They were entertaining and fairly spooky, I just don't feel like he's ever really captured the horror of his early works.

Another Junji Ito collection of tales, with four new terrifying stories. Classic horror with stories about weeping women, suicide in the forest, sleepwalking murders and more. My only complaint is that these might not be Ito's strongest stories. The reasoning behind each story is a bit weak, but no less horrific. Fans of Junji Ito or just horror in general will enjoy this book.

Junji Ito does it again. I can’t decide if I like when his stories correlate or if they’re random. The Liminal Zone consist of random stories and all of them are creepier than the last. I will say Madonna was my favorite, scary person self proclaiming they’re the Virgin Mary chasing me? No thanks! Always looking forward to his next books!

Junji Ito never fails to have me both laugh and panic within the same waking breath. This compilation hit the ground running. Within minutes I too felt swallowed up!

The latest from Junji Ito, The Liminal Zone, features four short stories originally written for manga streaming apps. As these stories were written for digital platforms, they were unbounded by the strict page limits of magazine serializations and one can really tell Ito was able to flexibly tell these one-shots without having to size down.

The first story, "Weeping Woman Way," follows a young couple who chance upon a funeral while traveling and learn of an unlikely custom of women paid to mourn the dead, and become ensnared by this practice themselves. The next, "Madonna," centers on an all-girls missionary boarding school with darkness underlying it. I'm always one to enjoy Ito's explorations of faith and fervour and I was totally compelled by how this tackles the Madonna complex. The third story, "The Spirit Flow of Aokigahara", again follows a travelling couple who this time head to the infamous "Suicide Forest" upon receiving a terminal diagnosis. While there he experiences a mystical transformation connected to the forest -- think Junji Ito indulging his cosmic horror side heavily. Finally, "Slumber" follows a young man terrorized by visions of himself murdering strangers. Each morning he is wracked with guilt as he watches the news report on these murders and is forced to confront whether his nightmares could be reality.

This is a varied collection that reflects the full range of Ito's interests delving into themes including Japanese lore, Christian theology, cosmic horror, and criminal psychology. In light of that, I think it would make an excellent introduction to Ito for those unfamiliar with him. I also think for those of us who are familiar fans this would also make for an excellent addition to the collection. I will definitely be ordering this in to my store come July.

It's a fantastic read in general. Something new and disturbing. Here are my opinions after reviewing each story:
Women weeping is the first story in this series. 4/5

Story 1; Weeping Woman way 4/5

Imagine being unable to stop crying even after death. That's right, you read it correctly. Consider how unsettling it would be for your family and friends if your dead body continued to weep. This latest twisted narrative might end up on my list of things to be afraid of.

Story 2: Madonna 5/5

Consider a woman who has the ability to transform you into a salt statue. The story takes place in a boarding school with no access to the outside world, and there is nothing you can do to get out.

Story 3; The spirit flow of Aokigahara 4/5

Spirit flows through the forest on the strange mountain, but why? Is the goal to cure those who want to live or to transform humans into one?

Story 4: Slumber 5/5

There are a lot of homicides going on in town, and they're all tied to someone's dream.

An excellent latest collection from Junji Ito. It includes four experimental stories that have deep complexity and overall terrifying. Highly recommend for Junji Ito fans or newbies getting into horror manga!

I really enjoyed Junji Ito's latest collection of horror comics. He has a unique way of telling stories about the small horrors that happen to women. I agree with some of the other criticism on here that short really is the keyword for both the collection and the stories themselves. They stories (particularly Madonna and the last one in the collection) feel very rushed and not fully fleshed out as to why the events in the story happen. However, the art, as always, is stunning.

Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

This is certainly solid Junji Ito, though a couple of the stories were (imo) stronger than the other two. The scope of this collection is fairly broad, so that was fun, and the art was glorious, as ever.

Another delightfully weird collection of stories from Junji Ito, with the horrific yet beautiful artwork that we know and love. This collection contains four stories, each very different but all of which have the trademark Ito style. My favourite of the collection was 'Madonna', which I found very creepy with all of the Catholic overtones and subtle hints at grooming. Overall, I would say this is a very solid set of work and would be a great entry point for anyone looking to start exploring Ito as an author and artist. For me, I just wish there were a couple more stories as the book felt very short and was a super quick read.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Not the best Junji Ito, but still a very great horror manga, even the worst Ito would be better than most. A collection of short stories like he often does. If you're a fan you will recognize the style and enjoy!

A decent collection of Ito's work, with some minor clunkiness in the translation. The short stories could have benefitted from a title page separating them and the previous comic, but enjoyable as a collection overall.

Another excellent collection without any throw always. I loved the artwork throughout specifically “Weeping Woman” and “Madonna” and the storylines were great throughout with my favorite being slumber. I am definitely going to recommend this collection upon release! Thank you to the publisher for providing me with this drc available through netgalley.

I was introduced to Junji Ito through a course designed to incorporate horror manga into art and writing classrooms. Throughout my years of teaching, I have known many students that are interested in Japanese manga. Students also respond well to gothic literature, so the marriage of both interests makes sense at a high school or college level. As a parent, I would not approve of Junji Ito’s stories as prescribed reading. But if my child chose these stories based on a recommendation that aligned with their interests, I would find that appropriate.

