Created by: Junji Ito
Chapters: 7
Greetings, fellow manga fans. As is norm, every new week, a new monday rolls around and as has now become tradition, a new manga review comes along with it! This week, we talk about Junji Ito’s short story collection Voices in the Dark. Is it genuinely scary or overhyped like some of the creator’s other works? Read on to find out!
THE PREMISE:
Seven horror short-stories filled with plenty of nightmare fuel.
WHY YOU SHOULD READ IT:
For anyone even remotely read in popular manga, the name Junji Ito needs no introduction. Even if you may not have read his works, you surely must be familiar with the notorious reputation he’s amassed over his illustrious career. His works have become iconic pieces of Japanese manga which are deemed impossible to translate to screen and that’s why, any attempts to do so up until now have expectedly, been failures. Hence, it’s become common belief that there’s nothing quite like reading a Junji Ito manga. That’s why, a couple of years ago, when I started reading Gyo, I was all braced up to descend into the dark world of sleep-depriving atrocities.
But what I got was… disappointment, honestly. I mean, sure, Gyo was creepy and a little gross at times, but it wasn’t that scary. It was fine. And I felt a little let-down. Had all the hype been for nothing? Was that it? Thankfully, I found out over time that Junji Ito’s works are marred by the same impediments which plague any creator trying to get their work out into a wider audience: being forced to make it more mainstream. Thus, while many people still find his more popular manga terrifying, they are by no means his scariest works. They are but a diluted representation of his genius. So, the question presents itself: Is there any manga of his which can be shown to an avid horror fan and be met with nods of approval? The answer: a resounding ‘YES’!
Enter Voices in the Dark.
This collection of short stories – each about 30-40 pages long – is essentially what I like to call ‘Junji Ito Unadulterated’. The concise length of the stories gives them a sense of focus while allowing Ito to flex his arms and give us a peak into his beautifully twisted mind. And boy, does he! Like honestly, a couple of chapters on here contain stuff which I am finding exceedingly difficult to get out of my head. *looking at you, ‘Haunted House’ and ‘Glyceride’*
The stories range from being creepy, gross, frightening and even surprisingly poignant. Though, let’s be honest. We are reading a Junji Ito manga. We’ve sold our souls to the devil by signing up for the nightmares. And good lord, the nightmares we get.
I am the sort of person who isn’t scared very easily. Most horror movies make me laugh than shriek out in fear. That’s why, whenever I experience something scary in any form of media, I try and make the most out of it. So, how I read this manga (and how I recommend you do too) was by closing both doors out of my room, turning off the lights and prohibiting anyone in my family to come get me for the next couple of hours (I know, it’s extreme. But what can I say? Love and great stories in manga make you do some crazy things). I remember looking at a couple of panels (not posted here, of course) and getting chills through the length of my spine. And to make it more impactful, I would stare at it for more than a few seconds. I know it’s unusual but that’s just how I consume horror stories. And yes, I know this has nothing to do with a review! I just distract myself while talking about things I love. Sorry.
*clears throat*
*inserts next pair of screenshots*
Right. So, as a TL;DR, why should you read Voices in the Dark? Because it’s not false advertising. It aims to scare and scare it does. Expectedly, not every single story hits the mark but this manga was more of an opportunity was Ito to experiment with his ideas and he used it to the best of its ability. If you want to see what the hype about his manga is all about, definitely go and pick this up. You might just discover phobias you never knew you had 🙂
WHY YOU SHOULDN’T READ IT:
Now I know, horror stories are not suited for everyone’s tastes. And if you are one of these people, there’s no reason for you to check out Voices in the Dark. Also, I believe any story that aims to scare us is only as effective as we allow it to be. The best way to experience a Junji Ito manga is to take it in slowly. To settle into the atmosphere. And that can only be done by not rushing through it. So, if you are one of those people who flip through manga pages quickly as possible, there isn’t much you would end up liking here, I’m afraid.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
One of the better entry points into Junji Ito’s works, Voices in the Dark provides plenty of thrills and scares for any genre fan to have a good time while reading it and even though not every chapter hit its mark… the ones that do, leave rather long-lasting scars. If you’re really short on time, I’d still recommend checking out Chapters 1, 4 and 5. They are Ito at his finest.
RATING: Real Damn Scary/10
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With that, we conclude this week’s coverage. Next week, I will be reviewing the manga chosen through the votes of last week’s poll, Takuma Yokota’s Chikan Otoko. To have your favorite manga get reviewed the week after, be sure to vote in this week’s poll here!
And feel free to leave the titles of any manga you think needs more attention down in the comments below and I will be sure to include it in later polls.
As always, thank you for reading and see ya next Monday! ^^
I have a question: How do you decide which manga you put on which poll every week?
That is a pretty interesting question, actually 😛
Every week, I note down all and any suggestions that I get in the comments and add them to the list of all the titles I want to read. Then, so as to keep things interesting (for me and the readers), I just move around with genres.
Worry not, in time the manga you suggested in any previous posts will
surely be added to the upcoming polls 🙂
I see. I was more curious than anything, so thanks for clarifying!