I usually find that Junji Ito's book are usually a bit too scary and too gory for me, but the 4 stories in this volume were all at a good level for me. Unsettling, sometimes a bit disgusting, but I did not get sick to my stomach (for once)! I don't have a favorite story per say (but I did not like the last one as much as the first three). I liked the importance of nature in these and also it thought Madonna about religion was great too and truly horrifying, but also using real life horror, which was a nice difference.
I feel that Junji Ito's art has definitely grown. In the afterword, he talks about missing some ideas to write, but honestly the stories he told in this volume definitely had a strong narrative flow and more interesting characters than in some of his earlier most popular books. From now on, I suppose I'll mostly try to stick to the new stuff because I seem to like it better.

Thank you NetGalley and Viz Media for an advanced digital copy of The Liminal Zone.

All thoughts and opinions are my own.

If you’ve liked Junji Ito’s horror anthologies or one-offs in the past, you’ll definitely love this new installment. I genuinely enjoyed each one, although Weeping Woman Way and Madonna are my favorite out of the 4. As always the art is incredible and slightly disturbing, but if it isn’t slightly disturbing is it truly Junji Ito?

I would absolutely recommend this to anyone who loves horror or Junji Ito’s work in general.

The Liminal Zone is a new collection of 4 longer stories by celebrated horror mangaka Junji Ito. With his past work (of which I am very much a fan) most if not all pieces are fantastic and effective, but it feels like (especially with the author's note at the end) he resigned himself to writing these particular stories instead of being excited about them. I enjoyed Liminal Zone, but not as much as I did some of his past collections. The last story, "Slumber" I feel was the weakest of the group. Maybe it's because I'm a big murder mystery reader, but the components didn't seem to make sense for the reveal at the end and I found it very unsatisfying. On the other hand, "Madonna" was terrifying and definitely a favorite of mine. The creative plot continued to surprise me as it developed, and the illustrations were pure nightmare fuel. The other two stories, "The Spirit Flow of Aokigahara" and "Weeping Woman Way" were also enjoyable, though I wasn't excited about them as much as I was with "Madonna". I did however appreciate the sci-fi elements of "The Spirit Flow..." as it is not something Ito usually writes. Overall I would definitely recommend this title, but not as a first foray into Junji Ito's work.

Another great addition to Ito’s repertoire of horror anthologies. This one in particular feels fraught with all the senses, primarily touch. I feel as if Ito was very effected by the pandemic during his creation of this one, of the absence of community or our ability to come together. Several of the stories reflect on society in a way that sees it as the disease and also the cure. I really enjoyed it, and I’m sure the visuals will stick with me far longer than I would like!

Thank you to Netgalley and Viz Media for providing me with an e-ARC of this manga, this is an honest review.

I've watched the anime adaptation of Junji Ito's manga and I enjoyed it so I was curious about the source material. After reading online that the anime does live up to the manga I was happy to see this was available to read and if it lived up to the hype.
I'm not a fan of horror manga and the ghost stories in this volume were interesting but it didn't have me intrigued, the artwork was fantastic and what you will expect from Junji Ito but I found the stories lacking and repetitive especially the first two.
If you're a fan of Junji Ito's manga or horror you will enjoy this addition to the Junji Ito collection but for me it was lackluster. 3 Stars ⭐⭐⭐
#netgalley #theliminalzone #JunjiIto

I wasn't particularly impressed with these stories. They weren't bad, but doing a short story in this format felt like there was too much exposition and not enough suspense, especially considering the horror genre.

There are two different things that could happen if you give an author free rein. Half of the time, the work may find itself being overwhelming, to the point of it being almost too hard to read. The other half will result in a complete story, one that never feels rushed and is paced perfectly. Junji Ito is fortunate enough to be part of the latter half, as his recent short story collection The Liminal Zone showcases some of his best tales in years!

Originally released on the LINE app, The Liminal Zone is four short stories that loosely deal with death. Since LINE gave Junji Ito the freedom to make his stories as long as he wanted, it allowed the author to polish the narratives and have no need to wrap them up too quickly. As a result, the four stories on display showcase many of Ito’s greatest strengths, ranging from his knack for disturbing imagery to his usage of dark humor. On top of that, these are stories that will find a way to linger in your subconscious for a very long time.

The collection begins with “Weeping Woman Way”, with the couple Yuzuru and Mako witnessing an hysterical woman crying at a funeral. Suddenly, Mako finds herself unable to stop crying, to the point where the couple’s bed becomes soaked with her tears when they wake up. A visit back to the town where they first saw the weeping woman reveals a whole community of crying females, who won’t stop sobbing until the dead are fully at peace. It results in a tale that goes back and forth between being creepy and humorous, in ways where its tonal shift doesn’t feel jolted.

