I am always overjoyed when I see another Junji Ito collection being brought over to English, Ito has such a large body of work and there are so many gems that there is always a wealth of great stories to read. Venus in the Blind Spot really is a “best of” collection and includes some of Ito’s strongest and most famous works as well as some one-shots that were published as standalone works in various magazines.

This collection includes some of Ito’s most incisive critiques of Japanese culture. The Sad Tale of the Principal Post is a short but clear portrait of the traditional family structure, and the weight carried by the patriarch. This is especially relevant given the high rate of suicide amongst middle-aged males in Japan, crushed by the pressures of society.

Fan favorites such as The Enigma of Amigara Fault and Billions Alone (also known as Army of One) are critical of the Japanese isolationist society, and the way that society entrances and warps people. My absolute favorite story, the titular Venus in the Blind Spot is a literal horror about the male gaze and the violence that is wrought on young women.

More than anything, I also really love when Ito writes autobiographical stories that give the reader a look into his personal life. His admiration for Kazuo Umezu and his first experiences with horror manga had me laughing out loud. Ito also adapted works by Robert Hichens and Edogawa Ranpo which helped to introduce me to great authors.

This volume also included a lot of color pages which I was surprised about. I had mixed feelings about them overall, colored images don’t have the same pop that black and white does for me, but they are still very beautiful and brought some panels to life. In all, this was another strong collection for Ito that I feel would be a great in

Venus in the Blind Spot is a 'best of' short story collection from manga horror maestro Junji Ito. Of the 10 stories in the collection, two are based on stories by 20th Century Japanese horror writer Edogawa Ranpo, one on a story by British author Robert Hichens, while the rest are original creations - including an autobiographical story about Junji Ito's love of the work of manga legend Kazuo Umezz. The book kicks off with the eerily apt Billions Alone (in which a serial killer targets groups of people, leading to everyone self-isolating).

The artwork is beautiful, creepy, terrifying and (occasionally) funny. Some of the art in this edition has been coloured, which bring the images to life. Distractingly, some of the stories start in colour and then revert to black and white part way through. Switching so jarringly from colour to black and white within a story gave the book an unfinished air.

As with most short story collections, there are some stories that resonate more than others. While I found something to enjoy in most of the stories, there were only a few that I loved. Seeing as how this is billed as a best of, I was hoping for a slightly better hit rate.

Overall, I enjoyed my first dip in to the works of Junji Ito, and there are definitely images from this collection that will be staying with me for a long time.

This was another solid collection from the brilliant and talented horror manga author, Junji Ito. Like all his previous work, the artwork was stunning, disturbing and disgusting… often at the same time. As with any short story collections, there were standouts and forgettable ones.

Personal Favourites:
Billions Alone… This was my favourite of the "new-to-me" stories in the collection. It one felt so timely, warning against the dangers of social gatherings and rewarding those who choose to self isolate.

The Enigma of Amigara Fault… This was technically a re-read because it was in a previous book. However, it is one of my all time favourites because it creates such an intense feeling of claustrophobia.

The Sad Tale of Principal Post… Another re-read from a different book. Short and depressingly dark.

Other Enjoyable Stories:
An Unearthly Love… I am always a sucker for creepy doll stories.

The Licking Woman… Very gross, so naturally I enjoyed it.

Keepsake… Another disturbing tale. I am also a sucker for creepy kid stories.

The collection also included a personal piece where Junji Ito explained how he got into horror manga as a child, which was interesting although not particularly relatable as a North American reader (since I didn't understand a lot of the books, celebrities & tv shows he was talking about).

Overall, this was a solid collection with several standout stories. This is well worth adding to anyone's collection.

Disclaimer: I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley.

I have only recently been reading Junji Ito's horror manga and have consumed his long running series. This is the first collection of his stories that I have read and I don't feel that there is a weak one in the bunch. The memoir-esque story of his admiration and the influence of Kazou Umezu was a bit slow in comparison to the other tales, but I liked getting to see one of his inspirations (along with Edogawa Ranpo). Great collection.

While this isn't my favorite Ito collection, the adaptations of Edogawa Ranpo's work are fascinating. I especially like (and respect) his take on "The Human Chair" - it serves as both a retelling and a sequel to the original 1925 short story, and it's tonally faithful. I'm definitely going to have to find a way to use it when I teach the original short story in class.

Beyond that, this is strong in the usual ways - creepy, emphasis on the fear of things just shy of ordinary - and otherwise a perfectly good collection. If you're already a Junji Ito fan, there's no reason you won't enjoy this book.

