I absolutely loved this collection. I had chills down my back, I was afraid to read it in the dark. Junji Ito absolutely never fails with the fear factor is his graphic novels, the drawings go so well with everything in the story making it super impossible to put them down. The stokes hook you in and make you wonder what happens next. I honestly can’t pick a top favorite because they were all well written and all hooked you in some way. I can’t wait to continue reading collections from him. Honestly the king of graphic novel horror without a single doubt.

While most Americans see Stephen King as the master of written horror, those of us who follow manga have a different master that we look to: Junji Ito. Now with Venus in the Blind Spot, published by VIZ Media, English readers get the chance to be reintroduced to Ito’s work. Venus in the Blind Spot is a “best of” collection of creepy tales from the Eisner award-winning mangaka.

With 10 short stories, Venus in the Blind Spot is a striking collection that presents some of the most remarkable shorts featuring an adaptation of Rampo Edogawa’s classic horror story “Human Chair” and fan-favorite “The Enigma of Amigara Fault.” In addition to these, the eight other shorts include “Billions Alone,” “An Unhealthy Love,” “Venus in the Blind Spot,” “The Licking Woman,” “Master Umezz and Me,” “How Love Came to Professor Kirida,” “The Sad Tale of the Principal Post,” and “Keepsake.” These 10 stories come as a deluxe presentation, including special color pages and showcasing illustrations from his acclaimed long-form manga No Longer Human.

It’s hard to review this volume of collected stories because each and every story deserves its own spotlight. The terror and body horror begins with “Billions Alone” were bodies of couples and groups of people are being sewn together like quilts and left throughout the city and hits an apex with “The Licking Woman” which you can google to see the absolute terrifying images in that one. But then there are more subtle moments of dread and creeping terror like “An Unhealthy Love” where a man is in love with a doll to his wife’s displeasure or the slow-burning unease of “Venus in the Blind Spot.” There is even a small comedic autobiographic short, “Master Umezz and Me,” which details how Ito became the master of horror we know and fear today and a few adaptations of works by other writers, with my favorite being “Human Chair.”

But above them all is “The Enigma of Amigara Fault.” As one of Ito’s most renown stories, it is crown jewel of the collected stories. However, with it placed near the end of the anthology, it feels like it was built up to by the previous shorts instead of eclipsing them. Coming third to last, “The Enigma of Amigara Fault” serves as a climax to the collection and as one of Ito’s most acclaimed stories. It’s worth picking up Venus in the Blind Spot for this alone. But trust me, the other short stories are still worth is.

If you haven’t heard of “The Enigma of Amigara Fault,” it was originally included in Gyo, another Ito work. In it, people are being unnaturally drawn into a mountainside fault. A story of compulsion, a boy named Owaki and a girl, Yoshida, meet on Amigara Mountain where they make an unsettling discovery: Human-shaped holes are scattered across the mountain. It soon becomes clear that the holes are “calling” to the people they are shaped like, and, of course, people answer.

Each and every one of these stories should be entered into with as minimal spoilers as possible, read in a dark room, and embraced for the pure horror they are, of the psychological and the bodily kind. But, while Ito’s stories and art are phenomenal as always in his pulpy style, the additional colorized pages and sometimes single-page panels work to bring a dramatic effect that emphasizes the emotions of the scene and ultimately the delivery of the scare, which is particularly true for “The Enigma of Amigara Fault.”

Overall, Venus in the Blind Spot is a must-buy for any and all horror fans. Whether you’ve ventured into Ito’s twisted sense of horror in the past or you’re new to his work entirely, this is the perfect place to start. While Tomie and Uzumaki stand as horror classics, Venus in the Blind Spot is here to show new readers exactly why Junji Ito is the master of horror.

Venus in the Blind Spot is available from booksellers August 11, 2020.

This is my first ever manga (which showed as I tried to understand how to read backwards and turn the pages backwards), there were a few stories that I didn't really understand or would have liked more closure at the end. However I think this is just a personal preference. I can definitely see why Junji Ito is so well known, the stories are incredibly creepy, the art style is amazing and some of the stories are just deeply unsettling. I would definitely recommend this book for both fans and newbies alike. If you like Junji Ito's work you'll probably love these stories, if you're new then this is a good way to dip into the style and see if the stories are for you. 