“Madonna”, the second story in The Liminal Zone, follows a Catholic school girl named Maria Amano. She begins to feel the gaze of the Principal’s wife Misuzu, whose intimidation has earned her the title of “angry witch woman”. But any student that irks Misuzu feels her punishment, to the point where salt will start coming out of their ears. Feel her wrath even more, and a much more horrible fate awaits.

Ito could be using “Madonna” as social commentary on how certain religions like to brainwash their followers. As Misuzu thinks she is the reincarnation of the Virgin Mary, her wicked wills and ways are treated as divine punishment. It gets even weirder when Maria starts seeing weird salt statues all around campus, but no weirder than seeing a salty Jesus crucified over a bunch more people-shaped salt mounds. As one can guess, there’s more to those salt mounds than them being mere works of art.

The wackiest story in the collection comes next, int he form of “The Spirit Flow of Aokigahara”. A couple whose made a suicide pact comes across the famed Dragon’s Mouth, with the man Norio being swept up by its spiritual flow. When he emerges, Norio has been cured of his ailments, and finds new meaning to life. However, he keeps on wanting to be swept by the flow, in hopes of becoming 100% fit.

As time goes by, Norio’s physical appearance becomes leaner, to the point where his skin is shiny and head slightly pointy. His girlfriend Mika’s concern grows more, especially when Norio makes a new friend and starts licking his body with glee. It leads to a discovery within Dragon’s Mouth that spells out the fate that awaits Norio and Maki, one that brings a disturbing level of happiness once they experience it. All of it is wrapped up in Ito’s trademark open-ended conclusion, where readers will have to determine for themselves what happens next.

“Slumber” concludes The Liminal Zone, and it’s certainly the most disturbing of the four. Would-be lawyer Takuya Terada keeps having weird dreams about committing murder. But when he comes to, he finds his crimes have spilt out into the real world. Unsure how and when he’s buying the murder weapons and outfit, Takuya finds himself terrified at what could be a split personality situation. Fortunately, his friend Kanami sets out to prove he’s not a killer in the slightest.

Where “Slumber” succeeds is in its pacing. You think Takuya’s the killer, only for certain signs to pop out that shows why he couldn’t have done it. As the story goes on, the more disturbing elements of the murders are brought to light. Once all is revealed, it would appear that everything is wrapped up. But no, Ito’s got another trick up his sleeve!

It’s hard to talk about The Liminal Zone without spoiling some of its twists and turns. Ito has a knack for making things mysterious, and the less you know about his story’s third act (or even second), the better. What you should know is that when it comes time to bring something disturbing to the readers’ eyes, Ito never disappoints! From Mako’s crying to Takuya’s sleep-deprived gaze, all of the characters are showcased with creepy imagery that’ll be burned into your brain for ages.

And thanks to LINE’s free rein, The Liminal Zone results in Ito delivering four stories that are destined to be placed high on his list of greatest works. Creepy, funny, and all-around entertaining, Ito’s latest work shows why the king of horror manga has plenty of great ideas still within him. Laugh and shriek with delight, as The Liminal Zone gives readers plenty of reasons to laugh nervously while reading. Just don’t cry; you might never stop!

The Liminal Zone is a collection of stories by Junji Ito that were serialized on the LINE manga app during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Liminal Zone
Written by: Junji Ito
Publisher: Asahi Shimbun Publications Inc.
English Publisher: VIZ Media
Release Date: July 26, 2022

The first of the four stories included in this collection is “Weeping Woman Way.” Yuzuru and Mako, a couple about to get married, travel to Tohoku. They make a stop in the country and discover a “weeping woman” at a funeral. Unfortunately, Mako starts crying when she sees the weeping woman, and continues to cry even after going back home. When they go back to Tohoku to try to find a solution, they discover that the people in the village they were at before have no idea about the weeping women. They stumble across “Weeping Woman Way,” where women remember the dead and weep for them. Mako and Yuzuru learn something frightening that changes their lives forever.

The story starts out ordinarily enough, but after Mako sees the weeping woman, everything starts changing. The true horror of the story hits when they learn about “Weeping Woman Way,” and how the women there want Mako to stay with them forever. The twist is an ending that I have come to expect from Junji Ito, but I still found it jarring. It’s very effective, and the imagery from it remains with the reader for some time after finishing the story.

