ARC From Netgalley.
Junji Ito always hits it out of the park! Such horrorific stories that stay with you. If you are still now a fan of Ito, and you like short story horror, you owe it to yourself to check out ANY of his books.
For this collection, I'll leave a bit of a teaser for each short story:

Alley - When Ishida moves in as a tenant to Shinobu's old room, he can't ignore the noises he hears in the alleyway at night...

Descent - A young woman tries to commit suicide, but her husband saves her. "A change is coming..." is all she will say.

The Ward - Mrs. Hashimoto gets in a car accident and while recovering on a hospital ward, she is constantly creeped out by a few ladies who do EVERYTHING together.

The Inn - A family's life is ruined when the father begins to dream of opening an Inn with a hot spring. Just how deep will he have to dig?

Blessing - Kyosuke wants to marry Mizusu, but her father won't give his blessing, no matter what happens. What's wrong with her father? Maybe it's something wrong with her...

Smoker's Club - Maybe you shouldn't smoke tobacco that grows next to a crematorium.

Mold - A man has to leave his newly built home on a long-term business trip and decides to rent it to an old teacher of his who was obsessed with mold. (This is a Junji Ito story, you know where this is going! LOL)

Town of No Roads - After a boy she crushed on dies, Saiko leaves her weird spying family to live with her aunt, only her town has changed in a very odd way.

Memory - Yuriko is a beautiful girl who is convinced she used to be ugly, like the Jeckyl and Hyde story. Was she, or was someone else involved?

Ice Cream Bus - A young boy and his father move into town and the boy wants to join the other kids on the ice cream bus. (I also read the Image Comics title "Ice Cream Man", I know this is a bad idea LOL

If any of these sound appealing to you, you should definitely pick this up, or any other Junji Ito short story collection. This guy is a master of horror.

Strong recommend.

Another captivating collection from Junji Ito, I can’t wait to see what else he comes out with. I think that this one is one of my favourites.

Thanks NetGalley and Viz Media for this arc!

4/5 stars

Another interesting anthology by Junji Ito! There were a few in this one I really enjoyed, like The Blessing and The Town With No Roads. I found The Ward to be really interesting too, and I hope there will be a follow up to that one one day! Ito's signature creepiness is in full gear in this one, and I'm here for it! Except for the Ice Cream Bus 😂

Chilling and thrilling! While this book is not a good fit for the store I booksell at, I enjoyed it thoroughly and would definitely recommend!

Thanks to VIZ Media and Junji Ito for the chance to read ‘Alley’! I liked a majority of the stories (and some of the illustrations were seriously creepy) but something fell flat for me unfortunately. I think I wanted a little more horror. I'm definitely going to try a different Junji Ito work though!

This was my first book by Junji Ito and I thought it was really good. The artwork is great, paired by fantastic stories. I can't wait to recommend it to customers.

I will devour anything by the GOAT himself. Junji Ito is the master of Japanese horror, and I'd love to see more adaptations of his work!

The father of horror manga is back with even more horrifying stories in this new collection, some of which featured in the Netflix series 'Junji Ito Maniac'. As usual, Ito knocked it out of the park.

Alley: Junji Ito Story Collection is another chilling addition to Junji Ito’s body of work, showcasing his signature blend of eerie atmosphere and grotesque imagery. The titular story, Alley, weaves a slow-burning horror narrative filled with creeping dread and psychological unease. As always, Ito’s artwork is stunningly detailed, bringing his nightmarish visions to life in a way that lingers in the mind long after reading. While not as outright terrifying as some of his most famous works, this collection still delivers plenty of unsettling moments that fans of his style will appreciate.

Yet another fantastic collection from the master of horror manga. I was thinking of these stories long after finishing and I think this is a very strong addition to Junji Ito's growing portfolio.

junji ito's best work in a hot minute! these stories oozed a decent amount of dread and suspense, and the pacing was great. i really enjoyed, too, that these stories all had very discernible characters and you could tell who was who in the illustration.

Another great collection by Junji Ito! I could not pick a favorite tale try as I may. Chilling illustrations sure to chill. Junji Ito’s The Alley turns a mundane setting into pure nightmare fuel. With detailed artwork and masterful pacing, it builds an atmosphere of creeping dread that stays with you. A must-read for horror fans, it’s a testament to Ito’s genius in crafting universal terror.

Classic Junto Ito, dark and disturbing with mind bending twist on every corner. A staple for any horror manga fan’s library.

Another great collection from Junji Ito! Sometimes these can be difficult, gruesome, and cerebral - in all the best ways. The art, as always, was breathtaking. This is a great collection of short stories, though perhaps not my favorite that I've read from the author. It was great to revisit some familiar pieces. Junji Ito never disappoints!

Another classic collection from Ito. This collection includes a few stories that are also featured in the Netflix series Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre.

If you're familiar with Junji Ito, you already know he's an odd duck, so this collection will hold no surprises (other than the constant surprise that is "where did that come from?"). If you're not familiar with Junji Ito, this is a good starting point, as are any of his short story collections. This particular collection was first published in 1992, and is full of creepy, spooky goodness just waiting to give you the shivers! The stories are all good, with of course some being better than others, but I won't comment on the stories individually; my favorites might not be your favorites, and I prefer not to influence others to that extent beforehand. The art is very Ito, meaning there are scenes of visceral horror that bring the "ew" factor, but nothing ridiculously gross. Ito isn't a perfect writer; his flow is sometimes a bit chunky, and his endings can be very abrupt and leave the reader wanting something more. His endings can also be very precise and just what the story needed, so take what I say with a grain of salt. I find any faults in his work to be inconsequential personally, and I can't bring myself to give his books less than 5 stars, because his work is just so delightfully weird with lots of "wtf?" moments, and I always enjoy it!

#AlleyJunjiItoStoryCollection #NetGalley

I enjoyed this collection a lot. It had some stories that I was familar with from anime or from previous collections and it was nice to revisit them. B there were also stories that I was happy to read for the first time. While his work is always unsetling, there were two stories in this one (The Ward and Mold) that especially made me feel so unwell. Some of the newer Junji Ito collections have had some translation choices that felt a little off to me, this did not have the same problem. Overall, a great collection.

I found myself here after seeing the Netflix show that was based on Junji Ito's stories and the book versions do not disappoint. Creepy, skin crawling, scary stories. Different definitely, but it gave me nostalgic feelings similar to when I reread Alvin Schwartz's Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.

Once again, Junji Ito provides dark & macabre tales that leave readers in a hair raising suspense, with impeccable artwork that penetrates the readers deepest underlying fears and anxieties.

Another wonderful instalment of short horror stories. Junji Ito’s art style has always been my favourite in Manga and it still rings true. I found a few of the stories similar but there were definitely some new fantastic stories in this book! Particularly Town of No Roads was creepy, interesting, and even though these are short I found myself trying to guess what was next and find the underlying meaning.