Fans of Junji Ito rejoice. As, not only is one of his most well-known books, Uzumaki, being faithfully adapted for television, but Netflix has also opted to throw its hat into the ring with its own take on his frightening bibliography.
The brand new animated anthology series Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre will be a compilation of twenty of the author’s short stories, several of which have never been produced for the big screen in any form previously.
According to sources, the news was first made during Netflix’s Geeked Week in June 2022. It is likely that followers of Junji Ito’s work will recall that this is not the first time that an attempt has been made to compile a collection of short stories.
The style of the new Netflix series was similar to that of The Junji Ito Collection, which was first published in 2018 and adapted a pair of short stories into an anthology.
However, the short-lived series received harsh criticism for failing to adequately convey the absolute terror that emanated from Ito’s original inked pages.
Given that Uzumaki seems to be shaping up to be an extremely faithful adaptation let’s keep our fingers crossed that Netflix can pull off something equally impressive. The information we currently have on Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre is listed below.
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Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre Official Release Date
On January 19, 2023, Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre will be made available for streaming on Netflix all around the world.
Uzumaki, Junji Ito’s other significant animated work, was initially scheduled for release in October 2022 but was postponed to ensure the best quality finished version. It seems that Maniac will hopefully release on the schedule based on the most current key art that has been made public.
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Plot Details Of Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre
This brand-new collection of stories by Junji Ito will be an animated horror anthology. Twenty stories will be adapted, some of which have been given names in advance, including “The Hanging Balloons,” “Souichi,” “The Long Hair in the Attic,” and a few others.
It is unclear how these stories will relate to one another, either thematically or narratively. There is also no shortage of terrifying content that can be presented on screen, especially as several stories will be animated for the first time.
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Major Casts Of Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre
Being an anthology, we may anticipate a sizable cast of voice actors to bring Junji Ito’s characters to life. Anime enthusiasts may recognize some of the voice casts, including Yuki Kaji, best known for his part as Shoto on My Hero Academia; Yoko Hikasa, best known for her position as the voice of Mio on K-On; and Fumiko Orikasa, best known for her role as Rukia Kuchiki on Bleach are just a few of the many outstanding performers currently available here.
There is still room for a lot more talent to join the team since less than half of the stories have been announced thus far. Thus, the major artists whom we will see in this upcoming manga include
1. Rie Suegara as Tomie
2. Yumiri Hanamori as Tsukiko Izumisawa
3. Yuji Mitsuya as Soichi
4. Hiro Shimono as Oshikiri
5. Takahiro Sakurai as Kazuya Hikizuri
6. Riho Sugiyama voicing Kazuko Morinaka
7. Daisuke Kishio voicing Shinya Shiraishi
8. Iori Nomizu voicing Kagumi Fujin
9. Taku Yashiro as Yamazaki
10. Tomokazu Sugita voicing Tachi
11. Hiroyuki Yoshino voicing Kimata
Who Is Junji Ito?
Junji Ito, one of the most well-known manga creators, is well-recognized for his numerous horror works. Ito has a sizable cult following that is fueled by his creations like the two-volume narrative Gyo and the three-volume Uzumaki series.
Ito is known for his distinctive and highly eerie art style, which is present in all of his works, which are frequently referred to as body horror or cosmic horror stories.
The manga Tomie, which appeared in Monthly Halloween from 1987 to 2000, is one of Ito’s most well-known creations. Ito has been active during the previous few decades. Junji Ito Maniac, the name of the new series, is an anime adaptation of 20 stories by a well-known manga author.
On July 31, 1963, Junji Ito was born in the town of Sakashita, which is now a part of Nakatsugawa, Gifu. He first encountered the horror genre when he was quite young, reading Kazuo Umezu’s Mummy Teacher as his first manga. At the age of 4, Ito started creating comics, drawing inspiration from the stories he read in magazines.
