From the genius Junji Ito himself, we have another anthology book filled with a majority of short stories drawn and executed in his classic style. When you've read and reviewed enough of Ito's stories, there's always this worry of things feeling redundant because even his most underwhelming stories still feel like supernatural horror staples that should be appreciated. Case in point, I am not a horror fan by any stretch of the imagination, but I keep finding myself drawn to this man's work to see what other dark corners of the human psyche he can draw in incredibly visceral detail.

Yes, it goes without saying that the artwork in this book is gorgeous and an absolute highlight. Backgrounds are incredibly detailed to the most meticulous level, with textures that can capture even the most subtle elements. While many of his human character faces and models are starting to get a bit samey (particularly with the women), Ito still manages to make up for this with what he puts these bodies through emotionally and physically. Body distortions and violence are particularly visceral, with blood really standing out. While it's not exactly realistic, Ito continues to push the envelope with what he can get away with doing in an exaggerated art form. I have to give the man credit, I have read dozens of his stories at this point, and I still squirm in my seat.

However, while the artwork is consistent, not all of his stories have the same quality in their overall narrative intrigue. Some stories can be incredibly basic with your classic “bad things happen to bad people” message. In contrast, others can be surprisingly thought-provoking about how we as human beings see the world or interact with each other. Unfortunately, there are a good number of stories in this anthology that feel a little bit undercooked. Some feel like Ito just had a creepy image in mind and then worked backward to make a story that justified the build-up to that image with mixed results, while others have things happen without any rhyme or reason. Long stories like about the town with the tombstones and the last story about the doctor visiting the anemic village were probably the strongest in the book with a proper setup, twist, and fallout. But that might come down to the fact that those were also the longest.

Even with the incredibly detailed artwork, it can get frustrating when it feels like Ito is building up to something specific but immediately cuts the story abruptly once we get to a particular scene. For example, some stories are about an impartial observer just witnessing bad things happen to another character. Then when that observer gets dragged into that situation in a specific and disturbing way through no fault of their own, the story just…ends. Or maybe it's better to say the story stops, and then we immediately move on to the next one, with usually a narration bubble to give us what feels like an obligatory closing statement. Granted, some of these stories' bite-size nature can make them one of the better starting points to get into Ito's work. But It also feels like the narrative equivalent of blue balls because there should be more to some stories than what is offered.

But as I said before, even the most underwhelming of Ito's stories still have enough going for them to be memorable. Even if I liked some more than others, every individual story left me with an image that will stick in my brain for at least the next couple of weeks. If you're a horror fan or have a pension for disturbing imagery, then chances are this is already in your online shopping cart. For those that are more curious, I recommend the first three stories and seeing how those make you feel. Just don't do what I did and read the stories an hour before going to bed!