The second story is “Madonna.” A girl named Maria Amano transfers into Tensei Academy, a missionary girls’ boarding school. The principal turns out to be a creepy man with a sordid past. His first wife was the seventh vice chair of the school who believed she was the reincarnation of the Virgin Mary. While married to her, he was having an affair with the woman who is now his second wife after his first wife disappeared. The second wife is the current vice chair and she also believes she is the reincarnation of Mary. The principal is having an affair with one of the teachers as well, and he tells her that he believes that she is the reborn Virgin Mary. The principal takes a creepy interest in Maria, and eventually makes a move on her and claiming she is the true reincarnation of Mary. This story peaks with a chaotic assembly where all the sordid details of this story are revealed, as well as the destruction of the school. There’s only one survivor of the ordeal, but no one believes them when they explain what happened.

This story takes the idea of hypocrisy in religious leaders and cranks it up to 11. The principal of this religious school was such a creeper, going so far as to have affairs and trying to initiate a relationship with a minor. So much for the sanctity of marriage! The man’s obsession with the reborn Virgin Mary also is sickening, as well as his manipulation of people. Most of the main characters in this story are trash, with the main exception being Maria. While the teacher who’s having the affair with the principal isn’t depicted as being a bad person, but the fact that she was willing to participate in an affair with the principal after being fed the line about being the true reborn Virgin Mary makes her less of a sympathetic character. In the end, “Madonna” is more of a psychological horror story, especially in comparison with “Weeping Woman Way.”

The next story is “The Spirit Flow of Aokigahara.” A man named Norio, who has fallen ill with a progressive disease, enters Mt. Fuji’s sea of trees to die on his own terms. He’s accompanied by his girlfriend, Mika. They see a glowing beam of light amongst the trees, and the next day, they find the trees in the vicinity are smooth, like their bark has been peeled off. They find the entrance to a cave, and they believe it is the “Dragon’s Mouth,” which is the exit for the “spirit flow.” That night, when they see the light coming from the cave, Norio jumps into it. The next day, Mika finds him hugging a tree. He says the souls pushed past and licked him, and now he feels better. Norio becomes obsessed with riding the spirit flow and insists on staying. But there’s a twist at the end that reveals the truth of what’s going on.

Of the four stories included in The Liminal Zone, I have to say that this one is my least favorite. This particular one felt more weird than scary. Also, I never really felt as if I ever connected with either Norio or Mika as characters. I was at least able to do that much with the main characters of the other three stories included in this volume. I ended up feeling rather “meh” about this particular story.

The final story is “Slumber.” The main character is Takuya, a young man who wants to become a lawyer but has already failed the bar exam three times. In this story, he wakes up and hears news reports of murders and has what he believes are memories of committing the murders. One night, he sees someone witness one of the murders he believes he’s committed. When his friend Kanami comes over to check on him, he confesses to the crimes. Kanami doesn’t believe he did them, though, and is determined to prove the truth. When she herself is attacked, but survives thanks to using her pepper spray, she sees the perpetrator… and it’s not Takuya. The twist at the end that reveals the truth makes an already strange story stranger.

“Slumber” was another psychological horror story, and I think it actually worked rather well. The way the story was done, the reader was really led to believe that Takuya committed the murders for most of it. The truth was a bit of a head trip, and as we see at the end, even with the amount of time that has passed, Takuya will never be the same as he was before all of this started. Between “Madonna” and “Slumber,” I would have to say “Slumber” was the stronger psychological horror story in this volume.

In the afterword, Ito reveals that the stories that were included here were created from drawing on ideas that he’s left unused in an old notebook of possible topics. To be honest, as I read some of these stories, I was thinking this was the case. The stories in The Liminal Zone aren’t necessarily bad, but for the most part, they’re just not quite as strong as some of Ito’s other horror works. I also find myself wondering if perhaps the pandemic may have also had an effect on how Ito chose to tell these stories.

I would recommend The Liminal Zone to fans of Junji Ito who want to own all of his works in their manga library. If you’re a more casual reader of Ito’s works, it might be an interesting item to read, but you’ll be less likely to want to add the volume to your manga collection. If you’ve never read anything by Junji Ito before, I would recommend holding off on The Liminal Zone until you’ve read some of his earlier works, because this compilation isn’t the best introduction to Ito’s storytelling. From what I’ve read of Ito’s compiled works, I would have to say that Venus in the Blind Spot is the strongest compilation.

