Junji Ito Inks New Self-Portrait

Junji Ito has made quite the career for himself in the manga world, creating some of the scariest stories in anime or otherwise. Responsible for spine-tingling creations such as Uzumaki, Gyo, The Enigma at Amigura Faults, and too many other short stories to count, Ito also has a streak of levity in his work. In a recent artistic depiction of himself, Ito was able to show off not just his talent but his love of cats, a fact that might be sometimes lost in his more horrific entries. 

One of Ito’s funniest stories is “Junji Ito’s Cat Diary: Yon & Mu“. The manga was originally released in 2007, and documented the master of horror’s experiences with cats. While this manga might be first and foremost a comedy, it also took more than a few opportunities to present some creepy panels by Ito himself. Kodansha, the publishers of the hilarious manga, described Yon & Mu as such, 

“Hell-o-kitty! Master of Japanese horror manga Junji Ito presents a series of hissterical tales chronicling his real-life trials and tribulations of becoming a cat owner. Junji Ito, as J-kun, has recently built a new house and has invited his fiancée, A-ko, to live with him. Little did he know…his blushing bride-to-be has some unexpected company in tow—Yon, a ghastly-looking family cat, and Mu, an adorable Norwegian forest cat. Despite being a dog person, J-kun finds himself purrsuaded by their odd cuteness and thus begins his comedic struggle to gain the affection of his new feline friends.”

Junji Ito & Cat: Horror Free

A new exhibition honoring Ito’s works is opening in Japan later this month, and the official social media account for the event shared the new art from Junji Ito himself. Here’s the statement from the exhibition, “Opening on April 27th. This is a self-portrait of Mr. Ito, a “close-up of the author” drawn especially for this exhibition. This work will not be exhibited, but it will be featured frequently from now on.”

Junji Ito continues to work on new manga to this day, but there are some big projects adapting the mangaka’s work on the way. Toonami is continuing to work on the anime adaptation of Uzumaki, while a live-action feature-length film adapting Blood Sucking Darkness. 

What is your favorite Junji Ito story to date? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the spooky world of Junji Ito.