Real Women of Gaming

Horror and anime. Two of my favorite things in this world rolled into one! It is no secret that I love J-Horror movies, so when Crymson found a new horror anime I was extremely excited to start watching. I was not disappointed. It was a truly wild experience!

Junji Ito is a well known horror manga writer. His work is wild and loved by horror fans. His stories often center on creepy and beautiful young women, which is typical of this brand of horror. Fans of Ito’s manga really adore his style of both storytelling and art. Therefore it seems like it was only a matter of time until his manga would be adapted for anime. 

Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre is a collection of short horror stories. Each episode is one, or at the most, two tales of terror. Most of the stories are one shot narratives that stand alone. There even some characters whose arcs continue through the series. Keep your eyes peeled for some hidden gems that appear more then once! Through it all there are different types of terror. Each episode is a ride that steadily becomes more wild. 

The character design is a style unique to Ito. It is all almost too pretty, that is, until it is not. Ito worked hard to capture that element of Japanese horror in his work. Things that are beautiful are often deadly. Sometimes they start off beautiful and then turn frightening in the blink of an eye. These designs make his characters. He is known for it, and it adds such a depth to his work. 

The music is perfect. The opening song is one of my new jams. The rest of the music lends itself to the ambiance of every story being told. I think sometimes music is underappreciated as a tool for spinning a narrative. This anime did not make that mistake and everything is all the more scary for it. 

Would I recommend this anime? Yes, but with some warnings. This is an anime for horror fans. I would not dive into this as your first time consuming horror. Japanese horror is a real experience and I like to ease new fans into it. This anime is something you cannonball into. 

So if you are a horror fan: yeah, go for it. If you are a new anime fan I would also get some horror under my belt before viewing. If you love horror and anime then this series is perfect for you. 

ALWAYS KEEP SPARKLING!!!