This was a great and entertaining read! Often stories in the horror genre can feel tired and unoriginal, however this collection of short stories was anything but, and I read the entire book in one sitting. "The Spirit Flow of Aokigahara," which is the most interesting of the four tales, sparked me to research the myths and lore surrounding the Aokigahara forest. This book is a delightful dose of eerie Japanese culture, and I recommend it for anyone who enjoys the strange and unusual.

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!

Junji Ito does it again with "The Liminal Zone". All the stories are wonderful, as is the artwork, as usual. The Weeping Women story got me though. I cannot wait until this comes out so I can put it in the hands of my customers!

Big Fan of Junji Ito From my first foray into the manga genre. I’ve ordered his books for the store and they do very well. This will be another title to try to keep on hand at all times. Thank you for the opportunity to read this before the release date I’ve got my copy on order as well.

I feel like I would've enjoyed this a lot more if I'd managed to feel anything other than annoyance with *any* of the characters. As it was, I was happy enough with the creepiness, and I guess the silver lining is that there were no happy endings...

The master of Horror Manga did it again. This book was everything I hoped for. The stories were gripping, graphic, and demented.

A collection of well-drawn (both literarily and artistically) horror stories from Junji Ito. These short stories show a range of horrors from the physical to psychological to spiritual. The art adds to the eerieness especially in the use of shading. The title of the collection gets to the central source of terror. Many of the stories see people in their in-between states, transitioning from relative normality into an abnormal, unnerving state. The liminal zone is where the fears come from; when one is not fully one thing or another.

What an odd collection of stories. Junji Ito rarely disappoints, but I wish I could say the same for The Liminal Zone. I only really liked one story out of the four collected. Weeping Woman Way, Madonna, and The Spirit Flow of Aokigahara were fairly underdeveloped and strange. Why did the spirit flow cause the characters to become slim and shiny? Why did they have to lick themselves? I don't know and it wasn't explained. But I am not sure an explanation would help such an odd story. It wasn't scary at all. None of them really were. The only story I kind of liked was 'Slumber.' I thought the ending was at least interesting and disturbing. Juni Ito mentions in the afterword that he had unlimited pages to work with and had no restrictions on length, but then why do these stories feel short and poorly constructed? One bright spot is the art -- fantastic as always.

I'm a fan of Ito's works, but this collection did not impress me. I still enjoyed the sample copy and will most likely order it for the library. I didn't care for the stories. My favorite out of the collection was Slumber. It reminded me of a classic slasher horror movie, but with a psychological twist.

The Liminal Zone is a collection of horror stories written by Junji Ito.

I don’t read a lot of horror, in manga or novel form, but this one attracted me and I’m so glad I requested an Advance Copy of it. I’ve never read other works by Junji Ito, these stories are so bizarre and creepy but at the same time, I can’t stop thinking about them, and it’s been a few days since I closed the book.

Weeping Woman Way - a couple goes exploring in a town and stumble across a funeral with a weeping woman (professional mourner). After coming in contact with the weeping woman, Mako finds herself unable to stop crying - even to the point of completely soaking their bed at home. The couple returns to the town to try and get answers.

The drawings of the weeping women were chilling, especially the corpse who kept weeping long past her death.

Madonna - a religious horror story that follows a school girl at her new religious boarding school as the principal does everything he can to find the reincarnation of the virgin Mary.

Who doesn’t like a religious horror story?

The Spirit Flow of Aokigagara - follows a couple of they go into Japan’s infamous “Suicide Forest” to die together after one of them get diagnoses with a terminal illness. Once arriving, the couple finds an unexplainable spiritual beam that draws Norio in and begins to create changes in him.

This story’s artwork still gives me the creeps. Characters end up being drawn simply, but their eyes are so haunting.

Slumber - every morning Takuya wakes up and has memories of a murder that happened the night before, but he doesn’t remember preparing for the murders, or his motive.

This one still left me a tad bit confused by the end of it… it’s nothing that made me mad or upset with the story, afterall, when do you know every answer at the end?

Overall, I would recommend this to any horror manga readers out there for some creepy and spine tingling horror.

*Thank you VIZ Media LLC and Netgalley for an advanced electronic version of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I've read about 10 books by Junji Ito this year alone (making up for lost time) and this one was one of the better ones. There are only 4 stories in this collection but each one is excellent. Madonna was particularly creepy, though as other reviewers mentioned, it does deal with religious trauma. Highly recommend for libraries with a robust graphic novel, comic and manga section.

Another solid collection by Junji Ito. I always look forward to his collections. The artwork is fantastic and the stories are always pretty unique.