Viz Media is collecting ten classic horror stories in Lovesickness: Junji Ito Story Collection. Creator Junji Ito, the writer, and artist of the book is an icon in the manga horror scene. Many of his short stories have been adapted into other mediums, including some of the works featured in Lovesickness: Junji Ito Story Collection.
Viz Media has released several of Junji Ito's other short story collections, including Fragments of Horror, Shiver, Smashed, and Venus in the Blind Spot. His Frankenstein short story collection received the Eisner Award for "Best Adaptation from Another Medium" in 2019. One of his scariest titles, Uzumaki, will premiere on Adult Swim's Toonami as a four-episode mini-series.
Geek Tyrant posted Viz Media's April 2021 solicitations, which included this latest short story collection from the master of horror, Lovesickness: Junji Ito Story Collection. The solicit teases that "this volume collects ten stories showcasing horror master Junji Ito in peak form" but only mentions a couple of the horrifying tales that will be in the hardcover. “The Strange Hikizuri Siblings” features a family of bizarre characters featured in several Junji Ito stories. “The Rib Woman" is about Yuki, a girl who wants to have plastic surgery because she doesn't like the look of her ribcage.
The cover of the collection features a story from the Horror World of Junji Ito series, which was titled "The Intersection Bishounen." It has never been officially released in English before now. The story was featured in an episode of the anime Junji Ito Collection but was titled "Boy at the Crossroads," and there was a film adaptation of the volume it was originally featured in, Lovesick Dead. The solicitation text also describes "The Intersection Bishounen" story, though it may be called something different. This tale follows Ryusuke, a young boy investigating rumors about girls killing themselves when they meet a beautiful young man. While Ryusuke tries to catch the man, he also has a secret of his own to be revealed in the story. Junji Ito has a real knack for taking a deceptively simple concept like spirals or cats and turning it into a terrifying, grotesque experience that won't leave your brain anytime soon.
Junji Ito seems to have skyrocketed in popularity in more recent years, especially in America, where more and more of his works are being adapted. It would be amazing to see some new work from him in addition to these collections of his famous stories. There was previously speculation that he may be working on a game with Hideo Kojima. Despite this having since been debunked, the prospect of such a team-up seems like the next logical step in Ito's already impressive repertoire. In the meantime, prepare for a scare when the Lovesickness: Junji Ito Story Collection releases on April 20, 2021.
Source: Geek Tyrant