I will say that if you are new to these works be warned they definitely have adult content, its creepy, unsettling, a bit gory and some parts outright weird. However this is what makes the stories so intriguing because they're all so different. Just be warned that if you don't like creepy stories then you probably might want to give this one a miss - it's definitely an adult book. However give this one a go if you think you can handle the creepiness

There is only one word I can think of to describe Junji Ito's Venus in the Blind Spot and that is classic. Everytime I sit down to read one of Ito's works I know I am going to be terrified. The addition of color to select pages adds a whole new disturbing element to the stories. I did enjoy the short autobiographical story that showed how Ito discovered the world of horror manga.

Ito has a lovely way of illustrating established stories and creating ones of his own - all of which are delightfully disturbing. I'm claustrophobic so that bit about the holes in the mountain, if that doesn't give me nightmares, I don't know what will.

he's just too brilliant.

I'm a little biased, because I came into this already knowing and loving Junji Ito's work, but this collection didn't disappoint. Story after story of the creepy, crawly, sticky, icky weirdness we all know and love from the master. There were some reprints of his previous works that I knew and loved to revisit in this new collection, and there was a lot of new Ito for me to get fully grossed out and horrified by. If you don't know Junji Ito, this is a great place to start, it has one of his most famous works (Amigara Fault) but also includes some deeeeeply unsettling new stuff before that (the licking woman?? The human chair???).

A dark and twisted anthology that is sure to leave a lingering impression.

This was my first time reading Junji Ito's work. The vivid and detailed art along with the shocking and graphic stories were captivating. Many of the stories were engaging from start to finish, with the exception of the final few which were too short to really compare to the others. The characters were well developed and the art reflected the dark moods and gory detail. The transition from color to black and white worked well, drawing readers in and allowing them to imagine further detail in color. I was not expecting the stories to be as nearly erotic as they were. Only a few stories actually were sexual but the others were on the cusp of being sexual.

Stories that left a lasting impression that will leave me looking over my shoulder were "The Licking Woman" (seriously tongues are disgusting and Ito captured that well!), "The Human Chair" (I don't know what I would do if this ever happened to me >_<), and "Billions Alone" (because it has a Black Mirror feel that it could happen...)!

I would cautiously but readily recommend this anthology to readers interested in horror and thrillers.

I have never read Junju Ito before and was drawn to this collection by the promise of Japanese horror told through illustration. I was not disappointed. This collection was a mixed bag, as with most short story collections, but most of them are wonderfully creepy, dark, and twisted. My favorite of them all was "The Enigma of Amigara Fault," which gave such a visceral sense of claustrophobic dread alongside perfect illustrations to heighten the horror. "Billions Alone" was also incredibly eerie and creepy, and the story idea also felt like something I've never read before. Only one of the ten stories felt out of place, "Master Umezz and Me," because it was a bit like a nonfiction biography popped in. I think this story would have worked better as an introductory prologue of some kind, set apart from the other tales so as not to interrupt the creepy flow of moving story to story.

This collection shows me what I have been missing by not discovering Junjo Ito sooner, and I look forward to discovering more of his creatively terrify tales.

"Billions Alone" -- A timely story, given the Covid-19 pandemic, warning of the perils of gathering in large groups with an inexplicable murderer on the rampage. Fishing line and bodies ... such a creepy tale.

"The Human Chair" -- Interesting story. Creepy and the kind of story that makes you look at your living space with a new sense of foreboding. Is anyone hiding there, just watching?

"An Unearthly Love" -- Creepy and very twisted. The illustrations of the husband's expression through his eyes was so unsettling and perfect.

"Venus in the Blind Spot" -- An incredibly disturbing story ultimately about a woman's beauty *causing* men to go crazy for her, and the lengths her father goes to to keep men away. She is strangely invisible up close.

"The Licking Woman" -- Yuck! The tongue was so expertly, grossly drawn, and the pure strangeness of someone lurking in dark alleys to lick people on humid nights!

"Master Umezz and Me" -- This was more of a biographical story about a horror manga author's inspiration.

