It never gets old seeing a time-honored artist doing something silly. For masters like Stephen King and Patrick Stewart, they draw attention any time they stray from their serious reputation and let off steam. Now, one of manga’s greatest masters is experiencing that fame themselves, and Junji Ito managed to do so with help from Barbie.
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Oh yeah, you did read that right. Mangaka Junji Ito is going viral right now, and it is all thanks to Barbie. During a recent visit to America for San Diego Comic-Con, it seems Ito couldn’t help but check out the event. It was there a Barbie photo opp called his name, and Ito is now going viral thanks to the Barbie crossover.
Godswill Ugwa Jr., a community manager for Viz Media, shared the perfect photo with fans. It turns out SDCC featured several Barbie boxes that fans could get inside and then snap photos. It seems Ito couldn’t pass up the chance to become his own kind of Barbie. We’re sure the Mattel superstar would love Ito’s Barbie, and to be honest, it has fans begging for a crossover.
Ito has toed the line with Barbie’s philosophy before in series like Tomie, but can you imagine what a full-on collaboration would do? Ito’s iconic aesthetic would do things to Barbie that horror fans couldn’t begin to imagine. No one in the Barbie-verse would be safe from Ito’s body horror, not even Ken.
Sadly, there are no plans in the works to bring Ito and Barbie together beyond this viral photo. For now, the Mattel IP is keeping busy at the box office, and it is raking in cash. If you did not know, Barbie earned a record-breaking $155 million USD domestically upon its premiere. Stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling have taken over social media thanks to the movie’s success. And with help from Ito, now the manga fandom is looking at Barbie in a whole new light.
If you want to check out Barbie, the Mattel movie is in theaters now. For more details, you can read the film’s synopsis here: “Barbie and Ken are having the time of their lives in the colorful and seemingly perfect world of Barbie Land. However, when they get a chance to go to the real world, they soon discover the joys and perils of living among humans.”
What do you think about this Barbie crossover? Do we need a Junji Ito x Barbie manga now? Let us know what you think in the comments below as well as on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!
