you can consider traditional horror. Junji Ito has always created his own take on horror using body imagery, ghosts, curses, and paranoia but in ways, many might not find scary.

Japanese horror vs Western horror has always been a hotly debated genre—which is scarier or better—but in the end, it’s like comedy…subjective. So yes, we might not have been scared by every story or even been unnerved by some of them. There are also some stories that creeped us out heavily and we know that might not be how everyone reacts while watching Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre.