Netflix presents Junji Ito Maniac
During its Geeked Week, Netflix announced the development of Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre, a new anime inspired by the horror stories of Junji Ito, author of countless scary stories that have permeated the consciences of manga and anime fans. Junji Ito recently won two awards at the 33rd Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards in the categories of "Best Asian Opera" and "Best Writer / Artist". In Italy his works are published by various publishing houses. Star Comics has published Uzumaki - Spirale, Gyo and Remina - L'Asto Infernale, J-POP has instead published Tomie, Brivido and other stories, Planet Manga has published Yon and Mu and Hikari has published Lovesick Dead.Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre, the new Netflix anime
Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre will debut in 2023 and will include 20 stories from Ito's work which will then be animated for the first time time. Stories include the manga Tomie, Sōichi and The Hanging Balloons.Uzumaki, the author's upcoming horror anime
We remind you that in October 2022 the anime Uzumaki will be released, an adaptation of the homonymous manga by Ito. Hiroshi Nagahama (Mushishi) is directing the mini-series at Studio Drive. Production I.G. USA and Adult Swim are co-producing the anime. Colin Stetson (Hereditary) is composing the music. If you want to watch the trailer also read our article!Among the cast members we have: Kirie Goshima plays the role of Uki Satake, Shinichiro Miki is Shuichi Saito, Toshio Furukawa is Kirie's father, Takashi Matsuyama is Shuichi's father, Mika Doi plays the role of Yukie Saito, Mariya Ise is Azami Kurotami, Katsutoshi Matsuzaki plays the role of Katayama, Wataru Hatano is Okada, Tatsumaru Tachibana is Tsumura, Kouichi Toochika is Yokota and Ami Fukushima is Shiho.
New Junji Ito Horror Anthology Announced For Netflix
Japanese horror master Junji Ito made a surprise appearance during today's Netflix Geeked Week stream, where he announced a new series titled Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre.
The new series will compile 20 of Ito's famous horror stories, which are known for their twisted imagery and terrifying ideas. It's the latest attempt to adapt Ito's work, with the Junji Ito Collection previously appearing on Crunchyroll.
Ito confirmed that the first stories to be adapted will be from Tomie, Souichi, and Hanging Balloons, though he did not say which of the Tomie and Souichi stories would be chosen.
Tomie has special meaning as Ito's first published work, having originally appeared in 1987. The manga has been adapted into a live-action series, and at one point was set to appear on Quibli. Meanwhile, Souichi is one of Ito's most famous characters, while Hanging Balloons is a story meant to reflect suicidal urges and mass hallucinations.
To celebrate the announcement, Ito showed art from the various stories and discussed some of the inspirations behind his terrifying tales.
Ito's announcement was part of Day 3 of Netflix Geeked Week, which included a Masters of the Universe announcement and a closer look at Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. You can read our full Netflix Geeked Week roundup here.
Junji Ito Maniac will release on Netflix in 2023.
Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.