"How Love Came to Professor Kirida" -- This was a fascinating kind of creepy story about a writer seeking approval from a misanthropic professor. There's a well-meaning priest with a lusty ghost attached somehow to his soul. All this is told with a book that a young author picks up in her family's library, a diary of the parrot woman.

"The Enigma of Amigara Fault" -- This is by far the best story so far and gives such horrifying feelings. The illustrations of these mysterious human sized holes, drawing people inexplicably into them, were perfect. I felt pure terror and claustrophobia at the idea, which is exactly what a reader of an horror tale seek out.

"The Sad Tale of the Principal Post" -- A strangely vague story with the feeling that it was written for a micro-story contest. A bit too short to leave much of an impression.

"Keepsake" -- A fine horror story about revenge for infidelity and murder and a creepy corpse-born child.

I’m a big fan of Junji Itos other work and this was right on par. The illustrations were amazing and the story was spooky. Would highly recommend to anyone who loves Japanese horror.

Venus in the Blind Spot is a collection of short stories, each of which takes on a new level of horror. This collection of Junji Ito’s includes ten short stories, each very unique and different from one another.
The first story is about groups of people being found dead and sewn together. With this first story I enjoyed the art because of how intricate it was. As the drawings show these groups of people being sewn together, the art is very disturbing, yet complex. My only downfall with this story was the plot. I felt that too much was left unsaid, even for a short story.
Our second story tells the tale of a woman in search of a new chair. While looking, the store keeper tells her the story of a woman who owned a chair that supposedly had a man living in it.This story was my favorite. It is such a unique storyline and it was so fulfilling for a short story.
The third short story follows a woman trying to figure out her husband's secret. This story was very short, but it still packed a punch with what it told.
The fourth story is the book's namesake and was one of the best ones! It follows a group of men who are suddenly unable to see a specific lady and the madness that overtakes them.
The fifth story is called "The Licking Woman" and that's all you really need to know about it. It is weird but SO good.
The sixth story was probably my least favorite, but I think it was due to me being confused as to what was going on till about half way through the story.
The seventh story is about a professor who is mysteriously being haunted. This was one of the best stories in this collection. It was a bit longer, but it was necessary to get the full story.
The eight story is about a fault that formed after an earthquake that has multiple human shaped forms in it. This is a story I would LOVE to have a full book of. I just want more!
The ninth story was only a couple pages long. It was short, sweet, and simple.
The tenth and last story was exactly what I expected from this book. It was creepy in all the right ways (how can you beat a baby born from a corpse?)
I've never read anything by Junji Ito and I am very happy that I started with Venus in the Blind Spot because it is a collection of short stories. I was able to see and read Junji Ito's unique writing and I cannot wait to dive into his other books.

Junji Ito is a well-respected author in his own right bridging the anime/manga fanbases with the horror niche. The only other work I am familiar with is Frankenstein, an adaptation of Mary Shelley’s classic novel of the same name. While I cannot say how much this compares to his other works, I can say Venus in the Blindspot is a great read through and through

Much like Frankenstein, Venus in the Blindspot is a collection of short horror stories – this time it is a mixture of his own original works and adaptations from other authors like Japanese mystery writer - Edogawa Ranpo - and English short-story writer – Robert Hichens; the title story nested in the middle.

As I come to expect from the master of horror, his designs remain potent; bodies sewn in a marvelous grizzly tapestry in the opening story Billions Alone, to the grotesque tongue of the Licking Woman – pulsating, slimy, and bumpy, the tongue continually licks its victims, provoking a visceral reaction out of me. Master Umezz and Me is a breath of wholesome fresh air from the macabre past it (and beyond it). An autobiographical romp of how Ito got inspired to become a writer is a unique variation of his signature style – heavy use of shading, bulging eyes, creepy languid smiles – into comedic effect; portraying what is normally terrifying to a punch-line. It is obvious that Ito had a lot of fun making this tribute piece, never shy to be silly.

As collections go, there are weaker narratives at play. The Sad Tale of the Principal Post felt like an underdeveloped B-movie plot, given its brief five-page entry. It can be argued that its quick horror-story reveals more about the obsession of ambitious projects and the toll it has on a family, yet the story pales in comparison to the rest of the collection. Not to mention, the ending is rather anti-climactic. While all have a connected through-line of provocation through imagery and narrative, a few do not resolve themselves adequately. Mentioning the opening story, once again, we are left with the truth of what happened, and then the story ends. The story teeter-totters between mystery and horror yet with what little payoff I get at the end, the “twist” feels all the more hollow for subsequent re-reads.