In this collection, Ito tells several short stories that make the reader think. He has a real talent for short story writing. When he comes up with a far-fetched concept, such as a citizen who develops false memories while watching reports of a local serial killer, Ito employs only a few panels to suspend the reader’s disbelief. Another character arrives with more information about false memories (or whatever is happening in the story), and suddenly the reader must accept the rules of the story’s universe. Some of the stories are universal, such as “Madonna” which could take place in any country or culture. Others, like “Weeping Woman” or the story of the spirit river on Mt Fuji, are inextricably tied to Japanese culture and folklore. With or without an understanding of this background, anyone can recognize the horrifying concepts in this manga.

Comparing this set of stories to the “Shiver” collection, I think that “Liminal Zone” is less disturbing. Ito even says in the author’s afterward that he is “running out of ideas.” However, this would be a good introduction to horror manga as a result. It allows for a good opportunity to investigate Japanese culture and superstition, while also weaving rich horror stories that will thrill anyone who enjoys mysteries, thrillers, or the supernatural.

I have always loved the work of Junji Ito and this book is no exception. So many mundane experiences twisted to become horrifying.

Junji ito is typically at his best with short stories and this collection is no exception. In the afterward he mentions that the stories here were an experiment in story length and being able to let them expand to the length the story demanded and that flexibility really aids the pacing and tension incoming from a horror master.

If you're looking for a horror manga, this is it. Super creepy both in atmosphere and story line, Junji Ito really has a way of weaving different pieces together to make even a short story feel deep and complex. Each one was very different, yet they flowed together in this book very well. I personally liked the Weeping Woman one the most, but both that and The Spirit Flow of Aokigahara drew on folklore of Japan that was super interesting to read about and see utilized in this way.

This was absolutely incredible and probably my favorite Junji Ito book thus far. The Liminal Zone is a collection of a few different stories, as many of Junji's works are, and these stories share in the bizarre, messed up, outlandish nature that his stories typically do, but something about these really shone for me.

'Weeping Woman Way' features a couple who come across a town that seems to still utilize the old, mostly forgotten tradition of "weeping women" (professional mourners) at funerals, but after coming in contact with one of the weeping women, Mako finds herself inconsolably sad. The depictions of the weeping women were so chilling and fascinating, and I really loved the idea of this corpse that continues to weep long past her death.

'Madonna' is a religious horror story featuring some incredibly messed up zealots who believe they are on a personal mission to find the reincarnation of the virgin Mary, and I loved the way the ending played out and the twists in this one. Junji Ito has toyed with religious themes in some of his previous works, but this was definitely my favorite example of that theme in his writing so far.

'The Spirit Flow of Aokigahara' follows a couple's trip to Aokigahara's infamous "Suicide Forest" after one member of the couple has been diagnosed with a terminal illness. Once arriving in the forest, the two find an unexplainable source of spiritual activity that draws Norio in and begins to create bizarre changes in him. This felt like the most classically familiar style of story from the collection, as it deals with some really bizarre elements and artwork later in the story that were highly unnerving!

'Slumber' is about a young man who has memories of murder every morning when he wakes, but otherwise has no recollection of planning the murders, nor does he have a motive. This was my least favorite in the collection, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it — I only wish there had been a little more explanation regarding the twist, but I've long since learned that sometimes, with Junji's work, you just have to go with the flow!

I highly recommend The Liminal Zone to any horror manga lovers, whether you're brand new to Junji Ito books or have read all of his previous works. Again, I'd say this was my favorite of his books yet, and it made me extremely excited to see what he writes next!

Wow! What another amazing collection from Ito!

Weeping Woman Way-Upon meeting a professional mourner, Mako is deeply affected. Her fiancé tries to figure out the mystery of the weeping women, and finds more than he expected. This was such an usual story but I really liked it. It still had a supernatural element to it, while being lighter on the horror.

Madonna- Maria is a new transfer student to her religious boarding school. She can't escape the eye of the principal, which also brings the attention of his wife, who is allegedly the second coming of Mary. Catholic schools are wild (I went for 13 years, k-12), and Ito amped it up even higher with a religious horror story about a man obsessed with finding the second coming of Mary and fathering the next Jesus. There is so much background in this short story, but it flowed so well and felt like a longer story. This was my favorite of this book.

The Spirit Flow of Aokigahara- Sick Norio travels to Aokigahara with his girlfriend, Mika, to end his life on his own terms. While searching for a spot, Norio is caught up in a spirit flow. Soon, he becomes obsessed with flow, but what exactly is it? Taking place in the infamous Suicide Forest, this story is strangely more about life and obsession. It's short and creepy, but that's about it.

Slumber- Takuya has been having some strange dreams lately. Dreams of murder. But when victims start piling up, how can he stop the dreams before he gets caught? This was an odd one! The whole "is it a dream or a memory" thing was well executed here and Takuya's slow descent into madness is perfectly Ito.

Junji Ito is truly the expert of all things creepy and originally supernatural. Every comic idea he has always feels so refreshing, even if the story is short. I loved this volume too!