The 2026 Winter Olympics have ended, and much like other events in this time-honored event, various anime references made their way into the games. Following some big gold wins for the United States of America, big athletes have been celebrating their achievements in unique ways. In one wild interview, a big winner for America has decided to not only touch upon the topic of anime, but also shared her love of the horror part of the anime aisle. While there might not be as many terrifying stories to choose from in the anime world, this didn’t stop Kim Alisa Liu from sharing what creepy tales keep her up at night.
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For those who might not know, Alisa Liu is an American figure skater who won gold medals this year for both team and individual events. The skater also just so happens to be a giant fan of horror anime, sharing her love of the campfire stories in a recent interview with the outlet Overtime. During the chat, Liu shared her love for some specific horror series as well as anime in general, “Have you ever seen Another? It’s pretty gory. It’s pretty interesting. It’s a little crazy, but it’s pretty good. Of course, I also like Nana. I used to read a lot of Junji Ito’s works but now, I feel like I’m just following Chainsaw Man. My goal here in Milan is to keep watching Chainsaw Man and to spread the appeal of Pochita all over the world.”
The Horror of Anime & Sports
While there might not be too many anime that fuse sports with horror, there are plenty of examples of both that have arrived over the years within the medium. Of course, there are far more sports anime landing these days than horror-based ones, with the likes of Blue Lock, Haikyu, and Slam Dunk routinely making waves in the anime world. While horror projects might not be as prevalent in the anime medium, there are still some big stories that help make up this dark side.
Junji Ito has long been considered a master of horror in the anime world, and for good reason. The manga artist’s stories have become a tenet of the medium in recent years, with series like The Junji Ito Collection, Junji Ito’s Maniac: Japanese Tales of The Macabre, and Uzumaki becoming memorable in more ways than one. Ito’s anime career is far from finished as a new anime adaptation collecting some of his scariest stories is on the way in the anime titled Crimson. While a specific release date has yet to be revealed, fans are counting down the days to see this new take on Ito’s works.
Ironically enough, a new Junji Ito live-action adaptation is arriving on Netflix later this year in Bloody Smart. Produced in Taiwan, the upcoming series will bring many of Ito’s creatures into one cohesive story, though how it will do this has yet to be confirmed.
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