It is no question fans of the series will enjoy this. For those not in the know, this collection may serve as a fine introduction to Junji Ito. It has a mix of stories of varying qualities – most of which, thankfully, are written well.

Venus in the Blind Spot is another outstanding work of Junji Ito. It’s a remarkable horror manga collection about societal issues with stunning art that will surely keep you up at night. Most of the artworks in this manga are so disturbingly beautiful that they make you want to both stare at it for hours and look away immediately. The stories are complex and interesting it's the perfect creepy night-time read.

* I received this ARC in exchange of my honest review. Thank you!

Venus in the Blind Spot is a horror manga anthology by Junji Ito. It’s a “best of” collection that includes 10 stories.

Venus in the Blind Spot
Written by: Junji Ito
Publisher: Shogakukan
English Publisher: VIZ Media
Release Date: August 18, 2020

Before starting this review, I need to be upfront with the fact that I don’t normally go out of my way to watch horror movies or read horror stories. However, I decided that I needed to read some of Junji Ito’s work, since he’s developed quite a name for himself as a manga artist. I figured I should at least have some familiarity with his work.

The first story included in this anthology is “Billions Alone,” and it sets up the concept of people who gather together disappearing and later reappearing as corpses stitched together with what appears to be fishing line. A group calling itself Billions Alone is jamming the radio waves and raining down flyers from airplanes with a message about coming together and not being alone. The main character of this story is Michio, a 19-year-old who has locked himself in his room for seven years. A girl named Natsuko Horie had been nice to him in elementary school and junior high, and she is on the class reunion committee. She manages to get him to come out of his room and see her and the other members of their class reunion committee. The reunion is scheduled to coincide with their coming-of-age ceremony. As the time draws nearer for the reunion and coming-of-age ceremony, more and more people go missing and return as sewn together corpses. It gets to a point where people are separating from each other in order to avoid becoming victims. When I read this portion of this story, it kind of made me think of what’s going on with COVID-19 at the time I’m writing this review. But I did not expect the plot twist that appeared at the end of this story, and I my jaw nearly dropped when I saw it.

Next is “The Human Chair,” and the original story for this one was written by Edogawa Ranpo. A female writer who is on holiday visits a furniture workshop and says she wants the shopkeep to make her a new chair for her work. He shows her a chair that’s in his workshop and tells her a story about someone living in the chair and the torment they brought to a female writer. It’s a creep story, and it’s no wonder the writer decides not to have this man make her a chair and run out of his shop. Doing her research, though, she finds that the story that she was told was true. This one has an ending that scares the female writer out of her wits. For a horror story, though, this ending felt a little on the predictable side.

The next story in the compilation is “An Unearthly Love,” which was also originally written by Edogawa Ranpo. The main character marries a man who seems normal at first, but he becomes moody and withdrawn as time goes on. The wife discovers a secret… and it ranks up there on the creepy side. But the story takes an even creepier turn after the wife takes action. Both this story and “The Human Chair” seem to show the kind of influence that Ranpo had on Ito’s own stories and work, when I look at these stories and Ito’s original works included in this compilation.

This is followed by “Venus in the Blind Spot,” the title story for this compilation. This horror story has a sci-fi component to it due to how the characters come together in the first place and the events that create the illusion that Mariko, the main female character, is disappearing in front of people’s eyes. This illusion drives the male characters crazy, especially since most of them have become obsessed with Mariko. Sadly, though, this story leads to a sad ending for Mariko. This one takes psychological horror and ups the ante with its sci-fi elements.

“The Licking Woman” sees a woman going around licking people, and her victims get a skin abnormality and die due to poison being in her saliva. A woman named Miku loses her fiancé to the licking woman, and she vows to get kill her. This is a story of being careful what you wish for because it may not be as happy of an ending as you think it will be if you achieve your goal. Of the stories included in this collection, I thought this was one of the strangest ones included.

