Junji Ito Gives Animorph Series An Honest Horror Rating

One of the most prolific, terrifying authors in the world of horror is back in the news! Following the announcement of a new interpretation of his works Uzumaki, to be made into an anime adaptation by Adult Swim releasing next year 2020, and Tomie, which will be made into a major motion picture, Junji Ito has been making the rounds as of late. Recently, at the 2019 Crunchyroll Expo, Ito himself attended a panel where he was asked many questions regarding his horror work as well as what scared him in media today. The panel who was attending the convention with Junji decided to ask him his thoughts on one of the most terrifying properties of them all: Animorphs!

Twitter User Deb Aoki shared the pivotal moment where Ito was first introduced to the Animorph franchise, then gave his honest thoughts on whether or not it was scary and what it could do to be even more terrifying than it already was:

The panel asks Junji Ito what he thinks of Animorphs - “when they’re morphing, is there a chance that they get stuck in the in-between state? If yes, then 7 on (1-5) scary scale!” #crx2019 pic.twitter.com/A97iVAiOPt

— Deb Aoki (@debaoki) August 31, 2019

Junji humorously stated that while the franchise itself doesn't seem that scary with the way it is presented, if the characters that transformer into animals were trapped at the mid-way point of the transformation, then surely it would be one of the most horrifying series of all time. Perhaps this is something that Mr. Ito can cover in a future story of his own?

Ito is very familiar with presenting animals in strange scenarios to create a scary story of his own. The manga series Gyo, which was adapted into an anime movie, followed a group of friends that were dealing with an invasion by aquatic life sprouting spider-like legs and attacking the mainland. Perhaps most terrifying of these creatures was the Great White Shark, which trampled through the young adults' house, looking to add them to the menu. Much like other Ito works, Gyo ends quite horrifically and it's a worthy read from the Junji Ito collection when it comes to nihilistic undertakings.

Animorphs meanwhile was a children's fictional novel series that followed a group of children that had the ability to transform into animals themselves to help them overcome a series of adventures. Originally published in 1996, the series continued for around 15 years and even warranted a television adaptation, to say nothing of the 54 books printed to its name. While a movie has been discussed in the past by various studios, one has not seen the light of day as of yet.

What do you think of Junji Ito's rating of Animorphs? What's your favorite horror story from the mind of this legendary manga artist? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and Junji Ito!