I want to thank NetGalley, the publisher, and author Junji Ito for providing me with an ARC of Venus in the Blind Spot.

I could not get into this one. The chance for spooky was there, but nothing made sense to me. I"m super disappointed!

Thank you again to those named above for providing me with this ARC!

“𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘬𝘰 𝘚𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸?”

𝕍𝕖𝕟𝕦𝕤 𝕚𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝔹𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕕 𝕊𝕡𝕠𝕥 is a "best of" collection of creepy tales, presenting the most remarkable short works of Junji Ito’s career, and featuring an adaptation of Rampo Edogawa’s classic horror story "Human Chair" and fan favorite "The Enigma of Amigara Fault." In a deluxe presentation with special color pages and color illustrations from his most recent long-form manga No Longer Human, every page invites readers to revel in a world of terror

I’m definitely an auto-read with everything Junji Ito. His ability to craft uniquely imaginative tales mixed with shocking imagery is unparalleled, and this particular collection is no different. Literally every single story has a concept or a series of images that are burned into my brain (in a good way) and I’ll never forget

What if someone started capturing groups of people and sewing their bodies together (hence my pic)? What if a woman every young man lusted after started disappearing from view? What if there was a person living inside your favorite chair? What if human-shaped holes suddenly appeared in the mountain, and you could go inside of them? All these horrifying questions and more are answered inside!

Venus in the Blind Spot is an excellent horror manga story collection that is highly recommended for its original plots.

Someone is killing the young people in Japan! Killing, undressing, and stitching them together with fishing line. It occurs whenever two or more people gather together. A group called Billions Alone claims responsibility. But who or what is Billions Alone?

Michio is a loner who has hidden in his house since seventh grade. The only person who treated him nicely in school was the beautiful Natsuko. When Natsuko asks Michio to go to their new adult ceremony, he reluctantly agrees. However, they are late. When they arrive the entire auditorium is empty. Later, all 500 new adults are found stitched together in a nearby woods—including Natsuko’s fiancé Noriyuki.

Michio’s story is one of ten within the engrossing graphic horror anthology, Venus in the Blind Spot. If you enjoy horror manga, don’t miss it. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5 stars!

Thanks to VIZ Media and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Grotesque Art; Passable Stories

I mostly kept reading this for the art work. With a few memorable exceptions the stories themselves struck me as predictable and not especially extraordinary.

That said, "The Enigma of Amigara Fault" is fascinating, and deserves all of the praise it has received. "Billions Alone", which opens the book, is especially shocking and unnerving, and seems to be the best sort of story for giving free rein to Ito's gruesome Grand Guignol excesses. "Venus in the Blind Spot" had an appropriately creepy opening and development, although it sort of petered out at the end. And "Keepsake" was wildly twisted. The rest of the stories struck me as standard sorts of ghost tales. Certain scenes, and select individual panels, were arresting, but the tales themselves were not compelling to me.

So my feeling was that this was a fine collection for someone seeking an introduction to Ito. It was also rewarding, and a good choice, if only because of the stories noted above. The rest of the stories were entertaining showcases for the various styles and forms of Ito's art, if not for the stories themselves. Horror is a very difficult and demanding genre, so that might be the best one could expect.

(Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

Junji Ito's reputation precedes him, and I approached this collection with both excitement and trepidation. As promised, the stories and artwork were grotesque and unnerving. The pacing is really great, and during several stories I felt compelled to see the next panel despite my growing dread. My favorite selection was "The Enigma of Amigara Fault." I'm not sure whether Ito's work is for me overall, and I would hesitate to recommend it to anyone but horror buffs, but I am glad to have read this.

As per usual with Junji Ito's works, I was thoroughly entertained and creeped out by his art style and the stories. In this collection, there are only two I've read before, which was a relief to me as I worried I had read most of them before.

I cannot recommend these enough for those who like horror, manga, and are okay with body horror as that is one of the common characteristics of Junji Ito's art style.

Thanks to NetGalley for this advanced copy for review. This was my first encounter with Junji Ito. His reputation precedes him of course, and I knew to expect to be unnerved. And that was definitely the result. The first story of this collection was quite horrific and certainly caught me out. The second was presented wonderfully and equally unnerving. I always have a bit of a battle with horror themed graphic novels. I don't know whether to enjoy them or not. It is different to reading something or watching a movie where the scene changes with rapidity. With a graphic novel, it is there on the page until you have turned it and sometimes you can't help but keep looking. Which in this case, is a bit gross. If you are squeamish, I wouldn't recommend this and perhaps don't (as I did) read it over lunch...I felt a bit sick afterwards.