Next is “Master Umezz and Me,” which can be best described as a “autobiographical manga” by Junji Ito about how he got into horror manga, especially works by Kazuo Umezz. It culminates with Ito being given an opportunity to work a manga version of a film that Umezz was working on. I liked the twist at the end of this one. And I have to say that of all the stories included in this collection, “Master Umezz and Me” was my favorite. Since it an “autobiographical manga,” it had a different feel from the rest of the pieces in here, even though it has a connection to horror because of how it tells about Ito and his interest in the genre.

The next piece is “How Love Came to Professor Kirida,” which is based on a story by Robert Hichens titled, “How Love Came to Professor Guildea.” This one sees a female writer dealing with writer’s block spending time at her parents’ house and stumbling across a journal that appears to have been written by one of her ancestors. This leads into the story about a professor who was an extreme misanthrope and remained single until his mysterious death. This story features the professor, a Christian preacher, a parrot, and a female writer who wants the professor’s approval. After the female writer attempts suicide, the professor is haunted by a female spirit… but there’s a twist to the spirit and its motives.

“The Engima of Amigara Fault” sees two people meeting after a great earthquake that devastated towns and created a huge fault near the epicenter. The news showed what appeared to be human shaped holes at the fault, and one of the characters was drawn there because she swears she saw a hole that had her shape. What they discover about these holes is quite chilling, and the ending of this one is creepy, yet also sad.

“The Sad Tale of the Principal Post” is one of the shortest stories included in this collection. While I would definitely agree that was happens here is sad, I’m not entirely convinced that it’s a horror story.

The final story in the collection is “Keepsake,” and it tells of a baby being born to a dead woman nine months after she died. This one was creepy, largely due to the idea of baby being born to a dead woman. However, there were also other elements in this one that were creepy as well. The explanation for how the dead woman became pregnant was just… I’m not sure how to describe how I felt about that.

Even though I’m not a fan of horror, I could still recognize that Junji Ito good at what he does when it comes to telling stories. His art style is also quite expressive, and it works well with the tales of horror that he weaves in his work. If you’re a manga fan who enjoys the horror genre, I would recommend Venus in the Blind Spot.

I'm not a manga fan, but this was creepy goodness! Some stories were better than others as you get with any short story collection. This has inspired me to look more into horror manga and more from this author.

Thanks to Viz and Netgalley for the digital ARC.

If you are a fan of horror and have never heard of Junji Ito this would be a lovely entry into his work. This short story collection contains some of this best work and will have you looking for a light switch before you enter any dark rooms. Many of these stories are dark and contain body horror so please read at your own peril (especially if you have a weak stomach).

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for the advance copy of this book!

I LOVE THIS AUTHOR!! His stories are so different and fun to read. I was very excited when i was given this book and it did not let me down. Junji Ito is one my favorite manga authors. This book was everything I wanted it to be. I loved the plot and storyline in the book. I loved the characters in this story. It gave me all the feels I was looking for when I started reading this. I highly recommend this author. I loved the writing and the art. I will always look for work by this author.

This was creepy in the way it was meant to convey, but ultimately not my preferred genre(s). The author/artist is talented.

A nice collection of supernatural tales from the master. The art is not as pretty as in nowadays manga, but it's seeming crudeness adds to the overall effect of unease, created by the stories.

This is filled with captivating, and disturbing, manga horror tales. Great art and creepy stories. It’s like The Grudge meets The Twilight Zone.

Thanks to NetGalley for an E-arc of this collection!

My personal favorites in this collection were The Enigma of Amigara Fault (supernatural story that invokes intense feelings of claustrophobia) and The Human Chair (a pretty campy premise that reminded me of a campfire tale or a short from Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark). Other honorable mentions are An Unearthly Love and Billions Alone!!

As with any short story collection there were some misses for me, but the majority of this collection was strong enough to compensate for the weaker stories. Worth pointing out that my favorite from this collection was one that was previously published; even though it is a "best of" collection, the majority of the stories are brand new.

One of the things that I love about Junji Ito’s short form work is that they’re so bizarre and operate on such a flawed dream logic that you’re forced to sit back and enjoy the ride. If you’re looking for anything more than a bizarre conclusion, look elsewhere. You won’t find logic here, or even a satisfying explanation. Illustrations were delightfully horrifying, per usual!


https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3481081882?type=review#rating_303948101