All in all, it was an enjoyable but I would suggest adults only read. Certainly of interest to those who enjoy horror short stories and are looking for inspiration. It strikes me that writers in the genre would take a lot from these tales.

Never underestimate Junji Ito’s power to scare the pants off you in a single panel. They don’t call him a legend in the horror genre for nothing.

In a collection of short stories, Ito displays new chilling tales that will leave you disgusted and horrified. My favourite ones have to be “Billions Alone”, “The Human Chair”, “Venus in the Blind Spot”, and “The Enigma of Amigara Vault”. They had the most suspense, but Billions Alone provided more in how horrific it was. The Human Chair made me paranoid to sit down! The weakest stories would have to be “The Sad Tale of Principal Post” and “How Love Came to Professor Kirida”. The former was too short to provide any scares, and the latter wasn’t that impactful.

If you are a fan of horror manga, then Ito will never disappoint. If you enjoy this then give Uzamaki a go next. His art style can be just as unsettling as his stories. Prepare to be shocked and engrossed, because this will haunt the imagination.

This is yet another amazing work by Junji Ito. His anthologies are always a great taster of his work, and the wide range of tales in this anthology conveys why he is the master of horror manga. Highly, highly recommended for adults.

I've been a Junji Ito fan for a long time. This book is beautifully gruesome. Ito's storytelling and art style are incredible, as always.

I've been trying for months to get Junji Ito books but whenever I find them they are very expensive. When Viz media accepted my request on Netgalley for this book I felt it was Christmas day. I read the entire book on the same day.
Venus in the Blind Spot includes a collection of 10 creepy horror stories.
The illustrations are terrifying, and some are a bit disturbing. I admit that after finishing reading the book I even had nightmares but
Overall I really enjoy it because the stories leave you thinking even when you finish them. If you are a fan of Junji Ito or you love to read or see horror things, you are going to love this collection.
Trigger warnings: necrophilia, animal death, torture, murder, sexual assault, violence
5 stars for me
Thanks to Netgalley and Viz Media for this amazing arc copy.

This is a collection of horror short stories in manga form. I admit I found it kind of jarring that there was a non-fiction inclusion about a job the author almost had. I had just read some of the most unique and disturbing selections I've seen in a graphic novel, then I reached this excerpt about a little boy and his sisters and his hobbies...and it never did get scary. It took me a while to figure out what it was. And it was just kind of a strange piece to put in the middle of this collection because it was so long, the art wasn't as nice as the other pieces, and the story didn't seem to have much of a purpose other than for perhaps the author to humble himself because he decided the person that took on the manga work in his place did a better job than he thought he could have.

Other than that, I loved the manga. The stories were all unlike anything I've read or seen before. They were nothing I could have ever imagine. I loved the art, especially the colored pages, so much that when the stories would switch back to black and white I felt disappointed.

Overall I really enjoyed the manga and I have preordered a copy of my own! Thank you for the ARC.

Junji Ito is an amazing artist and story teller. His illustrations are creepy, surreal and just deliciously weird. This collection brings together some of his well known stories such as "The Enigma of Amigara Fault" and also some stories in colour. This is an excellent collection of pure creepiness from the master of manga horror.

I don't even like horror but these stories are so well illustrated and the stories are just so weird that the reader is gripped by the story even though they can be gruesome and gory. This volume is a must have collection for Junji Ito fans and if you like manga this is a great set of stories to read, but not in the dark!

Copy provided by Viz Media via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

This is an eerie and chilling collection of stories. These stories are definitely not for the faint hearted.

I am a big fan of horror and I’m used to reading horror books and watching horror movies. Nothing much really scares me these days, but let me tell you that some of the stories in this collection really spooked me.

The illustration itself can give one nightmares, as it’s terrifying. These aren’t your typical hollywood monsters. Much like Japanese movies, the horror graphics in these stories are petrifying.

A unique element of these stories is that most of them are never resolved, leaving you with a sense of dread long after the story ends.
If you’re looking for a happy ending, you won’t find it here. I was almost scared to finish each story as I didn’t know what to expect at the end.

A woman who licks people to death, a baby born to a dead woman, a chair maker with a terrifying secret, groups of people disappearing, turning up dead and sewn together, all these ghastly tales can be found in this collection.

I would definitely recommend it for true horror fans. You won’t be disappointed. Just don’t read it at night with the lights off!

Thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advance reader’s copy for an honest review.